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|Multiple Species of hominids coexisted on this planet during the same era|
In the second portion of Dr. Jeff Meldrum's presentation at the Pacific Northwest Conference on Primal People (Sasquatch) held in Richland, WA, he explains how the new discoveries of multiple species co-existing at the same time creates a more compelling argument for other hominids possibly existing in our modern era. The six hominids he mentions are "Homo" floresiensis, Homo Erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neandertalensis, Homo sapiens and H.denisova.
While he maintains there is not enough evidence, in his opinion, to indicate there are multiple Bigfoot species in North America, he does take us on a world tour of other possible hominid species on other continents. For example, the Orang Pendek. The Orang Pendek is described by Wikipedia as:
Orang Pendek (Indonesian for "short person") is the most common name given to a cryptid, or cryptozoological animal, that reportedly inhabits remote, mountainous forests on the island of Sumatra.Watch as the video below as Dr. Jeff Meldrum takes us back in time among the hominids.
The animal has allegedly been seen and documented for at least one hundred years by forest tribes, local villagers, Dutch colonists, and Western scientists and travelers. Consensus among witnesses is that the animal is a ground-dwelling, bipedal primate that is covered in short fur and stands between 80 and 150 cm (30 and 60 in) tall. |
Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 4th, 2007
Darren Naish, born in 1975, is a vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer, presently based at the University of Portsmouth where he works on theropod dinosaurs, particularly those from the Wealden Group rocks of Early Cretaceous England. Also, it must be noted for our purposes, that parttime cryptozoologist Darren Naish collects toys. Lots of toy animals.
If you visit Darren Naish’s site you will see that the current photo header (not shown here) at Tet Zoo features an assortment of toys produced by the British company Britains Ltd, though there are also a few Safari figures in there too (a walrus and a giant armadillo are visible at his site). Some are produced by the French company Starlux, as well.
Darren owns what he views as a “ridiculous collection of toy and models animals, including prehistoric animals, zoo/wild animals and farm animals. ”
It has been a passion of Darren’s since he was a kid, one I must admit I share. Indeed, to write this blog, I spread out part of my collection, one hundred non-cryptid animals, behind me on a table here, so the herd could be heard, so to speak. Such collections do take on a life of their own.
It should be mentioned that such toy models of known species are great as educational teaching tools in cryptozoology, and as cryptozoological fieldwork aids to see what is ethnoknown. But they are not cryptid toys, and another day I will talk of the specific jungle of cryptid figures and related small scale “Lost World” models (coming out of the Warhammer tradition) that do exist out there. For now, let me trek back to today’s overview of Darren Naish’s “ridiculous” collection, which naturally I think is interesting to cryptozoologists and fellow travelers.
But I was curious about a more personal angle about his toy animals. I asked Darren if I might interview him, specifically with an eye to learning a bit more about some of his “favorites.” Here’s our exchange.
Loren: What’s the first animal (modern, prehistoric, or otherwise) figurine – that made an impact – you remember being given or obtaining on your own?
Darren: The very first toy animal I ever received was a giraffe made by Britains Ltd (a company that specialises in producing toy animals, farm vehicles, soldiers etc): it was given to me on my 3rd or 4th birthday by my grandmother. This is the first object I aquired as part of my collection and I still have it. It now lacks any trace of its original markings, has no horns, ears or tail, and has bent legs.
Loren: What is your favorite known living species representative in your collection?
Darren: That’s a tricky one, as I have a special fondness for quite a few of the obscure creatures I own. I am pretty keen on the Great white shark produced by Safari for the Monterey Bay Aquarium set – that’s ironic, given that there are lots more animals that I find a lot more interesting than sharks.
Loren: What animal model/figurine/figure of what extinct species do you regard with special liking?
Darren: I tend to like the models that depict obscure creatures, and yet are at least reasonably accurate in scientific terms. The German company Schleich makes a chalicothere, a glyptodont and a macraucheniid litoptern that I quite like.
Again, it’s ironic that I regard those pieces as among my favourites, given that I’m a dinosaur (rather than fossil mammal) specialist. Oh well.
Loren: How many cryptid figurines of any note do you have in your collection?
Darren: I don’t have that many, but then not that many have ever been produced. The only figure I have that’s specifically marketed as a cryptid is a plesiosaur that comes packaged as the Loch Ness Monster.
Of course, a lot of the models I have depict creatures that are of relevance to cryptozoology, including Komodo dragons, fossil hominids (Safari produces some australopithecines), okapis, gorillas and the chalicothere mentioned above.
I did a TV interview on Loch Ness once, and took along a toy plesiosaur, so I’ve even managed to use some of the pieces for educational purposes.
A television interviewer plays with Darren’s plesiosaur. Shown above with Darren’s toy is Judy Finnigan, who has been called the current British daytime television’s most popular female personality.
Darren Naish continues his search for more toy animals, delighted each day by what he finds are being newly produced.
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. |
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
I wrote and submitted for more than a decade before I sold my first two books on July 24, 2007. So a year ago today, I was still plugging away and wondering if I'd wasted all that time, if the dream would always elude me. I wasn't going to give up, but it was getting harder every day to keep typing, to keep believing. But keep typing I did.
The weeks and months since July 24 have been surreal, to say the least. I sold those first two books (YA titles) to Razorbill, a part of Penguin Young Readers Group. Three months later, I sold my first two romances to Harlequin American after going through two sets of revisions for the editor on the first one. Since then, I've written more, revised a lot, worked on outlines, brainstormed with my editor, strategized with my agent, seen a preliminary cover for my first YA, got my Web site redesigned to reflect to two halves of me (I'm writing the YAs under the name Tricia Mills, the romances under my own name), ordered new business cards and bookmarks, attended my first Romantic Times conference (where I signed my first autograph on a bookseller's tote bag), and booked several appearances and speaking engagements at conferences and reader events. And, of course, since I am a writer (and therefore neurotic), I worried that if I didn't hold on tight, it would all go away. So far, it hasn't. I'm hopeful that I'm just at the beginning of a long, successful career.
Believe me when I say I know how awful it feels before you sell. You are plagued with doubts -- Am I good enough, or does my writing suck? Am I wasting time I could be spending with family and friends or pursuing other interests? Am I being selfish by writing and not contributing more to the family's income? I had all those thoughts and more. But when an editor or your agent calls to tell you you've finally sold that first book, all the rejection, all the doubt, all the hard work, all the sacrifice is worth it. It's a magical moment that is imprinted on your brain forever. You'll still have doubts (Will my editor hate this and demand the advance back?) and battles to fight, but you just have to realize that that's part of the writer's life. Acknowledge it and move on. Because you have more books to write, more stories to share with readers.
If you're still waiting for that first sale, keep plugging along. One of my favorite quotes is "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." Don't depend on others to bestow luck on you. Go out and make your own luck.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
And they’re all men.Morgan and my little brother Jon get the first pass – Jon (Who is going to kill me for posting his goofy devil horns picture. I couldn't help myself!) is my logic man. He can spot a plot hole from a million miles away. Morgan focuses on grammar and clarity. He also always seems to find the threads and story elements that I managed to hide from myself during the drafting process.
My crit group, Smyrna Writers, gets the next draft. Mark and Bob are the group’s core and their insights are invaluable. They’re objective and honest, yet know me and my work well enough to comfortably be able to tell me when I’m being an idiot and when I’ve hit the bullseye.
My friend Al gets the “I think it’s almost done” draft. He’s like a fiction barometer. If I don’t make him laugh, I didn’t do my job.All of them provide a much needed peek into the male mind and heart that, I hope, makes my heroes much more realistic.
This didn’t really register with me until the subject came up during a message board conversation with Anitra and some of the other TM’s and it made me wonder how many other romance writers have the luxury of feedback from a male perspective. And as wonderful as my guys are, it also made me worry that I don’t get enough female insight.
What do you guys think? Do any of you have male crit partners? Would you if you had the opportunity? Does gender really matter when critiquing romantic fiction?
Monday, April 28, 2008
We know that names are important, but do we really understand its importance?
As a writer, we spend a great amount of time agonizing over names. Should we use our real name or come up with a pseudonym? How saleable is the name we’ll eventually settle on? Does it match the genre we write in? Where will it sit on the bookshelves? Will it be a memorable name? Is there already a published author (or famous person) already going by that name? Is it an easy to pronounce name?
Our name is one of our most powerful marketing tools. If chosen correctly, it can define in the reader’s eye who we are and what kind of books we write. A great example of this is Madeline Oh. What a fantastic name for an erotica romance author.
I once was adamant about getting a pen name – Mya Shelton. Ran that by my writer friends and the response was something to the effect of, “Shelton? It’s so common.” At the time, I thought, “What was wrong with common?” I wanted to be common. I wanted to blend in and not stand out. But my friends finally knocked some sense into me. Why try to blend in and be overlooked, when you can stand out and be unique? And with that, I began to fully embrace my name, Mai Christy Thao. It has a certain ring to it. It’s certainly unique. And it fits my sub-genre, historical fantasy paranormals. Besides, I’ve already built up name recognition and a brand with my real name. Why change it and start over?
But sometimes, uniqueness can be harmful, especially when it comes to naming the characters in our books. I once read a Regency set romance where the heroine’s name was something like Tianna. Every time I saw that name, it jarred me out of a story. Tianna? In early 1800 England as a proper lady aristocrat? It would have settled better with me if say the book had been set in Barbados around that time period, and her parents had been very fond of the locals. A lesson I took from this was don’t give your character a name for the mere sake of being unique.
Just as there are sexy names and unsexy names, there are also hero names and anti-hero names. Nicholas is one of the most commonly used hero names in a romance. I often hear agents and editors say, “No protagonist with the name Nick or Nicholas”. You don’t see Chuck too often as the hero. However, there’s a thin line between the differentiation of hero and anti-hero names. Damien, for example, is a name that sits on the border of hero and anti-hero.
Understanding the importance of a name and winning the name game may be the one thing that could make or break your story (and your career). Just think, what if Tom Cruise had opted to go by his real name, Thomas Mapother IV? Would Thomas Mapother have become as solid a household brand as Tom Cruise have become?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Now -- where to start?
If I had to sum up the RT Booklovers convention in one word it would have to be amazing. We don't have anything like that in the UK. I had a GREAT time. Reporting on everything would take up pages of the blog, but I can give you impressions and some edited highlights that I hope will provide a taste of five hectic days. You can be on your feet and at some event from breakfast time until the early hours of the next day – we did our best, but even Title Magicians can’t keep partying forever!
So – who did I see, what did I do?
One the very best things about the convention has to be meeting the other American Title IV finalists, plus Jenny, Judi and Raz from American Title III and Liz from Romantic Times -- people who already felt like friends. After that, well -- one minute you could be in an elevator with a group of aspiring authors, the next standing beside a writer you’d admired for years -- it's that kind of event. As Mel put it, a very high squee factor! I met so many people, and everyone had something interesting to say. There was the lady who shoots those delectable covers who had tales of putting hunky models through ordeals of nibbling fish, biting insects, and sunburn. Those guys really do suffer for their art! Then the lovely ladies from the Between your Sheets website with whom I discussed Welsh ancestry. The two visitors who came all the way from Belgium, just to be at the convention -- because they love to read romance …
Most of the day could be a party, if you wanted, but the big ones – the Fairy Ball, Monster Mash, Ellora‘s Cave’s homage to Hollywood and Dorchester’s shoe fest were something special. Costumes ranged from a simple pair elf ears to the most complex designs, with wings that looked almost as if they might work. Guests could do as much, or as little as they wanted. Judi won a prize with her wonderful peacock shoes and we all danced and had a good time.
So many choices, so little time. I sat in on discussions of romantic suspense, psychic romance, new historicals and the intricacies of e book publishing. Everything I attended was fascinating and useful, particularly the practical sessions on pitching and synopsis writing. We’re hoping to have one or two of those speakers as guests on the blog so everyone can share.
Whatever your taste in romance you could get it at RT. There were two huge signings, one for e-books, the other for print, when the noise levels and squeal levels, as someone spotted their favourite author, were high. Bearing in mind the weight of my suitcase, and the cost of shipping, I contented myself mostly with taking names, so I could track down the authors here in the UK. Jenny Gardiner was signing many copies of Sleeping with Ward Cleaver, last year’s AT winner, and I also had the chance to speak to Sylvia Day and thank her for hosting interviews on her blog with all the ATIV finalists, back at the start of the competition.
The give aways
Again I had to be careful but I still managed a pile of books and goodies. The handles on the case may never be the same again. A few other ladies made Sunday trips to Macy’s to buy an extra bag to carry home all that stuff. Now I’m unpacked I can’t find my wonderful collection of promo pens – yes I’m a geek over them, just like Mel. I can only guess that somehow I left them behind. Pause for big tears!! Thank goodness Helen’s Magic Knot pen was in my handbag. For those travelling by car there were hundreds of free books and, in promo alley, tables groaning with every kind of promotional give away, match books, bookmarks, magnets, bags, badges – and the list goes on…
Ellora’s Cavemen are total hunks, and I’d be proud to have any of the contestants from the Mr Romance contest gracing a book cover for me. All the ones I met were charming as well as good looking, but I have to say that they mostly brought out my latent maternal streak rather than fits of lust. I must be getting old! There were one or two other brave men in attendance. Mel’s husband Morgan deserves special mention for courage over and above the call of duty. There were even a few male authors, like Shane Gericke from the Mystery Chix and a Dix group, with whom I shared a table at the Monster Ball.
And of course Fabio!!! And Judi and Katherine have the pics to prove it!
The Hilton was still under renovation, which led to some improvisation and use of back stairs, letting guests see parts of the hotel they wouldn’t normally get a look at. My room on the fourteenth floor was lovely but I heard other stories of layers of dust and a total absence of beds, internet connection, phone signal. Everyone knows the story of the missing coffee maker in Holli’s room. Trish came to the rescue on that one, though the rest of us were slightly disappointed not to find out what kind of shape shifting Holli might get up to if deprived of her early morning caffeine blast!
Pittsburgh is a lovely city, with friendly people. I managed to get out and about a bit – to the Rosebud Market on 7th Street for essential supplies of mineral water and fruit, to Macy’s for a little light shopping, to the Andy Warhol museum for lunch and a look at the exhibits and to the O’Reilly Theatre for a wonderful play, called Rabbit Hole, a beautifully acted and heart wrenching piece about a young couple coping with terrible tragedy. And the sight of the three quarter moon over the river at four in the morning was extremely romantic – and no I wasn’t sharing it with anyone. Unfortunately.
The special moments
The biggest moment had to be standing with Helen, when she received her winner’s tiara on the same stage as authors such as Jennifer Blake and Bertrice Small were being honoured as pioneers of romance.
Then there was the moment in the Mr Romance contest, just after the SOS Military Mixer, when George Small, veteran of World War II and looking wonderful in his uniform, was called to the stage. I had a much loved uncle by marriage who was a GI in that war. I remembered him as we all stood to applaud. I’m sure that most of the rest of the audience had a lump in their throat similar to mine.
Then there was the moment when I exited a crowded elevator as Rosemary Laurey, an Internet friend, was getting in. She recognized my accent and we introduced ourselves as the lift doors closed …
I could go on much longer, recalling people and snapshots. It really was a wonderful five days.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Then I made a short speech of thanks wearing my tiara! I even received a kiss of congratulation from Mr. Romance 2008, Chris Winters.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Siren Publishing ~ www.SirenPublishing.com
E-Book ~ $3.99 ~ 148 Pages ~ Fantasy Romance
"This story is very erotic and sensual, with a ferocious carnal appetite that can never be appeased. The syntax is extraordinary, and flows with an almost poetic feel. I do feel, however, that the constant sexual pleasures are somewhat overpowering to the plot line of the story. This being said, I very much want to read Part II, the continuation of Sheridan and Zag’s story. Ms. Kougar has an amazing way with words that very few authors could pull off, and she does so brilliantly."
Lototy ~ Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Coffee hot smooch from the Kougar...
Monday, April 21, 2008
I remember the first time I had to write a synopsis--I was terrified! How in the world was I going to distill 400 pages into 5 pages? Or worse, gulp, 2 paragraphs for a query letter?
After the quivering terror settled into jelly shakes, I decided to use the reporter technique of: who, what, where, when, how and why.
WHO is my main character?
WHAT does this character want and WHAT stands in their way?
WHERE does this character’s struggle take place?
WHEN does this story take place?
HOW does this character overcome the conflict and HOW are they changed?
WHY should a reader/editor care?
Once you’ve answered these few questions you have the basic building blocks for your synopsis.
This is only one way to start. I would love for you to share your techniques for writing a query letter or a synopsis.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thanks for inviting me over to your place, ladies. Sometimes a writer just needs to get out, stretch her legs, and visit another blog! Happy to be here visiting with everyone today! I’m Nina Pierce, new to the publishing world. My debut novel "The Healer’s Garden" (direct link: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/thehealersgarden.htm) was a December molten erotic release from Liquid Silver Books. It’s not dark or chilling but it is a suspense story that takes place in an alternative future.
A world left after the devastating plague of the twenty-first century nearly wiped out the male population and significantly decreased the female population. A place where woman have evolved and developed the talents of prophesying, telepathy, telekinesis, and the greatest gift of all—healing.
In this female dominated society, continuing the human population is of utmost importance. The virus that decimated humans has also rendered male sperm incapable of surviving artificial insemination and cloning has yet to be perfected. The government has enslaved acceptable males and decreed that woman must mate with them and birth two infants before the age of thirty.
It’s at the government breeding facility known as the Garden of Serenity that gifted healer Jahara Hriznek meets the mating instructor Brenimyn and so begins their tumultuous relationship.
Brenimyn believes the time is now to rise up and restore social equality for all. He is searching for the one woman prophesied to be his mate and partner in the battle against the government and believes Jahara is that woman. But can Brenimyn convince Jahara to trust her heart and follow him? And will that love be enough to unite them in a coup against the government and bring about a new world order?
I love this couple... love that Brenimyn is willing to risk his life to stand up for something he believes in and fight for the woman he loves.
I was born in the 60’s, but I am not a child of the 60’s. That was an era when men and women laid down in front of bulldozers or carried picket signs or stood up against the government on court hall steps. I’ve never stepped up in public and fought for a cause I believed in. I’m opinionated and not too shy to express myself, but have never gone to jail to prove a point. I greatly admire people who have stepped out of their comfort zone and stood up for a cause.
I love to hear stories of people with that much bravery. Have you taken a stand? Or would you like to? Tell me about it. I’ll be here all day!
(The Healer’s Book Trailer on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZFsFlfmuc8
See what Yolanda of TwoLips Reviews is saying about this hot, sexy, erotic romance book. .
Nina Pierce’s The Healer’s Garden is a wonderful tale...(Jahara and Brenimyn's) battle to overcome prejudices and stereotypes leaves the reader cheering for them and their quest to stay together and make a positive change. The characters are well written...The Healer’s Garden is a must read!
See what Whitney of Simply Romance Reviews is saying about this hot, sexy, erotic romance book. . .
"The plot was unique...Jahara and Bren were great main characters and you find yourself pulling for them almost from the moment they meet. This is a great read and if you are in the mood for a sexy futuristic romance, The Healer’s Garden is the book for you."
See what Denise Kivett of Rogues and Romance is saying about this hot, sexy, erotic romance book. . .
"Wow! What a great read! ... grabs your attention from the very first page, and holds on to it throughout the entire story ... amazingly well crafted with realistic qualities ... Nina Pierce is an excellent writer, and you’ll find yourself pouring through The Healer’s Garden and wanting more...
Heat Rating: 4 Cupid's Aphrodisiac
Violence Rating: 0
Thursday, April 17, 2008
For someone who’s a little crowd phobic, it’s really overwhelming, so I’ve been taking it all in weensie chunks. I’m taking advantage of the workshops, though. I’ve been to a couple of paranormal panels. This morning Trish, Holli, and I heard J.R. Ward and Jessica Anderson talk about world building and pacing. I’ve indulged my pen-whore addiction in the freebie hallway, and I’m dragging my poor hubby to the goody room later before we get ready for the faery ball. First, though, I’ve got to scoot if I’m going to learn how to construct the Surefire Six-Step Pitch.
There are two and a half days left, so stay tuned! :-)
I won’t name the book or author. Actually, I have a confession to make myself. I too was once guilty of this. Yup. *Nodding my head in shame here.*
I wrote this excellent book where the at the end, the secondary character saved the day and the girl. Yeah, my hero was there, but he didn’t react quickly enough. To tell you the truth, he didn’t know what to do because he didn’t want to jeopardize the heroine’s safety, since she had a knife at her throat and was used as a human shield by the antagonist. So the secondary saved the day by coming up behind the antagonist and was able to wrestle the knife away, free the heroine, and killed the antagonist.
To my reasoning, that secondary character had more than ample reason to kill antagonist. The antagonist had raped his 14-year-old daughter. I thought it was a very fitting end. My critique partner, however, didn’t agree. She went at me about not having the hero save the heroine and kill the antagonist. It completely ruined the book for her. And you know what? She was right. That “excellent” book is now collecting dust, waiting for me to go back and change the ending. Thank God for critique partners!
So lesson learned. Have the main character save the day, not the secondary character, no matter how great his/her motivation is. And if there’s a girl to be saved, let the hero do the saving. Common sense, I know, but like I said, even I was guilty of this. Let the hero save the day, save the girl … and save your book!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
It's my first fan conference, so it'll be interesting to see how things progress over the next few days. It's really nice to not be responsible for anything or nervous about anything like I usually am at the RWA Conference. At RWA, I'm usually going about 90 mph and have to make myself a spreadsheet so I know where I'm supposed to be when.
One of the cool things about conferences is I get to meet up with writer friends I don't get to see anywhere else. I've bumped into pal Anna DeStefano, who writes for Harlequin Superromance, a couple of times. I had dinner with Colleen Gleason, Kelly (sorry, I don't remember your last name -- not enough sleep), and fellow American Title finalists Evonne and Holli. When I sign off, I'm going to have to find Holli so I can give her the coffeepot in my room since she doesn't have one and MUST have coffee in the morning. :)
I hear the other two ATers in attendance, Mel and Helen, are here, but I've not seen them yet. I'm guessing I'll bump into them tomorrow.
So, that's day one of RT. The other ATers in attendance will be posting on-site updates throughout the rest of the week, so stay tuned!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I started writing somewhere around third grade, as a way to escape my family’s home life, to run from the bullies on the asphalt playground, and for another reason that had and has nothing to do with escape. I love playing with words. I love the sound of words, rolling them off my tongue, curving them on the line with a pen or pencil. And, older, I love the speed with which the keyboard lets me pour them out.
I want to know how the story ends. Any story. The stories I wake up to and rush to write down. The story I catch part of as some movie trailer or television commercial flips by when my kids steal the remote. The stories in the books stacked beside my bed so high I can’t open my end table’s top drawer. I want to know how the stories in my head end.
The ones I don’t have time to write. That’s what this blog is about (you’ve been wondering where I was going with this, right?). I have a very full-time job—professors don’t just teach, they grade. And go to committee meetings. And grade some more. Plus, I’m a Mommy. So, for the most part, I have very little time to write between breaks—weeks, and now months have gone by. I’m hungry. I look at my plot chart and want to cry, or at least stare longingly. I can’t even count down—the day when I can write again seems too far away.
So, since I can’t really write now, I’m subverting my passion into characterization. So many writing advisors, columnists, people who know more than I do, tell me all my characters have to have a goal. What do said characters want so badly they can’t think about it, if they can’t have it? I know I have at least one of my heroines running away from something rather than to something. A problem with the story, perhaps? Or maybe the motive is hidden, an internal desire they know they can’t have (a full-time writing career perhaps) so they never have the guts to say it out loud?
I don’t think a real goal or motive can be something you are able to put off indefinitely without symptoms of malaise. In my psychology world, there is the idea that if you repress your desires too long, too much, you have only a few options. You stop wanting that thing and maybe learn to hate it. Or you start hurting yourself, or get hurt by an inner fire. Or the desire eeks out, some Freudian slip showing who you really are and what you really want. Or you can’t stop thinking about it, tell yourself that if you just do this, then you can have it. You make deals with God.
Do your characters have something they need so badly, that serious repercussions follow--to them—and maybe the rest of the world—if they don’t get it?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Are you going, too? If so, let us know so we can say howdy!
If you're not going, never fear. Most of us Magicians are arriving with cameras and notebooks in hand and will blog about the fun, so TM readers'll get bonus content in between the week's regular posts.
All right. Time to stick the elf ears and the monkey slippers in my duffel bag and hit the road. See y'all on the flip side!
The me from ten years ago would never have believed the me of today would be a non-fiction reader. She was strictly a novel girl unless forced to write an article or paper that required research. Today, I see non-fiction as treasure. You never know what you're going to stumble across that will spark your imagination.
Inspiration is random and very subjective. And sometimes the more you force it, the less inspired you'll be. But you can guide it a little bit. Most of us expose ourselves to television news, documentaries, newspapers, new experiences, and new people just to give inspiration a chance to hit us over the head with something brilliant. I get just as many inspiration-related head injuries in the non-fiction sections of libraries and bookstores as I do with those other things.
For example, the book Done and Been: steel rail chronicles of American hobos by Gypsy Moon inspired my current WIP about a stranded woman struggling to get home to her daughter who is assisted by the hobo community, most of whom are more magical than they seem. King of the Gypsies by Peter Maas prompted a really bad early epic fantasy that I'm trying to disown. The Miami Indians of Indiana by Stewart Rafert gave the spark for Voice of the Bard. Blowing My Cover: my life as a CIA spy by Lyndsay Moran was responsible for a short story I'm editing, and The Feline Mystique: on the mysterious connection between women and cats by Clea Simon inspired a YA fantasy still in the planning stages. None of these works would exist without the non-fiction books acting as idea catalysts.
I don't have a formula for picking non-fiction for inspiration, but I can tell you what I do. I grab things that catch my eye. Sometimes I seek out books that I don't know much about, and sometimes I look for things on subjects in which I'm interested or familiar.
Do you read non-fiction for pleasure? Which titles have inspired you?
Every month, I'll post a genre-specific book list for genre fiction writers and readers. The best part? Title Magic readers'll have a chance to win their choice of book from that month's list, just for commenting. Free stuff, for the win!
Friday, April 11, 2008
When you crack open a romance novel, you know the main characters are going to fall in love and live happily ever after. It may take them a while to figure it out as, bickering, they get led astray by villains and hurl themselves over deep chasms to get back on course. But as a reader, you pretty much know how it's all going to turn out. Even in romantic suspense there's a fair level of security in reading the book as, although there is a bad guy throwing wrenches in the mix, you know who the bad guy is. (Otherwise you'd be reading a mystery novel.)
And that's why paranormal romances are so fun. Add a vampire, witch, seer or shape-shifter and you add a level of uncertainty to the proceedings. The reader has no idea how these characters are going to act in a given situation (hint: not normally) or how their world is going to collide with ours (badly, is a good guess) because they’re not quite like us. The stakes are raised, the hurdles are higher. And as millions of readers have discovered, this added element of mystery in a romance novel can really keep you flipping pages in to the wee hours of the morning.
Adding paranormal elements to a mystery novel is different though--isn’t it? Unlike a romance novel, the point of a mystery is that there’s already a lot of uncertainty. You don't know who the bad guy is. Or, apart from the unwritten guarantee that the murder will be solved, quite how it’s going to turn out. (Mystery novelists have a nasty habit of killing off characters just when you get attached to them.) Surely the mystery itself is exciting enough without having to add to the mysteriousness. But paranormal elements can be used for much more than simply adding to the unknown. For example:
Hiding clues. One of the hard parts of writing a mystery novel is hiding clues. We've all buried them in the middle of lists (“I knelt to the ground and helped Joan gather up the scattered contents of her purse: a comb, breath mints, lipstick, A GIANT GUN, hairspray and about three dollars all in pennies.”) But how much more devious to, say, literally hide them with a kleptomaniac dwarf who pops in and out of our dimension with a snap of his fingers? By the time he's snatched the heroine's favorite little black dress on page eight, her left dress shoe on page fifty and her diamond ring on page hundred and ten, you’ve forgotten he took that deceptively unimportant piece of paper on page 39. Or that there even was a deceptively unimportant piece of paper on page 39.
Revealing clues. Finding believable ways to have your sleuth discover key bits of information can be tricky, particularly if your sleuth isn’t a police detective or a PI. Oftentimes, this leads to making one's characters take absurd risks. (“So I shimmied up the fire escape and, ignoring the sound of the car pulling into the driveway, broke into Mr. Scary’s house.”) Or—and this is a pet peeve of many mystery readers I know--being unforgivably pushy. (“Hi, Mrs. Neighbor, so nice of you to invite me in for tea. I wonder… did your late husband like to dress in women's clothing?”) When you have a paranormal novel, you've opened the door to an infinite supply of ways for your sleuth to find stuff out. If, for example, your protagonist is a practicing witch, she could conjure up the dead person’s ghost to answer questions -- even better, the ghost can send your protagonist on all sorts of wild goose chases where she uncovers more clues.
Obfuscate the villains and good guys. A paranormal character is going to be different from everyone else. He or she (or it) is going to have different values, different goals…and unpredictable responses. Nonetheless, most readers will tend to assign human values to those characters, often in a predictable way the author can exploit for his or her own devious plotting needs. For instance, when a thousand gold bars disappear from the US Mint, a reader might assume that the (obviously power-hungry—look at the way he flounces around in dark robes!) warlock conjured them away. But perhaps this warlock doesn't intervene in petty human thievery. It is the author's job, of course, to play fair by making the warlock's true nature just clear enough at the time of the theft to make his eventual clearing unobjectionable. But making use of a reader’s mistaken assumptions is fair game.
Character development. A mystery novel is primarily about solving a murder. Oftentimes solving a murder requires delving into characters’ psyches, but you don't really need well-rounded characters to solve a mystery, and frankly, an author who spends too much time focusing on character development is going to lose sight of the main plot. On the other hand, without solid character development, your novel will be about as exciting as a phone book. (Fortunately for the reader, it would also be only about 50 pages long.) The trick is to develop your characters quickly. One of the ways to do this is by putting them in unusual situations and seeing how they react. For a cloistered nun, stopping for directions at a biker bar and getting embroiled in a knife fight would be an unusual situation. But you can't have all your characters be extreme examples of narrow segments of society. Here, adding paranormal elements can certainly be an advantage -- exposing your characters to otherworldly things and showing how they react is an efficient way to get a read on someone's character. And as a nice benefit, you can make your protagonist “normal” and still have him be interesting without having to make him a one-legged, gay misanthrope who raises goldfish.
Subplot. What’s a good mystery without a subplot to tweak the tension? Having paranormal elements in your novel can be a good opportunity for comic relief. When you pit a paranormal world against the real one, odd, inexplicable things are going to happen and you can have lots of fun with it. How do you explain to your mother that the detective you're dating is a werewolf? On the flipside, if the novel is hitting a slow spot, the paranormal aspect of your mystery can enhance the pathos, boost moral dilemmas and raise the stakes. What if what is seen as a gruesome murder in your world is seen as a beautiful ascension into the good life in another world? Is it still bad? Or what if a simple kiss were to bind you to someone for life in another world? Would you still do it?
Having said all this, a well-crafted book in any genre has no problem keeping a reader fully engaged. There's certainly no need to add vampires, ghosts or a shape shifting wolf-space alien from planet Xetwon in the fifth dimension to make a book exciting. But as a mystery writer, I like the way paranormal elements give me an unpredictable element to work with. It’s like having another tool in the toolbox.
And as a reader, let me just remind everyone that it’s tax time and I, for one, could use a shape shifting wolf-space alien from planet Xetwon in the fifth dimension to take me away from the gruesome specter of the IRS.
Liz Jasper is the author of the award-winning humorous paranormal mystery, UNDERDEAD. Her next novel, UNDERDEAD IN DENIAL is coming soon. For more information about Liz Jasper or her books, visit her website at www.lizjasper.com.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Pssst...if you’ve settled on were-ducks, I’d give that honking mallard another thought. According to the SmartBitches, Ellora’s Cave has already claimed those quacking heroes as their own. Yeah, yeah...I gotta an old fallin’ down duckstand I can sell ya.
Still ~ still as a full moon werewolf-shifting night ~ are you looking for that perfect were-beastie to star in your next novel?
Howl desperately to the moon, dear writers...is that next were-heroine or hero ~ or were-villain elusive? Is your were-inspiring Muse on hiatus...er...shacked up with that gorgeous ManWolf, and she’s not emerging from the waterbed den until all her lusty appetites are completely satiated?
Growl-darn the writer’s block, is that perfect were-beast still escaping your imagination? Just as the real were-beasties do, escaping detection by mainstream media and mainstream science?
Yep, I said ‘real’. There are dedicated researchers combing through all the reports turned into law enforcement agencies, including animal control, about beasties that go more than ‘bump *or hump* in the night’. These truth-seeking researchers tromp through the fields and forests tracking down evidence, snapping pics of unusual, unknown tracks, bagging bits of hair, along with the occasional claw-ripped shirt. These intrepid few among us have even been known to set up camp for a night or two, attempting to lure the beasties with their fave snacks. I believe lunch meat was mentioned in one report. Truth to tell, if I were a fierce and cunning were-critter, I don’t think lunch meat would tempt my primal slavering immense hunger. Now frying bacon....
Linda Godfrey, author of Beast of Bray Road and Hunting the American Werewolf, is one such dedicated researcher. Her occasional reports on Coast-to-Coastam, night radio, are beyond fascinating, the stories of encounters absolutely enthralling, not to mention chill-scary entertaining.
Nope. We are not alone, Earth humans. Strange monster critters, magical were-beasts, wherever they originate from...inner earth? And...wherever they lurk...? Are hiding deep, deep inside our forests and caves, their lairs unlocated by Google Earth...yet.
So, if your writer’s imagination is on the fritz, and all you’re visualizing is a set of savage yellow-neon eyes, get a spooky halloween re-charge, investigate were-beast territory on Linda Godfrey’s website: beastofbrayroad.com. Here is a snippet from Linda’s blog:
November 5, 2007 - Return of the Bearwolf?
It never ceases to amaze me the way these things seem to work. Only a few days ago I had decided to post a note about the Washington County Courthouses's cryptid creature art, and then today I get a call from Mike Lane, the hunter who went looking for the creature's footprints last fall right about this time. He found some, too...bipedal, large and roundish looking deep imprints that indicated something very large and upright went walking through a mushy field across from Holy Hill, and then entered a marsh where the tracks ended. (See photo of Mike standing in front of that marsh last year.)
Inspired by Linda Godfrey’s reports, an excerpt from my WIP, Don’t Cry Werewolf ~
"This should be the spot." Weak, in pain, she shuffled slowly. Focusing on each step, she tried not to stumble, not wanting to fall, hurt herself so severely she’d have to crawl into the isolated forest.
"The lucky spot," she encouraged herself. "The lucky spot where I get eaten by a werewolf." She whisper-sang those words to herself over and over – forging ahead at a snail’s pace.
The night-chilled air wheezed in and out of her lungs. Her feet drug over the dead damp leaves from last autumn. There wasn’t much spring foliage to hinder her way.
"Here, little werewolf," she called out. Again she laughed at herself. She needed a big monstrous werewolf, actually. "Here, big horrible nasty werewolf," she called out instead – several times. She chuckled, faltered, the effort costing her.
Looking upwards at the immense display of tree limbs in the moonlight, she felt the usual quick up and down of her chest, listened to her struggling whoosh of breath. It took nothing anymore to wear her out completely. "Hey, if nothing else I’ll get lost in the forest and die," she murmured philosophically, between her strained puffing breaths. "Maybe only the bugs will get me."
Able to lift her foot again, she continued moving deeper into the old forest. "Death by mosquito – god, that would be horrible. Instead of a thousand cuts. A thousand bites. – The itching...no it’s better to be ripped apart. Definitely."
Reaching an enormous tree trunk, she leaned against her palm – the rough bark strangely comforting. "Maybe it’s still too cool for mosquitos." Breathing heavily she turned, leaned back against the trunk, rested. "Death by exposure can’t be much fun," she whispered, huffing huge breaths, hurting breaths. "No, death by werewolf is the way to go."
When her breaths calmed down, she called, "Here, werewolf, here, werewolf." Painfully she shoved from the tree trunk, shuffled from the rough bike trail onto a deer trail. "I may not be as tasty as little red riding hood." Feeling woozy, she slowed her steps. "But I should be good enough for one meal."
Numbness crept into her limbs. She forced one step after another. "Maybe I’ll just die on the trail."
No fresh dinner for you, werewolfie. She sent the telepathic message just in case werewolves were a telepathic species, like most animals. No drugs, I’m mostly organic – even if I’m no spring chicken dinner. She stumbled to her knees.
"Damn!" Pain radiated upwards sharply. Straightening, she grimaced, shook her hands out. I guess a bear will do. Soon as she could, her breathing not as ragged, she leaned forward on her hands, struggled to stand up. Groaning with the pain and effort, she cried out, finally standing up. Geez – not a good night to die. Dragging one foot, exhausted, she continued along the deer trail. Bear...cougar...maybe a wild pack of dogs...come on, werewolf. Eat me!
She begged. Heart, mind and soul, she begged. *Come on, werewolf. Eat me!* Her eyes shut, she took several small steps. She begged, knowing it had never mattered before how much she’d begged for help. I need a cliff.
She opened her eyes. Nothing, no glowing red eyes. No glowing eyes at all. I should just jump off a cliff...of course, there’s the whole fear of heights thing. But it won’t really matter once I’ve jumped...I could just pretend it’s a flying dream...Hit.
Her body felt wooden, about ready to collapse. Feeling chilled, she hugged herself – kept dragging her feet forward, tiny steps. She didn’t care. If she simply dropped and died – that would serve her purpose. It’s just that she wanted to know. If werewolves existed, she wanted to know. Before she died.
She figured she was owed at least that...for enduring her pathetic nightmare life. For maintaining her integrity, her goodness as a person, despite the endless brutal trials.
Why not serve yourself up as a meal? And know. It was eco-sound – no land-eating coffin. No energy expended in cremation. Just bloody rent flesh, dinner for a werewolf. Any remaining pieces devoured by nature. "The natural way to go," she whispered. "Instead of don’t feed the animals at the zoo. Do feed the animals." She laughed silently at herself. "The new cool on YouTube," she muttered. Looking around, she noticed there were no more night sounds. "The zoo’s new slogan – end it here, save a polar bear," she whispered, trailed off. The eeriness tingled her flesh to goosebumps.
Hugging herself unconsciously, she waited, noticed she was frozen. She couldn’t move her feet. A strange dread coursed through her. Yet she was calm, a strange anticipation soared through her. Slowly, slowly, she swivelled her head, looking.
It rushed at her from the darkest part of the forest, fearsome, upright, huge. Shadow-dark in the moonlight. Searing feral gold eyes charged straight at her. Her scream stuck in her throat. She was grateful. Her fast breaths hurt like knives in her throat. It would be upon her soon.
Closing her eyes instinctively, she prayed it was a werewolf. That she would know. Somehow. Fluttering her lids open the next split second, she saw the wolfen features, monstrous and magnificent, displayed beneath the full moon. She nearly passed out from the shock, swayed. His ferocious growl as he ran at her possessed her spine.
Forcing her eyes wide, she watched him launch – fur and bulk and incredible power. His hot breath blasted her neck. His fang tip touched the side of her neck. She fainted.
But not before she thought – goodbye, cruel world.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Renee’s first e-novel with Siren Publishing, Going Topless, will be in print soon, and has earned three 5-Star reviews. Currently, she has a new erotic romance contemporary series called, Pleasure, Inc., contracted with Siren and a regency historical contracted with the Wild Rose Press.
Kinda impressive, isn’t it?!
Okay, I stole this bio from her website. But, why re-invent the writing wheel?
Renee lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and a view of the Rocky Mountains out of her window. (How cool is that?) Renee has traveled all over the world, living in both Europe and Asia. She has also visited Amsterdam twice, the setting for her debut book, Going Topless. Her favorite place to travel to is Italy, and her dream is to own a vacation home there.
Personal Connections by Renee Knowles
I just returned from a fabulous writer’s conference. Aren’t conferences the best? The entire weekend was rejuvenating, fun, and full of great information. I totally enjoy these events. Everybody seems to "get" you there. There’s so much positive energy in the room, and everyone loves to talk about my favorite subject: writing. Although, by the time you’re done, you are tired, have sore feet, and are mentally exhausted. Then it’s time to unwind and take a day or two for yourself.
One thing I found interesting is all the talk from agents and editors at this conference was about personal connections and networking. They were touting the benefits of meeting someone and making that real connection. According to one agent, the majority of her clients came through networking. And to all the agents and editors, this made a difference when it came to taking on projects. Of course, our writing is always the main priority and what will sell us in the end. But finding a way to get noticed is important as well.
This was great news for me as I was teaching a workshop on networking, and after all that editor talk about it, my class was full. Coming from a small business background, I’ve always been a fan of connecting. I’ve met some of my best friends and best business partners this way.
I do think this is a subject writers need to consider. Networking is key to getting your foot in the door. This can be at a writer’s conference, or at your local bookstore, or even at the dry cleaner’s. Everywhere you go there is potential to meet a reader, a bookstore manager, or just a new friend.
I often hear from writers, when I teach my networking class, that they might be shy or just not comfortable in crowds. That is true of a lot of us, I think. As writers, we tend to want to sit home in our sweats and write. (I know I do!) But, forcing ourselves out of our comfort zone actually helps us to renew our writing energy. It gives us a new purpose, and a new zing to our prose.
I know I certainly met some great new friends at this conference, as well as a possible professional connection. So, I guess it’s time to get back to writing. If I don’t have anything to submit, I guess it won’t matter how much I network. But at least now, I’m going back to my writing with a renewed frame of mind and a newfound energy.
Hugs to all,
Sensual, Sassy and Slightly Sinful
Going Topless--"A must read."--5 Flags--Euro-Reviews Siren Publishing
Guilty Pleasures--coming summer 08 Siren Publishing
Courting Trouble--Regency Historical--coming soon! Wild Rose Press
I've tried to read a number of top-of-the-range thrillers and been put off by the high level of interest in the working of guns and computer crime -- but I must be in the minority, because these things sell by the bag load. I suspect, with the thriller, it may be a case of toys for the boys.
I don’t much care for the current trend for books that describe in loving detail all that happens on the autopsy table either, but again, that’s me, because they are very popular and successful.
Is the point where research becomes intrusive a matter of taste? I think it may be. I know that I am more likely to be interested in a description of the moon rising over Capri than I am the detailed working of the internal combustion engine. Sometimes there are points too where the author doesn't give you quite enough. I get particularly irritated when the heroine gives a dinner party, and I don't get a blow by blow account of the food served. But I've been told off by those critiquing my work for including too much detail about what everyone ate. Maybe the person doing the critique was on a diet at the time?
There seem to be fashions in what should and shouldn't be included. I've begun to suspect that there is a how-to book circulating out there somewhere, which suggests that to add authenticity to your manuscript you need detailed accounts of the routes used by your characters while travelling. I've lost count of the number of books in which I’ve waded through lists of street names and numbers, while the hero crosses Chicago/Manchester/Sydney. If I wanted a route, I’d get a map! Music is another of my little quibbles. References to groups I've never heard of add nothing to the story for me, and in fact can lift me out of it. I freely admit though that I know more about Leonard Cohen than I do about Coldplay, so again it’s a matter of taste.
Many writers will tell you how seductive research can be -- chasing up that elusive fact can be a lot more interesting than bashing the keyboard -- and you can always tell yourself that you are actually working. You can understand the desire to pack it all in somewhere. But in the case of research, less really can often be more.
Research, when it's done well, and included with discretion, can be a joy. A subtle way of learning something you didn't already know. I don't want to point fingers, and name names, because I do think that what you get from a book depends a lot on what you bring to it, but I would be interested to know what others feel is their research threshold. What are the details that make you love/loathe a book?
Research will no doubt be one of the topics covered at the Romantic Times Booklovers convention in Pittsburgh, now only just over a week away. Five of the Title Magicians will be there, so if you see us, please say hello. And of course the winner of American Title IV will finally be revealed …
Monday, April 7, 2008
Why is it that we are programmed to think beauty is only skin deep? Take a Victoria Secret model. Sexy? Of course! Now, keeping her looks intact, remove her flawless grace and make her extremely clumsy. Added to that, take her self-confidence down a notch. Still sexy? Not really. Cute, yes.
Here’s another take. Give a Victoria Secret model the attitude from hell. She knows she’s all that and a bag of chips, and everyone else can take their opinion and shove it. Janice Dickinson’s attitude can’t touch hers. Sexy now? No way!
So really then, what is sexy? Certainly not the rock hard abs and flawless features that we, as a society, have come to worship.
Last month, I was at Best Buy getting my computer repaired by the Geek Squad. Just the name shouts, “Not sexy!” The guy that was helping me out was your typical Geek Squad attendee – late teens to very early twenties, about 5’3”, curly hair and glasses, probably weighed 115 soaking wet. I wouldn’t have given him a second glance. And then something amazing happened. I watched as every sales associate, and those of his Geek Squad colleagues, kept coming to him with questions or problems. This guy not only knew all the answers, but was able to handle 2-3 problems being thrown at him without showing any hint of stress, impatience, or irritation. What’s more, he handled everything with a smile and confidence. Watching him work and interact with his environment, I thought to myself, “Man, if only I was a bit younger.”
There is something incredibly sexy about a person who knows what he or she’s about. Sexiness is not about physical attributes, but about attitude and how a person carries himself. It is the show of self-confidence without being boastful or arrogant.
We may think we idolize stars because they are beautiful, but we really don’t. Victoria Secret models are sexy because they appear graceful and confident on the runway, and because of the self confidence that exudes in their ads. We fall in love with celebrities because of the characters they portray onscreen and on stage. These characters are often strong and confident. It has nothing to do with the actual stars, whose lives are oftentimes less glamorous than we believe them to be. Take a look at Whitney Houston, for example. When she sings and is on stage and made up, she’s stunning. Her voice and confidence is unmatched. But it’s only a character she plays on stage. The real Whitney … well, you’ve seen enough of her face plastered in the tabloids alongside charges of addiction to know that being Whitney Houston isn’t as glamorous or sexy as it appears to be.
Shahrukh Khan (who goes by the title of King of Bollywood and is probably one of, if not the most, influential Indian celebrity in the world) was asked which of his colleague actresses he thought was the sexiest. His response? “Kajol, because she is genuine and passionate about life, and doesn’t even know how beautiful she truly is both inside and out. That is sexy.” If you know anything about Bollywood, you’ll know there are actresses far more beautiful and loads sexier than Kajol. But what Shahrukh said has merit and shows how truly enlightened he is, and that he’s past the superficial. Shown here is a photo of Bollywood actor, Shahrukh Khan, with actress, Kajol.
Take a look at some of your favorite characters in books, especially the heroes. What makes him memorable? Why is he sexy? You’ll find that it’s not because of his manly looks, but because of the way he treats others (especially the heroine), and because of the way he acts, the decision he makes, and the actions that follow.
Friday, April 4, 2008
When I posted a request for guest bloggers on my local chapter’s Chat loop, Nina Bruhns immediately volunteered. That’s who she is. She has served as Programs Chair, organizes our annual retreat (and has added a Master Class and Hermit Weeks at the Beach—check them out at LowCountryRWA.com), and has served as Co-President these last two years. Our chapter is small and Nina keeps us going by so graciously giving!
Her writing accomplishments are amazing. They include wins in such prestigious contests as the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award (twice), the Dorothy Parker Award (five times), the Golden Chalice Award, the Beacon Award, the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Lories, the Write Touch Readers Award, and the Aspen Gold, to name a few. Her books have also made it onto the WaldenBooks Bestseller List, as well as been named favorite book of the year by several review website. Recently, Night Mischief was nominated for a RITA Award, and we all have our fingers and toes crossed for her!
Please join me in welcoming Nina Bruhns as our guest blogger this 4th of April!
Nina: Last week, an article in our local paper, the Post and Courier, really got me thinking. Written by columnist Rebekah Bradford, who is wonderful and a great friend to romance novels, part of the new and very welcome thaw in Charleston’s über-conservative attitude (read: prejudice) against “those books”, the article was nevertheless somewhat critical of the (alleged) changes which romance novels have undergone since 9/11.
Here’s a link to the article: http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/mar/30/romance_novels_changed_after_sept35351/
The gist of what Bradford said was that she feels the complex, dark and intense romances of the nineties have given way post-9/11 to a genre that is “breezy, full of humor and feel-good emotion.” Okaaay... Well, that brings up several things in my mind. The first being, so, what’s wrong with humor and feel-good emotion!?
But I get what she means. I honestly do. Even if I don’t strictly agree with her assertion that all romance novels are like that now. Because I’ve read a ton of wonderfully dark, complex and unpredictable stories just this past year. My own NIGHT MISCHIEF, which was an October 07 release from Silhouette Nocturne, is an extremely dark and intense read. It is currently up for a RITA Award, which is the romantic equivalent of an Oscar (yay! ☺). So, I would definitely disagree that you can’t find seriously intricate and emotional romances out there today.
Personally, I love writing textured and angsty stories, full of twists and wrenching conflict. But guess what? And here’s the bottom line. They don’t sell nearly as well as the light, humorous, pure entertainment books do. In fact, I used to alternate writing lighter stories with darker, but the difference in sales among my own books is so striking that a couple of years ago I made a conscious decision to stop writing the serious stories I love so well in favor of more light, breezy ones. Luckily, I enjoy writing those also. ☺ In March I had a hero from outer space (I like to characterize THE REBEL PRINCE as “Mork and Mindy meets The DaVinci Code and Sex and the City” – how serious can that be?) and coming in June KILLER TEMPTATION is a sexy romp on the beach in Fiji (okay, there’s a serial killer there, but trust me it’s not the least bit scary). I was lucky enough recently to sell to Berkley (Penguin/Putnam) and those bigger books will be fairly dark and quite complex romantic thrillers. I’m already starting to worry about sales and I haven’t even finished writing the first one... Yikes.
So, I guess I would argue that if indeed there is a predominance of lighter romance fare out there today, the trend is being driven by the number of readers who prefer that type of story and show it with their purchases. As an author, I wish it were otherwise. But there you go. You have to give the audience what they want. Hopefully in another five years it will swing back the other way.
Meanwhile, what do you think? Do you see a trend to lighter reads in romance? Do you prefer them to the darker stories? Or...?
I’d love to hear your comments!
2008 RITA nominee Nina Bruhns
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Then around nineteen, I got my first computer. A Televideo with dual five and a quarter floppies. It was the ultimate in high tech. But then, many years later, I got my first IBM clone with not just a word processing program, but a spell checker. Oh, I was in heaven! You see, I think the universe has a wicked sense of humor in that it instilled in me a burning desire to write, but gave me a terrible spelling impediment.
With the invention of the spell checker, my Doubleday Dictionary (held together with liberal doses of duct tape) finally got a rest.
Now, at the tender age of forty-one, I have a very sweet Dell computer with so many bells and whistles I can’t name them all. But still, my favorite thing is the spell checker.
A few of my favorite things for writing would include the invention of the computer, the spell checker, coffee, and the internet. So I was wondering what are your favorite writing tools?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
It seems like readers - at least the ones I've talked to - fall into two camps: The "I love e-books so much I want to marry them!" camp and the "I enjoy the sensation of paper in my hands and will never even think about reading an e-book" camp. Either viewpoint is valid! Reading for pleasure should be just that: pleasurable. So there's no sense in jumping on the e-book bandwagon and hating life while you're staring at a screen.
There's something to be said, though, for giving the format a try if you're sitting on the fence. I tend to be a 50/50 reader, where half of my books are paper and half of my books are electronic. I love my paper books! They feel good, they smell good. They're comforting. You can knock out a mugger with a hardback-filled handbag. But e-books have a few features that are very attractive to a very nearsighted, geeky, writer/library lurker/technophile/sometimes insomniac.
- I can read in the dark. Okay, before you snort, have you ever been the passenger in a car on a long road trip at night with a broken radio? How about a light-sensitive spouse snoozing next to you when you can't fall asleep? I keep my e-books on my Palm handheld and it has a backlit screen so I can read in places that I was previously unable to when I stuck to print books.
- I can make the words bigger. I'm not even thirty yet, and I'm already getting to the point where I'm checking books out from the large print section of the library. Most e-book readers let you adjust the size of the font.
- Some of my favorite authors publish e-book originals. Bonnie Dee, Elizabeth Donald, Mark Orr, Lilith Saintcrow, Keri Arthur, and our own Savanna Kouger all have titles you can't buy in paper format.
- Two words: instant gratification. I can buy books (or check them out since my library has a downloading service) at 2:00 in the morning in my pajamas and start reading immediately without having to use any gasoline or extra time. Which is great for me because I have to drive at least ten miles to get to a non Wal-mart bookstore. Oh. And you don't have to pay for shipping!
- They're accessible to almost everyone with a computer. I usually stick to books available in PDF format. I don't need anything more than the free Adobe software to read them. Granted, there are lots of different e-book formats and readers out there, but I haven't really come across an e-book original that I have really wanted to read that wasn't available as a PDF somewhere.
Some folks fear that e-books might one day make paper books obsolete. It's possible. Technology changes fast! But publishing moves slow. My opinion? I don't think we're in any immediate danger. If and when paper is replaced by bytes, it will only be when readers are ready. If we keep buying paper books, our publishers will keep supplying them.
I'd love to know what you guys think! Do you e-read? If not, do you want to?
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
In England, the cure for woes of all kinds has traditionally been a cup of tea—heavy on the sugar if you’ve had a shock.
I think for most women who aren’t on a diet, and many who are, chocolate has probably taken over this cure-all-ills role. (It certainly has for me.) And maybe coffee, with its stimulating dose of caffeine, has usurped the humble cup of tea.
I’ve been thinking about this because for a variety of reason both writing related and otherwise, life’s been stressful recently. Unfortunately, I’m a comfort eater. The first thing I turn to is food. But after I’ve dosed up on calories my favorite stress-reliever is losing myself in a good book.
The type of book I choose depends on the circumstances. If I need to retreat from the rat race for a while and chill out, I usually go for fantasy or paranormal romance to take me out of this world. If I feel bruised by something and I’m looking for emotional reassurance, my choice is always romance. I usually pick up historical romance by an author I enjoy such as Amanda Quick, or a short sweet contemporary by an author I trust to deliver an emotionally satisfying read such as Liz Fielding.
When my stress is more due to the monotony of office work or end-of-year tax returns, I tend to opt for something exciting or funny such as J.D. Robb’s In Death series or one of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovitch.
But I don’t need to be searching for a temporary escape from life to dive into a book. I love the luxury of a week-long vacation where I can spend all day reading without feeling guilty there’s something else I should be doing. For days sitting beside a pool, or under an umbrella looking out over the sea, I choose a mystery with a hint of romance such as Michele Scott’s Wine Lovers’ Mysteries.
What makes you want to pick up a book? |
Could there still be an undiscovered primate roaming the mountains ? Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Dirk Hartung
Scientists have been analyzing samples of hair that are said to have originated from the elusive cryptid.
Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes made headlines last year when he tested strands of alleged Yeti hairs recovered from the Himalayas and discovered that they seemed to belong to an extinct species of polar bear that lived 40,000 years ago.
Since then he has tested dozens more samples of hair thought to have originated from the cryptozoological biped as part of an ongoing project to try and solve the mystery once and for all.
His findings, which were published this week, indicate that almost all of the samples had come from cows, bears, porcupines, horses and an assortment of other mundane species. Despite this however Sykes is adamant that his research does not mean that Bigfoot can't still exist.
"I don't think this finishes the Bigfoot myth at all," he told NBC News. "What it does do is show that there is a way for Bigfoot enthusiasts to go back out into the forest and get the real thing."
The geneticist is now organizing an expedition to the Himalayas next year to seek out live specimens of the elusive polar bear species that his DNA testing had helped to identify.
"That's the next logical step," he said. "We need a live 'Yeti.'"
Source: NBC News | Comments (182) |
–Megan Fox, interviewed in Esquire, January 2013
“Megan, put down the phone — I told you no photographs,” sighed the most famous sasquatch in the world. Megan Fox obeyed and put her Swarovski-crystal-studded iPhone into her purse, but not before snapping a few candid pics.
“Sorry, Mr. Foot, I’m just so excited to finally meet you.”
“Please, call me Big.”
Megan blushed, and a red cloud flickered across the northern winter moon that was her face-skin. She leaned across her living room coffee table, which was made of reclaimed steel from the Roswell debris field, and cooed, “I’m sure you get this a lot, Big, but I’m your biggest admirer.”
Bigfoot nodded. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that a frost giant was the president of his fan club.
Ignoring the silence, she continued. “Have I told you that I’m having my Marilyn Monroe tattoo removed so I can replace it with a tattoo of you?”
The evening was starting to get weird, and it didn’t help that Megan’s leprechaun personal assistant was fake-laughing at everything she said. Bigfoot had only accepted Megan Fox’s invitation for a private tete-a-tete because he thought she would understand his desire for privacy. Why did he identify so strongly with starlets, anyway? Was it because they, too, were judged primarily by their appearance? Was it because they were also objectified victims of the media’s gaze? Or was he just hoping that he could eat one of them again without anyone noticing, like he did five years ago with Tara Reid?
Megan was also feeling awkward. Nerves, she realized — something she hadn’t felt since her very first rehearsal for Transformers in Michael Bay’s sex dungeon. She would have giggled, if she didn’t get even more nervous at the thought of Bigfoot judging her giggles!
She had run out of things to say to her biggest idol, the mythical forest-dwelling creature of the Pacific Northwest known to the native Lummi tribe of the Pacific Northwest as Ts’emekwes, to the American media as Bigfoot, and to the people who knew him best, Melvin Growlznitzky — his name before he got famous.
Bigfoot cleared his throat and glanced around the room, hoping to spot a clock. Megan noticed the nearly empty wine glass in the cryptid’s hand.
“Can I freshen up your Zinfandel, Big?” She had to stop herself from calling him “Mel.”
“Thanks, but the other day TMZ got some footage of me stumbling around the forest after a night out, and I’m trying to cut back.” He knocked back the last few sips in one gulp. “I wouldn’t want Page Six to start calling me Big Lush.”
The leprechaun sat there, stone-faced. Megan forced a grin, but just like her performance in Transformers 2, Bigfoot knew she was faking it.
The silence was almost audible. Unless that was just the lephrechaun’s breathing. He had a severe gold allergy, which was why he had to stop leprechauning in the first place.
But then that’s the career trajectory for many mythical creatures. Bigfoot’s thoughts wandered back to when he was just an eager-eyed young cryptid fresh from the woods. It wasn’t long until he was partying at the Chateau Marmont with Jayne Mansfield, disguised as her fur coat. But those days were long behind him, and now he just wanted to be left alone. He realized Megan would never truly understand.
“Sometimes I wish the fame would just disappear,” Bigfoot sighed. “I didn’t ask for any of this — the paparazzi, the cruel blog comments about how matted my fur’s been looking. I hardly go outside anymore.”
Megan laid a perfectly symmetrical hand on Bigfoot’s shoulder. “I totally empathize with you, which is a word I learned when I was researching how to feel the feelings that other people feel.”
She could tell she was losing him. Why wasn’t he as transfixed by her beauty as others were — as mesmerized as that Esquire reporter had been? Then she finally understood why she enjoyed the company of otherworldly creatures: because she, too, was of another world. No wonder she felt so comfortable around her husband, Brian Austin Green.
“By the way, have you met Brian?” Megan asked Bigfoot. “He’s an ageless vampire who has me in his thrall.”
So that’s how he managed to lock her down, Bigfoot thought.
“Here, let me summon him.” Megan whipped out a pocketknife, but before she could pierce her finger, Bigfoot stood.
“Thanks, but I really don’t want to take up any more of your time. I’ve got dinner with an old friend in half an hour.” He glanced at the time on his phone — and that was when he saw the text messages.
Bigfoot bristled, and Megan realized what had happened. “Now, Bigfoot — Mr. Foot — before you get too upset, I can explain–”
“You took a picture of me — and you posted it on Twitter?” he said calmly. A little too calmly. He growled, to make sure she got the point.
“I’m sorry, I just — you’re just — I promise I’ll never do it again!”
“Too late!” he roared. “I thought you wanted to hang out with me for me, not for my fame. But you’re just like all the other yokels with their point-and-shoots and symmetrical faces and skin the color the moon possesses in the thin air of northern winters!”
Ignoring her tears, Bigfoot put on his oversized Chanel sunglasses and Hermes scarf and shambled out the door and into the LA desert.
“That girl is crazy,” muttered Bigfoot, as the hum of traffic drowned out Megan Fox’s pleas. He quickened his pace; he had to meet Jodie Foster in a redwood forest in Santa Barbara in an hour.
At least she respected his privacy. |
Posted by: John Kirk on June 23rd, 2006
Canadian Geographic is one of the most prestigious societies in Canada and is our country’s equivalent to National Geographic in the USA. It is very pleasing for Canadian cryptozoology investigators and researchers to see that an article on cryptozoology in Canada is included in the July/August edition of this eminent publication.
However, I wish the writer had done some homework on this as she incorrectly spells Cadborosaurus’ nickname and Ogopogo researcher Arlene Gaal’s surname is spelt as “Gael” throughout. The article is mainly about Cadborosaurus and Ogopogo and barely touches on Sasquatch – it is mentioned just once in passing. There is no mention of East Coast sea serpents, giant salamanders, the Yukon Beaver Eater (yes, that’s what it is called) or the Yukon Cameloid known as the Ur Chow.
Here’s the article:
Long of neck, "Caddy" is thought to resemble Elasmosaur (ABOVE), recently discovered near Comox, B.C. This sculpture is part of the Cryptozoology display at BC Experience, in Victoria.
Keepers of the crypt
Ambiguity is the bailiwick of cryptozoologists – people who study unproven species
By Jackie Wallace
Dark rings break through the surface of the lake, moving forward at an alarmingly fast pace. A fleeting glimpse of a bobbing head reveals a mane, and then it is gone, leaving only a wake and a stunned observer.
Such sightings of the sea creature that has come to be know as Cadborosaurus have been recorded around Victoria since the 1930s. It has piqued the imaginations of many and created enthusiasts such as Jason Walton, a contract illustrator who has been gathering evidence and sightings of Cady, as he affectionately calls the sea creature, since 1994.
"The facts [on Cadborosaurus] are good," says Walton. "Unfortunately they are all formed from sightings, but the sightings are very consistent and convincing."
Walton’s experience with Cady is typical of cryptozoologists — people who study unknown species, which are known as cryptids. From Sasquatchs and Yeti, to the Loch Ness Monster and the wide variety of birds, reptiles and cat-like or bear-like animals that people claim are out there, cryptozoologists take on the challenge of bringing science together with the unknown, and work tireless to obtain solid, irrefutable evidence of these alleged species.
Walton has teamed up with oceanographers and marine biologists who invest their time and resources into proving Cady’s existence and finding out more about the creature. "We’ve got high resolution cameras on motion sensors," he says. "Unfortunately, we have never had a photo sighting, but we are getting close."
But Cady isn’t the only cryptid in Canada. Arlene Gael has been studying Ogopogo, the renowned sea creature said to inhabit Okanogan Lake near Kelowna, B.C. since she moved to the area in the 1970s. As a journalist with the Kelowna Daily Courier, her professional interest in getting to the bottom of a story was the driving force behind her insatiable curiosity of Ogopogo’s existence.
"I have the most updated database on Ogopogo in the world. Ninety-nine percent of all the data is here in my home, which includes still photos, film footage, video footage and firsthand accounts of sightings from the mid 1800s to the present time," says Gael. She has written three books on Ogopogo, the first was published in 1976 and the most recent in 2001.
"Having had at least six personal experiences on the lake left no doubt in my mind that we were indeed dealing with an unidentified animal," says Gael. "These sightings were enough to convince me to continue on."
Both Gael and Walton investigate sightings that people report. The cryptozoologists have found that most sightings are credible and many of the descriptions are consistent. "They have nothing to gain by coming forward and everything to lose," says Walton. "Some people coming forward have scientific degrees. Other people are relieved when you can explain to them what they have seen," he says
Gael agrees that there is a certain stigma attached to admitting to having seen something that cannot be proven to exist. For Walton, the possibility of discovering a new species would be an exciting discovery for biology. "We don’t know whether Cady is reptilian or mammalian," he says. His scientific partners believe it to be a deep-water animal, but do not know how it breathes or interacts with and effects the rest of the underwater world in which it lives.
"It is no easy task," says Gael. "We don’t have a carcass or DNA evidence that would land us a seat in a scientific institute. However, I believe that those who have seen it will never be convinced otherwise."
For Gael and Walton, seeing truly is believing.
My good buddy Jason Walton talked about photographic evidence for Caddy and said that he hadn’t obtained any, but even though Jason does not have any, there exist three excellent photographs of a Cadborosaurus taken from the belly of a whale at Naden Harbour, Queen Charlotte Islands in October, 1937 which clearly show and unknown animal. It is a pity that these were not published in the article as they strengthen the case for Caddy’s existence.
This article is supposed to be about Cryptozoology in Canada, but in my opinion a better name for it should be "British Columbia Water Cryptids."
I must say that I was disappointed by the article as I found it lacking in details and does not really go very deep – pardon the pun – in regard to what these cryptids might be nor doe sit examine any of the evidence brought forward so far in the respective investigations.
What do you think?
You can visit the Canadian Geographic website and see the article in its original form here.
One of the founders of the BCSCC, John Kirk has enjoyed a varied and exciting career path. Both a print and broadcast journalist, John Kirk has in recent years been at the forefront of much of the BCSCC’s expeditions, investigations and publishing. John has been particularly interested in the phenomenon of unknown aquatic cryptids around the world and is the author of In the Domain of the Lake Monsters (Key Porter Books, 1998). In addition to his interest in freshwater cryptids, John has been keenly interested in investigating the possible existence of sasquatch and other bipedal hominids of the world, and in particular, the Yeren of China. John is also chairman of the Crypto Safari organization, which specializes in sending teams of investigators to remote parts of the world to search for animals as yet unidentified by science. John travelled with a Crypto Safari team to Cameroon and northern Republic of Congo to interview witnesses among the Baka pygmies and Bantu bushmen who have sighted a large unknown animal that bears more than a superficial resemblance to a dinosaur. Since 1996, John Kirk has been editor and publisher of the BCSCC Quarterly which is the flagship publication of the BCSCC. In demand at conferences, seminars, lectures and on television and radio programs, John has spoken all over North America and has appeared in programs on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, TLC, Discovery, CBC, CTV and the BBC. In his personal life John spends much time studying the histories of Scottish Clans and is himself the president of the Clan Kirk Society. John is also an avid soccer enthusiast and player. |
Nemesis, the final download pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts, is now live for 360 and Xbox One. The $14.99 download includes four multiplayer maps as well as the final entry in the Extinction storyline, Exodus. The maps (Dynasty, Goldrush, Showtime, and Subzero), detailed below, range from small to medium in size and each include their own unique Field Orders. Exodus features different escape paths for a more dynamic last act, plus new weapons to craft and a new Ancestors enemy type.
For more information about Call of Duty: Ghosts, check out our review of the Xbox 360 version.
Call of Duty: Ghosts – Nemesis is available for 360 and Xbox One. The PC, PS3, and PS4 versions are currently in development.
The four new small-to-medium multiplayer maps in Nemesis are designed specifically for Call of Duty’s distinctive fast-paced, gun-on-gun gameplay.
• “Goldrush” is set in an abandoned gold mine in the Southwest United States, where an intricate network of cavernous tunnels and perilous shafts create the ideal setting for medium to long range combat; while two mine carts race along the abandoned tracks offering players a fast way to traverse the map. Players who complete the unique field order on Goldrush will unleash a howling pack of wolves that will descend upon their enemies.
• “Subzero” drops players into a frigid Canadian submarine base that has been hastily evacuated, with control room, submarine pen and research facilities all left eerily empty. Built around the traditional three-lane design, this medium-sized map harbors a mysterious terror that will decimate your enemies upon completion of the map’s unique field order.
• In “Dynasty,” players are transported to a lakeside Chinese village surrounded by picturesque mountains, vivid gardens, and spectacular architecture – a serene environment that is anything but Zen-like. Multiple pathways crisscross the village in this medium map with a variety of elevation and numerous back alleys that create flanking routes. The unique field order on “Dynasty” allows players to call in an air strike of vertical takeoff fighter jets, while one lingers behind to give you unmatched air superiority.
• Nemesis cranks the frenetic multiplayer action to unprecedented levels with the fourth multiplayer map, “Showtime,” a sadistic reimagining of the smallest map in Call of Duty history, the fan favorite map from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare “Shipment.” In the futuristic arena of “Showtime,” blind corners and narrow pathways provide momentary reprieve from the outright mayhem within the central square comprised of several shipping containers. Tight confines call for shotguns and SMGs. Survive long enough to be rewarded with one of three killstreaks: lethal automated gun turrets at key locations on the map, an air drop with multiple care packages or a deadly gas attack that forces the action back into the center of the arena.
Closing out the final DLC Pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts is the dramatic conclusion in the Extinction narrative, “Episode 4: Exodus.” Following the CIF Unit’s harrowing escape from the alien underworld and the successful recovery of Dr. Cross and the cortex, the team has flown in to fight off the Cryptid army’s siege of the last bastion of human resistance. Your mission is to get key personnel to safety by restoring power to the shuttle and launching the shuttle to a low earth orbit space station.
Official Site: CallofDuty.com – Ghosts |
There will be no sunday review next week as I'll be at Emerald City Comicon with Torvald and my evil twin.
I'd also like to point out this review of TODAY THE WORLD IS WATCHING YOU I did earlier in the week. The review copy was from NetGalley which provides pre-publication review copies to readers from various publishers, mostly via ebooks. This book was in PDF form, I've got two more from them that are on my Kindle.
TV this week:
- Being Human: "Type 4" - A zombie joins the house despite a bad stink and obnoxious behavior, Nina and George have a little problem, and Mitchell gets a stalker. It's amazing how this show goes from incredibly funny to touching and emotional in moments. And this episode swings back and forth in an instant.
- Being Human: "The Pack" - While Annie and Mitch get to know each other, Nina and George seek out advice from MacNair. I like Nina more and more. And her willingness to let Thomas know that MacNair was lying to him just made it better. I'm disturbed by Mitch's continued inability to admit his recent crimes to his friends, as it's clear that's the key point in this entire series (season).
- Being Human: "The Longest Day" - Herrick returns and causes chaos. Not a lot of humor in this one, as Herrick is a nasty character in that nastiness grows around him. The dilemma that George goes through in this episode puts him right up against Mitch, and it worked well. Not much humor, no.
- Who Do You Think You Are?: "Rosie O'Donnell" - I agree with hubby-Eric after watching this: let's get more comedians on this show. Rosie also does some deep digging to hunt down some mysteries in her family's past. Her great-grandfather's first wife's story was stunning, as was the reaction of her cousins when she met them. The trip to Canada was neat enough, but then she headed to Ireland and found more mysteries. A good episode.
DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:
- December 15th
- Brightest Day #16 - I'm so far behind that I've seen spoilers for how this part of the storyline ends and I'm just starting to read it now. Still, pretty cool bits of Jackson and Aquaman's lives.
- Green Lantern #60 - Well, we know who's behind the stealing of the entities, now.
- Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #5 - I can't believe how little interest I have in how this storyline turns out.
- Green Lantern/Plastic Man - Cute little tale. Of course the aliens have to look like ducks if Plas is involved.
- Birds of Prey #7 - That was extremely unwise of the birds to take Dove to that place for her birthday. Just saying. Although I enjoyed Zinda's... remarks.
- DMZ #60 - And now we see how the war began. It's chilling, and yet not so impossible to believe anymore.
- Soldier Zero #3 - So, the first hybrid meets another one, and they fight. Yup. Not feeling the excitement yet.
My library book this week was To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Awhile ago, hubby-Eric and I watched To Kill A Mockingbird and I enjoyed it quite a bit. But then I sort of halfway joined a book club, and was told this was the book they were reading. At that point I realized I'd never read it in school, so I'd better get cracking on it. The framing of the story is how Jem broke his arm, but of course the narrative takes a very roundabout way to get to that part of the tale. The narrator, Scout, is looking back on her childhood as an adult. She tries to tell the story as she saw it happen, but her outlook on events is definitely mature compared to Scout's naivity of the time. I found the picture this book painted of the town and its people to be surprising, different than I was expecting in many ways. They weren't as, excuse the expression, black and white as I had felt they would be. In the end, I'm very glad I read this, and pretty glad I've seen the movie as well. Let's see if I can read the next book the book club has assigned... David Copperfield.
Agatha Christie this week was Endless Night from 1967. A young man tells how he acquired Gipsy's Acres and what it cost him. It would be really difficult to write much about this without giving something away. The book started slow, and was pretty slow all the way until the final part, then it disappointed me more than a little. It's not my favorite by any means at all, and in fact is fairly close to the bottom for me. I hope the next one is better.
Fortean Times #268 (December 2010). I'm well behind on reviewing these, for once not because they are late but because I got a Kindle and stopped reading everything else for awhile (which is also why I'm behind on the comics). Let's see, this is a standard issue, lots of good stuff, wierd stuff, and some stuff that can gross you out. Some highlights: The Renfrew ghost video is so clearly a flare on the lens (it moves with the camera) that I can't believe even a ghost hunter would put it up as evidence (YouTube). The pictures of the giant tumor and kidney stone were enough to turn my stomach. The UFO files was good, and has been particularly good the last few months.
The cover article is about the connection between home renovations and hauntings, and was an ok overview. There didn't seem to be a lot new there for me. Another good long article is about the link between Christianity and Horror, and covers a lifelong horror fan who became a Christian and retained his love of horror. It was a different angle on the subject than I expected. Mischief Night is covered in a history article that I found extremely fascinating, as it is a tradition that doesn't really exist anywhere I've lived. And another article discusses a possible attempt to steal Barnum's body from his grave.
The reviews were excellent as usual, and for the first time I looked for Kindle editions of the books I thought I might be interested in if I could find them in that format. I was able to locate three of them to add to my Kindle Wishlist. The letters were the usual high quality, and "It Happened to Me" as freaky as I normally find it. The comic page was a new one for me, "The Cryptid Kid Investigates", and it wasn't bad. Overall, another good issue of the best magazine out there. |
As the blog title says, this is a bit of an explanation of who I am, or was rather, for our new users and staff. I am ChaoZStrider, or Lucas. I used to be a chat moderator way back when this site still had a chat. I was used on in the late day until the early morning as a night moderator. Whether I was a good one or not is up to debate and opinion both of which is so old I don't really care to revisit.
I had a few stories posted here and a couple posted on reddit under the Shortscarystories board. Back when this wiki was deleting stories like Sonic.exe and Jeff the Killer as well as the slimebeast stories(due to copyright) I ran interference on dA as according to I believe Guy (his username was something like Imgoingtobethatguy) I was pret…Read more >
Alright, out of exhaustion and the over all boredom of this early morning where I have yet to sleep for some reason, I came to the conclusion that an easy way to help expand some people's horizons for things to write about. It might just be simply that some of our newer friends/writers might not know about some cryptids that some of us may know and enjoy greatly. They might not also be familiar with some of the less well known stories here, so I figure we could plug some of those with some of our favorite cryptids.
One of my favorite cryptids is the Wendigo. From what I know it isn't relatively well known except to those who watch the TV show Supernatural which doesn't do the cryptid justice. I know Until Dawn has Wendigos as well but that …Read more >
Hello all who may read this, as you can guess from the title I am writing this with a simple question in mind. Throughout the stuff that is usually posted in this group a lot of it is OCs that seem related to Jeff The Killer and Slenderman. My question is simply what is the appeal of these two in general?
Jeff The Killer's original writer has never really come forward and the original story was so removed from things that could actually happen that it just wasn't great. It was recently rewritten since the character is essentially open source due to no one claiming(people tried to but had no proof) to actually own it. Originally the character was some 13 year old killer who killed his bullies that some how got their hands on firearms and hop…Read more >
So, I was scrolling through old forum posts when I came across the chat closing for good one. It dawned on me that it has been quite a while on chat being gone so I just wanted to give my thoughts on that and get yours.
Personally, I am glad that it is gone. As an old chat mod and such, I can safely state as much as I liked seeing the place and going there to talk to people, it was a cesspool of stupidity and elitism that no single person could fix. Mods and admins were at each others throats, certain users were very good at causing trouble without breaking any rules. Mods and admins alike had their own thoughts on which rules meant what and what passed as different things that were apart of the rules making the issues even worse because th…Read more >
Alright, so as you can tell by the title, this is going to be a few things. So let's knock a few of them off in quick succession, shall we?
Alright, so I moved out earlier this year to live with a friend and got a job for all of 6 months. In June I moved back home because my little sister was/is supposedly dying. We know she has Type 1 Diabetes and possibly celiac however we do not know much else. I currently take care of her to the degree of helping her count carbs for her insulin and walking her to school everyday.
I was working on a number of stories at the moment with those stories being: Hunters and Hunger, , and a few others. Sadly I lost them due to doing a factory reset of my computer without really thinking so I am working on gettin…Read more > |
Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are either rare or unusual, presumed extinct but still occasionally believed to be sighted, or creatures of mythology that are possibly rooted in a real animal or phenomenon. The invention of the term is usually attributed to the zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans[?]. The hypothetical creatures involved are referred to by some with the slang term of cryptid. Some cryptozoologists align themselves with a more scientifically rigorous field like zoology, while others tend toward an anthropological slant or even forteana. For this reason, cryptozoology is often treated as a more humorous form of pseudoscience, though it can be considered a legitimate area of study.
While many cryptozoologists strive for legitimacy and many are already respected scientists in other fields, cryptozoology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community. A cryptozoologist may propose that an interest in such a phenomenon doesn't entail belief, but a detractor will reply the illusions of sightings are a form of belief. Cryptozoologists tend to be the ones responsible for disproving their own objects of study. For example, cryptozoologists have largely been responsible for collecting statistical data and studying witness accounts that have just about disproved the notion that bigfoot sightings have any legitimacy.
A common example among cryptozoologists for why their field is important is the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish. Believed to have been extinct for 65 million years, one was caught in a fishing net in 1938 off the coast of Africa. Cryptozoologists point this out to demonstrate that there are many unexplored regions of the world left, and that remote exotic locations or specialized ecosystems untouched by man can contain life we didn't expect to find. Along similar lines, the emblem of the Society for Cryptozoology is the okapi, a shy, forest-dwelling relative of the giraffe that was unknown to Western scientists prior to 1901.
Notable topics of interest in Cryptozoology: |
Posted by: John Kirk on July 28th, 2008
It delights me no end to see the recent interest in Robyn Holman’s Ogopogo sighting and the recent article in the Victoria Times Colonist enquiring about what has happened to Cadborosaurus.
Along with the efforts of British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club vice president, Jason Walton, these articles may stir up memories of people who have seen either animal and have valuable observations to share with us who investigate cryptids. Jason has spent most of the spring contacting harbour masters along the various coasts of British Columbia – we have a lot of them including the mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Queen Charlottes. There is a $500 reward for anyone who can produce a specimen of the animal available and Jason has made this known to fishing communities up and down the BC coasts. We hope this stimulation of people’s memories will bear positive fruit.
A number of Cryptomundo readers and visitors to the BCSCC web site have expressed a curiosity in the statement on the BCSCC web site that there are two pieces of footage seemingly showing a Cadborosaurus. Let me assist in enlightening everyone about these pieces of footage.
The first was shot by BC resident Gary Liimatta in the 1970s. I believe this footage was actually shown on the TV show ‘Sightings’ over a decade ago. I have no idea where you get a copy of it from, but I do have one in my archives somewhere. The footage is shot in very dark circumstances, but there is enough light to show a large reptile-like head rise out of the water and remain above the surface for a several seconds. Is this Caddy? Possibly.
The second piece of footage was obtained by operation CaddyScan and the BCSCC on July 26, 1999 at Deep Cove, B.C. A video camera was placed at the location of a previous sighting with the hope that the animal seen by witnesses would make another appearance. While the footage is shot at some distance, it is apparent that this animal locomotes in a very unusual inchworm-like fashion while swimming through the water. We do not know of any animal that swims like this. The footage is by no means definitive, but it is very interesting to observe. Fortunately there were several other pieces of footage that day that show boats going through the camera’s field of view and we can clearly rule a boat out. Similarly, footage of whales and seals obtained by the same camera clearly show what these animals are each time they are captured on video. The unknown creature certainly swims like Cadborosaurus is supposed.
The 1999 footage has been featured on a couple of TV shows and you may be able to find copies of it from producers. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the names of the programs. The footage is not posted anywhere on the internet as we do not want it to be used and abused as so many other pieces of footage have been. However, interested readers can go to the CaddyScan web site and view some still captures of the event.
If you want to report a Caddy or Ogopogo sighting – or for that matter any cryptid sighting – please go to the BCSCC sightings page and make your report there.
In contrast to what has been recently reported, there was a supposed Caddy sighting which took place last October and is currently being investigated for accuracy by CaddyScan and the BCSCC. If this pans out and is a credible sighting, I will share it here with the Cryptomundo readership.
One of the founders of the BCSCC, John Kirk has enjoyed a varied and exciting career path. Both a print and broadcast journalist, John Kirk has in recent years been at the forefront of much of the BCSCC’s expeditions, investigations and publishing. John has been particularly interested in the phenomenon of unknown aquatic cryptids around the world and is the author of In the Domain of the Lake Monsters (Key Porter Books, 1998). In addition to his interest in freshwater cryptids, John has been keenly interested in investigating the possible existence of sasquatch and other bipedal hominids of the world, and in particular, the Yeren of China. John is also chairman of the Crypto Safari organization, which specializes in sending teams of investigators to remote parts of the world to search for animals as yet unidentified by science. John travelled with a Crypto Safari team to Cameroon and northern Republic of Congo to interview witnesses among the Baka pygmies and Bantu bushmen who have sighted a large unknown animal that bears more than a superficial resemblance to a dinosaur. Since 1996, John Kirk has been editor and publisher of the BCSCC Quarterly which is the flagship publication of the BCSCC. In demand at conferences, seminars, lectures and on television and radio programs, John has spoken all over North America and has appeared in programs on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, TLC, Discovery, CBC, CTV and the BBC. In his personal life John spends much time studying the histories of Scottish Clans and is himself the president of the Clan Kirk Society. John is also an avid soccer enthusiast and player. |
Straight from the Carnal Cherub himself...
Angelic Forecast ~ #268
The Rise of People Power ... Now, the *power of the people* goes nova-bursting extreme across the planet.
From this point forward, humanity as a whole, WAKES UP to their true strength, to their real potential. And, individual, inner wisdom rules more and more.
On the AWAKENING front, at this point in history, many realize governmental restrictions are now obsolete in the face of the Aquarian Conspiracy -- or the ability of humanity to live and love from their spiritual center, from their caring hearts.
The spiritual nature of humankind soars exponentially during the remaining months of 2013, and into 2014. However, the Great Divide deepens into a chasm that can no longer be breached. For, the zombies -- those who have had their minds and souls destroyed by the system -- now stalk those of us who remain gloriously, fully human.
On the magickal, mystical front, this week the 'Mages of Ages Lost' use their light blades to slash through the black-sorcery blanket smothering the spirit of humanity. For, the viper magicians have been slaughtering the human potential for age upon age.
Also, this week initiates a new level of AWARENESS for those who are the upcoming generation of the MAGICKAL ONES -- however, only for those who are dedicated to the GOOD SIDE of life.
On the personal front, financial concerns are front and center for many this week, and for the next month. This means keeping a close eye on all of your financial concerns, and being one step ahead of the upcoming glitches that are likely to continue through the end of the year.
As well, this is a perfect week to finish projects most in need of completion. There is also a good financial opportunity on the way. It could be small, but this opportunity will prove invaluable.
As always, stock up on necessities and prepare for emergency situations as best as you are able. Make a list of what you need most.
On the paranormal front, another HUGE WEEK for the supernatural side of life. The cryptids continue revealing their presence -- both the cryptid creatures here, and those on the other side of dimensional curtain. This knowledge, whether accepted by science or not, sweeps across the world, and lifts humankind into a new reality.
In the near future, look for more revelations around mermaid-humans. Bigfoot-Sasquatch will continue to make minimal contact with selected individuals who are spiritually ready. And the UFOs fly, buzzing larger segments of Earth's population.
On the economic front, the bankster gangsters take a tiny step back from brutalizing the economy with the intent to bring the people to their knees. This is because too many of us are looking behind the curtain and calling these criminals out.
Even so, the economic woes continue worldwide, and the people scramble to take control of their local economies. This will manifest in uprisings, riots, and an enormous rise in the underground economy.
Now begins a major activist push to *stop* the cashless society, and to refuse any manner of chip/electronic ID system. Rebellion is in the air, and the air eventually spins into a tornado of resistance.
This week gold will likely rise. If this upturn is dramatic it means the stock markets have been taken over *temporarily* by the White Hat forces. If not, the dark-side force will keep the commodities from exploding in value.
On the truth front, as never before our souls are laid bare beneath the storm of new cosmic energies. As well, TRUTH shines like a glorious sunrise across the world.
At the same time, despite the extensive damage that has been done to the human psyche during this Piscean Age by the 'hidden' Viper Priests of Terror -- now each and every 'soul' has the opportunity to shine through the heavy clouds of oppression, lies, and diabolical deceit. For, humanity is ready to be free.
On the war front, an ugly, more-than-insane week where move and countermove on the war chessboard will look like a ping-pong game. China will make some of the major moves. Russia works behind the scenes to undercut their enemies.
Meanwhile, the Middle East burns by Machiavellian design of the dark-side controllers. However, those on the wrong side of justice will be feeling this ruthless heat instead. For, the firestorm-tide they have conjured turns against them.
Out of this, there will be factions who 'attempt' false flags to force the people into a world war. Once again, Syria 'could be' targeted.
On the tyranny-at-work front, this week, on a false pretext, certain aspects of martial law will be brought down like Thor's hammer on the people. Because of this, there will be a new determination to stand strong, to stand tall -- to never quit.
Also, now is the time to circle the wagons against the serpent-striking forces of tyranny. Good people are being targeted by the system and neutralized in heinous ways. Keep forming your like-minded, protection groups and watch each others backs. For, community is the bedrock of survival, of thriving with each other.
On the communication front, likely there will be all sorts of glitches in communication systems during the next two weeks. Watch out for the consequences, intended and not intended.
Currently, this is being reported:
HEADLINE-SNIPPET: FEMA Regions 2 & 3 Kill Switch Test? East Coast Internet Traffic Goes Dark ~ Internet traffic across much of the East Coast went down on Saturday after a switch supposedly failed. From Brooklyn to Philadelphia, internet users were unable to access the internet or had extremely slow internet speeds. Was this another internet kill switch test? Much of FEMA Regions 2 & 3 were affected by this outage. ~beforeitsnews.com~
On the home front, the divinely inspired HEMP renaissance is here, regardless of governmental regulation. For at this time, humanity desperately needs the benefits of the Hemp plant as a superior food -- for clothing and paper. Hemp, as an energy source is better than corn. Hemp can be used for making plastic, and as an ultra-strong building material.
On the food front, going local will become ever more necessary, especially as prices rise, as the storms of life batter humanity. If you are able to grow food through the winter, this would be a wise course of action.
As always, stock up on good food, water and all your necessities. Dare to prepare.
On the land changes front, likely there will be more early snowstorms. The sinkholes 'quicken' at this time. The ocean temperatures vary beyond expectation, causing great fluctuations in weather and other key atmospheric changes.
From the prior forecast: "the uprising of the sun is here. Weather goes ultra-wonky -- superstorms, flooding, roaring winds, severe variations in temperature. Volcanoes continue to wake up and activate. Earthquakes swarm across the planet, rippling and tearing at the crust."
On the energy front, there is a behind-the-scenes battle raging between those 'in the know' about what are called *free energy devices*. This is because those in favor of no longer suppressing these technologies realize it is not only the rightful birthright of the people, but would help the Earth recover from the misuse of oil.
The new Aquarian energies ramp up causing disorientation for some and/or a sense of being out of time, out of place. Beginning now, changes in society hyper-jump, far beyond what has already happened. The current infusion of cosmic frequencies could cause odd behaviors as well. Be patient if it's a harmless situation.
On the really bad news front, during the next four weeks, likely there will be several flashpoint events which will further cause the people to view government as useless, and as an enemy to their health and well-being.
Meanwhile, tensions explode as the police state tightens its jackboot-relentless grip. It becomes time to realize nothing will ever be the same, once the people are finally pushed too far. Prepare for the this eventuality. Likely it will be here sooner rather than later.
On the good news front, a new sense of 'good' purpose fiercely grips many of us at this point in history. Beneath the shrouding darkness of the dark-side's empire, many of us cling to a beautiful vision of what the future can be, should be for ALL. For, we feel, know that beloved Mother Earth is a paradise to be protected and respected.
On the global mafia cabal front, the infighting between top factions goes UGLIER this week. This will likely be reflected in the financial realm -- appearing as if strange bedfellows have suddenly become allies.
As the year winds down, more shocking revelations are forthcoming. The SUPER SCANDALS of the bankster gangsters, and their unseen, soulless masters will be spotlighted. However, this will not stop these *Vipers of High Finance*. For, their stolen power has made them insane beyond measure.
On the heroine front, the feminine energy soars, winging to ever greater heights. There are so many invaluable, incredible heroines in these times who are whistleblowers, activists... who are women on a mission to right the wrongs of the world, it is difficult to single out just one. However, here's an example that touches the heart in just the right spot.
HEADLINE-SNIPPET: 14-Year Old Blasts TV Host from Shark Tank for Remarks About GMO Foods ~ A 14 year old girl recently blasted TV host Kevin O'Leary for remarks about GMOs. She explains GMO dangers. ~naturalsociety.com~
On the hero front, Joseph P. Farrell ~GizaDeathStar.com~ is the amazing, genius author of the "Financial Vipers of Venice" He exposes how and why the current 'enslaving' economic system was established. From ~unknowncountry.com~ "Joseph Farrell understands this system from a very deep and unique perspective, and in this interview he traces its origins in ancient Babylon, up through the Renaissance and right into modern times. Understanding is the first step toward freedom."
On the freedom front, now the spirit of many becomes drunk on the idea and meaning of liberty. For, all that is prosperous and good and soul-building about society can only be created from the wellspring of true freedom.
This spirit was demonstrated at the *Alamo* this past Saturday. From the “Come and Take It San Antonio!” rally at the Alamo ~ October 19, 2013 ~ “They are bullies that think we’re gonna lay down to them and lick their boots. I can assure you that if William Barrett Travis was here or the others that died at this sacred shrine were here, they would give us a rebel yell of liberty!” Jones said, fueled by the fire of freedom... “To all the big megabanks, you don’t run this country, you stole it by fraud and we’ve identified you and we’re taking the republic back. God Bless You all,” Jones concluded, undeterred by the loss of his voice following a few fierce battle yells.
Trendwise, at this time, commercially packaged entertainment continues to lose ground. The childlike superficiality of many entertainers is leaving more and more of the population cold, and they are moving on to more rewarding forms of being entertained.
Meanwhile, the upswing of the ARTISTIC ONES, independent of Big Media and still invisible to many eyes, continues at a rapid pace.
This trend becomes stronger. From a previous forecast: "now, in the midst of societal chaos rises the art of living creatively. This is because the ART OF LIFE, of living life, is in the act of 'becoming' ... rising anew in this new-energy Aquarian Age.
At this time, the creativity of humankind begins to usurp greed as the prime motivator. A groundswell of artists will trade on their ability to be creative. Innovation becomes the middle name of many as they alter society toward the GOOD."
At this point in history, the failure and fall of the big cities accelerates. Most of this deterioration is fueled by the constant nefarious attack of the new world order criminals. One weapon is using 'social propaganda engineers' to cause class/race DIVISIVENESS. Another weapon of these dark-side psychopaths is keeping the economy crushed with the brutally pounding fist of the federal reserve.
One sweet trend on the near horizon is the creation of music and songs which reflect the beautiful heart and soul and spirit of humankind. Open your ears to these angelic messages.
This week enjoy whatever bright sunny days come your way. For, the light of the sun is waking up your highest, most beautiful spirit.
Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
MORE...Volcano’s Angelic Forecast for this week ~ sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com ~
Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~ |
A Novel by Eric Penz
2006 JADA Press Book of the Year Honorable Mention
2005 Top Cryptofiction Book of the Year on Cryptomundo.com
2002 3rd Place PNWA Literary Contest, Adult Genre Novel
Editor's Choice, Reader's Choice, and Publisher's Choice awards, as well as prestigious Star Books designation
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’m sure your father subscribed to this advice much like my own. This sage advice could perhaps apply to me releasing an Author’s Edition of my debut novel, Cryptid. The book was well received by both reader and critic. Sales were and still are admirable for a first novel. So then why bother with a new edition?
Good question. And I’m not sure I have an equally good answer. All I can say is that in the years since Cryptid was published I’ve lived with a nagging concern. The book as originally published was just not quite me. Like a picture hanging on the wall askew enough to place a sliver in your mind until you leveled it that fraction of a degree, I’ve had a sliver for Cryptid. And with the new brave world of ebook publishing, putting out a new edition is now feasible. So why a new edition? In short, because I now can. It’s time to pluck the sliver free.
More specifically, the story was simply not complete. As the subtitle implies, this story involves Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The story begins with their amazing adventure. And yet, these two American heroes do not appear on screen. It’s time to fix that. I’ve included with this edition a new first chapter that was not included in the previous edition. This chapter stars both Lewis and Clark, though perhaps not quite as history might envision them.
And so, I proudly present to you the Author’s Edition of Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis & Clark. Like many Director’s Cut versions of movies, this edition is the story as I believe it to be best told. It is now more me. That is not to say it is perfect. Quite the contrary. It is still a first novel, complete with all the quirks and imperfections that accompany an author’s early work. I wouldn’t change those for anything. That would be like removing a birth mark from your first born son. There are changes I could make, but I will save those for the film version.
Without further ado, I present to you my first born son as I envisioned him to be. Enjoy the hunt.
Something haunts the woods of Olympic National Park, a nightmare in hiding. Its existence has been kept secret by a conspiracy that stretches back to President Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis & Clark expedition. The truth that we have not been alone on this earth would have forever been lost except that some species just won’t die.
Dr. Samantha Russell has spent her career seeking for truth in the only way she knows how, on her hands and knees, painstakingly digging it up from the crust of the earth. When the truth arrives by way of FedEx, she cannot help but see it as nothing more than another scientific hoax, especially considering the source. Dr. Jon Ostman has practically been excommunicated by the scientific community for his interest in such subjects as the American Sasquatch.
Suffering from her father's tragic sense of curiosity, though, Sam can't resist the question begged by the bones contained in the wooden crate. How could they be bones and not fossils since Gigantopithecus had been extinct for 125,000 years?
Driven to know the answer, Sam delays going to her father on his deathbed and instead pursues Jon to a remote corner of Washington state where he is about to make the greatest discovery involving the origins of the human species, a discovery Lewis and Clark may have already made two hundred years earlier. However, Sam is not the only one pursuing Jon, for one of our nation's first secrets is still being kept by all means necessary.
And if they do survive the centuries-old conspiracy, they will not only rewrite American history, but they will prove that we are not the only intelligent, bipedal primate to survive extinction.
Silent hooves churned through the road's fresh mud. Steaming breath came slowly from his horse's nostrils with each stride. His own breath, too, formed and faded, formed and faded in the sharp morning air. The bits of mud spraying up all about them hung as if weightless in that same malevolent, unmoving air. Read more...
Arguably the best piece of fiction founded on cryptozoology since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World. Cryptid bridges the gaps between various genres, deftly combining elements of historical mystery, thriller, and science-fiction in a single package graced with believable, fully realized characters from history and from the author’s fertile imagination. Its climax is worthy of best-selling thrillers by Nelson DeMille or David Morrell. In terms of historical mystery, Cryptid meets the standards set by Max Collins in works such as Stolen Away and Road to Perdition. Run, don’t walk, to get a copy while they last. |
A mystical, mythical, or legendary creature is a creature from mythology or folklore (often known as "fabulous creatures" in historical literature). Examples of legendary creatures can be found in medieval bestiaries. Many mythical creatures have supernatural powers (some good, some evil), powers that even in contemporary times have no physical explanation. In these cases the creatures bear more similarity to spiritual beings, such as angels, in religious thought. Often legendary creatures came to symbolize vices or virtues, or the power of good or evil. In many cases, their actual existence was secondary to the moral of the tale in which they featured.
Legendary creatures have often been incorporated into heraldry and architectural decoration. This is particularly the case with those symbolizing great strength or other power. In contemporary times, many legendary creatures appear prominently in fantasy fiction. These creatures are often claimed to have supernatural powers or knowledge or to guard some object of great value.
Mythical creatures have been part of human culture throughout the ages and across all parts of the world. They are not just the "talking" creatures, animals able to communicate using language and also rather clever, as in Aesop's fables. Mythical creatures are in themselves beyond normal reality, often composites of existing animals or animals and humans.
Some of these creatures may have existed in the past, and many believers have produced fossils and other evidence for their previous existence. Some, such as the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch, continue to be "sighted" and sought to this day. While the origins of these fabulous creatures are varied, and often disputed, they have played significant roles in human society. They have been educational, helped parents to discipline their children and to inculcate cultural values and norms, and have served to stimulate the imagination and desire that is ingrained in human nature to experience more than this physical world. Whether they truly exist in physical form is indeed secondary to their existence in the minds of so many people throughout the world and through history.
Detail of fifteenth century tapestry
Some mythical creatures — such as the dragon or the unicorn — have their origin in traditional mythology and were at one time believed to be real creatures. Greek mythology, for example, features many creatures connected to the gods—harpies were beasts sent by Zeus to exact punishment. In mythology and folklore the world over "wonder beasts" can be found representing the powers of good and evil, the virtues and vices of human nature, and the temptations into which human beings fall. Often incorporated into stories for children, "fairy tales" and the like, these "fabulous creatures" were more real in what they represented than in their physical form.
Others were based on real creatures, originating in garbled accounts of travelers' tales; such as the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, which supposedly grew tethered to the earth (and was actually a type of fern).
Conversely, some creatures downplayed as just storytelling, have been rediscovered and found to be real in recent times, such as the giant squid.
Did you know?
Mythical creatures are often chimeras,
composed of parts of two or more animals
Mythical creatures are often chimeras, composed of parts of two or more animals. Some of these are the combination of a human being and one or more other creatures. For example, a centaur is a combination of a man and horse, a minotaur of a man and bull. It should be noted that these were not always intended to be understood as literal juxtapositions of parts from disparate species. Lacking a common morphological vocabulary, classical and medieval scholars and travelers would attempt to describe unusual animals by comparing them point-for-point with familiar: the giraffe, for example, was called cameleopard, and thought of as a creature half-camel, and half-leopard. In other cases, the beast was merely an exaggeration that made for exciting story-telling of adventures from far-off lands.
Many mythical creatures have supernatural powers (some good, some evil), powers that even in contemporary times have no physical explanation. In these cases the creatures bear more similarity to spiritual beings, such as angels, in religious thought.
Cryptozoology (from Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós, "hidden"; ζῷον, zôon, "animal"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge" or "study" – c.f. zoology) is the search for animals believed to exist, but for which conclusive evidence is missing. Among these are included some of the legendary creatures. The field also includes the search for known animals believed to be extinct. While cryptozoologists strive for legitimacy – some of them are respected scientists in other fields – and discoveries of previously unknown animals are often subject to great attention, however, cryptozoology has not been fully embraced by the scientific community.
Most criticism from the scientific mainstream is directed at proponents for the existence of the more famous "cryptids" (like Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster), whose existence remain unproven, despite numerous purported sightings, and is considered highly unlikely by scientists, biologists, and zoologists alike. In fact, many of the sightings of such creatures were found to be hoaxes, which further discredits cryptozoology.
There are many types of mythical creatures, following are the main divisions with some examples of each.
Birds and serpents
- Most often depicted as a reptile, the basilisk is reputed to be king of serpents. One of the most feared of all mythological beasts, a basilisk is said to have the power to cause death with a single glance. In this aspect it bears similarity to the Gorgons of Greek mythology.
- Chinese dragon
- Also appearing in other East Asian cultures, it is also sometimes called the Oriental (or Eastern) dragon. The Chinese dragon is easily recognizable for its long serpentine body that is generally wingless, and its anthropomorphic face, complete with beard. The oriental dragon is generally considered a supernatural or spiritual symbol of heavenly power.
- Typically depicted as a large and powerful Serpent or other reptile it has magical or spiritual qualities, the most famous being the ability to breathe fire from their mouths. More often than not dragons were considered malevolent, associated with evil supernatural forces and the natural enemy of humanity.
The phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary.
- Sometimes called the Chinese Phoenix, the feng-huang is a symbol of summer and spiritual balance, and along with the dragon, qilin and tortoise, is one of the most high revered creatures in Chinese tradition. Its appearance is said to indicate some great event, or to bear testimony to the greatness of a ruler. It is often viewed as the sacred union of male and female, Feng being male and Huang female, but also the Feng-Huang can be regarded as a female entity in relation with the male dragon.
- In Slavic folklore, the Firebird is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land. Usually described as a large bird with majestic plumage that glows brightly emitting red, orange, and yellow light, the Firebird is both a blessing and a bringer of doom to its captor. The feathers of the Firebird continue glowing when removed, and are able to provide light for a large room. Thus, the Firebird is much prized and often the object of a difficult quest in fairy tales.
- Characterized as a bird with brightly colored plumage, after a long life the phoenix dies in a fire of its own making only to rise again from the ashes.
- A giant bird in Jewish mythology, the ziz is the counterpart in the air of the Behemoth (giant creature of land) and Leviathan (giant creature of water). The Ziz is said to be large enough to be able to block out the sun with its wingspan.
Lake monster or loch monster is the name given to large unknown animals which have purportedly been sighted in, and/or are believed to dwell in freshwaters, although their existence has never been confirmed scientifically. They are generally believed not to exist by conventional zoology and allied sciences, and are principally the subject of investigations by followers of cryptozoology. Sightings are often similar to some sea monsters.
Of these, Nessie of Loch Ness is almost certainly the most famous, and is promoted heavily in the area's tourist industry.
Loch Ness Monster (Oilpainting)
Other well known lake monsters include:
- Behemoth is the primal unconquerable monster of the land, as Leviathan is the primal monster of the waters of the sea and Ziz the primordial monster of the sky. There is a legend that the Leviathan and the Behemoth shall hold a battle at the end of the world. The two will finally kill each other, and the surviving men will feast on their meat.
- Leviathan is a Biblical sea monster, referred to in sections of the Old Testament. It is regarded as the monster of the waters, while the Behemoth and the Ziz are regarded as monsters of the earth and the air, respectively.
Chimeras and hybrids
In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monstrous creature that was composed of several different animals. Other hybrids exist as combinations of human beings with animals and/or birds, as well as a variety of humanoid creatures.
- The catoblepas is a legendary creature from Ethiopia, described first by Pliny the Elder and later by Claudius Aelianus. Its head is always pointing downwards, hence its name which means "to look downwards" in Greek. The creature is said to have the head of a hog and the body of a buffalo with scales on its back. Its stare or breath could either turn people into stone, or kill them. The catoblepas is often thought to be based on real-life encounters with wildebeest.
- The griffin has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Seen as guardians of secretly buried wealth, the griffin evolved from a ferocious animal of antiquity to become a symbol of strength and valor.
- A Hippogriff is a chimeric legendary creature, supposedly the offspring of a griffin and a horse, specifically a male griffin and a mare (female horse).
Pegasus and Bellerophon, from Hamilton Wright Mabie, ed. Myths Every Child Should Know
- Pegasus is the famous winged horse of Greek mythology. Riding on Pegasus Bellerophon was able to defeat the chimera. However, Bellerophon tried to fly to Mount Olympus, the realm of the Gods, on Pegasus' back. Pegasus threw Bellerophon from his back for such blasphemous behavior, and was awarded his own place in Mount Olympus.
- The unicorn, usually depicted with the body of a horse, but with a single—usually spiral—horn growing out of its forehead, is one of the most revered mythical beasts of all time. Appearing in numerous cultures, the unicorn has come to be a symbol of purity and beauty, and is one of the few mythical creatures not associated with violence, danger, and fear.
The Vegetable Lamb in a seventeenth century illustration
- Vegetable Lamb of Tartary
- The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary (Agnus scythicus or Planta Tartarica Barometz) is a mythical plant of central Asia, believed to grow sheep as its fruit. The sheep were connected to the plant by an umbilical cord and grazed the land around the plant. When all the grazing material was gone, both the plant and sheep died. In the medieval period, the plant was said to explain the existence of cotton.
- The Adlet (or Erqigdlet) in the Inuit mythology are a race of fabulous creatures with dogs' legs and human bodies. The lower part of the body is like that of a dog, the upper part is like a man's. Inuit in Labrador and Hudson Bay also use this term to refer to inland native American tribes, but the Inuit from Greenland and Baffin Land, who have no such neighbors, regard Adlet as part-human part-dog.
- In Greek mythology, the centaurs are a race of mythical creatures that are half human and half horse. They are depicted as the head and torso of a man with his waist joined to the horse's withers, where the horse's neck would be.
- In Greek and Roman mythology fauns are forest spirits that may help or hinder humans. They are half human - half goat, human from the head to the waist, apart from the addition of goat's horns, and with the lower body of a goat. They are often associated with the Greek god Pan and satyrs.
- In Greek mythology, the Gorgons were three vicious female mythical creatures that lived on an island and possessed the ability to turn a person to stone by looking at them. They possessed both beautiful and hideous traits, the most famous being their head of coiled snakes instead of hair. Of the three, Medusa is perhaps the most famous of the Gorgons, being the only one of the three who was mortal. She, like many such creatures, met her doom at the hands of a hero aided by the gods.
Harpy in Ulisse Aldrovandi, Monstrorum Historia,
- Harpies in Greek mythology were winged-beasts that were sent down by Zeus to punish, most famously the prophet Phineus. Like many other second-tier Greek creatures, the Harpies were more prominent in art works than in mythological literature, and while they may occasionally be used in popular culture today, they are most widely remembered for their part in the legendary adventures of Jason and the Argonauts.
- The manticore of Central Asia is a kind of chimera, that is sometimes said to be related to the Sphinx. It was often feared as being violent and feral, but it was not until the manticore was incorporated into European mythology during the Middle Ages that it came to be regarded as an omen of evil.
- (mer is the French word meaning "sea.") A mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and a fish-like tail. The male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman," and the gender-neutral plural is merfolk or merpeople. Merfolk appear in a plethora of cultures worldwide—legends often tell of mermaids singing to sailors, enchanting them, and luring them to their death.
- In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was part man and part bull. It was kept by King Minos of Crete in the center of a "labyrinth," an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus specifically to hold the Minotaur. According to legend, the Minotaur required human sacrifices on a regular basis. Theseus volunteered to be sacrificed, and with the help of Daedalus, was able to slay the Minotaur and escape the maze.
- In Greek mythology the Sirens were creatures who lived on a remote island surrounded by rocky cliffs. The Sirens lured passing sailors by their singing, which would enchant any sailor listening to the point that he would lose all will-power, and crash his ship upon the Sirens' rocky shore and cliffs, killing all the men aboard.
on tomb in Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans
- The sphinx has had a long history of secrecy and intrigue, being viewed by many cultures as guardians of knowledge and as speaking in riddles. The sphinx varies in physical features, but is almost always a composite of two or more animals, and some versions are part-human part-animal. Whatever the form, the sphinx embodies paradox, beautiful and alluring, she is also dangerous even deadly; encountering a sphinx is described as confusing and destructive and requires great caution when approaching.
- Tengu ("heavenly dogs") are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, literature, and religious mythology. These Japanese spirits were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, such that they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. In the earliest sources, tengu were actually pictured with beaks, but, in later depictions, these features have often been anthropomorphized into unnaturally long noses. These crafty (oftentimes dangerous) bird-men were long held to be disruptive demons and harbingers of war (much like their Chinese prototypes). Over time, this overtly negative evaluation was softened somewhat, as the Buddhists came to acknowledge the popular conception of these spirits as morally-ambivalent protectors of the mountains and forests, who were as likely to bring windfalls as calamities to humans intruding upon their domains.
- A banshee is one of many spirits of Irish and Scottish folklore. Banshees are omens of death and messengers from the afterlife who would appear and wail under the windows of a house where a person was about to die.
- A brownie is a legendary household spirit popular in folklore around Scotland and Northern England. They are said to inhabit houses and aid in tasks around the house. However, they do not like to be seen and will only work at night, traditionally in exchange for small gifts or food. They usually abandon the house if their gifts are called payments, or if the owners of the house misuse them.
- A dwarf, appearing most frequently in Norse mythology, is humanoid in form, but short and stocky. They are connected with the Earth and are often said to be miners, engineers, and craftsmen.
- The elf is found in Norse mythology and still survives in northern European folklore. Elves can be depicted as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and other natural places, or as small trickster creatures. In early folklore, elves were generally possessed of supernatural abilities, often related to disease, which they could use for good (healing) or ill (sickening) depending on their relationship toward the person they were affecting. They also had some power over time, in that they could entrap human beings with their music and dance. Some elves were small, fairy-like creatures, possibly invisible, whereas others appeared human-sized. Generally they are long-lived, if not immortal.
At that moment she was changed by magic to a wonderful little fairy
by John Bauer
- A fairy is a spirit or supernatural being, based on the fae of medieval Western European folklore and romance. Sometimes the term is used to describe any mystical creature of humanoid appearance, including goblins or gnomes, and at other times only to describe a specific type of more ethereal creature. Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature.
- The gnome is a class of creatures that has taken on many different meanings, but most generally refers to very small people, often men, that live in dark places, especially underground, in the depths of forests, or more recently in gardens. Most European ethnic groups have had some kind of gnome legends with local variations, some helping plants and animals, some helping humans, some reclusive ones staying underground or in dark forests, perhaps hoarding treasure, and others interacting mischievously or even harmfully with humans. Modern traditions portray gnomes as small, old men wearing pointed hats and living in forests and gardens. Despite varying forms, gnomes have the common attribute of being able to move through the earth as easily as humans move atop it.
- The goblin is of Germanic and British folklore, often believed to be the evil or merely mischievous opposite of the more benevolent faeries and spirits of lore. There is no single version of a goblin; the term is more generic for those small creatures that live in dark places and cause trouble, but in more recent years the term has come to refer to creatures that live in caves and terrorize children. Despite local variations, goblins have almost universally been described as troublemakers. They are either simply tricksters and mischievous, like immature children, or actually malevolent, evil-doers, dangerous to human beings.
- A gremlin is an English folkloric creature, commonly depicted as mischievous and mechanically oriented, with a specific interest in aircraft. Legends concerning gremlins arose from airmen who claimed that failures in their craft were due to sabotage by gremlins.
depiction of a leprechaun of the type popularized in the twentieth century.
- The most famous, recognizable, and misrepresented symbol of Irish mythology is the leprechaun. They have origins stretching back to before the arrival of the Celts. The leprechaun has evolved in popular conception from a species of faerie to an almost cartoonish caricature of Irish culture that can both celebrate and belittle the Irish.
- The Nix is the most popular term for the shapeshifting water spirits of Germanic and Nordic folklore. Often times they appear as humans, and are sometimes linked with such similar creatures as the Greek Sirens or the European Mermaids; however, more often than not they are closer to nymphs or sprites in both demeanor and appearance. The Nix may take different forms, but their message is one of warning of impending death by drowning.
- In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or land form, such as mountains, groves, springs, rivers, valleys, and cool grottos, or joining the retinue of a god, such as Dionysus, Hermes, or Pan, or a goddess, generally Artemis. Nymphs were the frequent target of lusty satyrs, their male counterpart. Worshipped by the ancient Greeks and said to come from the earth, they were seen to be care givers of the land and life in general. Although not immortal, they lived extremely long lives.
"Puss in Boots" outwits the Ogre by Gustave Doré
- An ogre is a large and hideous humanoid monster often found in fairy tales and folklore. While commonly depicted as an unintelligent and clumsy enemy, it is dangerous in that it feeds on its human victims. The idea of the ogre has been used as a method of instilling good behavior in children by suggesting that bad behavior attracted and excited ogres, who would then attack, kidnap, or even eat the perpetrator.
- Orc refers to various tough and warlike humanoids in various fantasy settings, particularly in the stories of Middle-earth written by J. R. R. Tolkien and derivative fictions. Often barbaric and unintelligent, Orcs are usually seen as the most war-mongering and violent of all mythical creatures.
- Pixies are creatures of English folklore. They are considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas the downs and moors of Devon and Cornwall. Like sprites and other different types of English faeries, pixies are often considered mischievous, but not overtly malevolent creatures of nature. Their most commonly depicted image is a wingless and pointy-eared fairy-esque creature dressed in green.
- Sasquatch, colloquially known as "Bigfoot," is a primate-like animal believed to inhabit the forests of North America, although people claim to have sighted the creature in every part of the United States and most of Canada. Akin to the infamous Yeti of the Himalayan Mountains, Sasquatch lore dates back to the earliest Native American tribes.
Trolls with an abducted princess (John Bauer, 1915)
- The troll is of Scandinavian origin but has international popularity in the realms of legend, folklore, and fantasy. One of the most anthropomorphic fantasy creatures, trolls have been depicted in vastly different ways. Generally considered somewhat dangerous, whether through their larger than human size and strength or through more magical means, trolls are recognizably similar to human beings.
- In Norse mythology the valkyries are a host of female figures who decide who will die in battle. The valkyries bring their chosen warriors to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, which is ruled over by the god Odin. There they become the deathless einherjar ("lone fighters") prepared to fight at Odin's side during the eschaton (Ragnarök).
- Vampires are folkloric beings that subsist on the life force of a human being and/or animal. In most cases, vampires are represented as reanimated corpses who feed by draining and consuming the blood of living beings. Bram Stoker's Dracula has arguably been the definitive version of the vampire in popular fiction.
- A werewolf in folklore is a person who shape-shifts into a Gray Wolf or wolf-like creature, either purposely, by using magic, or after being placed under a curse, often at the time of a full moon. Given that they were a threat to people, tales often focus on methods of revealing werewolves, protecting oneself from them, and killing them.
- The Wendigo is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans, appearing in Algonquian mythology. Humans who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk, and the legend appears to reinforce this practice as taboo.
- The yeti, also known as the "Abominable Snowman," is an alleged ape-like animal said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal and Tibet. Most mainstream scientists, explorers, and writers consider current evidence of the yeti's existence to be weak and better explained as a hoax, legend, or misidentification of known species.
"Boy on white horse" by Theodor Kittelsen.
- Cerberus is a multi-headed (usually three-headed) dog. In Greek and Roman mythology it guards the gates of Hades, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping.
- The chupacabra (from the Spanish chupar "to suck" and cabra "goat", literally "goat sucker"), is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. The name comes from the animal's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. It is supposedly a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail.
- The kelpie is a supernatural shape-shifting water horse from Celtic folklore that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland. It generally has grayish black fur, and will appear to be a lost pony, but can be identified by its constantly dripping mane. Its skin is like that of a seal but is deathly cold to the touch.
- Ashman, Malcolm and Joyce Hargreaves. 1997. Fabulous Beasts. Overlook. ISBN 978-0879517793
- Barber, Richard. 2006. Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0851157535
- Borges, Jorge Luis. 2005. The Book of Imaginary Beings. Amazon Remainders. ISBN 0670891800
- Conway, D.J. 2001. Magickal Mystical Creatures: Invite Their Powers Into Your Life. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 156718149X
- Costello, Peter. 1979. The Magic Zoo: The Natural History of Fabulous Animals. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312504217
- Dubois, Pierre, Claudine Sabatier, and Roland Sabatier. 2000. The Great Encyclopedia Of Faeries. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0684869578
- Eason, Cassandra. 2002. A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings: Explore the Mystical Realm of the Little People. Boston, MA: Red Wheel/Weiser. ISBN 978-1578632671
- Ellis, Richard. 2006. Monsters of the Sea. The Lyons Press. ISBN 978-1592289677
- Evans-Wentz, W. Y. 2004. The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries. New Page Books. ISBN 978-1564147080
- Hassig, Debra. 2000. The Mark of the Beast: The Medieval Bestiary in Art, Life, and Literature. Routledge. ISBN 041592894X
- Keightley, Thomas. 2000. The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves & Other Little People. Gramercy. ISBN 0517263130
- Nigg, Joe. 1995. Wonder Beasts: Tales and Lore of the Phoenix, the Griffin, the Unicorn, and the Dragon. Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 156308242X
- Nigg, Joseph. 1999. The Book of Fabulous Beasts: A Treasury of Writings from Ancient Times to the Present. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0195095616
- Nigg, Joe. 2001. The Book of Dragons & Other Mythical Beasts. Barron's Educational Series. ISBN 978-0764155109
All links retrieved December 18, 2014.
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Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 5th, 2011
The second episode of Finding Bigfoot aired on Sunday night, June 5, 2011, at 10:00 pm, with a quick rebroadcast at 11:00 pm.
The episode was entitled “Swamp Ape” and took place in Florida. One part of the episode regarded the find of a handprint by Bill and Carolyn Bridges, outside of Quincy, centered in Gadsden County, Florida (seen in red below).
It looks like the modified “town meeting” approach is enjoyed by the show. The Finding Bigfoot team visited Gadsden County, as well as the Seminoles of the Everglades (second map below), in the southern part of the state. The citizens shared their history with the local variation of the southern cryptid swamp apes (a/k/a boogers, Napes, Skunk Apes), some of which goes back hundreds of years.
The fact there were seemingly some noises heard on the soundtrack, and alleged thermal images shown midway and late in this episode is no assurance that these were actual pieces of evidence gathered or inserted dramatic re-creations. Several CG images and Bigfoot costumed actors were used in scenes throughout the program. The final thermal image of supposedly Matt shown going towards a static figure that reportedly was seen to run off was not supported by any shown thermal imaging. That part was extremely confusing. Was authentic thermals shown? Or were what was shown part of real thermals? And if so, why wasn’t the footage of the figure moving and running off shown?
The June 5th first screening of “Swamp Ape” is open for discussion now. What did you think?
Matt Moneymaker has shared some comments on this episode. Please click and read here for more.
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine. |
A family in Texas claim to have captured a live chupacabra, a mythical creature with a reputation for sucking blood from livestock across America.
The somewhat unlikely tale began when Jackie Stock and her husband Bubba discovered a growling, hairless animal in their back garden.
Bubba captured the wrinkly beast and locked it in a cage to allow friends and neighbours to take a look at the animal – although the couple insist they are feeding it and giving it water.
"We were just trying to figure out what it is because we've never seen anything like it before,” Jackie told WMUR.
“He [Bubba] called me to come and look, and I said ‘Bubba that looks like a baby chupacabra'."
Neighbour Arlen Parma is convinced the animal is a chupacabra. “I hunted racoons for 20 years with dogs and I ain’t ever seen anything that looks like that right there,” Parma said.
A wildlife expert told the network the animal was more likely to be a dog, fox or coyote with mange.
Descriptions of chupacabra sightings have varied, but many who claim to have seen the cryptid say it closely resembles a coyote but with a skinny body covered in matted patches of hair.
The first sightings were reported in Puerto Rico as early as 1995.
In February another Texas family claimed to have caught and killed a chupacabra, although local wildlife experts were not convinced. |
Lyn Buchanan was one of the U.S. Military's Controlled Remote Viewers from 1984 through 1992. During that time he worked first as a viewer and then as a Database Manager, Trainer, Training Officer, and Property Book Officer. Upon retirement, he worked as a computer systems analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. He then began his own computer data analysis company called Problems Solutions Innovations. When the CIA declassified the existence of the military's remote viewing effort in 1994, it became public knowledge that Lyn had been the unit's trainer, and he was quickly overwhelmed with applications for training.
About this time, he started the Assigned Witness Program, which uses trained and experienced Controlled Remote Viewers to do pro bono remote viewing work for police and other public service organizations. The original intent of the program was to help police find missing children. However as cases met with success, the various departments and agencies began to enlist the remote viewers in other projects.
Presently, Problems Solutions Innovations continues to work with both public service agencies and the corporate world to train and make use of talented and qualified Controlled Remote Viewers. Lyn has written about his experiences and what he learned about the human mind in a book entitled "The Seventh Sense".
Host Connie Willis (email) was joined by Executive Director of Problems>Solutions>Innovations (P>S>I), Lyn Buchanan, for a discussion on Controlled Remote Viewing and his time as one of the original psychic spies. In the first hour, conspiracy, paranormal, and cryptid researcher, Leslie S. Mitts, talked about Lycandroids, bipedal wolfen hybrids that stand over seven feet tall,... More »Host: Connie Willis
In the first half, research analyst Steve Elwart talked about how Fukushima is one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, and its effects are still being felt. In the latter half, paranormal researcher and investigator James Carman along with remote viewer and PK expert Lyn Buchanan addressed such topics as ET contacts and abductions, MILAB operations, the government cover-up, and remote... More »Host: George Noory
Controlled Remote Viewing expert, Lyn Buchanan discussed how the CRV technique can be used in business, research and any type of investigative field. ... More »Host: Art Bell |
This just in from Tim Binnall, who hosts Binnall of America: a 2-hour-plus interview with Linda Godfrey, of Beast of Bray Road and Hunting the American Werewolf fame.
Tim says of the show:
"Acclaimed cryptozoologist Linda Godfrey joins us for a discussion about the phenomenon of Bipedal Canine Cryptids (aka 'Dogman'). We'll cover the recent 'Gable Film' hoax which was revealed on a recent edition of MonsterQuest and Linda will detail the entire Gable saga as it unfolded. We'll then cover the 'Dogman' enigma from a variety of angles, including how Linda first began investigating the phenomenon, the response of the cryptozoology community to her research, the typical descriptions of the Bipedal Canine Cryptids and how they differ from bears as well as 'classic' werewolf descriptions, the connections between the Dogman and water as well as Native American burial mounds, problems with proving the BCC's existence, and tons more material related to the mysterious Bipedal Canine Cryptids. It's a revealing look at a truly unique cryptid with the researcher who helped to put it on the map: Linda Godfrey."
Check it out! Tim's show is always a good one; and this episode is definitely not-to-be-missed! |
Paranormal Underground Volume 2, Issue 8
Alternate Dimension Issue
Through the Veil With Marcus Leader
Get Ready for a Sci Fi Future Die Glocke: A Time Machine? Phantoms of England Into the Grid With Jody Bergsma
Like a Moth(Man) to a Flame Legends & Lore With Michael Kleen
August 2009 Paranormal Underground
Alternate Dim INVESTIGATOR SPOTLIGHT Marcus Leader: Breaking Through the Veil
Michael Kleen: The Truth Is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Jody Bergsma: Into the Grid
SPECIAL REPORT Ready or Not, Here it Comes: Welcome to the Sci Fi Future
CASE FILES OF THE UNKNOWN
Haunted Sites Kingdom of Shadows: The Phantoms of England
Paranormal History Die Glocke: A Story of High Speculation
Cryptids & Mythological Creatures Like a Moth(Man) to a Flame
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Tell us wha E-mail your c editor@paranorma
mension Issue FICTION: FEATURED AUTHOR 56
“The Shift” By Karen Frazier
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES 58 60
Ghost Hunter Case Files: Grave Investigations: Part 1 The Hallway
GUEST EDITORIAL 62
“The Greatest Lesson of All” By Shannon Sylvia
at you think: comments to alunderground.net.
TV Watch: Lost
From the Editor
Calendar of Events
Equipment Update: Hi-Def Investigation
PUG Member Profile: PooPerDooPer
Ghost Hunter Comic
August 2009 Paranormal Underground
Paranormal Underground Volume 2, Issue 8
EDITORIAL Publisher Chad Wilson
Editor-in-Chief Cheryl Knight
Managing Editor Karen Frazier
Science Editor J.D. Harrison
Contributing Authors Jim Frazier Karen Frazier Terri J. Garofalo Rick E. Hale Cheryl Knight Ryan Ray Shannon Sylvia Linda Williams Chad Wilson
Send comments and letters to: Editor@paranormalunderground.net.
To Go Dark or Not To Go Dark
was recently discussing the issue of conducting paranormal investigations in the dark with a few friends, and we all wondered . . . what are the benefits of ‘going dark’ during an investigation? When I initially began investigating, I thought all investigations were supposed to be done in the dark. But what did I know? I was going on information gleaned from a TV show that used that particular lighting technique to push the drama. We all know things are far scarier in the dark. It didn’t help that my first experience investigating the paranormal was the Mecca of haunted locations, Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Lexington, Kentucky. That place is geared toward going ‘lights out.’ This methodology continued through my subsequent investigation at the Villisca Axe Murder House. There we were, six investigators stumbling around in the dark, even though we had electric lanterns. A recent “Paranormal Underground Presents” podcast with esteemed mentalist, paranormal investigator, and cultural anthropologist Loyd Auerbach shed even more light on this issue. Investigations should be conducted in the atmosphere in which paranormal occurrences take place, but most definitely not always in the dark. In fact, most investigators that I’ve spoken with investigate the paranormal with the lights on. Now that I look back, I realize how silly my notion of always investigating in the dark truly was. Do spirits care, or even know, that the lights are out when people are stumbling around in their haunts? I
Paranormal Underground August 2009
lost track of the number of times I was scared at Waverly when I suddenly came upon someone in the dark halls. Granted, Waverly doesn’t Chad Wilson, have artificial light Publisher that I know of, at least there were no lights on during my investigation there, but we could just as easily have investigated the drywall during the day as opposed to at night. Strangely enough, instead of providing lighting for night-time investigations, Waverly runs electricity for their many IR cameras. I wonder if they catch anything on those cameras? If there are spirits, I bet they get a chuckle out of watching strangers walk around in the dark, scaring the bejeezus out of each other. I know I would. So, from now on, I have decided I will investigate in the light, whenever possible. I know sometimes it can’t be helped that I will have to investigate in the dark, but that is what Infrared is for. So, whether it be in the woods, a cemetery, or even an old, abandoned building with no electricity, if I am unable to investigate during the day, I will use my IR at night. I’m sure the spirits won’t mind.
We welcome your comments to this topic: Please visit the Publisher’s Blog at www.paranormalunderground.net/site/?cat=186 to share your thoughts.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground
From the Editor Paranormal Underground Volume 2, Issue 8
ART Art Director Chad Wilson
Design and Layout Cheryl Knight
Cover/Contents Art Claudia Ghidella
PROMOTIONS Marketing & Ad Sales Karen Frazier
YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/ParanormalUG
Copyright © 2008-2009 — Paranormal Underground™ is a trademark of Ghost Knight Publishing. All rights reserved. Paranormal Underground and its contents are the property of Paranormal Underground magazine. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This publication and all content within this publication may not be copied, quoted, distributed, modified, or reprinted without the express written consent of Paranormal Underground magazine.
Establishing Communication Across the Veil
his month, Paranormal Underground takes a look at theories and current research involving alternate dimensions/parallel universes and time travel. From our Investigator Spotlight featuring inventor Marcus Leader to our Special Report dealing with Parallel Universes and Quantum Teleportation to a Paranormal History examination of a possible WWII time machine, we explore the possibilities of a multi-dimensional world. Our Investigator Spotlight features Marcus Leader, inventor of several instrumental transcommunication devices, including the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver, Gold-Beryllium Microphone, Dark Light, Paramagnetic Resonance Meter, and Spectral Goggles. Leader’s ultimate goal is to establish a two-way communication link between our dimensional worlds, and he’s already achieving significant results. This month’s Special Report addresses an impending Sci Fi future — a future that is partly already here, with quantum teleportation now being performed in the lab, and the Large Hadron Collider researching what the universe is made of and how it actually works. And through the Many Worlds Interpretation, we examine parallel universes and possible states of existence. Our Paranormal History feature addresses the conspiracy theories surrounding Die Glocke (or The Bell), a reported time machine developed by
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Is it possible to establish two-way communication ‘across the veil’?
the Nazis for nefarious purposes. Also in this month’s issue, we profile investigator and author Michael Kleen, artist Jody Bergsma, haunted sites throughout England, and the legendary creature known as the Mothman. I’d also like to invite all paranormal fiction writers to enter our 2nd Annual Short Story Contest. All entries are due to email@example.com by Sept. 1. First prize includes a Zoom H4 Handy Digital Recorder (a $300+ value), which features a Mobile Field Stereo Recorder and 4-Track Recorder. There are also prizes for second and third place. Enter now! I hope you enjoy our Alternate Dimension issue. Happy reading!
~ Cheryl Knight Editor-in-Chief
Calendar of Events August 6–9
52 Annual Parapsychological Association Convention University of Washington Seattle, Washington http://parapsych.clubexpress.com nd
MUFON 40 Annual International UFO Symposium Denver Tech Center Marriott Hotel Denver, Colorado www.mufon.com
The Scare Fest The Lexington Center Lexington, Kentucky www.thescarefest.com
Extreme Paranormal Conference Kingsgate Marriott Hotel & Conference Center Cincinnati, Ohio www.extremeparacon.com/
The Ohio Paranormal Convention Hara Arena Dayton, Ohio http://ohiocon.southernohioparanormal.org
Extreme Paranormal Events Presents Haunted Overnight at Lemp Mansion St. Louis, Missouri www.spi-spi.com/events.htm
Chautauqua-Con Paranormal Conference Chautauqua Auditorium Shelbyville, Illinois http://chautauqua-con.webs.com/
HauntedCon Hotel St. Michael Prescott, Arizona http://www.hauntedcon.com/
Astral Projection, ESP and Higher Awareness Seminar Limassol, Cyprus http://mindabilities.com
2009 Paranormal Symposium Angel Fire Community Center Angel Fire, New Mexico www.aspefiles.org
October’s Other Side at the Old Mill 7 p.m.–10 p.m. Dundee Old Mill Dundee, Michigan http://tangledwishes.com/events.php
2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference 8:30 a.m.–6:15 p.m. Caldwell Auditorium Tyler, Texas www.texasbigfoot.org
October 2–4 Weird 09: Wiltshire’s Premier UFO & Paranormal Conference Athenaeum Theatre Warminster, Wiltshire, UK www.mystical-county.org.uk
Michigan Paranormal Conference 1 p.m.–9 p.m. — Bailey Rec. Center Westland, Michigan http://ghostwatchers.org
Saskatoon Body, Soul, & Spirit Expo Prairieland Park Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada www.bodysoulspiritexpo.com/expo/
East Coast Paranormal Investigators Conference Fort Mifflin on the Delaware Philadelphia, Pennsylvania http://aphs.org
S.O.U.L.S. Fest Paranormal Conference 10 a.m.–11 a.m. CDT Julie Rogers Theater Beaumont, Texas www.soulsparanormal.com
PhantomCon Paranormal Convention Asheville, North Carolina Hosted by Western North Carolina Paranormal Research Society www.phantomcon.com
ParaNooga Paranormal Investigators Convention of Chattanooga The Chattanoogan Hotel Chattanooga, Tennessee www.paranooga.com
March 12–13, 2010
Southeast Texas Paranormal Convention Beaumont Civic Center Beaumont, Texas www.texasghostshow.com Do you have a calendar event? E-mail your info to Editor@paranormalunderground.net.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground
Rick E. Hale
With a background in nuclear engineering, Jim considers himself an open-minded skeptic. He believes that if paranormal phenomena are indeed a reality, the answers lie in quantum physics. Check out Jim’s unique take on the paranormal and how it relates to quantum physics in his regular column Quantum Musings.
A native of Chicago, Rick is the cofounder of the Greater Illinois Ghost Society. A paranormal researcher since the age of eight, Rick is happily married and digs Jazz. Rick believes in the use of the scientific method in gathering evidence of paranormal claims. You can contact Rick at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Shannon Sylvia is a paranormal investigator that previously appeared on the Sci Fi Channel TV show Ghost Hunters International. Shannon’s experiences growing up in a house rife with paranormal activity sparked her interest in the field.
Cheryl is Paranormal Underground’s editorin-chief. She has been a professional writer and editor for nearly 20 years. Cheryl is combining her two loves, writing and the paranormal, to bring you Paranormal Underground each month. Her previous magazine experience includes roles as Senior and Managing Editor for several nichemarket publications. She is currently a freelance writer and editor.
Linda Williams is the founder/ lead investigator for Martinsville Volunteer Paranormal Society in Indiana. She spent six years working in a public library where she perfected her researching skills. Williams had her first paranormal experience at a young age, prompting her life-long interest in the paranormal.
Karen Frazier Karen is the managing editor of Paranormal Underground. Karen went on a lifelong search for answers about the paranormal after living in a WWIIera apartment 20 years ago where unexplainable things happened. Now she combines that interest with her professional experience as a copy writer, technical writer, marketing and promotions guru, and author of fiction and poetry to help bring Paranormal Underground to the public.
Terri J. Garofalo Terri is a paranormal investigator, as well as the author and illustrator of Entities-R-Us, a Ghost Hunter Comic. For more information, visit www.entities-r-us. com.
Chad Wilson Ryan Ray Ryan is a ministry intern at a Baptist church in the California Bay Area. Recently, he started a paranormal research group called Paranormal Survey and Investigation. His main goal is to help push the scientific side of paranormal investigation and research forward. For more information, visit www. paranormalsurvey.com.
Paranormal Underground August 2009
A writer of articles and fiction, Chad is the publisher of Paranormal Underground. He has parlayed his avid interest in the paranormal into a top-notch publication, Paranormal Underground e-Magazine. Chad has investigated with East Tennessee Paranormal Research Society and counts Waverly Hills, the Villisca Axe Murder House, and private residences among his investigations.
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• Affordable Rates • Target Audience • Long-Term Exposure • During our e-magazine’s first year online, we had 45,253 readers and 193,203 unique page views. • Our Website is viewed by 5,200+ visitors per month, with 49% of that being new traffic. • Our podcasts are listened to by 500+ visitors per month. Go to www.paranormalunderground.net & click the media tab to view ad rates. Contact KarenFrazier@paranormalunderground.net for more information
August 2009 Paranormal Underground
Paranormal Crossroads TV Series in the Works
new paranormal reality TV show, called Paranormal Crossroads, is now in development. The program won’t be tied to just ghosts or haunted houses; it will also include investigations of UFOs and cryptids. Also, three leads in the program are female. According to Charlie McCracken, vice president of Creative Development for Black River Media, the concept was to take a genre with which audiences were already familiar and give it a slightly different approach. Paranormal Crossroads features four main investigators — psychic/ medium Serenity Moore, paranormal investigator/spiritual sensitive Nicole Leader, independent direct voice communication specialist and physical medium Carly-Rose, and renowned engineer and paranormal researcher Marcus Leader (Nicole’s father) — as they investigate, document, and authenticate a wide variety of paranormal phenomenon. “We wanted a show that could depict how all of these supernatural and paranormal events were intersecting and influencing pop culture. So in one episode our investigators might deal with a haunted house. In the next they may be chasing a UFO. And in the next they may be tracking an elusive cryptid,” McCracken said. Another unique feature of the program is the family orientationMarcus and Nicole are father and daughter. “To my knowledge there is no television program featuring a fatherdaughter paranormal investigative team,” McCracken said. A final unique aspect of the
show involves Marcus Leader. Leader is well-known and well-respected in the paranormal research and investigative fields. He is a renowned engineer and paranormal investigator in his own right with several patented technologies for conducting paranormal research. “We are very excited to have Marcus as part of this project. He brings a level of respect and recognition that is second to none. Throughout the course of the series we will introduce several new technologies that Marcus has pioneered that will establish for the first time scientific validation of direct interaction with the supernatural,” McCracken said. For more information about the program, visit www.blackrivermediallc.com and visit the projects page.
Human Body Emits Faint Visible Light
apanese researchers have used extremely sensitive cameras to photograph the subtle light emitted by the human body, according to Yahoo News. The study placed healthy male volunteers in front of the cameras in complete darkness for 20 minutes every three hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for three days. The researchers found that the body glow differed at different times during the day, with the least light emission at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is suggestive of the light being related to our metabolic rhythms. Research also showed that the faces of the volunteers glowed more than the rest of the body, which may be related to the increased exposure to sunlight that the face has in comparison to the rest of the body.
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Pennsylvania Driver Nearly Collides With Bigfoot
n July 10, a motorist driving near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, reported that she had nearly collided with Bigfoot. According to www. paranormalPA driver runs into news.com, the bigfoot-like creature. witness was driving down a two-lane highway at approximately 6 p.m. at a speed of 35 to 40 mph when a figure approached her car from the left. The driver swerved to the right to avoid the figure and then noticed that it was a strange creature. She sat for a moment looking into her rearview mirror and saw the creature leap across her trunk. She next saw the creature running down the middle of another road as she sat in her car trying to regain her composure. The witness description of the creature is that it was at least six feet tall or slightly taller. It walked upright on two legs, and it had a large, elongated head. The entire creature was covered with hair. The face was also covered in hair, with an exposed area that was completely white. An unusual scratch mark on the trunk surface on the left side of the vehicle was found. The scratched area was about 8.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. There were numerous vertical and horizontal thin scratch lines that went into the paint surface.
Scientists Create Sci Fi Material
power plant providing electricity for an entire city. The invisibility of the aluminum lasted only for an extremely short period of time (40 femtoseconds), but it shows that such states can be achieved using highpowered X-rays.
Virgin Mary Shows Up in Ireland Tree Stump Oxford University scientists create transparent aluminum.
Who were the exceptionally tall beings inspecting this crop circle?
n July 7 at 5 a.m. in Wilt-
n international team, led by
Oxford University scientists, have created transparent aluminum — a substance that previously only existed in science fiction. According to www.physorg. com, a pulse from a FLASH laser removed a core electron from every aluminum atom without disrupting the metal’s crystalline structure, rendering the aluminum virtually invisible to extreme ultraviolet radiation. According to Professor Justin Wark of Oxford, “What we have created is a completely new state of matter nobody has seen before.” Scientists feel that transparent aluminum is just a start that may ultimately lead to allowing the power of nuclear fusion to be harnessed on Earth. The FLASH laser used in the experiments produces brief pulses of x-ray light — each more powerful than the output of a
Tall Beings Spotted Near Crop Circles
Do you see the image of the Virgin Mary in the tree stump pictured above?
he Virgin Mary has surfaced
again, according to a BBC News report. This time she has appeared in a tree stump at the Holy Mary Parish Church in Rathkeale, Ireland. Workmen were cutting down trees at the Parish Church when one noticed the image of the Virgin in the tree. Following the reports on July 10 of the Virgin’s presence, people from Ireland began traveling to see the image; however, the local parish priest, Father Willie Russell, isn’t impressed. According to Russell, “I have seen the tree . . . it’s only a tree.” The Catholic Church remains skeptical about the Virgin’s presence in the tree stump.
shire, England, a police Sergeant was driving past a Sidbury Hill crop circle, that had appeared a few days earlier, when he saw three exceptionally tall beings who were inspecting the crop circle. According to www.colinandrews.net, each of the beings were well over six feet tall with blonde hair. They were wearing one piece white suits with hoods. The officer shouted at the beings, but was ignored. When he entered the field, however, they noticed him and ran away at “an amazing rate of speed.” According to the officer, “I recognized that I could never catch up with them they ran so exceptionally fast.” The officer glanced away briefly and when he turned his head back, they were gone. The officer said the field crackled with static, and plant movement coincided with the level of sound. He experienced a headache that started in the field and worsened as the day went on.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 11
Will the Mystery of “Lost” Finally Be revealed? By Karen Frazier
hat the Hell is going on with “the island” anyway? After five seasons, viewers of ABC’s Lost are no closer to answers than they were when the show originally aired on Sept. 22, 2004. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t without theories. In true J.J. Abrams (Fringe, Cloverfield) fashion, Lost walks a fine line between keeping viewers confounded and giving just enough information to keep them coming back for more. It’s Not Too Late to Catch Up If you’ve never seen Lost, it’s not too late. Full episodes of all seasons are available on ABC.com and Hulu.com. But be warned. If you start watching, you may get caught up in the mystery of the island. For those who are unaware, Lost is the story of a disparate group of individuals who get stranded on an island following the crash of Oceanic Air, Flight 815. It soon becomes apparent to the survivors of the crash, however, that this is no ordinary deserted island. The jungles are plagued by strange whispers. There is a terrifying smoke monster that destroys everything in its path. The island is full of concrete pods and bunkers left behind by the now defunct Dharma Project. There is a group of people called The Others
Will viewers of ABC’s hit show Lost finally find out if their theories about “the island” hold water? The final season of this suspenseful drama is set to air beginning in early 2010.
who appear out of the jungle and take survivors against their will. The dead may or may not stay dead. Oh — and viewers are treated to constant flashbacks to times before the island. A Talented Cast Draws Viewers In Among the castaways are Dr. Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), fugitive Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), con-man Sawyer (Josh Holloway), former Republican Guard member Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews), and lottery winner Hugo Hurley Reyes (Jorge Garcia). The talented cast make Lost a delight to watch. While it is still not long on answers, Lost has kept millions of viewers captivated every week with the mysteries of the island. Viewer theories run the gamut — from the plane crash survivors actually being dead and in Hell to complex scientif-
Paranormal Underground August 2009
ic theories involving dark matter. Whether any viewer theory is true or the show producers are just making it up as they go along is unclear. Wherever the answer lies, however, Lost will leave you scratching your head and at the same time enjoying the ride. The final season of Lost airs on ABC beginning in early 2010.
The Cast Naveen Andrews: Henry Ian Cusick: Matthew Fox: Jorge Garcia: Josh Holloway: Evangeline Lilly: Terry O’Quinn: Daniel Dae Kim: Elizabeth Mitchell: Michael Emerson: Yunjin Kim:
Sayid Desmond Jack Hurley Sawyer Kate Locke Jin Juliet Ben Sun
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August 2009 Paranormal Underground 13
Marcus Leader: Breaking Through the Veil By Cheryl Knight
or most of his life, Marcus Leader studied both science and the paranormal. And whether he was testing classmates in high school chemistry class with his Milton Bradley Kreskin’s ESP kit or rescuing and rebuilding old radios from the RCA store, Marcus continually delved into the world of the unknown. As a child, he spent hours looking through his telescope given to him by his father, an electronic engineer who worked on NASA’s Apollo program. And at an early age, he began investigating reportedly haunted sites. Marcus’ love for researching the unknown eventually led him into studying with world famous anthropologist, bestselling author, and shaman Dr. Carlos Castaneda. “I study parapsychology and the paranormal world from the logical and analytical perspective of a scientist mixed with the enlightened awareness of a Toltec Shaman,” Marcus said. This duality of perception has opened many doors of discovery for Marcus, all the while helping him shape the very foundation of his research. Today, Marcus works as a private researcher with the professional division of the Monroe Institute,
Instrumental transcommunication device inventor Marcus Leader seeks to break through the veil between worlds and establish a system of data exchange between intelligent entities on the other side.
experimenting with human consciousness and awareness in a pursuit to understand the many levels of the human energy system and develop new methods to harness the powers of the mind through the manipulation of the assemblage point of awareness. And in his spare time, Marcus works in his basement lab, focused on creating revolutionary instrumental transcommunication devices — in
Paranormal Underground August 2009
other words, finding ways to communicate through dimensional plains. “It is my goal to break this field wide open by establishing a method to breach the buffering zone between the worlds (also known as the veil) and establish a system of data exchange between intelligent entities on the other side, thereby establishing a twoway communication link between our dimensional worlds,” Marcus said. A tall order you say? Well Marcus Leader might just be the person to deliver the goods. His inventions include the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver, Gold-Beryllium Microphone, Dark Light, Paramagnetic Resonance Meter, and Spectral Goggles, and he’s already achieving significant results. Marcus recently talked with Paranormal Underground about his innovative research and inventions. ***** Q: Please tell us about yourself. Marcus: I am married and have three kids who are all out of the house and married now. I live in North Idaho along the Spokane River where I conduct my research and run my various online businesses. When I am not working on business matters, I can usually be found out in the garden or off in the
This is a close-up of the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver’s portal tube created by Marcus Leader. According to Leader, “It is here where the hyperdimensional breaching of the veil takes place.” The crystal on top of the tube is the transmitting termination antenna, which forces the laser modulations from the transmitter side of the device through the portals opened within the tube.
forest. Spending time like this helps to center and balance my mind, body, and spirit and is something that I recommend to everyone. As blue skies fade to black, I can often be found under the star-filled sky sloohing the heavens and probing the many mysteries and treasures of the multiverse with my telescope, or kicking back in the hot tub enjoying the celestial show and watching meteors and orbiting satellites as they traverse the night sky. Generally, in the wee hours of the morning is when I conduct my paranormal research and my work with the Monroe Institute in my basement laboratory. Q: Tell us about your education in the fields of parapsychology and paranormal research. Marcus: At the time of my preparation for college, there were very few institutions that offered much more than a psychology curriculum in the field of parapsychology. This was a relatively
new field of science and often scoffed at by my fellow colleagues. Consequently, I gravitated toward the more traditional fields of science focusing on astronomy and electronics. I also studied geology, archeology, chemistry, and physics, but my passion would always pull me back to parapsychology and the mysteries of the mind that I perused independently, reading everything I could and experimenting with every new idea that flashed within my imagination. My knowledge of the paranormal grew as the field evolved over the decades. Then one fateful afternoon while studying in the UCLA library, my entire life and perception of the world would change forever. I was conducting research on various psychotropic plants used by indigenous shaman throughout history. I was looking for a book on psilocybin mexicana, the “magic mushroom.” I spotted it on a shelf just above my head, and as I reached for it
another hand came from seemingly nowhere and grabbed it at the same time. I turned to see who this invading hand belonged to, and there was a Hispanic gentleman with piercing eyes and the biggest grin I had ever seen. Without a word being spoken, we both lowered the volume looking into each other’s eyes almost as if to see who would blink first. Finally, his stare was just freaking me out and I said, “It is all yours.” He said, “Thank you” and as he turned away, I swear I heard him say, “Marcus!” He sat down at my table and asked me why I was interested in a book like this. I explained my reasons and he looked at me oddly and then grinned again and said, “I am Carlos Castaneda.” I introduced myself, and we became quick friends. However, fate had other plans for our friendship as he left to conduct field research in Mexico and I relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. It would be several years before
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 15
This is an overall view of the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver sitting on Marcus Leader’s lab bench with power supplies and monitoring equipment in the background. The receiving lasers are housed in the black modules on the two towers and shot through the portal tube.
our paths would cross again, and when they did, he took my under his wing and taught me for eight years in a one-on-one apprenticeship — the secrets of Toltec shamanism handed down in our shamanic lineage for about 500 years. This is another story in itself that I can share at another time. Carlos Castaneda was an anthropologist and bestselling author of 11 books chronicling his own apprenticeship with a Yaqui Indian, Don Juan Matus, who taught him the secret teachings of the ancient Toltec shamans. This knowledge has been handed down by word of mouth alone, never being released to the public to this very day. Time magazine dubbed Carlos as “the godfather of the new age” as he literally changed our perceptions of the world around us. Carlos left this world to continue his own journey of discovery in 1998.
Q: Talk about how you first became interested in the parapsychology and paranormal fields, and when you began your research/ investigations. Marcus: My very first encounter with the paranormal was like many others, through television. From about the age of four, I remember watching horror and science fiction movies. I just could not get enough! I was a ghost story junkie even though it scared the pants off me at times. Then in my early high school years, my parents gave me a game made by Milton Bradley called Kreskin’s ESP. This, in essence, was a beginner���s parapsychology lab complete with ESP testing cards (zener cards), pendulum, lettered and numbered boards for pendulum questions, and test pads. I became obsessed with this game, in part because you could play it alone and
Paranormal Underground August 2009
I was somewhat of a loner. I ended up taking the cards to school to conduct a series of experiments documenting other students ESP abilities. My class disruptions with these tests often sent me to the principal’s office. However, I did talk the principal and his secretary into taking my tests! Seemed everyone was interested in this. This led me to my passionate study of the paranormal, which still burns within me with its unquenchable fire. My first investigation was a relative’s house in Van Nuys, California, which was extremely active with several forms of manifestations. I was still in high school at that time, but took the lead and advice of my hero to this day, the late Dr. Hans Holzer, and entered the home with a reel-to-reel tape recorder, a pad of paper and pencil, and a keen sense of adventure with all my adrenalin drive senses in full awareness. I will not go into the details of that investigation in this interview, however, it was both horrific and hysterically funny at the same time. An investigation I will never forget. My next ghostly encounter would happen a few years later in Las Vegas, Nevada, and that one too was a comedy of errors that ended in a full-fledged spiritual attack. Q: What interests you most about the paranormal? Marcus: Virtually all aspects of the paranormal tweak my interest, but I think the one field that fascinates me the most would be spiritual communication. It is my goal to break this field wide open by establishing a method to breech the buffering zone between the worlds (also known as the veil) and establish a system of data exchange between intelligent entities on the other side, thereby establishing a two-way communication link between our dimensional worlds.
Q: What personal paranormal experiences have shaped your views of ‘the unknown’? Marcus: I have to laugh as I think back on this topic, because there have been so many events that are actually still manifesting. I suppose I would say that the many experiences I had during my apprenticeship with Carlos where I encountered a variety of beings — from spirits of the dead to elemental creatures known as inorganic beings to the shaman of my lineage — shaped my perception of the multidimensional worlds all around us. On one occasion, Carlos shifted a point of perception within my energy body, known as the assemblage point, so that I could perceive a higher vibration of perception, which placed me within arm’s length of what we call the veil. This veil acts as a buffering zone between dimensional planes and is a grayish blue color that has very turbulent energies like churning water. These types of experiences tend to affect ones perception of the “unknown.”
each other and either bond or break into separate bubbles. Everything known and yet undiscovered exists on the surface of this bubble. I believe this bubble is expanding, and the frequency and speed of this expansion is what we call time. Because we are creatures dwelling upon the surface of this bubble, we perceive this expansion or flow of time in only one direction, when, in fact, it flows in all directions at once, being an expanding sphere. This observational handicap is what gives us the illusion of linearity in time. Time is merely the expansion of our multiverse. In reality, it does not exist as a dimension. Since our multiverse is growing, the surface area is increasing at a proportionally greater rate than the diameter, and this gives us yet another illusion, which you may have heard people talk about as having a feeling or sense that time is speeding up. In reality, it is not speeding up at all, but our perception of the illusion
of linearity is diminishing and will one day disappear entirely . . . one day very soon. The surface of our multiverse is humming with an infinite number of harmonic frequencies of primal zero-point energy. These various frequencies sometimes interact with each other giving us physical matter and physical world energy that we are all familiar with. Other frequencies of modulation are so much different from our physical world energies that they exist undetected by those dwelling within the physical world modulations. We call these bands of frequencies dimensional planes. History has many descriptions and references to these planes, calling them etheric and astral planes, as well as several others found throughout various cultures and beliefs. In reference to parallel realities, I suspect that the surface of the multiverse is very turbulent, energetically caused by the expansion of the
Q: What are your thoughts on alternate dimensions, time travel, and parallel universes? Marcus: How many pages is your magazine? LOL. These are topics that I eat and breathe every day. Unfortunately, there is not nearly enough room in an article like this to discuss my personal theories of the multiverse at any depth, but I will try to present a brief summary of my thoughts. I believe that our multiverse is spherical in shape much like a bubble floating in an ocean of primal force — known today as zero-point energy. Our multiverse was most likely created by an interaction with another multiverse, much like how two soap bubbles will bump into
This is an end view of the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver, showing the transmitting laser and part of the sound board used to transmit signals/voice through the veil.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 17
Investigator Spotlight about the institute and their ground-breaking work at www.monroeinstitute.org. I serve as an independent researcher with their professional division, and my research centers around the amalgamation of my shamanic training with my scientific training in my quest to bring control and understanding of the Pictured above is a close-up of the Trans-Dimensional assemblage point of Transceiver transmitting quartz crystal during a full consciousness. This power test. will lead to a multitude of benefits for all multiverse. The flow of this surface who use this technolis not uniform and varies in intensity ogy, including increased mental caand direction caused by both mass pabilities, enhanced psychic sensitivand geometry of objects in any given ity and perception, and several forms location. of beneficial health-related issues all For example, we know that time through the use and manipulation of flows differently near the surface of awareness. our planet relative to a point sevI am currently working on a eral thousands of miles into space. technical paper for publication in Time or expansion of the multiverse a scientific journal concerning my is slower near large objects, and I research. suspect this is caused by an energetic drag from gravitation friction of priQ: What is Leader Research? mal energy flowing through matter. Marcus: Leader Research is simply This theory opens many doors to a non-profit organization I set up to other possible phenomenon, such as operate my research efforts through time travel or the creation of a reality and to keep the public informed and split in any given dimension where educated on new developments as each reality functions separately they unfold. and therefore has different possible I am building a Website at this outcomes of any given event. time that will be fully functioning This only touches the surface sometime in August. The address is of my theories and thoughts on this www.leaderresearch.com. topic. Perhaps I will expand on this at a later time. Q: In your work, you combine the analytical perspective of a scientist Q: Talk about your role and work with the enlightened awareness of at the Monroe Institute. a Toltec shaman. How has this apMarcus: For about a year now I have proach shaped your research? been actively involved in consciousMarcus: In scientific research, it is ness research with the Monroe Inthe responsibility of the scientist to stitute. Your readers can learn more
Paranormal Underground August 2009
uncover new findings through the use of what is known as the “Scientific Method,” which basically outlined includes: asking a question, doing background research, constructing a hypothesis, testing your hypothesis through experimentation, analyzing your data, drawing conclusions, and communicating your results with other scientists. I am a firm believer in this method and use it in all my work; however, asking the right question is very important, as well as formulating and experimenting with your hypothesis. As a Toltec shaman I possess skills and abilities that allow me to perceive the energetic nature of my target in question, as well as methods to proceed in experimentation that is not always obvious with our normal human awareness. I can also detect subtle energy changes that scientific instrumentation may miss completely. This duality of perception of a shaman and scientist gives me an advantage that opens many doors of possibilities that might otherwise remain closed. For example, it was my shamanic perception of beryllium crystals under extreme magnetic compression that allowed me to perceive a very subtle energy field around the crystal. Had I continued my research without this perception I might never have discovered the technology used in many of my inventions. Q: You have invented several instrumental transcommunication devices. Talk about the devices you’ve invented, as well as the results you and others have achieved while testing these devices searching for paranormal phenomena. Marcus: Once I discovered the beryllium technology that opens up “portals” at the surface of the buffering zone (veil), I began to find methods to use the breech in the
veil’s wall as a conduit for energy from our world. My first piece of equipment was a dynamic microphone that generates a field of this subtle energy around the microphone element serving as a possible portal/conduit through dimensional realities, as well as a possible beacon to spiritual entities that dwell within the veil. This device has gone through several modifications, bringing it to its present design. This microphone is being used by a handful of investigators, including Zak Bagans from Ghost Adventures, with moderate success. It is called the Gold–Beryllium Microphone because of its physical makeup containing both gold and beryllium crystals (emeralds). I also produce a very sensitive version of this device called a Boundary Microphone, which was used on the series Ghost Hunters by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. My main area of experimentation has been in the field of instrumental transcommunication (ITC) with my Trans-Dimensional Transceiver, which is designed to open up communication channels between our world and other dimensional realities. It operates in REAL time, meaning that once a ‘link’ is established, an operator in our physical world can both receive messages AND transmit them, opening up the possibility of a conversation or sharing of information between our world and other worlds or planes of existence, as theorized by our modern hyper-dimensional physicists. Some people refer to this type of device as a ‘telephone to the dead,’ which it can be. However, I would like to point out that ghosts or spirits of the dead are not the only type of entities that this device might possibly reach. Since we are working with a multitude of dimensional realities, it is conceivable that it might reach
other entities or creatures that were never alive in this physical world. This would include elemental forces, shadow people, or possibly even alien life forms. It might even reach through time! This is a new frontier in science that could hold an infinite number of possibilities and realities. My first device, the Trans-Dimensional Receiver, was not a true ITC device because it could only receive and therefore not establish two-way communication. It also had only one mode of operation that affected the repeatability of experiments. I received a handful of excellent results and then found it extremely time-consuming and difficult to repeat the results. Consequently, I was motivated to develop a new device that eliminates all of the problems of the first prototype. The Trans-Dimensional Transceiver is showing tremendous potential even in its early stages of testing. It is unlike any other type of device in that it uses tamper-proof
laser light in which to send and receive signals. It also incorporates several environmental and energetic variables that will be instrumental in conducting a wide diversification of experiments. Built into this device is a laser modulator and receiver that can inject a pure signal tone or a complex background sound, such as white noise or shifting beat resonance, through the vacuum resonance tube, where modulation of the laser light pulses can occur from outside influences trying to bridge a communication link with our world. Surrounding the inner tube that carries the receiving laser is another high-voltage vacuum chamber that generates an electrically charged plasma cocoon and is variable between 18,000 and 120,000 volts. It is coated with a microscopic layer of beryllium crystals. Within the black housing modules are very powerful magnetic field generators that can be inverted to create magnetic stress within the
Marcus Leader’s redesign of the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver (pictured above) is now complete and undergoing final test and calibrations. The new briefcase-sized device will allow researchers to move out of the lab and into the field for testing.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 19
Pictured above at left: This is the older version of Marcus Leader’s instrumental transcommunication research called the TransDimensional Receiver. However, it was not capable of transmitting a signal. Pictured above at right: This is a close-up of the TransDimensional Transceiver’s transmitting laser.
chamber and transmission crystal. The transmitter side of the device consists of a class 2 audio modulated laser transmitter that shoots through the resonance tube to the transmission Quartz crystal, which is the termination point for the laser modulations, as well as a transmitting antenna. One thing that is interesting to note is that in comparison to all other types of antenna systems, the quartz is designed to send the energy transmissions within as opposed to radiating them out. This is because the closest point of contact with another dimensional plane is inside an object or person, not out into space. I also use a complex sound mixer with my transmitting microphone so that I can vary the frequency of my modulations as well as mixing in other tones or complex sound streams. I have gathered significant communication signals with this device, but I wanted to add a few more improvements and design features to this device so that I can take it out of the lab and into the field for research in “active” areas. This redesign of
the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver is now complete and undergoing final testing and calibrations. I will be releasing information and pictures of this new briefcasesized device soon on my Website and MySpace page, www.leaderresearch.com and www.myspace.com/ leaderesearchcenter. Q: Tell us about the Gold-Beryllium Subtle Energy E.V.P. Boundary Microphone, Trans-Dimensional Transceiver, and The Dark Light, and what your initial testing of these devices has yielded. Marcus: I have just described the technical nature of these items, but pertaining to testing and results I can add that the microphones are all producing high-quality EVPs through a variety of researchers. The ITC devices have been in testing and put through many experiments over the past three years. The various evolutions of this device continue to provide greater quality and frequency of communication data. While I have not been able to establish a two-way conversation in the lab as yet, I am hopeful
Paranormal Underground August 2009
and optimistic that field tests will be most productive and exciting. I have captured very significant and high-quality communication attempts from the other side, including multiple word, intelligent statements that are as clear as any radio or telephone transmission! Some of the samples of this experimentation can be heard on my MySpace blogs, as well as my Website, as soon as it is complete. I also have a device that uses this same beryllium technology, called The Dark Light, as seen on the TV show Ghost Adventures. They have been testing this device with great success, as well as have other people who I have given this equipment. It is a quantum-driven device that uses high-intensity LEDs coated with a special filter made of microscopic beryllium crystals and is intended to be a beacon in the paranormal night, attracting the attention of entities with its unique ability to open portals in the elastic surface of the veil. Normal light will not penetrate the veil; in fact, only candle light seems to have any effect at all.
The Dark Light blasts a stream of infrared and ultraviolet energy, filtered through beryllium, that seems to attract the attention of entities on the other side. This was been confirmed through EVPs captured at the location of use, which clearly ask, “What is that light,” and other samples showing interest being generated by spiritual entities over this device. Q: How do you test your equipment? Marcus: Some of the equipment is put through hundreds of hours of testing in the lab and, when possible, in the field at various locations. All but the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver have been used by independent investigators. Q: What have been your most significant research results to date? Marcus: The most significant contacts have been an extremely clear voice saying, “Whatever you are doing,” that almost knocked me out of my chair when it came over the speakers. There have been several others, including the bark of a spirit dog — as strange as that seems. The current version of the Trans-Dimensional Transceiver has expanded capabilities and seems to be picking up data bursts that I cannot explain. This device uses only lasers in the receiving field so it is not picking up any type of radio or audio interference. It has no microphone! I can only suspect that these could be communication streams for inter-dimensional beings. Time will tell in future experiments. Q: How important is science in the study of paranormal phenomena? Marcus: If you want to understand the exact nature of a phenomenon and hopefully be able to repeat it, you must have a working scientific
theory in order to proceed. If, on the other hand, you are only looking for personal experience, then you do not need science at all. I suggest to all my students that they find a balance between both these scenarios so that they experience the excitement and passion of this field while being able to document and hopefully bring the satisfaction of understanding that comes with knowledge. Q: Have you established any key partnerships that have enabled you to more quickly further your research? Marcus: Other than having a few individuals field-testing for me, I basically go this alone, and all the money needed to finance this project comes out of my pocket. The TransDimensional Transceiver alone costs about $5,000 dollars to build.
Q: Who has influenced you the most in your work and life? Marcus: My heroes are many and include Einstein, Tesla, Dr. Michio Kaku, Robert Monroe of the Monroe Institute, my friend The Amazing Kreskin, Dr. Hans Holzer, Charles Leadbeater, and several others. However, I have to say that the one who had the greatest impact on me was my friend and teacher Dr. Carlos Castaneda, who took me from the shadows of everyday life and opened my eyes, giving me a glimpse of the true nature of the world around me with all its beauty and wonders. Q: Do you sell your inventions? Marcus: No I do not, but I have given them as gifts primarily for testing purposes. I am not in the paranormal field to make a profit. I
Pictured above at left: Gold-Beryllium Boundary Microphone. Marcus Leader gave this model to Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson for use on the TV show Ghost Hunters. This sensitive amplified microphone uses gold-beryllium technology. Pictured above at right: Gold-Beryllium Microphone. This is the current model of the Gold-Beryllium Dynamic Microphone. This is the microphone featured on the TV show Ghost Adventures. There are only about six of these currently in existence.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 21
Investigator Spotlight do this because I love it, and I want to further our understanding with the hopes of bringing the field of paranormal research to the same level of respectability as the other sciences. Once the equipment is perfected, I may make it available at my cost to a limited number of institutes or individuals. Q: How do you share your research and knowledge with others? Marcus: I share this information openly with all who show interest. This is done from my Websites, as well as through various radio interviews. I have no secrets and will answer any questions about this equipment. Knowledge is worthless unless it can be shared. I also do various workshops and events around the country, and I have a radio show called “The Shamans Brew.” Q: What would our readers be surprised to find out about you?
that I am excited about. One being a new book that I will be completing this year about various Toltec shamanic techniques that have been hidden from the public. This information will also deal with different aspects of our paranormal world. The second project involves a new paranormal television series with a uniquely different approach to paranormal research. It will include me and all my equipment, including some that I could not mention here, my daughter Nicole Leader who is a seasoned investigator and physical medium, my good friend psychic medium Serenity Moore, and my friend and colleague Carly-Rose who is an Independent Direct Voice Communication specialist and physical medium. The series is called Paranormal Crossroads and is not your conventional paranormal investigation series. For one, it isn’t tied to just ghosts or haunted houses. In addition, the leads are all female. We wanted a show that could depict how all of these supernatural and paranormal events were intersecting and influencing pop culture. Therefore, in one episode our investigators might deal with a haunted house. In the next, they may be chasing a UFO. And in the next, they may be tracking an elusive cryptid. We wanted the show to be just what the title suggests — a crossroads or intersection of paranormal activity. The show is produced by Black River Media.
“My biggest ambition and ongoing research project involves understanding and controlling the nature of time.”
Marcus: I’ll never tell! LOL. Seriously though, I think many people would be surprised to learn that my biggest ambition and ongoing research project involves understanding and controlling the nature of time. Yes, I am experimenting with time flow and the possibility of time travel, or at least perceiving information through the illusions of the past. Oddly enough, much of this research originated with my Toltec shamanic training. Toltec shamans were considered the scientists of the shamanic world and understood many things that modern theoretical physicists are just now discovering. Q: Do you have any new equipment currently in development?
Marcus: Yes I have several. Two that I can mention right now are a Paramagnetic resonance meter that measures the ratios of paramagnetic electron spin to diamagnetic spin. Psychic energy is believed to reverse the electron spin of various materials, and being able to measure this ratio will lead to the ability to ‘detect’ psychic or spiritual energy directly. EMF meters only measure physical world energy and therefore only the effects on physical world energy. Nothing known to science today will directly measure spiritual energy, and I have great hopes that this device will come very close to direct measurement. It will also detect attachments and residual hauntings if the device works the way it is designed. So far it works great in the lab.
I also have a special pair of beryllium-coated glasses — which I call Spectral Goggles — that under the proper conditions will show energy anomalies whenever spiritual energy is present. This is still being developed. Q: What plans do you have for the future? Marcus: I plan on continuing my research and expanding it into the field at locations around the country. I also plan on attending as many conferences and events as I can to help educate people in any way I can. I will have some of this equipment with me to give live demonstrations. I also have two other projects
Paranormal Underground August 2009
For more information about Marcus Leader and his work, visit www.leaderresearch.com and www.myspace. com/leaderesearchcenter. To listen to the “Paranormal Underground Presents” podcast with Marcus Leader, visit www.paranormalunderground. net/site/?p=1450.
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e-mail email@example.com to make your suggestions.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 23
The Truth Is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction By Cheryl Knight
ichael Kleen’s interest in the paranormal began at the age of eight when his uncle died suddenly. He then realized for the first time that he, too, would one day die and there was nothing he could do about it — and that single thought haunted him. “Everyone wonders what happens after they die, of course, and I’ve always looked for any shred of evidence that a part of me will continue on,” Michael said. So as a child, he read everything he could get his hands on that might reassure him that his soul would endure a physical death. And now, at the age of 27, Michael continues to search for answers to the age-old question: Is there life after death? After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Eastern Illinois University in spring 2006, Michael founded Black Oak Media, an alternative media outlet for Middle American art and culture. He is now the publisher of Black Oak Presents, a digital magazine, and writes a monthly electronic serial, Legends and Lore of Illinois. His research on the paranormal also led him to pen several books
about ghosts and hauntings, having most recently published Legends and Lore of Illinois: Case Files. Michael’s other titles include Tales of the Supernatural and Other Mysteries of the Universe; Ashmore Estates: Myth and Legend; Tales of Coles County; and Six Tales of Terror. “I think ghost stories are oddly comforting for people,” he said. “It makes you think that maybe there
“The paranormal is spontaneous and by its very nature escapes scientific measurement.” is a chance you just won’t blink into nothingness.” Michael’s longtime interest in the paranormal led him to earn a certificate in paranormal research from Flamel College in 2004. And after earning his master’s degree in American history in 2008, he went on to publish One Voice, a collec-
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tion of columns and essays dealing with a wide variety of social ills. Soon after, Michael’s research on Ashmore Estates (once known as the old Coles County Poor Farm), led him to be interviewed for the TV documentaries Children of the Grave 2 and American Horrors: Fear in the Flatlands. In June, Michael’s Web site, www.trueillinoishaunts.com, had 3,008 visits, and his “Haunted Illinois” Facebook group reached 769 members. To find out more about Michael and his research, read on . . . ***** Q: Have you had any paranormal personal experiences that you’d like to share? Michael: I haven’t had very many personal experiences. When I was in elementary school, however, some of my friends and I were convinced that our reflections were really people in a separate dimension, and that they lived parallel lives. We also used to swear that if any of us died before the others, we’d come back and tell about what it was like on the other side. So far no one that I know of has upheld his end of the bargain.
Author and investigator Michael Kleen’s newly published book, The Legends and Lore of Illinois: Case Files, features ghost lore in an exciting, informative, and occasionally controversial format. (Photo: Greg Inda)
Q: How long have you published your newsletter, and what type of response have you gotten from readers? Michael: The Legends and Lore of Illinois is a monthly serial that highlights places of folklore and ghost lore in Illinois that anyone can download and read for free. The first issue came out in January 2007, so it is in its third year. Each issue tries to examine places of folklore in Illinois from a unique angle, including using fiction and humor. The reader response has been great, but varied. It usually falls into three categories: people who love the e-serial, people who have some personal knowledge of one of the
locations I’ve covered, and people who are angry and who blame me for attracting bad things to the locations. The third type is my favorite. One man blamed me personally for the destruction of the old schoolhouse on Shoe Factory Road, even though it was torn down right around the time the issue came out, and despite the fact that I was adamantly opposed to its destruction. I would like nothing better than to see a lot of these places become protected historic sites (Peoria State Hospital, Manteno Hospital, etc). I also get e-mails and messages from people who tell me they have investigated such-and-such location and determined that “it isn’t really haunted.” These messages annoy
me greatly, because it’s obvious the senders don’t really understand why we have ghost stories to begin with. Q: You recently published a book called Legends and Lore of Illinois: Case Files. Tell us about the book and what readers can expect from it. Michael: The book basically consists of the first two years of the Legends and Lore of Illinois, distilled down to its very best. It is split up into three sections. The first section contains an introduction and two stories from the early days of The Fallen. The Fallen are a fictional group of paranormal adventurers who appear in the story that accompanies each issue of the Legends and Lore of Illinois.
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Investigator Spotlight As characters, they appeared in some of my earliest writing, and so I wanted to give my readers a little taste of where they came from and how they met each other. The second section covers all 24 locations featured in the issues from 2007 and 2008. That way, the fans could read the adventures of The Fallen back to back, from start to finish, while also reading about the history and folklore of each location. I included updates to some of them that you won’t read in the old issues of the Legends and Lore of Illinois. The third section contains “ghostly games,” character profiles for The Fallen, and a preview of their upcoming adventure “Black Willow Grove,” which I hope to make into a novel sometime in the next year or so.
Q: You’ve researched a large number of paranormal cases over the years. Which cases stand out as the most intriguing, and why? Michael: I would say one of the most interesting was the Cambridge Death Curve, because in that instance the truth was definitely more horrifying than the fiction.
Q: Have you done any paranormal investigation onsite? Michael: While I used to take an EMF detector and thermometer to every place I visited, my current motto is “leave science to the scientists.” I visit every location covered by the Legends and Lore of Illinois, of course. The serial is very visually-based, so I need to take a lot of pictures. I think the camera is the best friend you can have when going to any reported haunted location. Aside from a tape recorder, all that other equipment is a waste of money, in my opinion. The paranormal is spontaneous and by its very nature escapes scientific measurement. The odds that you will be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time with exactly the right instruments are very, very small. I think it���s better to just go to a place, explore it, and hopefully experience it for yourself.
Michael’s most interesting research project to date involved the case of the Cambridge Death Curve because “the truth was definitely more horrifying than the fiction.” (Photo: Greg Inda)
In 1905, a woman murdered her seven children with an ax and then burned down her house. She intended to kill herself, but survived long enough to confess to the crime. This really happened. The house, as far as I understand, was located at a curve in Timber Ridge Road outside of Cambridge, Illinois. The legend is that you can see the ghost of the woman
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hanging around a nearby barn that has since been demolished. I’ve been to the curve, and it’s eerie to think that something like that happened there. You’d never know it if you were just driving past. Q: You earned a certificate in paranormal research from Flamel College in 2004. Talk about that study program and how it benefited you. Michael: The certificate was earned through a correspondence course. That was back when I was really interested in the whole paranormal investigation side of things. The course instructor was none other than Troy Taylor, and I actually got pretty angry at them because it took almost six months to send me the materials after I mailed the check. The coursework was pretty straightforward and nothing that I didn’t already know how to do, but one interesting side effect was that it made me much more skeptical. One of the assignments for the course was to produce fake ghost photographs using hair, dust, etc., and it turned out that those simple things could explain 99 percent of all ghost photographs I had ever seen. I even showed my fake pictures to a friend who really thought she was looking at images of ghosts. Q: Talk about some of your “favorites.” Michael: I love cheap, old horror movies, but I have a lot of other interests as well. I read a lot of nonfiction, especially military history and folklore, of course. I haven’t read a good novel in a long time, but when I was a kid, I loved those young adult horror series — Phantom Valley by Lynn
Michael’s extensive research on the paranormal led him to pen several books about ghosts and hauntings. He believes that ghost stories are “oddly comforting for people. It makes you think that maybe there is a chance you just won’t blink into nothingness.”
Beach was my favorite. I’m a big Civil War buff. My concentration in grad school was the Civil War era in American history, so I enjoy touring all the old battlefields. I also used to paint miniatures, but lately it seems like all I do is write. Q: Talk about your work with Black Oak Media. Michael: Black Oak Media evolved from my booklet publishing business, Black Oak Press Illinois. I wanted to expand the operation to include all kinds of media, but so far Black Oak Media has concerned itself primarily with Black Oak Presents, our digital magazine, and the Legends and Lore of Illinois. Black Oak Presents is a quarterly journal of Middle American art and culture. We want to attract and highlight local artists, writers, and musicians from “flyover country” who would otherwise be shut out of the mainstream media. I want to give people a chance to see their work published, a chance that most of the big name publishers wouldn’t give. The media titans on
the East and West Coasts only care about the bottom line. At Black Oak Media, we care about the vitality of our local communities. As an artist, you don’t have to have a million fans to have an impact, and we want to show our readers and contributors that their work isn’t in vain. Q: What future book projects are you working on?
Michael is a Civil War buff who loves old horror movies and reading nonfiction. Michael: I am currently hard at work trying to finish a book for Schiffer Books on haunted places in Illinois. I know, you’re thinking, not another one. But trust me, my book will be very different from the ones
that have come before it. I will be the first author of a book on Illinois ghost lore to formally cite his sources, so any reader may go back and track down where I got my information. I also correct some of the historical and geographic inaccuracies that have been reprinted over and over again in previous works. I draw from a number of sources: interviews, books, records, news articles, and my own experience in order to provide an in-depth look at around 20-25 locations, some of which have never been written about before. Q: How can people find out more about your books and newsletter? Michael: The book, Legends and Lore of Illinois: Case Files, can be ordered from Amazon.com or directly from Lulu.com at: www.lulu. com/content/5851334. All current and past issues of the Legends and Lore of Illinois can be found and downloaded at http://trueillinoishaunts.com. And my personal Website is www.michaelkleen.com.
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Into the Grid By Karen Frazier
hen I was a teenager decided to do an alternate dimenher artwork on her Website, www. growing up in Bellingsions and parallel universe-themed bergsma.com, as well as at her gallery/ ham, Washington, my magazine, I knew who I wanted to warehouse in Bellingham. mother brought home gorgeous interview for it. Jody was kind enough to rewater color prints of kids, called Bergsma’s art can be found all cently sit down with Jim and I for Dreamkeepers. The artist was around the world. Along with origian interview at her home in Belling“new” on the scene, freshly out of nals, her work is found illustrating ham, Washington. college. Her name was Jody Bergsbooks, on greeting cards, bookmarks, ***** ma, and her art quickly became a and prints. You can find more of Q: Tell me about the themes in large part of my life. Since receivyour art. ing that first water color as a kid, I’ve had at least one Bergsma in Jody: I do a blog every week. I do my home at any given time. a photo journal so people can see Since 1979, Bergsma has had a what I am working on. This year, I prolific and extremely well-acceptwas commissioned by Yellowstone ed career. Her art encompasses a National Park to do artwork for number of themes, from her early them. Even in these, there’s geomDreamkeepers series to paintings etry hidden there. of nature, Native American themes I was raised in the San Juan Isand symbolism, as well as abstract lands, and I’ve had a lot of experiart. Her most recent venture is ence with sea life that shows up in abstract oils — something she has my art. I do a lot of nature. Pretty always wanted to do. much anything in nature speaks to When Jim and I were newlyme and finds its way into my art. weds, we were in Jody Bergsma’s Dragonflies are very geometrically gallery one day on a visit to Bellbased, so sometimes the geometry ingham. Luckily, Jody was in the is in the creature. The segments at gallery that day, and she agreed to the end of the dragonfly are amazsign the work of art that still hangs ing. They are predictable. on our guest room wall. While she was signing it, she Q: How many paintings have you mentioned almost casually that Illustrator, author, designer, and figurative painter done? she put images from alternate diJody Bergsma’s work has garnered world-wide Jody: Thousands. I do a painting mensions in her artwork. I always recognition for more than 30 years. (All images: a week. Since I have started doing remembered that, and when we © Jody Bergsma – www.bergsma.com) oils, I will do abstract oils and
Paranormal Underground August 2009
watercolors simultaneously. It is my 30th anniversary of being in business this year. Q: Tell me about how you got started as an artist. Jody: In ’79, it was the end of a 10year run where I showed my work in art shows. I did art shows for 10 years. That is how I paid my way in the world and put myself through college. I was finishing up my engineering degree, and I made $14,000 in one month with my art as I was finishing up my finals. I was dating an engineer at the time, and he said, “You’d better give this art thing a try.” I’d gone from doing only originals to prints. I know they say you can’t make any money painting, but you certainly can with printing. If you handle your art as a business and don’t make your art a journal where you only do one painting occasionally, it is a different scenario. There is a book called Outliers: The Story of Success. In the book, they show that people put in 10,000 hours before they really break into the genius level. I definitely put in my 10,000 hours in those 10 years. If you do your 10,000 hours, people don’t realize there are circumstances that make you break into your genius. I got my 10 years and that is when it broke open for me. It was as if I had just arrived on the scene. Q: As a child, I had your Dream Keepers paintings in my room. Was this your first artwork? Jody: I’d always wanted to be an abstract artist, so I did abstract pieces at the same time as I did more commercial Dream Keepers pieces, but I didn’t make money from the abstracts. They were very astral plane type of work. In this area in 1979, I
Jody has incorporated her experiences with alternate dimensions in her artwork. Pictured above: “Butterfly Magic . . . Dreams of Transformation”
just don’t think people were ready for them. But as I went along, I had people employed, and I had to run a business, so these abstracts that I loved had to take a back seat. If you look at these pieces that I did early on — the abstract pieces —
you will find them in my art now as elements of a picture. Q: What is your inspiration for your spiritually themed artwork? Jody: For years, I had a series of dreams that were like getting into
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Artist Spotlight Q: If you put something like the geometry from a crop circle in your painting, is it then an attempt to aid consciousness?
Nature, geometry, and even meditation influence Jody’s artwork.
a piece of geometry and working my way through it. The ability to connect with our inner-world, outerworld landscapes is so vast. Those dreams fueled the works. Did I paint the dreams? Well, I had to get into a moment of the dream and paint the essence of it. My dreams are the focal point of my inspirations. I also use sacred geometry as a basis for art. Geometrical forms are the basis for the unfolding of all molecular bodies. Consciousness can unfold from geometry. In the Middle East, they are famous for the use of sacred geometry because they would put it in their carpets. They believed that the influence of the geometry in the carpets would help their lives unfold in a more perfect pattern. Your life is a reflection of your environment, so pay attention to it. Good spaces, good paintings, good energy becomes the place from which you launch yourself into the world. In all of my work, underlying this composition is geometrical form. There are examples in my work that it is just blatant.
I just got the best e-mail from a friend who takes people to Europe to look at crop circles. They are a fantastic piece of geometry. You can bet it will be in a painting. Without a doubt. Q: Since you mention crop circles, what do you think they are? Jody: I’ve been to crop circles in Europe, and I’ve talked to Ross Holcombe, who takes people to Europe to experience crop circles. He shows that some can be manmade — but some will have holes in the field hundreds of feet away with no footsteps. The thing is, some of them simply couldn’t have been made by people. If some can’t, that opens the question, what are crop circles? How can we know? Does the energy come from inside of the Earth and spiral out? Does it come from the sun or the stars? Nobody knows. I believe that symbols penetrate the psyche. It goes in and becomes impregnated in our minds as a piece of sacred geometry that will change our consciousness.
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Jody: What happens is that these are hidden in the artwork and people put that artwork on their wall — then someone experiences the piece of geometry. All of those things, according to Plato; he wouldn’t let people enter any of his schools unless they’d studied geometry and passed all of his exams. So they had to meditate on geometry for years. The discussion about geometry is very old. The flower of life is a piece of geometry. We are bombarded with chaos, but if you take the time to meditate and refocus on something that is organized, it affects your cells. It is like walking a labyrinth — it imprints a moment of sacred geometry into you, so you live it. I wanted to see who were the caretakers of geometry for every culture, and how was it manifested. Women in all cultures have done geometry. In our culture, it is quilting. In the Native American culture, it is basket weaving. In all cultures, it is rug weaving. Apparently women are the caretakers for that. Q: Do you have a favorite genre or style for your art? Jody: You live in the moment. What you do in that day is what you are excited about. Whatever I am doing that day, I am thrilled. Q: Did you grow up in the church? What is the genesis of how you arrived where you are? Jody: I was Dutch conservative. I had a very conservative and hardworking upbringing. The hardworking gene paid off. As I got older and started reading different philosophers and saw how many different
Characters from Jody’s works have been adapted as plush toys, stained glass, figurines, sculpture, and jewelry. Pictured at left: “Faeries. Incredible Things Happen” Pictured above: “Some Things Have to Be Believed to Be Seen”
world thoughts there have been, I realized that there’s not one truth. Nobody seems to think the same thing. My conclusion could only be that everything is okay. As long as you can embrace that and you don’t judge others, then you can really have community. Lao Tsu said, “Nothing stops the flow.” All of these great minds said don’t judge, live in the moment, and experience the beauty of life. Q: Do you have any artistic influences? Jody: Yes. When I was little, we had Van Gogh prints in my home. My earliest influence that impregnated my psyche was beautiful pieces of Van Gogh’s work. I love those pieces. I made a personal journey — others go to Mecca, but mine was to Holland — to go to the Van Gogh museum. I stood in front of the paintings
and was so filled with the energy of his moment and the power of his ability to capture feeling in paintings. It turned my life around. These were the paintings I knew as a child. To see them in real time — it changed me. The way that children are exposed to art in your home, the things they see, it will definitely leave an imprint on them. Q: Once, I was in your gallery and you were signing a piece of artwork for me. You mentioned that you had seen inside of alternate dimensions and that you put them in your artwork. Could you expound on this? Jody: When I was younger and was first introduced to sitting still and meditation, I had this experience where I would go into a dark space and drop through the floor. I would call it going into grid world — it was like being inside of a holodeck. So
I would go into grid world, and it felt like the reality behind the reality you see. It was interesting to see how energy is spiraling out of the grid and creating our experiences. Maybe it was a response to too much Star Trek as a child — but who knows where these things come from. But it was a consistent experience. And then I saw Alex Grey’s paintings. He totally paints the grid. He paints the geometry behind things. There was all of this undulating line — I’m not sure how or why it manifested, but you can see in my work an artist’s attempt to do abstract impressionism. There are all of these things in one’s experience that roll out as part of the creation. Art is so raw. It is really first impression. It is like inner structure on a microscopic level. It is a grid. But in the grid, there are energy pulses that pop up — like through a glass ceiling — so it is how we see everything.
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Inspired by nature, Jody incorporates many land animals and sea life into her work. Pictured above from left to right: “Wild Alaska”; “River Woman”; and “The Three Watchmen” Pictured on the next page: “Phoenix Rising . . . Victorious Journey of the Brave Spirit”
Q: Do you believe that it is all a grid and an illusion — that you can create your own reality? Jody: I do. I believe that the mind is so much more incredibly powerful than we can imagine. I read a book called The Answer, and there is a chapter about how the universe works. It was good to have it spelled out in kindergarten terms. It was nice to learn that energy is made of consciousness. When you have an inner explosion in the world of idea, the gears turn, it moves energy, energy moves the matter, and the whole world spins off of the concept behind what is energy. If that’s true, and people don’t understand that what they think about matters, then I don’t know what to tell them. Q: Do you think we’re moving to a different level of consciousness as a species?
Jody: Everything is evolving. I love wondering about the next phase of our evolution. I don’t know. But everything is moving and everything is evolving. Q: Do you believe in spirit guides? Jody: Yep. There are so many things that we don’t see supporting us. I’m not really clairaudient — I don’t hear them. But I have a visual gift where I can see things with my imagination. I have symbols that flash into my mind day and night. Sometimes I paint them because the images are very significant. Sometimes I am also given a title. Q: When you see a symbol and put it in a painting, do you always know what it means? Jody: No, and sometimes it will be like a little bit of fog, and you can’t quite see it. It is like a child looking
Paranormal Underground August 2009
at a snow bank and hearing a story. They have their eyes on the snow bank, but they have images in their mind. Two things are happening at the same time, and they can perceive both. They are picturing the story as images in their minds — the symbols behind the story being told. That could be the beginning of our ability to be linked without words. I had an experience in France. I didn’t speak French. People would be talking to me, but I could also feel the thought behind what they were saying as symbols that I could see in my mind. In that way, I could understand what they were saying to me. Q: Do your paintings appear fully formed in your mind? Jody: Yes — and the painting is always almost identical to the original image I have. When I first did the work in the
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Artist Spotlight ’80s with the Lummi tribe, I had to meet with the Shaman to get permission to work with their symbols. I got permission. Every time the Shaman would come around me, my mind would fill with Shamanic symbols that showed up in my art. I had some very powerful experiences with Native American Symbols. When I started painting Kachinas, I was warned by a Hopi that those were entities identifiable by the tribe, so if I painted them, I would call them. As I was finishing up with the Kachina painting, a storm rolled in and my whole property was filled with lightning. There were more lightning strikes in this immediate area than there have ever been in Bellingham. I put the painting down and said, “I’m finished — please don’t light my house on fire.” It stopped. I never did a Kachina painting again. It was the most energy that I’ve ever experienced. The lightning would go around the window. I’ve had really wild experiences with painting Native American things. As a painter — it has been great. You can’t help but experience a spiritual life. When you do a painting and meditate on it for a long time, things happen. Q: Does your painting come from you or through you? Jody: Carl Jung said that we’re all connected from the unconscious mind or the super conscious. The super conscious mind always finds a way to come out as image, song — whatever. Great geniuses are somehow connected more clearly to this vast field. The ability to be a genius — what does that mean? People have the ability to recognize genius and
genius and one hit of genius is humility. Jody: Humility is an act that you consciously embark upon to keep the ego at bay. Q: How do you keep your ego at bay?
Jody has led a disciplined art career, creating up to 60 paintings a year since 1980.
take something away from it. Read brilliant writing, look at brilliant painting, listen to brilliant music — and for a moment they are connected to God. Q: What do you think is the difference between sustained genius and one who has a single work of genius? Jody: If you understand the work of ego, ego can mask the ability to connect to the collective mind. If ego explodes, it shuts the gate and no more genius comes through. Everyone recognizes a moment of genius. It is a rush. People like genius because it causes them to rush. Tumescence of the body it is called. Those geniuses are everywhere. It puts the color into life. Q: So then it sounds like what you are saying is that you believe the difference between sustained
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Jody: I always recognize that what happens in the moment is a gift, and I never allow myself to run away with self-importance. I believe in equality between every person. I am not better than anyone. That keeps the ego down. If people fantasize about how important they are or are incredibly vain, then the ego controls them and it is almost like an alien takeover. Where’s your true self in all of that? The ego can’t stand to not be the most important person in the room. If you want to be able to stay in contact with that greater mind, which is where real genius comes from — practice can allow you to pull the reins in. Piety can be a form of ego success — it can fool people at every turn. There’s a freshness about people who keep their ego down. There is something that feels real about them. Q: If somebody is just getting started in the creative arts, what is the advice you’d give them? Jody: Put in your 10,000 hours. All of a sudden, one day the key is turned on and it becomes automatic. Put in all of those hours of practice. When you practice, you cannot help but improve. That is how it is in life. It doesn’t have to be art. Whatever it is a person is passionate about, put in the hours of practice.
To find out more about Jody Bergsma and her work, visit www. bergsma.com.
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August 2009 Paranormal Underground 35
Ready or Not, Welcome to th By Karen Frazier, with Jim Frazier
was listening to quantum physicist Brian Greene one morning on the radio. Greene is the author of the quantum physics for the everyman book, The Elegant Universe. He was talking about the implications of all of the discoveries made in quantum physics in recent history. Teleportation is already fact. Sure, not in the Star Trek kind of way, but scientists have already teleported small units of matter. String theory has postulated — and seems to point to — the existence of a multiverse. What does this mean? Parallel universes, baby. Seems like they may, indeed, exist. Imagine it. One quantum event in some other universe and there could be a world where Hitler never came to power or the September 11, 2001, U.S. terrorist attacks never happened. In the lab, scientists are growing body parts from tissue. They’ve grown an ear and a kidney. There may be hope for the Viagra crowd yet. Real Discoveries or the Stuff of Science Fiction? The implications of each of these things are mind-boggling. This is the stuff of science fiction, and yet on
a small scale, it is happening in our universe — in our world — right now. Ready or not, here it comes. Our sci fi future is on the way, and as these changes make their way from labs to real life, it can forever change the way the human race lives. Looking back on the past 100 years, the sheer volume of scientific advancement and the profound effect it has had on human lifestyle is stunning. Often I’ve been left scratching my head, unable to imagine where on Earth we can go from here. What will there be 100 years from now? How will our great-grandchildren live their lives, and will they look back at our ways as primitive and difficult? Science continues to advance. Discovery continues, and we’re far from done with new technologies. Thirty years ago, I couldn’t talk on the phone while driving my car. Now, I shouldn’t — it’s illegal in my state without a hands-free system. Thirty years ago, there was no such thing as a blogosphere. Now, I gratefully use it. Who knows where we are going as a species. Are we continuing to evolve, or are we hurtling toward extinction? Twenty generations down
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According to the Many Worlds Interpretation, when of the possibilities continue on along their own tra of the other possibilities existing because his obser
Here it Comes: he Sci Fi Future the line, what will humans be like? Some have postulated that the human species is, indeed, evolving. This evolution, they say, is a spiritual one. Is it? Maybe. Only time will tell. Ready or not, science and technology are advancing. All we can do is hang on and go along for the ride.
Parallel Universes: The Many Worlds Interpretation The brilliant Richard Feynman once said, “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” I am among the people of whom he was speaking. Quantum mechanics is mind boggling at best. It is insanely complicated. All I understand are tiny bits and pieces of it. Quantum physicist Hugh Everett came up with the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics. His interpretation is widely accepted — though hotly debated. The quickest way to explain the Many Worlds Interpretation is this: quantum particles remain in a state of quantum superposition where all possibilities exist until an observer never a superposition of all possible states exists, all comes along and determines the outcome (for more information about ajectory; however, the observer is unaware of each rvation was placed on only one particular outcome. this, you can wiki Schroedinger’s Cat or read my article on quantum phys-
ics in the August 2008 Paranormal Underground issue.) As soon as the observer is present, the outcome is determined in that universe in which the phenomenon was observed. The Many Worlds Interpretation of this states that even though the observer saw one outcome, all other possible outcomes still exist — in different worlds. Are Many Worlds Really Possible? According to the Many Worlds Interpretation, whenever a superposition of all possible states exists, all of the possibilities continue on along their own trajectory; however, the observer is unaware of each of the other possibilities existing because his observation was placed on only one particular outcome. Simply stated on a grand scale . . . suppose you came to Door A and Door B. You choose to go through Door A, and your life continues on from there. However, in another universe that was created at the very moment that you selected Door A, you went through Door B, and your universe continued on from there. When you consider the granularity of the universe — that is on how small and dense of a scale that
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Quantum teleportation: Because of Heisenberg’s principle, which states that you can’t determine a particle’s position and its momentum at the same time (to determine momentum you have to destroy position and to determine position you have to destroy momentum), it is impossible to create an exact replica.
quantum events occur — the number of Door A/Door B decisions becomes mind boggling. According to my husband, Jim, it is 10 to the 99th power. That’s why he’s the coauthor, folks. I couldn’t pull that number out of a hat all by myself. I would have just called it a craploadillion. If the Many Worlds Interpretation is, indeed, a reality, then who are we really? If craploadillions of universes exist and we’re in a lot of them, then how are we here in this one? Is this just the universe that we chose to observe? And in the other universes — are those people us — or are they someone else entirely? Since we are a product of our experiences, can we really be ourselves in a different universe where our experiences are different? How does this whole thing really work? Does our attention jump
between universes, but we’re only aware of ourselves in the present universe, and so we are unaware of all of those other versions of ourselves (including this one) depending on where we are? *Poof* My head just exploded. Feynman was right. How can we truly understand something so complex? But it just goes to show you —
sibility or a snippet from a Sci Fi (make that SyFy) film. In actuality, teleportation has been performed in the lab with consistent results on increasingly larger pieces of matter. Nothing as large as a living, breathing being, but still. Here’s the catch with teleportation. It doesn’t move an object from place to place. Instead, it destroys said object and recreates its exact replica in a different location. Well — almost its exact replica. Because of Heisenberg’s principle, which states that you can’t determine a particle’s position and its momentum at the same time (to determine momentum you have to destroy position and to determine position you have to destroy momentum), it is impossible to create an exact replica. But you can come pretty darn close. When an object is being teleported, it isn’t quite exactly the same as
Since we are a product of our experiences, can we really be ourselves in a different universe where our experiences are different?
our universe is far more complicated than we can ever imagine. Quantum Teleportation: More Than a Possibility I mentioned earlier that teleportation was more than a pos-
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the object that was destroyed. But it’s close enough for government work. Can Living Things Be Teleported? This brings all sorts of questions to mind. As scientists work with teleporting larger and larger particles, eventually there is going to come a time where what they decide they’d like to try and teleport is something living. What will the consequences be of such an attempt? When you destroy a living being and make an exact copy, how exact will that copy be? According to Brian Greene, it is likely that the differences will be so minute — a cell here and there — that from a grand scale, you would never know it wasn’t an exact copy. But what if consciousness is a quantum function? What if some little element that moves around here or there in the destruction, copying, and recreation is that teeny tiny particle that makes us US? Then what? Not only that, but if you take me — a decided original — destroy me, copy me, and put me back together as exact of a copy as possible under Heisenberg’s principle, will I still be me? If I have had all of my memories copied, destroyed, and recreated, and if I have had my consciousness copied, destroyed, and recreated, what will I be in that new place where I’ve been moved. Is an exact copy me, or is it now something else entirely? Are You Ready for a Jetsons Reality? These are the things to ponder as we move forward into a Sci Fi future. Quantum theories are making all sorts of interesting technologies that we once thought we would only see on an episode of The Jetsons a potential reality. Ready or not, here it comes.
What Is the Large Hadron Collider?
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a CERN particle accelerator housed underground near Geneva, Switzerland, was created to help find out what the universe is made of and how it works.
ERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centers for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics — finding out what the universe is made of and how it works. Recently, CERN built the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a particle accelerator. Built underground near Geneva, Switzerland, it is a circular tunnel that is 27 KM long and is underground at a depth of 50 to 175 meters. The particle accelerator operates at a temperature of about 2 Kelvin. That’s -456.07 °F. In these freezing temperatures, particles will be accelerated and essentially crashed into one another at breathtakingly high rates of speeds. (It will take about 90 microseconds for a particle to travel around the entire ring.) It was built with the hopes of pro-
ducing the Higgs boson, a hypothetical quantum particle that is predicted to exist. Why is the Higgs boson interesting, you ask? First, because it is only predicted, not proven. Secondly, because it could go a long way to explaining why something that is without mass (i.e., energy) could be converted to something with mass (i.e., matter). If/when that happens, the possibilities become endless. It could also help to explain why gravity is such a weak force compared to the other forces. The implications for scientific understanding of the quantum universe are huge. The first test run broke the accelerator, but it is back up and running. Unless the fabric of the universe is torn during a collision, we may soon learn more about the mysteries of our universe.
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Case Files of the Unknown: Haunted Sites
Kingdom of Shadows: The Phantoms of England
By Rick E. Hale, The Greater Illinois Ghost Society
hroughout my years of paranormal research, I have learned one fundamental truth, if you own a home in Great Britain and it isn’t haunted, well you aren’t doing something right. Is it really any wonder why a land that has known so much conquest, war, and bloodshed is home to a myriad of ghostly denizens? But what of those locations in old Blighty that are not associated with kings and queens and their betrayal? Are they any less interesting because some poor woman was unfortunate enough to marry a king who rather enjoyed his pastries a little bit too much, and is now said to go running down the long corridors of a moldy old castle sans a head? I really do not think so. The locations that we will be covering are just as interesting as the same old pabulum that gets milled out in books ad nauseam and drilled into our heads until we can take no more. So as I always say, sit back, pour a pint, and enjoy. The Haunting of Les Enfants Among child psychologists a debate rages: Is it healthy or unhealthy for a child to have an imaginary friend? Those who are pro imaginary buddy feel that it is perfectly fine for a child to have an unseen
Liverpool’s Les Enfants Day Nursery is said to be home to a helpful spirit named ‘Mr.’
friend, especially if they live in an isolated area with little to no contact with children their own age. However, others feel that such behavior shows the early signs of serious mental illness and these hallucinations should be dealt with before the child goes, well, totally insane. I wonder what these learned men of the human psyche would
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have to say about Liverpool’s Les Enfants Day Nursery. Since the 1990s, Les Enfants day nursery has been offering excellent care for small children of the families where the Fab Four hail from. Although the day care appears to be a place of fun, Les Enfants Day Nursery would also appear to be home to numerous ghosts.
Over the years, staff and clients have reported witnessing strange phenomena that transcends the realm of human understanding. Staff have reported hearing what sounds like the footsteps of a large man walking down the hallways, as well as the sound of doors and windows opening and slamming shut. But when they go to investigate these noises, they find that they are the only person, at least alive, in the building. Staff have also complained of feeling cold spots that seem to travel around the building, as well as the eerie sensation of being watched. If Les Enfants is a place where children are supposed to feel safe and secure, then who could this entity possibly be? The children seem to have an answer for this. Many of the children have come to staffers and claimed to see a large man dressed in a dark suit standing in the corners and in the day care’s rooms. ‘Mr.’, the children simply call him, appears to not be a dangerous apparition, but just a very mischievous one. Staffers have watched as toys roll through the building in full view of many witnesses. And on very rare occasions they have seen the full-bodied apparition of this kindly ghost walking hand in hand with one of the living clients. Just who is ‘Mr.’ and why do the children enjoy his company so much? The building that the day care occupies is a former morgue, and it is believed that ‘Mr.’ may just be one of the former clients who decided to hang around after death. An Evil Spirit at the Ostrich Inn & Pub If the love of money is the root of all evil, then it should come as no wonder that the Ostrich Inn & Pub, a popular watering hole in Derby, England, is home to some restless
The Ostrich Inn & Pub in Derby, England, features a hospitable staff, comfy rooms, and lively pub — not to mention disembodied voices and shadow people.
dead who were once the victim of this line of thought. Originally opened in the late Middle Ages, staffers and patrons have witnessed numerous examples of paranormal phenomena over its long and dark history. Legend says that many centuries ago the pub was operated by a rather nasty fellow, named Jarmen, who had a deep-seeded contempt for the rich folks who oftentimes frequented his establishment. Jarmen did not believe it was right that he should have to work so hard for these snooty rich brats who threw wild parties, often tearing up the place and leaving without even so much as apology. Jarmen was one of the original class warriors, I guess you could say, and would take that class warfare to the extreme. Not only was Jarmen a humble barkeep, he was also a brilliant inventor, well at least brilliant in a
sick, twisted, murderous way. Jarmen devised a machine to attach itself to the beds of his inn and when the rich patrons would bed down for the night, all he had to do was turn a crank and the beds would tip their sleeping occupants down a tunnel that led to a giant vat of boiling oil. While the rich folk boiled southern fried style, Jarmen would ransack their rooms looking for any and all valuables that were left behind. It is not clear if Jarmen was ever apprehended and made to pay for his crimes, but I’m sure if he was, the punishment fit the crime. And if he wasn’t I’m sure the spirits of these murdered patrons made his life a living hell, and they certainly still appear to be doing just that. Those who have worked and owned the Ostrich have claimed to come into contact with some pretty pissed-off specters over the years. Many claim that the pantry area is
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Case Files of the Unknown: Haunted Sites be, many believe that it is his spirit that haunts the building as he tries to make others just as miserable as he was in life. The first reported victim of this terrible spirit was a maid whose name has been lost to history. Shortly after Meyer’s death, the young woman moved in and quickly set up residence in the upper floor of the house. Her stay, unfortunately, would be short lived. Soon after she moved in, people walking past the building heard the blood curdling scream of the young woman escape from the bedroom window on the top floor. Concerned that a woman was being attacked, several men broke the door down and raced up the stairs to find the young maid huddled in a corner of the bedroom. Later, the young woman would die of fear in an insane asylum. When questioned what brought her to this low state, her only response was the dark thing that lived in the house. The ghost of 50 Berkeley Square had claimed its first victim. The second victim would come years later when a skeptical gentleman wanted to spend the night and disprove that the What Stalks 50 Berkeley home was haunted. The gent got far more than he bargained Square? Some claim that London’s 50 Berkeley Square is one of for. The night of his vigil, he told When one reads about the most haunted houses in England. a couple friends that if he rang ghostly Britain, we often learn the bell once, he was settled in about Borley Rectory, which Mr. Meyers, a man who was said and comfy. However, if he rang the has long had the dubious distincto have lost his mind after the death bell twice, they should come to his aid tion of being considered the most of his wife, locked himself away in because something was amiss. haunted house in England. Howhis bedroom and never came into Around midnight, the gent’s ever, one home, in my humble contact with the outside world. It friends were roused from their opinion, has the burnt-out husk of was only a few months later when slumber when the bell rang once Borley beat hands down. That house family came calling and discovered and then several times. When they is London’s 50 Berkeley Square. Meyers dead in his bed. He was a ran upstairs, they discovered their Throughout the late 19th Century, sad, miserable old man who died of intrepid friend dead in a corner of 50 Berkeley Square was known as a broken heart. Sad as this story may the room, his face a mask of terror. the most haunted home in the Britthe most haunted — and for good reason. Legend states that Jarmen hid the remains of his victims in the pantry until he was able to dispose of their crispy bodies. Folks have claimed they get a feeling of dread while standing in the pantry, as if someone is standing behind them. Others have seen the wispy forms of people dressed in the fashions of the time flitting about the establishment. Others have heard voices and screams rending the night in two. The pantry, however, is not the only home to a feeling of dread; many claim that the master bedroom, where many of those ancient patrons met their fate, is said to be inhabited by a large black specter that is said to give off a sensation of pure evil. Those who have dared to stay the night in this room have run out screaming that something evil was trying to kill them. I wonder if this ghost is Jarmen? All I can say about the Ostrich is this: If you happen to visit this establishment, don’t go flashing your wad of cash about, because if Jarmen still has his way, you may never leave the inn alive.
ish Isles. It is home to a horrendous spirit that not only scares the bejeezus out of the good people of London, but can also claim a body count. Many who research the spirit that stalks the upper floors of the building believe they can trace it back to an insane recluse who hated society and locked himself away from the outside world.
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Perhaps one of the most dramatic stories of deaths in the home occurred to a couple of sailors who made the mistake of choosing the empty home for a place to lay their weary heads. Around midnight, one of the sailors fled the home in terror and ran down the street looking for a cop. When he found a constable, he told a wild story of a giant black form that attacked him and a friend and only he was able to escape. When they returned to the house they discovered his companion laying in a bloody mess on the sidewalk in front of the house. To escape this terror that came in the night, the young sailor crashed through the window of the upper floor and died from his fall. Today the house is quiet and home to the Maggs Brothers Antiquarian Booksellers. There is no longer talk of an evil shadowy mass that has killed some and driven others mad. However, one must beg the question, is the evil entity that once lurked at London’s 50 Berkeley Square truly gone, or is it just biding its time, watching and waiting for its next victim? Call me stupid, but I would spend the night; that would be fun. The Insanity of Fairfield Hospital There is a question that has plagued paranormal researchers since the beginning: Does a person, in death, have the same personality as they did in life? I have always maintained the simple belief that if you are a decent person in life you will be decent in death. However, if you are a major douchebag in life, well . . . I think you get the point. Another question I pose is this: If a mentally ill person dies, will their spirit retain that disability? Perhaps the ghosts of Fair-
Witnesses claim that former patients still stalk the empty halls of Fairfield Hospital in Arlesey, England.
field Hospital in Arlesey, England, can answer that. Prior to the enlightened 20th Century, folks who suffered from mental illness were a grossly misunderstood lot. Oftentimes, if a person showed any signs of madness they were thrown into an insane asylum and, more often than not, were virtually forgotten by friends and family and considered a blemish on the family name. On March 8, 1860, Fairfield Hospital, originally known as Three Counties Asylum in Arlesey, Bed-
cutting edge for the time, if it was like other asylums of the age, it was undoubtedly a cold, impersonal hellhole where murders and suicides occurred on a daily rate. At its height in 1936, the gothic building was home to well over a thousand patients of some of the most violently insane. It would not be until 1999 when the British government closed its doors for good as part of the Care In the Community act of 1981. The remaining patients were sent to their families to live out their days without proper mental
. . . they discovered their intrepid friend dead in a corner of the room, his face a mask of terror. fordshire, opened its doors and took in three male and three female patients when the Bedford Lunatic Asylum closed its doors after numerous decades of operation. Although Three Counties was considered
healthcare, and many continued their violent behavior. And although the building sits as an empty reminder of the former days of inadequate healthcare, it would seem that many former patients never left.
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Case Files of the Unknown: Haunted Sites
Since the 1960s, visitors to Badbury Rings in Blandford, Dorset, have described ghostly apparitions and dwarf-like creatures roaming about.
Over the years, those brave enough to traverse its lonely halls have been witness to some strange, and oftentimes frightening, ghostly phenomenon. It has been reported that the mentally ill spirits of Fairfield hospital have been witnessed breaking out windows in the building, and terrifying screams have been heard throughout the hulking edifice. Some have even claimed to have been attacked, suffering great injury at the unseen hands of the former patients that are said to still stalk the halls of Fairfield Hospital. Arlesey residents and visitors alike have witnessed spirits of former patients walking around the building in the robes they wore in life, seemingly wandering about as lost spirits. In 2003, the Sean Connery flick Requiem was filmed behind the walls of the old insane asylum. Not much is known whether or not the cast and crew experienced any kind of activity while shooting, but according to the residents of Arlesey, Fairfield Hospital is a frightening place that should be left alone. The Hell That Is Badbury Rings War is Hell as the old clichĂŠ states, and with its millennia rich history of war, conquest, and bloodshed, it should come as no surprise that not only are homes and castles
places of paranormal activity, but even ground appears to be haunted in the case of Badbury Rings in Blandford, Dorset. Like many megalithic sites in England, archeologists believe that the Badbury Rings predate the druids by almost 1,000 years. Researchers believe that the original structure of concentric rings was constructed around 700 BCE and was used as a place of worship by these ancient peoples. However, it would not be until 43 CE that the Badbury Rings
the ancient history of war in England. And since its opening to the public, numerous apparitions have been witnessed in and around the rings that would tell of its bloody past. One apparition seen often is a battlescarred Roman warrior on his mighty steed who rides out from the rings and chases the unlucky visitors away. Those who have witnessed this terrifying spirit said that it came so close they could feel the hot breath of the horse on the back of their necks. Others have reported witnessing a disfigured dwarf-type creature wandering around the car park warning those who come to pay a visit to Badbury Rings that they would be better off leaving. Some visitors witnessed an old woman in a bloodsoaked, black dress fading in and out of existence on the road leading to the Rings. But perhaps the most dramatic ghostly sighting was a spectral reenactment of the battle where so many lost their lives so long ago in defense of their country from an aggressive invading force.
An old woman in a blood-soaked, black dress is said to fade in and out of existence on the road leading to Badbury Rings. would gain its reputation as a location of grim death. In 43 CE, Badbury was one of the last of the ancient Celtic holdouts and a place of defense against the invading Roman armies. Sadly though, the Romans eventually won out and all those who dared stand against Caesar’s legions were slaughtered and ushered into an eternity of silence. Or were they? Since the 1960s, Badbury Rings has been a major tourist destination for those who wish to get a taste of
Paranormal Underground August 2009
If you plan on visiting an ancient site in England, forget about Stonehenge, Badbury Rings in Blandford, Dorset, is where it’s at. These are only a few examples of the paranormal deliciousness that awaits you in the land of tea and crumpets. There are so many places and locations in England that are said to be haunted, it would take forever and a day to list them all. Great Britain is most definitely a Kingdom of Shadows and shows no signs of changing anytime soon.
Paranormal Underground Is Holding Its . . . 2nd Annual Short Story Contest (See page 67 for more details)
Submissions due by September 1. E-mail stories to: firstname.lastname@example.org
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Case Files of the Unknown: Paranormal History
A Story of High Speculation By Chad Wilson
he subject of time travel has always fascinated man. Who would not jump at the opportunity to change a mistake from the past or try to use future knowledge to their advantage? It seems that the Nazi regime was fascinated with time travel as well. And steeped in Nazi Mysticism, Die Glocke (or The Bell as it is more commonly referred to), has been purported to be many things, a power source, a weapon, and even a time machine. Because the Germans refused to use what they considered Jewish Science, which followed the Theory of Relativity, they chose to pursue Nikola Tesla’s theories instead. Scalar Theory, as The Bell is reputed to deal with, gave them a different route to scientific achievement, separate than that which the Allies took. Unconventional to say the least, the Nazis’ methods were said to produce some strange results, including the creation of The Bell. In this article, I’ve interwoven a fictional account of what could have possibly happened surrounding the final whereabouts of The Bell, along with nonfictional eyewitness accounts and other theories about The Bell being connected to the Kecksburg UFO crash of 1965.
Rendering of the alleged configuration of Die Glocke.
General Hans Kammler walked across the tarmacadam, the massive Junkers Ju 390 a dark shadow against the coming night. The workers from the concentration camp were moving the last of the equipment aboard. When finished, the SS troops overseeing the loading of the plane had their orders. Even now, another
Paranormal Underground August 2009
group of prisoners were digging the final resting place for both groups. His grey overcoat flapped in the cool breeze, blowing in from the Sudenten Mountains to the South East. Their flight plan was to head due North for Bodo, Norway, and then on to Argentina, where work on this, the greatest of Nazi projects, could continue. After his recent return from a
visit to the Skoda Works to survey damage from the Allied bombing campaign, the security of this project had taken on the utmost importance. The survival of the Third Reich as Kammler knew it depended on the ability of the German Luftwaffe to evacuate The Bell and key German personnel associated with its operation. Granted, the majority of those who had worked on the project would not see the light of the next morning, though there were a few who were crucial to the project and the survival of the Reich, and thus did not face such a fate. The Nazis would spare no expense in this endeavor. It must succeed! They would leave with the coming of night in hopes of avoiding any Russian planes. Intelligence said that the Russian Army was poised for the attack, which made this mission tantamount to the future continuation of the Nazi Party. Kammler and his staff boarded the Ju 290, which sat behind the Ju 390, it containing the future hopes of the Germany. Signing the last order, Kammler boarded the Ju 290, taking one last look at the far off mountains. He would miss this town called Riesengeberge, more specifically the underground weapon development laboratory, or “The Giant” as it was known due to its huge size, which he had called home for the latter half of the war. No matter, the Reich would rise again, and the Allies would be hardpressed to stop them the next time. Taking his seat next to his secretary, he put thoughts of the future of the Reich aside, as he contemplated their current dilemma, and of how to secure that future. He could feel the vibration of the engines as the converted cargo plane started rolling down the runway. He watched as the Ju 390 left the runway ahead of them and they turned for their takeoff. Such was the might of the Nazi Empire that they
could design such a feat of engineering, even in defeat. Looking out the window to the fields outside the base, he watched the muzzle flash as his obedient SS soldiers carried out their orders. Victory in defeat, the cause of the Nazi Regime snatched out of the jaws of death. Who knew what the future held, but at this point that was all they had. ***** The Anatomy of a Time Machine The Nazi device known only as The Bell was rumored to be a power source, a Are The Bell and the Kecksburg UFO one in the same? weapon, even a time (Pictured above: This fireball was seen across at least six machine. The workU.S. states and Ontario on December 9, 1965, the date ings of it have never of the Kecksburg UFO crash. been fully revealed because details surrounding the story of The Bell have always by vast quantities of electricity. been sketchy. The liquid metal (more details But in his 2006 book, The about this liquid metal are forthcomTruth About the Wunderwaffe, ing) within these cylinders was said Polish Author Igor Witowski tries to create a field effect, one aspect beto provide details surrounding ing the slowing down of time within the story of The Bell. And it was the field effect created by The Bell. through secret transcripts of a KGB As will be described later, interrogation of SS Officer Jakob another power ascribed to The Bell Sporrenberg that details about The was the power of flight. Bell came to light, with Witowski concluding The Bell radiated some Mechanics Behind The Bell sort of anti-gravity effect. The Bell was made out of metal, One theory as to its use is that of approximately nine feet in diameter, a time machine. This was said to be and also said to be somewhere in the accomplished through the generation area of 12-15 feet tall. It garnered the of a torsion field. This was created by name of “Die Glocke,” or The Bell, the counter rotation of the two cylinmainly because of its bell-like shape. ders contained within The Bell. The The inner workings contained power for the rotation was provided two counter-rotating cylinders, which
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Case Files of the Unknown: Paranormal History
A strange ‘henge-like’ structure was constructed by the Germans out of reinforced concrete near the facility where The Bell was located and tested. This structure resembled a test rig for the possible test of extremely powerful propulsion devices.
History of The Bell The history of The Bell, especially after it left Silesia where it was said to be housed at one point, is speculative at best. Some say it was eventually flown to Argentina from Bodo, Norway, where it was part of the infamous Huamuel Experiment, sponsored by then President, General Juan Peron. Conducted by Richard Richter, the experiments lasted until 1951, at which time they were abandoned and considered a failure due to lack of results. The experiment was an attempt to make cheap nuclear isotopes in which to use as an easy energy alternative to fossil fuels. Others say it was flown from Norway to the Arctic, location of a supposed secret Nazi base. It was from this base that the Third Reich was to rise at a later time. Regardless of its fate, its history remains a mystery. *****
in turn were purported to contain a strange purplish liquid-metal substance that the Germans had codenamed ‘Xerum 525.’ This purple liquid was rotated at high speeds. Because Xerum 525 was supposedly highly radioactive, it required the cylinders to be lead-lined. Some have speculated that Xerum 525 is actually red Mercury, a mythical substance of uncertain composition said to be used during nuclear bomb creation, as well as other weapon systems. As mentioned, The Bell also took high amounts of electricity to run, and could only be operated for a few minutes at most. Apparently, it gave off strong radiation, electromagnetic waves, or an unknown field that was fatal to several scientists upon its first operation. Further testing with plants and animals resulted in them rapidly decomposing into blackish goo within a few minutes or a few hours after
coming within too close of a proximity to the field. Maybe the cells within the subjects aged at a heightened rate. Another reported side effect was that technicians near The Bell during its operation experienced having a metallic taste in their mouth. The test chamber was lined with ceramic bricks and rubber mats — the mats had to be burned after each test. Prisoners from nearby concentration camps also had to wash down the inside of the chamber with a brine-like substance after testing. In addition, a structure shaped like a ‘henge’ was constructed at the facility near Riesengeberge. Made out of reinforced concrete, it was said to house the bell during testing. Resembling the test rig for the testing of an extremely strong propulsion device, it was later said to be like a similar object in the Polish city of Siechnice, which in turn was the frame for a water tower.
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Kammler sat inside the strange vessel, for vessel is what it was, except this one did not travel through just space, but time as well, or at least into the future. Soon he, and others, would be heading toward the Hudson and the secret Nazi base there. Richter stuck his head inside the opening to The Bell, “Herr Kammler preparations are almost complete, you will be leaving within the hour.” Waving the genius Richter away, he let out a chuckle at the thought of the foolish Juan Peron. He had fallen for Richter’s promise of cheap nuclear energy. All the while, Kammler and his team of engineers had been working on the true purpose of The Bell. To continue the Reich, and to allow the minds of its most gifted scientist to be brought to a point in the future where they could continue their research unmolested by the hated Allies. Soon, the project given the
security level “Decisive to the war effort” would fulfill its function, and the Third Reich would rise from the ashes again. Kammler, and others who had survived, would travel through time and space to arrive at the base in the Arctic, or NeuSchwabenland as it had been named. He could not wait to be reunited with some of his fellow engineers and officers from former days. That had been an era of dreams; a utopic society would have resulted if the Germans had won. The ignorant world denied the German superiority; they had set out to prove this fact, and had done so, though the proof was more spiritual in nature. Through the agency of the Thule Society, the Nazi Regime had come into contact with a race of angelic beings from within the Earth itself. Calling themselves Aryans, they were the ancestors of the German race. There technology far surpassed that of all the current nations, including Germany. That had all changed when the Aryans had agreed to share their technology. The only thing that was holding the Aryans back from dominating the world was numbers, too few to be exact. But through the instrument of the Third Reich, that was all about to change. Mengele was working on a solution to that problem at the moment, though his report said he was a good 10 years away from perfecting the cloning process. Mengele had been focusing his efforts in the area around Condido Godoi in Brazil. Only time would tell if it was a success. In the five years since the end of the war, Kammler had plenty of time to think, and with the others that had survived the Nuremberg Trials, a plan had been formed. Kammler, along with Martin Bormann, Adolf Hitler’s choice to succeed him, were ready to proceed. It was Kammler’s
job to see that Bormann made it to the base near the Arctic to achieve this destiny. Impatiently he waited, destiny within the grasp of the Third Reich. It was a big if, but if everything went according to plan, then the Third Reich would rise again, mainly due in part to the help of the Bruderschaft der Glocke, or the Brotherhood of the Bell. An hour later found Kammler, along with Bormann, sitting quietly within The Bell as the German technical team closed the hatch, sealing them in. The field generator that gave The Bell its special powers could be heard behind the shielding, which had been installed to protect
its occupants. Many a person had died developing that protection, otherwise Kammler and Bormann would soon be black goo on the floor of the amazing contraption that was The Bell. It was imperative that this mission work, for the future of the Reich depended on it. As a strange purple glow began to encompass the inner chamber, Kammler’s last thoughts before blacking out were that this was the future of Germany, and that future was now. ***** The Kecksburg Connection One theory about The Bell actually ties it to the conspiracy-laden Kecksburg UFO crash. Taking place
Pictured above is a model of the crashed Kecksburg UFO, originally created for the show Unsolved Mysteries and put on display near the Kecksburg fire station.
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Case Files of the Unknown: Paranormal History Initially a statement of “nothing being found” was issued by officials with the Pennsylvania State Police. Then the story was changed to “It had been a meteorite,” and then finally, many years after the fact, that it was a Russian Satellite. But even the satellite cover story has its own holes.
Above is an illustration of the reported UFO crash/landing in the woods near Kecksburg. Witnesses were said to include military personnel, government officials, NASA representatives, local officials, and area residents.
on December 9, 1965, in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, details of this incident and of what actually happened are murky even until this day. Some claim the strange UFO was a meteorite, while NASA officials say it was the Soviet satellite Cosmo 96, which reentered the Earth’s atmosphere and crashed in Canada on December 9, 1965. However, it doesn’t seem likely that the Kecksburg UFO was the Soviet satellite, Cosmo 96, due to the fact that the satellite came down in Canada at approximately 3 a.m. the morning of December 9, and the object in Kecksburg did not crash until around 4:30 p.m. the afternoon of December 9. Further dismissing the satellite hypothesis is the angle of descent and the slow speeds of the object. Witnesses say it even slowed down to land, nothing like an object that would be making an uncon-
trolled entry into the atmosphere. The Kecksburg UFO was described as being bullet- or bell-shaped, about nine feet wide and 12 feet long, which was the general shape and size of the Nazi Bell. Another witness stated that it was acorn-shaped with hieroglyphics etched into a ring around the bottom of the object. No hatches or entrances were visible as well. The military response to the crash was almost immediate, as they cordoned off the area and imposed martial law. The oddest part of the whole event was that NASA officials who were spotted at the crash site. Wernher von Braun, former German rocket scientist, was one of many who were recruited by the U.S. government and who worked at NASA. The question remains, why would an organization linked to former high-ranking Nazi scientists have an interest in a Russian satellite?
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Kecksburg Witness Accounts Witnesses to the UFO crash comprised military personnel, government officials, NASA representatives, local officials, and residents of Kecksburg and the surrounding area. The fireball was seen by more than 1,000 witnesses in Canada, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. While witness testimony of the actual crash/landing differs from one witness to the next, it is agreed that something did indeed come down in the woods around Kecksburg that cold December afternoon. Pictures of the object were taken by reporter John Murphy. These pictures were later confiscated by the military. On a similar note, John Murphy then went on to work on a documentary about the event for a local radio station, WHJB, within weeks of the crash. Before the show could be aired Murphy was visited by the infamous Men in Black, who confiscated some of Murphy’s audio tapes from that night. According to WHJB Office Manager Mabel Mazza, John Murphy aired a censored version of the documentary, this time leaving out any mention of an object in the woods. Whatever it was, witnesses do recall two events that I think are of importance. The military did bring in a flatbed truck, which did leave with a bell-shaped object under a tarpaulin, that much has been verified. Also, when the military first entered the woods to investigate, witnesses heard a blood curdling scream. Is it possible that the scream
came from General Kammler who was being apprehended by American soldiers? Another thought that merits mentioning is the fact that the UFO’s trajectory was tracked from Canada to Michigan and then Ohio, where it stopped, changed course, and then headed toward Kecksburg. If one draws a straight trajectory back through Ohio, Michigan, and Canada, it points to an area on the Hudson, near the Arctic, where a secret Nazi base is rumored to be. Some say the UFO is the Nazi Bell due to its similar shape and the pictographs, or hieroglyphs, carved into the ring at the bottom. These runes or symbols seem to fit in with the Nazi almost cult-like affiliations between technological marvels and their pseudo-Christian beliefs. The mysterious disappearance of Kammler and The Bell at the end of World War II also added to the myth. Regardless of its ultimate purpose, The Bell remains an enigma. Is the Kecksburg Connection Plausible? Could The Bell have ended up at Kecksburg? To me, this thought is high fantasy. It is doubtful in my eyes that Nazism has survived in any great fashion into the present day. There is no Third Reich waiting to pounce from the shadows, only the occasional fringe groups who hold onto an ignorant belief system. Yes, it makes for good fiction as the Nazi’s have proven the perfect villain for many a hero to thwart, but in the end it is just that — fiction. And thank God for that. Then again, I sometimes ask myself what if . . . what if the conspiracy theories are true? What would our world be like? To me it would be a colder, harder world in which to live, but all the same, what if? *****
Kammler sat in the darkness, his ears still ringing from the jarring landing. Fifteen years worth of documents detailing weapons technologies safely inside their respective folders and tied down on the seat across from him. They were all the Reich needed to win the war. He had set out from the secret Nazi base on the Hudson earlier today. Luckily, once the coordinates were set, The Bell flew itself. A dull throbbing had started up behind Kammler’s eyes. Rubbing them with his fingers, he felt for the flashlight at his belt. He needed to open the hatch; he wouldn’t last long on the limited air supply in the inner compartment of The Bell. He could already smell the air getting stale. He banged against the side of the metal Bell as he looked for the latch to open the compartment door. He heard a responding knocking. Finding the latch, he yanked, shielding himself against the explosives that were set to blow it outward. The cool night air rushed in to greet him, as he gulped in a huge lungful of it. Soon he would be reunited with his war brothers and a new Germany would emerge. Tears glistened in his eyes at the thought
of the ultimate triumph of the Reich over the Allies. Hurriedly, he climbed out of the hatch, but stopping short, he stood frozen, half in and half out of the Bell. An American soldier held his gun leveled at Kammler. He distinguished this from the American flag sowed upon the soldier’s sleeve. Despair gripped his soul at the failure of the mission. Letting out an anguished cry, Kammler slid to the ground from his perch atop The Bell. He stumbled into the forest. Forest? This was supposed to be Berlin. Fools, they had not accounted for the correct position of the Earth at time of arrival. That simple mistake had doomed the mission from the start. All these thoughts ran through Kammler’s head as he ran through the unknown wood. Ahead he could see a shadowy figure in the dark. Stopping, he waited with baited breath, a fellow German perhaps? But all was dashed as Kammler was hit from behind. Sinking to his knees, he thought over what could have been had he completed his mission. Into the darkness he slipped once again, the last thought on his mind . . . What if?
A Junkers Ju 390 (pictured above) was said to transport The Bell out of Germany and into Norway and then on to Argentina.
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Case Files of the Unknown: Cryptids & Mythological Creatures
Like a Moth(Man) to a Flame By Rick E. Hale, The Greater Illinois Ghost Society
ryptozoology is a field of study that has been desperately trying to gain acceptance in the scientific community for more than 50 years. Researchers have scoured the world over for creatures that once existed and are now thought to be extinct, as well as for creatures that mainstream science say cannot possibly exist. But since the discovery of the Coelacanth off the coast of Madagascar and, more recently, a mass discovery of hundreds of new species in the Mekong in Southeast Asia, the field is making progress. I think that, sometimes, mainstream scientists forget that a large part of scientific study is all about the wonder and thrill of the hunt. And every once in awhile, a creature appears on the radar of a cryptozoologists that leaves them scratching their heads and saying, “What the F?” Such is the case of a strange creature that terrorized the citizens of the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in the mid 1960s. This cryptozoological mystery seemed to step right out of the shadows, scaring the living daylights out of all those who claimed to have witnessed its presence. The mysterious winged creature known as the Mothman will forever be one of the strangest ‘monsters’ reportedly witnessed on American soil.
The centerpiece of Gunn Park in downtown Point Pleasant, West Virginia, is this stainless steel Mothman statue by local sculptor Robert Roach.
The First Mothman Sighting The first official sighting of this anomalous winged terror was reported on the night of November 15, 1966, amid reports of strange lights and UFOs being witnessed over the towns of Point Pleasant and Charleston, West Virginia. Many believe that this was no terrestrial creature at all, but rather some intergalactic visitor. Two young couples were return-
Paranormal Underground August 2009
ing from a late night out in one of the larger towns in the area when they decided to take a shortcut thru the TNT factory, an abandoned World War II ordinance factory. As they slowed down to look at the crumbling buildings, one of the young men noticed two red lights hiding just inside the doorway of one of the buildings. As their automobile came closer to the building a creature of nightmar-
ish proportions stepped out of the shadows and gave new meaning to the phrase, “What the Hell was that?” The two couples would later tell investigators that a huge gray creature with bat-like wings unfurled from behind its back came into view in their headlights. The two couples could not believe their eyes at the sight of the horrible and impossible beast that stood before them. Not wanting to stick around, the driver of the vehicle shot off like a bat out of hell, speeding off into the night. As they sped down the road, reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, the witnesses claimed the creature was able to keep pace as it flapped its mighty membranous wings and struck the roof of the car with a large fist. The creature broke away from the chase as the car and its occupants neared the city of Point Pleasant. And when they reached the Mason County courthouse, all four reported the eldritch sighting to an incredulous sheriff’s deputy, Roy Milland. After the initial report, Milland drove out to the TNT factory to look around for the bizarre creature, but he found nothing. However, Deputy Milland would later attest to the character of these young people, stating that they were solid citizens and would not make up anything so strange. Mothman Sightings Increase in Point Pleasant Story of the terrifying sighting quickly got around the community of Point Pleasant, and several citizens grabbed their rifles and drove out to the TNT factory in the hopes that they could bag themselves a beast. Unfortunately, nothing was found as they diligently searched through every nook and cranny of all the buildings. As the days and months passed, more reports of the mysterious
On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge — an expansion bridge that connected West Virginia with Ohio — collapsed, killing 47 people and injuring dozens more. Witnesses say that as the bridge fell into the icy waters of the river, they could see the Mothman fly off into the sky.
Mothman began to filter into the Sheriff’s office, and the local authorities were genuinely concerned that they might have had a true case of mass hysteria on their hands. One local citizen claimed that one late night as she sat up watching television, she heard a strange noise just outside her window. When she got up to investigate and peered out the window, she saw a sight she would never forget. She later recounted her story to investigator John Keel, author of The Mothman Prophecies, saying that the creature was standing next to a tree and must have stood well over nine feet tall. The witness then said she watched as the Mothman unfurled its wings and flew off into the night sky without making a noise. Other strange phenomena was also said to happen during or around Mothman sightings, including activity usually associated with hauntings. Witnesses claimed they experienced
what could only be described as poltergeist-type activity. Lights turned on and off by themselves, objects moved about homes, and witnesses claimed to receive strange phone calls at all hours of the day. What Is the Mothman? Theories Abound Paranormal researchers and Ufologists have long believed that during sightings of UFOs, poltergeist-like activity and “high strangeness” have been known to occur. Perhaps all these phenomena are in fact closely linked. The most dramatic sighting of the Mothman occurred to a family visiting a friend who lived in an artist community on the outskirts of Point Pleasant. An elderly couple, their daughter, and their infant grandchild were leaving a friend’s home and entering their car as they watched the Mothman rise up out of the ground
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Case Files of the Unknown: Cryptids & Mythological Creatures
The 2002 movie The Mothman Prophecies starred Richard Gere and Laura Linney. In this creepy, supernatural thriller (written in novel form by John A. Keel and adapted for the big screen by Richard Hatem) Gere and Linney’s characters investigate a series of strange events, including psychic visions and the appearance of the Mothman.
behind their vehicle and let out a loud chittering noise that almost sounded mechanical in nature. The young mother was so frightened by the experience she actually dropped her screaming baby. After regaining their composure, they quickly got into their car and drove away, leaving the Mothman behind. Other strange phenomena seemed to follow in the wake of the Mothman sightings — and these
strange lights in the sky. Those who came into contact with these odd Men In Black would later state that when speaking with them, their voices could cause a person to fall into a daze, almost to the point of losing consciousness. Some would claim that their dealings with these strange men were pleasant; however, the majority would later state to investigators that these men gave off a sinister, almost diabolical,
Mothman sightings are said to precede disastrous events. events would seem to embroil the community of Point Pleasant into ongoing episodes of high strangeness. Men In Black would show up in town driving black sedans and asking odd questions about whether or not folks had seen the mysterious Mothman or been witness to any
feeling, which made many feel that they were up to no good. Do Mothman Sightings Coincide With Tragedies? The strange series of events that gripped Point Pleasant and its surrounding communities in 1966
Paranormal Underground August 2009
would culminate in a great tragedy that life-long area residents would never forget. On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge — an expansion bridge that connected West Virginia with Ohio — collapsed, killing 47 people and injuring dozens more. Those who were present and not on the bridge claimed that as they watched the bridge fall into the icy waters of the river, they could see the large dark form of the Mothman fly off into the sky. When structural engineers inspected the bridge, they discovered that a few support beams had bent, causing the bridge to come toppling down. If there was a Mothman, it would appear that shoddy workmanship rather than some creature was to blame for the death of dozens. Skeptics who reviewed the case years after the fact stated that whatever the citizens of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, had seen was not some mysterious cryptid or the lost crewman of a UFO, but rather a Sand Hill crane — a bird that is known to stand close to five feet tall with a large wingspan and a patch of bright red feathers that could be mistaken for glowing red eyes. Seems like a plausible explanation; however, the residents who witnessed the events and the creature declared emphatically that whatever the Mothman was, it was certainly no bird. Even some cryptozoologists have offered an alternative suggestion as to the identity of the Mothman, suggesting that perhaps the creature was a giant owl. Hmm. Whatever the case may be, Point Pleasant citizens now commemorate the strange episode that terrorized their city more than 40 years ago with a fair and carnival rides called, appropriately enough, “Mothman Days.” Is the Mothman fact or fiction? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
We Are Looking for Volunteer Writers for Paranormal Underground’s E-Magazine
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 55
Fiction: Featured Author
The Shift By Karen Frazier
ne moment can change everything — this much I know. It took less than a second for my life to change from what I was to what I am. Here’s what I was: Vital, alive, going places. Joyful, athletic, successful. Attractive, smart, funny. This is what I am: A fat blob imprisoned in a wheelchair with a world that has become so small it includes only my tiny apartment, my Yorkie, Pop, and my care worker, Cassie. I am not any of the things that I was, and I would give anything to have those back. My life was once limited only by my imagination. Now, my life is all limitation — so severe and strict that it feels as if I can hold my entire world in the palm of my hand. Actually, I wish I could do just that, because then I could crush it to dust and watch it drift away on the wind. If I could only have one single moment in my life back, I know which one I would choose. Not the moment that you’d think. It wouldn’t be the moment I looked away from the road to dial my cell phone. Instead, it would be the moment that I was forced to return to my battered and broken body rather than staying adrift in the warm white light. In the light it was safe and beautiful. I could feel every possibility, every potentiality caressing me like a lover. And then I was ripped away — and here I am. From all potential to all limitation in a single moment of time.
***** It is Sunday evening. Cassie has left for the evening. One moment, I am parked in front of the TV with Pop watching Desperate Housewives in my dark apartment, and in the very next moment, I am standing . . . standing . . . in front of a gleaming, granite countertop in a huge kitchen with a damp sponge in my hand. Over by the sink, I see Dan staring at me with a look of stunned incredulity on his face. Surely
the look on my face must match Dan’s. I haven’t seen Dan in years. Losing Dan was the first event in a string of bad luck that led me to where I am today. He is, and always will be, the one that got away. Now here he is in this strange kitchen, looking a little older, but wonderful, familiar, and very, very shocked. I don’t know what startles me more — Dan’s presence, the fact that I
Paranormal Underground August 2009
am standing, the kitchen that I’ve never seen, or the terrified screams that come from somewhere in the house. Dan is off like a shot in the direction of the screams, and my legs automatically follow. Dan seems to know where he is going, and he races through a beautiful living room and up a curved staircase of polished wood. My legs follow while my mind marvels at the ease with which they move swiftly after Dan. ***** Dan’s final destination is a huge travertine bathroom where a small girl stands in front of a mirror shrieking at the top of her lungs. The mirror stops me short. Is that me? It is me — but not me. I recognize my face as a face I used to know — small and heart shaped with bright green eyes. And my hair! It isn’t short, stringy, and dull. Instead it is a long, glossy tumble of brown with curls and artful highlights. Even more shocking is my body — it looks like it did years ago. Toned, healthy, and slim with curves in all of the right places. What is this? I wonder. How can this be that I am in this place — in this condition? I am mesmerized by myself. Enthralled. I can’t tear my gaze away from the mirror. Surely I must be dreaming. Dan takes the girl in his arms, and she begins to sob uncontrollably. Between sobs, she is saying something about her face changing in the mirror and calling Dan “daddy.” Dan makes
soothing noises and pats the girl on the back, stealing startled glances at me over the top of her head. The girl is small — maybe 7 or 8 years old. She has glossy, dark curls like the ones I see in the mirror. Dan breaks the hug and holds her out at arm’s length. Something flashes in his eyes, but he quickly stifles it. The little girl turns her tear-stained face to me, and her sobbing start afresh. “Who is that, Daddy?” she asks. “Shhhhh . . . ” Dan soothes. “That’s Andi. She’s an old friend who came to visit.” He looks hard at me, as if daring me to contradict him. “I’m sure you just were having a bad dream when you thought you looked in the mirror,” he says. “Come on — back to bed.” “Stay right here,” he whispers fiercely to me, scooping the girl up in his arms and carrying her out of the bathroom, careful to keep her face turned away from the mirror. I wait in the bathroom, staring closely at my image in the mirror. I touch my face, my hair, my belly, my legs. I splash cold water on my face and then give it a little slap. If this is a dream, it is remarkably vivid and realistic. I hear Dan down the hall talking in soothing tones. He isn’t gone long. He returns to the bathroom and grabs me roughly by the arm, pulling me back down the stairs to the living room. ***** “All right, talk,” Dan commands. “What the hell is going on?” As if I have answers. I am in a strange house with a strange little girl. I am walking. I have no idea what is going on. I tell Dan just that. “This is my house,” Dan says. “That is my daughter, Emily. I don’t know what happened — why she looks like that. She used to look like me; now she looks like you, and I haven’t seen you in nine years. You suddenly show up in my kitchen and
all Hell breaks loose.” “It is a dream,” I tell Dan. “I am just dreaming.” “I don’t think so,” Dan says. “Something has happened.” And just like that, I know he is right. Something has happened, and here I am in the life I should have had. A life in a beautiful house with a beautiful little girl, working legs, Dan. This is what should have been. I tell Dan so. Dan shakes his head. And starts to look around. “This is my house,” he says, “but it is different.” He points. “That lamp — it isn’t mine. The couch doesn’t belong here. And neither does that.” My gaze follows to where his finger is pointing. There above the mantle is a picture of this new me, Dan, and the little girl. For the first time, I become aware that there is a ring on the third finger of my left
“It’s a dream . . . I’m just dreaming.” hand. I look at Dan’s left hand. His finger has a matching ring. Dan seems to notice his rings at the same time that I do. Something almost wistful washes across his face, and he reaches down to tug on his ring. “This isn’t mine,” he says. “I don’t wear a wedding ring. My wife died giving birth to Emily.” A burst of joy flares inside of me. This is it! The universe is giving me a second chance. I have a new life, new legs, and I am with Dan as I always should have been. Somehow, the universe has righted itself and put me where I belong. I reach for Dan, wanting to tell him that this is what is right, and what it should be — but I am back in my wheelchair again in my dank, little apartment. Pop is on the floor,
barking madly at me. I can feel the pain and disappointment crash through me, and tears roll down my cheeks. This isn’t where I want to be. This is the wrong place, I am the wrong person. It wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t have been. ***** A breaking news bulletin interrupts Desperate Housewives. Charles Gibson comes on, looking discombobulated. He tells of a rash of auto accidents, plane crashes that all happened at exactly the same moment all around the world. The cause is unknown he says. Terrorism is suspected. I don’t care. I am not where I want to be. I can’t go on being this, knowing what I could have been, and what I could have had. Over the next several weeks, an explanation slowly surfaces. CERN was conducting their first accelerated particle collision in the new Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator. The moment of the collision was the moment that the worldwide shift happened. No one can really explain why everyone shifted — just that they did. It is all that Cassie can talk about. She tells me where she shifted — what her alternate reality looked like. She wants to know where I shifted. But I tell her that everything looked pretty much the same to me. I tell her I hadn’t even realized there was a shift until I saw it on the news. Inside I wish I was one of the lucky ones who’d died when the shift happened. But I’m not. And now my life is even bleaker than before. Because I know what could have been. I have had a glimpse of what my life should be. I would give anything to have that life back. Anything. But I can’t. Instead, I sit in the dark, all alone in my narrow world, wishing for something that never was, and praying for something that will never be.
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Personal Experiences: Ghost Hunter Case Files
Grave Investigations: Part 1 By Linda Williams, Martinsville Volunteer Paranormal Society
’ve found that cemeteries are the best place to train my new investigators. There are no clients, so if the investigator isn’t quite polished, it’s not in front of someone who’s called us in. My first training session took place in a cemetery near Petersburg, Indiana, which was set off by itself with no close structures. I took two of my investigators, Bill and Carolyn, to test their observational skills. We spent time in the newer part of the cemetery where we first tried to capture EMF spikes. And then after a bit, I left Bill and Carolyn on their own. I walked over to the older part of the cemetery just to get a feel for the area before bringing them over. I spent 20 minutes walking among the markers before I was truly drawn to one. As I bent down and read the name, Edith Baker, it was as if someone wearing old fashion, rose perfume had walked quietly past me. I walked around to each stone in the area looking for signs of live flowers; there were none. I scanned the area for flowering trees, and once again, I came up empty. As a matter of fact, I also noticed there wasn’t even a breeze that day. I decided it was time to bring
“As I bent down and read the name, Edith Baker, it was as if someone wearing old fashion, rose perfume had walked quietly past me.”
the others in, so I told them to keep all their senses open and to spend some time in the area. I didn’t, however, mention my encounter with the rose smell. After 25 minutes, it looked as if the others were giving up, when I noticed Carolyn stop and begin looking more closely at something. I walked over to them to find myself before the same stone as before. Carolyn told me she had
Paranormal Underground August 2009
smelled roses, and it was as if they just lightly passed her. Also like before, no roses were found. We all loaded into the car and drove half a mile in each direction looking for the source, even though there was no breeze. We came up with nothing. To this day we still wonder if Edith Baker might have been trying to make contact with us and we can’t wait to visit Edith again.
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August 2009 Paranormal Underground 59
The Hallway By Ryan Ray, Paranormal Survey and Investigation
y name is Ryan Ray, and I am the founder and lead investigator for Paranormal Survey and Investigation based in the California Bay Area. I’d like to share with you a significant event that occurred in my life that I believe to be paranormal in nature. In late 2003, my aunt informed me that she believed the apartment that she was living in was haunted. She knew that I had a strange fascination with the paranormal and asked if I could stay the night and investigate her place. She told me a few of the things she was experiencing. She said doors would lock and unlock on their own, salt and pepper shakers would slide across the dinner table, temperatures would dramatically drop randomly, she even said that her youngest daughter reported ‘playing ball’ with a little girl in the back room of the apartment. Investigating a Haunted Location On December 25, 2003, I spent the night at my aunt’s house. I didn’t have much in the way of gear, but I was able to bring a few things. I brought two Hi8 video cameras on tripods, a Sony digital still camera, a Minolta 35mm camera with infrared film, and an EMF meter made by Extech Instruments. My aunt said that most of the activity they had experienced was
late at night, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. I arrived at the apartment at around 7 p.m. I took some time to tour the place, and get firsthand accounts of where the main activity was taking place. It turned out that most
Most of the activity the residents had experienced was late at night and took place in a small hallway area that connected most of the rooms of the apartment.
of the activity happened in a small hallway area that connected most of the rooms of the apartment. I set up my video cameras at both ends
Paranormal Underground August 2009
of the hallway and recorded most of the night. I should tell you now that I was taking my opportunity to stay in the apartment very seriously. I made it clear to my aunt, cousins, and sister who were staying there that night, that if they were going to walk in front of the cameras they needed to say their names as they passed. I also told them that if I was walking around to take pictures that they needed to stay behind me, I did not want to have false positives turn up in my photos or videos later. I was also very careful not to take a photo with anyone in the shot. Encountering Life-Changing Experiences The events of this night really had an impact on my life. I saw things that night that I had only heard about in movies. I am going to do my best to recall what went on that night. Luckily, I kept a paranormal journal, so what I am writing to you now is what I wrote back then. Everyone who was in the house stayed out in the front room all night, they watched TV and movies for most of the time. I consider myself sensitive to paranormal things, so when I ‘felt’ something, I would snap a picture — usually with both cameras. We kept the lights low and, I did random walkthroughs throughout the night. The later it got, the stranger it got. We were all on the front couch watch-
ing TV, and my sister turned around thinking someone was standing behind her. She reported seeing a young girl in a white dress standing behind us; as soon as she saw the girl, the girl turned to walk away and disappeared. Needless to say, my sister was startled and upset. She didn’t really think anything would come of the evening. My Biggest Encounter Later that night while looking at a painting my cousin had done, my sister said she saw the right eye of the face in the painting change into a rotating swirl pattern. We also saw ‘dark spots’ within shadows; the only way I can explain this is to say it looks almost like a void within a normal dark area. We saw orbs of light bouncing around in the air vents on the ceiling and floors. One of my video cameras shut off, most of the charges of my batteries were drained, my EMF meter spiked from zero and turned off, and the overall temperature dropped very low for most of the night. Even though we had the heater on, we could see our breath. Overall, the night was very active. My biggest encounter happened at 4:37 a.m. I was sitting on a chair looking at the hallway and a young girl appeared in front of me. This girl was wearing old-fashioned clothing, what looked to me like a nice, white Sunday dress and black lace-up boots. She walked toward me, stopped about five feet away from me, looked me in the eye and said, “We’re leaving now.” She then turned and walked into the kitchen, I could hear her boots clicking on the linoleum. She took a few steps toward the dead end of the kitchen and disappeared. The moment the girl disappeared, the atmosphere of the apartment seemed to change. The temperature rose, and the overall feeling of
During the course of investigating his aunt’s haunted apartment, Ryan Ray snapped this photo of what he deems to be “a compelling paranormal photograph.” According to Ryan, there were no humans in any of the four rolls of film he took that night, and the camera was not used by anyone else present at the investigation. What do you think? Visit Paranormal Underground’s Personal Experience Gallery (http://www.paranormalunderground.net/site/?p=1199) to offer your thoughts on Ryan’s evidence.
uneasiness faded. This was my first real encounter with an entity. A Controversial Photo Shortly after visiting my aunt’s house, I went back to my college campus where I was going to develop the rolls of film that I took. I had taken several semesters of photography and was fairly proficient at developing rolls and printing negatives without any trouble. Out of the four or so rolls of film, I got a few odd things, some black dots here and there that could be called orbs, but I tend to disregard orb photos because dust is so often an easy way to explain something like that. I was, however, happy to find what looked like a young woman walking toward me down the hallway of my aunt’s apartment. To this day, I have not seen a more compelling paranormal photograph.
I have joined several online paranormal communities and forums only to be laughed at and shut down when I show this photo. It is just “too good to be real” people say. While I have come to accept this type of reaction to my photo, I know what is true. While I do not know what this photo is of, I do know that there were no humans in any of the four rolls I took that night. I wore the camera around my neck on a strap all night (even when I went to the restroom). The only time that the camera was taken off was to replace a roll of film, so no one else used this camera. There was a digital camera being used during the night that my sister was operating, but nothing was found on the memory card.
For more information, visit http:// paranormalsurvey.com.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 61
Paranormal Perspective: Guest Editorial
The Greatest Lesson of All “When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.” —Wayne Dyer By Shannon Sylvia, Paranormal Investigator
he quote above is my favorite quote of all time. Whether it’s been opening a Website design studio downtown nine years ago, a day spa in 2008, or becoming a ghost hunter on a Sci Fi TV show, it’s all the baby steps that have gotten me where I am today and have taught me the greatest lesson of all . . . enjoy each step along the way. Since August 2008, I have been free of any filming obligations with the Ghost Hunters franchise and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. Countless radio shows, amazing events, investigations all over the United States, and fun lectures and workshops have made this almost a full-time career for me. I’ve been very lucky and fortunate to be approached for these events and gettogethers. It hasn’t been easy. I grew up with some of the most horrific scenarios one can imagine in a haunted house, only to move out into another with activity. I climbed a Romanian mountain to a castle for a 17-hour investigation in a major bliz-
zard. I was poked and prodded in Italy and Kentucky and handcuffed in New York, all by invisible forces. It has been quite an interesting year for me. This has also been thera-
Paranormal investigator Shannon Sylvia assesses the past and looks forward to the future.
Paranormal Underground August 2009
peutic, being able to talk about my experiences growing up in a haunted house and my struggles as a teenager with nowhere to turn. Getting to Do What You Love Honestly, if you asked me two years ago if I would be on television doing what I’ve been obsessed with most of my life, I’d think you were nuts. What are the chances, right? Who on Earth would turn down an opportunity to travel the world all expenses paid doing what you love doing? Why not have another opinion on the activity of your home on Paranormal State? It’s been a whirlwind. When I joined a ghost hunting team in 2005, I put 110% of my effort into my work. I took the required class to be on the team, put in my time and did every case possible within a two-hour drive from my home. I trained the newbies, purchased the best equipment I could get my hands on, and attended many classes and workshops across
New England. I put in my time, and it was well worth it! I had already clocked dozens of investigations on my own before joining a group for the first time. I had read every book on the paranormal and occult that my money could buy. I read up on Hans Holzer, the Warrens, and Raymond Moody. My father was on Unsolved Mysteries as a witness to the stigmata Audrey Santos mysteries. My greatgrandfather was a psychic medium and famous escape artist. I simply could not get away from the Paranormal, and I could not get enough.
shows. It’s hard work, a never-ending battle, and hit or miss. I have turned down television work I did not believe would be right for me. I am enjoying my travels, working full time on top of that at my design studio, and plugging away at my investigations, fundraisers, and radio shows. I have been lending a hand to my husband, Jeff, who has his own show, “Up for Discussion,” Tuesday nights on ALI-FM. Last year I founded Para Rock Productions, a paranormal Website that promotes other investigators as well as offers paranormal logo, T-shirt, and Web deLooking Back sign to teams inexpensively If there was anything I (pararockproductions.com). could change, it would be Also, I have been workthe drama and animosity in ing on a couple of new projthis field. More and more During her journey as a paranormal investigator, Shannon ects with new equipment, I’m seeing people in this enjoys each step along the way. and I co-developed a very field marketing themselves effective tool for use in deout of nowhere, taking other monic or exorcism cases that people’s research and hard is being tested as we speak. ionated; suppressing thoughts and work and turning it into So far we’ve seen pleasant, well, notstories about evidence and investigatheirs to try to make a name for so-pleasant results. This tool protions and happenings is not helping themselves. vokes spirits without the knowledge the field expand. It can all be done I see people forgetting to reof the client in order to detect if they graciously and with tact. search, investigate, and raise funds are indeed possessed. for historical landmarks and focus I am off to New Orleans in more on getting a TV show. I see Moving Forward November to witness my first real big-named agents banning people So how does my future look? séance and to research Voodoo from events and representation withPsychics such as C.J. Sellers, Derek practices. This has been a lifelong out even knowing these investigators. Acorah, Jackie Carpenter, and othdream for me since I was little and I see con artists, frauds, and ers have given me their two cents. saw Wes Craven’s Serpent and the people with extensive criminal backPersonally, it can only be full of more Rainbow. grounds entering people’s homes research and new investigations. Two weeks before that trip I’ll to investigate because their teams I look forward to meeting be at the Mayan Pyramids for a third did not run a background check on thousands more new people as time visit and, yes, I’ll be running the them. This is the short list. moves forward, shaking their hands, recorder in hopes for a Mayan EVP. I feel the world can all contribtalking to them about evidence, and 2009 has been a good year. I ute their opinions, both good and sharing my knowledge of the field. look forward to seeing many new bad, and make this field a better I am in works with producers places and faces in 2010, and enjoyone every day. I admire people who from California, Michigan, and ing each step along the way . . . speak their minds and are opinFlorida, on new ideas for television
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 63
What Can W Hi-Def Paranorm By Karen Frazier
had to drag my husband into the paranormal kicking and screaming. I’m not sure that he was a full-on disbeliever, but he certainly thought it was a silly hobby. Then one weekend, I dragged him along on a paranormal investigation with our friends at A.P.A.R.T. of Washington to investigate the Tokeland Hotel. You can read about it in our May 2008 issue. Something magical and mystical happened to Jim that weekend. He got to meet and talk with some kindred spirits — fellow technical geeks, who love nothing more than a good gadget. Now the man is unstoppable. He’s not only got paranormal game — he’s got gadget. High Definition/Normal Definition Audio Test There’s a lot to be tested in the paranormal, and for a guy who’s got an extremely curious mind and an IQ north of 160 (according to Facebook — the experts in IQ testing), the paranormal presents an enticing puzzle just waiting to be unraveled. So now with an investigation scheduled in a reportedly very active location, Jim geared up with gadgets. He couldn’t be stopped. We talked
a lot about what to look for and how to find it. One of my favorite things we decided to try was using high-definition equipment side-by-side with normal definition equipment. Then, we could compare the results, looking first at the low-def and then checking any findings with the hi-def. We had a plan and we had a place. Now we just needed to get our equipment in line.
The Olympus DS-40 compresses data into a highly compressed WMA file. This model is priced at around $130.
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Audio Equipment Used in Experiment For a high definition recorder, Jim decided on the Samson Zoom H4. For the normal definition, we choose the Olympus DS-40, which is a fairly high-end, hand-held digital voice recorder. The Zoom H4 records in uncompressed wav files with different settings for wav recording. You can select the resolution for your recordings, as well as the sample rate. The Olympus, on the other hand, compresses the data into a highly compressed WMA file. This means that with low definition recording equipment, you are at a disadvantage right out of the starting gate. Think of the difference between the Zoom H4 and the Olym-
We Learn From mal Investigation? pus as the difference between a hi-definition and regular-definition television set. On the hi-def, you can make out every splotch and wrinkle on every face, which is why some people are just not made for hi-def television. On the regular definition television, you may see that something is there, but you can’t quite tell what it is. A freckle? A wrinkle? Lunch? So, if you are recording sound in higher definition and lower definition, then what you might discover is that something that you thought was a whisper on the Olympus turned out to be someone scuffing their foot on the floor on review of the H4. We experienced this when we put the two recorders side-by-side on a recent investigation. We listened to the data from the Olympus first and thought we picked up a lot of stuff. Mostly whispers and growls. Listening to it on the H4, however, we discovered that there were perfectly logical explanations for each one of those sounds. The Value of High-Definition Audio Equipment This is the value of the hi-def/ low-def recording of the same data. It can show how easily small things
can be misinterpreted as whispered EVPs. The same can be said for video equipment. An anomalous blob on a low definition still or video camera may turn out to be a bug or a perfectly explainable shadow. If you come across something that is on both that can’t be explained, then maybe you’ve got something. We had just such a finding on the Olympus and the Zoom H4. I have posted it in Paranormal Underground’s EVP gallery under the heading, Hi-Def Audio Recording revisited. Go to www. paranormalunderground. net and click on the Gallery EVP tab to listen.
The Zoom H4 records in uncompressed wav files with different settings for wav recording. You can select the resolution for your recordings, as well as the sample rate.
Price Differences Between High/Low Def The Zoom H4 comes in at about $379, while the Olympus DS40 is priced at around $130. As far as the DS-40 goes, it is a very good digital audio recorder.
It picks up far more cleanly than most of the less expensive Sony and Olympus recorders. Go on the site and take a listen. And if you get the chance, compare the two yourself and see if maybe you are hearing things that are something else entirely.
August 2009 Paranormal Underground 65
Jon K.C. Kinstley (PooPerDooPer) About Jon
How would you describe yourself?
Jon: Overly inquisitive and easy going.
Born/Currently resides: Corpus Christi, Texas/Orangestad, St Eustatius, Dutch West Indies.
Tell us about your family and what you like to do.
Status: Single. Education: Some college. Zodiac Sign: Is a diver down flag.
Jon: My oldest son Samuel lives here on the island with me. We enjoy investigating reputedly haunted sites. We also enjoy snorkeling and hunting for Dutch Trade Beads (Blue Beads).
Jon: My son would sing “PooPerDooPer” instead of “Super Dooper” every time the song “Putting on the Ritz” would play during the movie “Young Frankenstein.” I guess you sorta had to be there!
What would our readers be surprised to find out about you?
Jon: Dirty dishes, dive masks that won’t seal, and Nascar.
What does your member name mean?
Jon: Texas Country, Rock-a-Billy, and the majority of ’70s and ’80s easy listening.
What are your pet peeves?
Jon: I was looking online for paranormal sites one evening and found the link for PUG. I have enjoyed the people and information here ever since.
Jon: I quit voting after George Senior.
Occupation: Control room Supervisor at a very remote oil terminal.
What brought you to Paranormal Underground?
are the Dirk Pitt adventures by Clive Cussler, and my favorite movie is “Man on Fire.”
Are you a skeptic or believer? Jon and his son, Samuel, (pictured above) enjoy investigating reputedly haunted sites.
Who are your heroes? Jon: My father and Jacques DeMolay. What are your favorite TV shows, paranormal shows, books, movies? Jon: Warehouse 13, Ghost Hunters, and Ghost Hunters International for television shows. My favorite books
Paranormal Underground August 2009
Jon: I am a definite believer. What areas of the paranormal interest you the most? Jon: EVPs and EMF anomalies. I want to believe that this is the area where the breakthroughs in paranormal research will happen. Talk about any paranormal experiences you might have had and how they have affected you. Jon: Not mentioning dreams of loved ones that have passed. Each encounter
seems to spark a different question. The latest question was started by an EVP from the Dutch West Indies Trading Co. investigation. The EVP seems to state that my son and I “are on the outside!” Now, I wonder who she was telling that to and why they couldn’t see us as well?
Have you ever studied the paranormal? Jon: I started reading about the paranormal in grade school. I have only recently begun seriously investigating places where I have had experiences. What do you think happens to us when we die? Jon: I am leaning more toward the theory that we are here on Earth for whatever reason until we decide or are allowed to leave.
A believer of paranormal phenomena, Jon is most interested in EVPs and EMF anomalies. Do you have any words of wisdom that you live by? Jon: Adventure is paramount; without it you’re just an observer! Any exciting plans for the future? Jon: I am trying to plan an overnight investigation at a sight here on the island known as “Crooks Castle.” These remote ruins are on the Southeast side of our Island and are reported to be the home of most of the Islands “Jumbies!” We’ll see?
Paranormal Underground’s 2nd Annual Short Story Contest
aranormal Underground is holding its 2nd Annual Short Story Contest. If you are a writer of fiction, love to write about the paranormal, and would like to see your story published in one of our upcoming issues, then this contest is for you! The contest is open to members AND nonmembers of Paranormal Underground. Contest rules include: • Stories due by September 1, 2009. • 1,000 to 3,000 words (submissions under 1,000 words and over 3,000 words will not be considered eligible for the contest). • All submitted works must not have been previously published. • If you are submitting artwork and/or photos to accompany your fiction, please site the source of the artwork/photos. • Submit to firstname.lastname@example.org. The first-place winner will be published in our October issue. They will also have the option to become a regular contributor in our Featured Author column. We will be awarding prizes for 1st through 3rd place: • First Place: Publication in Paranormal Underground e-Magazine; a Zoom H4 Handy Recorder; and the option to take part in an upcoming “Paranormal Underground Presents” podcast. • Second Place: Olympus VN-4100PC digital voice recorder and possible publication in Paranormal Underground e-Magazine. • Third Place: Any book listed in Paranormal Underground’s Bookstore and possible publication in Paranormal Underground e-Magazine. Our judges include Paranormal Underground’s Publisher Chad Wilson, Managing Editor Karen Frazier, and Science Editor J.D. Harrison. Judging criteria includes: • Story originality • Paranormal theme creativity • Text fluidity Submissions will be compiled and sent to the judges by the editor-inchief, and all judges will not know who wrote each submission until after judging is completed. Winners will be announced based on a ranking system, which will be compiled from first to last place. When e-mailing your submission to the editor, also include your name, story title, e-mail address, word count, and illustrations/photos, if any. If you have any questions regarding the contest, please e-mail email@example.com. Last year we had a great response, and we hope to see even more writers join us in our second short story contest. Good luck everyone, and we look forward to reading your submissions! August 2009 Paranormal Underground 67
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Paranormal Underground August 2009
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August 2009 Paranormal Underground 69 |
The Plesiosaur (Greek plēsios/πλησιος meaning 'near' or 'close to' and sauros/σαυρος meaning 'lizard') is a type of carnivorous aquatic reptile which was created by God on Day 5 of the Creation Week. While Plesiosaurs (alongside their close relatives the Pliosaurs) have been known to people throughout Antediluvian history under a wide variety of names, the most common title which is often given to them is that of "Sea Serpent" or "Sea Dragon".
Today, the name "Plesiosaur" is applied both to 'true' Plesiosaurs (namely, those within the Superfamily Plesiosauroidea) and to the larger taxonomic rank of Plesiosauria, which also includes the Pliosaurs. Plesiosaur fossils are usually found in strata identified as Jurassic or Cretaceous. Although Plesiosaurs and Pliosaurs are often incorrectly called "Sea Dinosaurs", "Swimming Dinosaurs" or "Marine Dinosaurs", they are actually completely unrelated to the Dinosaurs.
Generally, Plesiosaurs ranged from between 10-100 ft in length. They had a long neck and appealing plump body, and four gigantic paddle-shaped flippers. The plesiosaur uses its flippers to walk on land and swim in the water. The plesiosaur would use its front flippers in the same motion someone would make to accelerate a rowboat. The back flippers were used for steering and balance. Since the flippers made it very hard for the plesiosaur to walk on land, they had to walk with a waddling movement. Their tails had a variation of lengths. The plesiosaur was known to have enormously sharp teeth and a very muscular jaw. It is assumed that the plesiosaur had developed from the Nothosaur or Pistosaurus, which were both mid-Triassic reptiles. The Plesiosaur was known to have probably very little trouble maneuvering its way around in the water and has quicksilver reactions or reflexes and speed as fast as lightning. The name Plesiosaur means, "near lizard,” which means if it was a lizard or reptile it was most likely a cold-blooded animal, but is not proven or supported by facts and scientists can only presume that is was cold-blooded. The plesiosaurs habits are typically related to modern day sea turtles and seals although they are not related.
The consideration is that a female plesiosaur will go to a muddy or sandy area whether it is on the sea floor or out on the shore. It will dig a big enough hole with its flippers for it to lay its eggs in and after the eggs are laid it will cover the hole where the eggs are so that the babies will not be susceptible to danger. She will pack the top of the sand down hard to keep it securely tucked away and as it ventures away back to go out into the water; it will get rid of any evidence that would lead a predator to the babies. When the babies’ hatch they are on their own and will crawl back out to sea and have to learn the way of life on its very own. Somehow, the babies manage to make it on their own in their big blue world.
The Plesiosaur habitat was the open oceans. The Plesiosaurs would eat ballasts so it would help pulverize food in their stomach so that digestion was not so problematical and to help them dive deep in the water to the beyond. Plesiosaurs ate all kinds of numerous types of fish and any other swimming animal or organism. They had no problem chewing with their strong jaws and no difficulty mincing another fish to bits with its various razor sharp teeth. The other frequent thing that the Plesiosaur would like to eat was Ammonites. Ammonites are known by almost all because of the commons similar designs on their shell. Ammonites were free-swimming creatures associated to squid and octopuses. They would attack their prey with stretching tentacles coming out of their shell and their shell was filled with gas and liquid to keep them buoyant and free swimming. How they maneuvered themselves around was by flapping their flippers like crazy back and forth.
- Main Article: Living Plesiosaur
The Loch Ness Monster also known as Nessie is a cryptid animal which is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The most common eyewitness description of Nessie is that of a plesiosaur.
However, several problems with this theory have been noted. Scientists claim it can't be a plesiosaur because they are cold blooded. The average temperature of Loch Ness is about 42°F, thus it would die. Even if the plesiosaurs was warm-blooded, there wouldn't be nearly enough food to keep it alive. Also, there is no indication that plesiosaur have sonar capability. Having this would be necessary in the loch since visibility is poor in the Loch because of a high peat concentration. Fossil evidence indicates [plesiosaurs] were sight hunters. It is highly unlikely that the loch's peat-filled water would allow such animals to hunt the limited food supply and be able to survive. In addition, Leslie Noè of the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge pointed out that, "The osteology of the neck makes it absolutely certain that the plesiosaur could not lift its head up swan-like out of the water", precluding the possibility that Nessie is a plesiosaur.
In 1977, a Japanese trawler named Zuiyo-maru was fishing off the coast of New Zealand and pulled up a carcass of an unidentified animal. After some pictures and measurements were taken, the carcass was thrown back because of its unpleasant odor, logistic difficulties of carting it to shore, and to avoid spoiling the fish already caught. Japanese scientists originally identified the carcass as an extinct animal, possibly a Plesiosaur. Subsequent analysis suggests the creature was some sort of shark, not a Plesiosaur. The specimen does not form an airtight argument for modern sightings of dinosaurs, and is considered an argument creationists should not use.
- Plesiosaur by Wikipedia
- PLESIOSAURS: "Near-lizards" by Enchanted Learning
- Our Fossils by CHARMOUTH HERITAGE COAST CENTRE |
Monday, June 07, 2010
I never left, and apart from three nights in August 2005, I have never been back to Exeter. My father was obviously in no fit state to look after himself and as my brother was a serving soldier stationed in Germany, and also had a wife and four kids, I had no real option but to uproot from my home of 20 years to look after him.
When he died I kept the house, acquired a wife and two step-daughters, and the rest is history. I know you have all heard the story several times before but it was five years ago today and so it bears repitition.
Why Graham is standing looking perplexed in this picture of the grounds taken by Mark N. years ago having flown the camera aloft on a kite, I have no idea....
On my desk is a 30" tank containing a solitary female Ramarizi dwarf cichlid, a thriving colony of guppies, which are, nominally at least, the property of my eldest stepdaughter, and since Sunday night, six knife (or knife-edge) livebearers, an unjustifiably obscure species from Central America, which I have to say that I had never heard of before bidding three quid for an immature trio.
It is interesting to watch them alongside the guppies because although superficially similar, they are much sleeker and much more predatory in appearance, and swim in a much more determined and forthright manner.
In the picture the two lighter-coloured fish are fully grown female guppies, and I think that the difference between the two species is very marked.
The well had to be capped by a large stone every day after use. One day the attendant was too tired to replace the stone and fell asleep. When she woke up (apparently three days later) she found that the well had flooded the valley below and created Loch Awe.
There have been stories of a creature in the loch going back hundreds of years. The creature is said to come ashore during winter and can be heard growling and panting.
One of the few written accounts of this creature was written by Timothy Pont, who chronicled what he called gigantic eels in the loch. He said he was frightened to fish in the loch because of the large eels and they also frightened fishermen away from the loch. The eels were described these eels as being the girth of a horse and reaching huge lengths, such as 33 feet (11metres). The description sounds very much like the horse eels of Ireland.
We may scoff at the thought of such large eels but further up the western coast on the islands this report was printed in The London Times March 6, 1856:
The Sea Serpent in the Highlands
The village of Leurbost, Parish of Lochs, Lewis, is at present the scene of an unusual occurrence. This is no less than the appearance in one of the inland fresh-water lakes of an animal which from its great size and dimensions has not a little puzzled our island naturalists. Some suppose him to be a description of the hitherto mythological water-kelpie; while others refer it to the minute descriptions of the "sea-serpent," which are revived from time to time in the newspaper columns. It has been repeatedly seen within the last fortnight by crowds of people, many of whom have come from the remotest parts of the parish to witness the uncommon spectacle. The animal is described by some as being in appearance and size like "a large peat stack," while others affirm that a "six-oared boat" could pass between the huge fins, which are occasionally visible. All, however, agree in describing its form as that of an eel; and we have heard one, whose evidence we can rely upon, state that in length he supposed it to be about 40 feet. It is probable that it is no more than a conger eel after all, animals of this description having been caught in the Highland lakes which have attained huge size. He is currently reported to have swallowed a blanket inadvertently left on the bank by a girl herding cattle. A sportsman ensconced himself with a rifle in the vicinity of the loch during a whole day, hoping to get a shot, but did no execution.
So large Eels were not unknown in the Highland lochs in the past. Food for thought for those who think the Loch Ness creature is a giant eel.
Many of you who attended the Weird Weekend between 2001 and 2005 eill remember the oldest member of the CFZ, Noela mackenzie. She is now 87, and living in an old folks' home in Torrington.
She is remarkably spry and alert for her age, and last week Richard and Graham paid her a visit.
On this day in 632AD Muhammad died.
And now, the news:
World Cup gamblers 'smoking vulture brains'
Escaped elephant goes on tour of Zurich
Boy Matador, 12, Bullish After Narrow Escape
NY couple weds in shark tank, wearing wet suits
They could have saved money on a photographer by getting a shark to take a few snaps….
All three of us had only about four hours kip on Saturday night and so I am still exhausted this morning.
I will go into more detail about our new fishes in the next day or two, but sadly more mundane things demand my attention.
Beside the Na Slovanech monastery was an old pagan burial ground. One day three monks observed some old bones being dug up there. They saw how the bones were not rotten and said that even mother earth rejected the bones of a pagan. They gave the bones to a dog. Just then the Bishop came by and disgusted at their behaviour, he told them that they deserved to become dogs themselves. The three monks were transformed into huge, daemonic hounds with fiery red eyes. They are said to haunt the area till this very day. They can only be freed, if a pagan strokes their ears.
The Loch Ness Monster, Nessie to its friends, ranks equally with Bigfoot and the Yeti as a superstar of cryptozoology, known worldwide as the central figure of an enduring natural mystery. As such, its passing—if, in fact, the creature does exist, or ever did—should rate star treatment on a global scale.
And yet ....
The broad strokes of Nessie’s public history, spanning some fourteen-hundred years, are common knowledge. Its brush with Saint Columba, sometime in the mid-sixth century; Duncan Campbell’s encounter with “a terrible beast” in the 1520s; scattered reports of sightings between 1862 and 1930; then the opening of floodgates with construction of a road along the loch’s south shore in 1933. The rest, as someone said, is history.
But what of Nessie now, in the twenty-first century’s second decade?
No one believes the ancient fable of a lone, undying cryptid dwelling for eons on end in Loch Ness—or anywhere else, for that matter. If Nessie exists as a flesh-and-blood being, it must be mortal. And at some time in the not-so-distant past there must have been a breeding population.
Is Nessie dead and gone?
* * *
The first hint of Nessie’s demise was equivocal, at best, sparked by rumblings from the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club. In September 2007 club member Mikko Talaka warned Glasgow’s Sunday Mail of a “massive turndown” in Nessie sightings, rating it as “a potential crisis.” Steve Feltham, a fixture at Loch Ness since 1991 with his mobile home-cum-library, opined that the loch’s original population of twenty to thirty cryptids had dwindled to “the last half dozen,” which were “gradually dropping off because of old age.” Those grim forebodings notwithstanding, fan club president Gary Campbell assured reporter Billy Paterson, “From our point of view, Nessie and her kittens are alive and well.” (1)
Longtime researcher Robert Harvey Rines wasn’t so sure.
A true Renaissance man—attorney, physicist, prolific inventor, musical composer, university professor, founder of a private law school—Rines devoted nearly half his life to the pursuit of Nessie, after logging a personal sighting in June 1971. Thirty years later Rines photographed something resembling a large animal’s carcass in Urquhart Bay at a depth of 333 feet but subsequent attempts to locate the object proved fruitless.
By February 2008, at age eighty-five, Rines was prepared to throw in the towel. Branding his own Nessie sighting a “misfortune,” Rines had narrowed the scope of his inquiries to a search for skeletal remains, declaring Nessie dead. “Unfortunately,” he told Glasgow’s Daily Record, “I'm running out of age too.” (2)
Time ran out for Rines on 1 November 2009, but the mystery remained.
- December 1933—Big-game hunter Marmaduke Wetherell faked “monster” footprints at Loch Ness, using an umbrella stand made from a hippopotamus foot.
- July 1951—Forestry Commission employee Lachlan Stuart photographed bales of hay wrapped in tarpaulins, allegedly depicting three “humps” in the loch.
- March 1972: Staffers from North Yorkshire’s Flamingo Park Zoo (now Flamingo Land Theme Park) dumped a dead elephant seal in Loch Ness, then “discovered” it and proclaimed it an unknown species.
- October 1972 through July 1974: Frank Searle produced a series of dramatic “Nessie” photos, progressing from floating tree trunks to cut-and-paste dinosaur images.
- May 1977: Showman Anthony “Doc” Shiels photographed a long-necked cryptid rising from the loch, its image so peculiar that critics have dubbed it “The Loch Ness Muppet.” (It has to be said, however that opinions are still divided on this photograph Ed)
- May 2001: Persons unknown deposited two large conger eels—a saltwater species—in the freshwater loch, to pass as “young Nessies.”
- July 2003: Pensioner Gerald McSorley literally stumbled over fossilized plesiosaur vertebrae at Loch Ness, embedded in limestone foreign to the Highlands—in short, another drop-off by unknown hoaxers.
- March 2005: The supposed discovery of a “monster tooth” embedded in a deer carcass beside Loch Ness, soon identified as the antler of a muntjac deer, proved to be a publicity stunt for author Steve Alten’s new horror novel, The Loch.
While journalists around the world were quick to seize upon the tale and trumpet it as proof of Nessie’s non-existence, simple fact-checking should have revealed glaring holes in the Boyd-Martin story.
- While billed as a “deathbed confession,” Spurling’s tale was recorded two full years before he died in 1993.
- Spurling’s “confession” fails to account for a second, rarely published Wilson photo of the creature, caught on film in a very different posture. When challenged on that point, Boyd and Martin hedged that “Christian was vague, thought it might have been a piece of wood they were trying out as a monster, but [was] not sure.” (3)
- Spurling’s claim that the photo was snapped in a small Loch Ness inlet is clearly false, as uncropped prints reveal a shoreline in the background.
- Published claims that Dr. Wilson “retreated” from his original description of the incident are likewise false. His testimony remained consistent from 1934 until his death in June 1969.
- While various descriptions of Spurling’s toy submarine describe it as fourteen to eighteen inches long, an exhaustive review of antique toy catalogues reveals no wind-up toys in that size range offered for sale during the early 1930s.
- Finally and decisively, the patented medium known as “plastic wood” did not exist in April 1934. (4)
01. The “surgeon’s photo”—hoax or evidence?
BBC News was next in line to bury Nessie, in July 2003. Employing six hundred separate sonar beams, plus orbiting satellite technology “to ensure that none of the loch was missed,” the team went looking for a plesiosaur—allegedly “convinced that such an animal could have survived in the cold waters of Loch Ness, despite the normal preference of marine reptiles for sub-tropical waters”—but emerged from the survey to declare Loch Ness monster-free. (5)
Expedition member Hugh MacKay said, “We got some good clear data of the loch, steep sided, flat bottomed. Nothing unusual I’m afraid. There was an anticipation that we would come up with a large sonar anomaly that could have been a monster, but it wasn’t to be.” Colleague Ian Florence was even more emphatic: “We went from shoreline to shoreline, top to bottom on this one. We have covered everything in this loch and we saw no signs of any large living animal in the loch.” (6)
True or false?
Enter Jan-Ove Sundberg, cantankerous and controversial founder of Sweden’s Global Underwater Search Team. Sundberg’s team delved Loch Ness three times between March 2000 and April 2001, once arriving with a trap that sparked protests from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Hot on the heels of BBC’s announcement, Sundberg contacted Erik Stenersen, product manager for Kongsberg Maritime, producers of the gear employed by BBC to declare Nessie missing in action.
The result was unexpected.
Stenerson declared that Kongsberg’s “simrad” underwater scanning gear had a maximum range of 325 feet, and was thus incapable of fully sweeping Loch Ness—whose registered depths range from 433 feet to 786 feet (some reports claim 812 feet) at the deepest known point. “If they did [scan the whole loch],” Stenerson said, “they used a technology we never heard about, but we are world-leading in the area.” (7)
As for tracking Nessie from the void of outer space, a spokesman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) declared that while “instruments on satellites in space, hundreds of kilometers [sic] above us can measure many things about the sea: surface winds, sea surface temperature, water color [sic], wave height, and height of the ocean surface,” they cannot track live animals running submerged. (8)
In sum, reports of Nessie’s death were premature.
* * *
The fleeting YouTube furore sparked new rumblings from the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club. Increasingly discouraged by a dearth of recent sightings—and an episode of MonsterQuest titled 'Death of Loch Ness,' aired by the History Channel on 4 February 2009—club president Gary Campbell told reporters from Glasgow’s Daily Record and Edinburgh’s Caledonian Mercury that Nessie “may well be dead.” (10)
Despite that pronouncement, Campbell worried that “If people start to believe this, it might affect tourist numbers. Whether you believe in Nessie or not, the monster is one of the most important tourist attractions we have. Perhaps, though, the answers are to be found underwater instead of on the loch’s surface. Unknown sonar contacts happen all the time. Maybe Nessie is just keeping her head down.” (11)
Rather than abandon Scottish monster-hunting altogether, Campbell urged enthusiasts to try their luck at Loch Morar (home of “Morag”), Loch Arkaig, Loch Suaniaval on the Isle of Lewis, and other scenic spots.
* * *
Intrigued by Gary Campbell’s turnabout, and ever anxious for another chance to breathe clean Highland air, I embarked on my eighth trip to Loch Ness in April 2010. While never favoured with a sighting of my own, I’ve been enthralled by Nessie from my first childhood encounter with the beastie in a 1957 Reader’s Digest article.
That introduction—and Bigfoot’s headline premiere in California the following year—spawned a lifetime fascination with cryptozoology that has produced eight books so far, with three more in the works, and some two dozen magazine articles. I was married at Loch Ness in March 2003, during the same week when U.S. troops invaded Iraq—mission accomplished in my case, at least—and the place, overall, feels like home.
08. The author at Urquhart Castle.
09. The Royal Scot, captained by Nessie witness/researcher Richard Macdonald.
Nothing felt any different upon arrival for the latest expedition. If Nessie had indeed expired, the Scots seemed unaware of it. In one form or another—models, plush toys, key chains, T-shirts, pens and pencils, children’s books, headgear with long spiked tails, shortbread and fudge—the world’s most cheerful “monster” may be found at every turn, from Glasgow’s airport shops to its more familiar Highland haunts.
Ensconced in comfort at the lovely Inchnacardoch Lodge Hotel, outside of Fort Augustus, I proceeded to explore the countryside in search of evidence for Nessie’s passing. The classic starting point is Drumnadrochit, on the loch’s west shore, located at the foot of Glen Urquhart. Here, two Nessie exhibitions stand within a hundred yards of one another, although separated by a yawning chasm where their viewpoints are concerned.
One, the Loch Ness Monster Visitor Centre, greets all comers with a message clearly stating: “We Believe.” That much is obvious immediately, as a visitor embarks upon the tour—£5.50 per adult, £4 per child, or £14.50 per family—which includes classic photographs of cryptids and strange creatures from around the world, paintings by U.S. crypto-artist William Rebsamen, and a concluding cinematic presentation that combines historical background with eyewitness interviews, some including monks from the former Fort Augustus Abbey (now the Highland Club Scotland luxury self-catering apartments). Cruises aboard the Nessie Hunter may also be booked from the visitor’s centre, sailing daily from Easter Friday through till December 31.
Next-door to the “original” Nessie exhibition, attached to the Drumnadrochit Hotel, stands the “official” Loch Ness Exhibition Centre, launched by British adventurer Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes in the 1970s and run today by Loch Ness & Morar Project leader Adrian Shine. More sophisticated and elaborate than its neighbour—and slightly more expensive at £6.50 per adult, £4.50, £18 per family—Shine’s exhibit presents a relentlessly sceptical view of Nessie. In Shine’s view every photo taken of aquatic cryptids is a hoax; each of the several thousand sightings on record is either fraudulent or a result of mistaken identity.
But what is mistaken for Nessie?
Common candidates include boat wakes and wind-driven waves, floating logs, aquatic birds swimming in tandem, and the odd dog-paddling deer, but Shine himself suggests large fish. Sturgeon might fit the bill—and Shine, coincidentally, has tried his hand at rearing them in a pond near his own exhibition. “This is a bit embarrassing,” Shine said in January 2000, “and I would rather that there is not too much publicity about the fish. It is all part of an experiment I am conducting. The fish occasionally breaks the surface in the summer and is spotted by visitors and we are recording their description of what they see.” (12)
Nessie fan club spokesman Gary Campbell looked askance at Shine’s experiment, declaring, “It’s no wonder that he doesn't want any publicity. This experiment has the worst overtones of pseudo-science that have been seen at Loch Ness for years. What happens when the fish grows too big for the pond? It might be unfair to suggest that the fish may end up in the loch, be spotted and then be caught, thus proving Mr Shine correct all along, but the coincidences are a bit much to take.” Waxing conspiratorial, Campbell added, “It may be that he is raising a sturgeon because he didn’t like goldfish, or he may be moving into the production of Loch Ness caviar, but given the contempt with which he treats any theory other than his own, I think that something slightly more sinister may be going on.” (13)
* * *
Next stop: Urquhart Castle, where Scottish history and mystery collide. As with the first reports of Nessie, Urquhart Castle dates from Saint Columba’s time, when King Brude built an outpost for his northern Picts. The castle’s legacy of blood and fire spans four long centuries, from its capture in 1296 by England’s Edward I—“Longshanks,” of Braveheart infamy—to 1692, when supporters of William III frustrated Jacobite invaders by blasting the keep to smithereens.
Only photogenic ruins remain, maintained as a tourist attraction by Historic Scotland, but Urquhart has produced more than its share of modern Nessie sightings—nearly two dozen on record since the 1930s when a group of school children saw the monster on land, waddling over swampy ground to enter Urquhart Bay. Lachlan Stuart faked his hay-bale photograph at Urquhart Castle in 1951 and Doc Shiels snapped his “muppet” photo there, a quarter-century later.
Hoaxes aside, researchers still puzzle over Lorna Taylor’s photo of a rising head and neck, taken near Urquhart Castle in September 1995; a group sighting from the cruise boat Jacobite Queen on 19 June 1998; another from the Nessie Hunter on 5 September 1998; and a seven-witness sighting near the castle on 30 March 1999.
On 20 June 2000 Canadian monster enthusiast Gavin Joth spent his lunch break watching a Loch Ness webcam at work and captured several frames of an unknown object crossing Urquhart Bay. Analysts from the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club discounted fakery, along with the “usual suspects,” and Joth subsequently banked a £500 prize offered by William Hill bookmakers for the year’s best photo of Nessie.
On 23 May 2003 local auxiliary coastguard skipper George Edwards watched a six-foot creature paddling offshore from Urquhart Castle for two or three minutes in bright sunshine. Nine months later, on 5 February 2004, another webcam witness snapped Nessie at Urquhart Bay. Most recently, on 27 March 2007, tourist Sidney Wilson photographed two passing vessels from the rear deck of his own cruise boat, later noting the head and fin of an unidentified creature when the photos were developed.
As on prior excursions, Nessie declined to surface during my latest visit to Urquhart Castle, but I nurture no hard feelings. Hope springs eternal. The dark waters beckon, ripe with mystery and promise.
* * *
One local who harbours no doubts about Nessie’s continued survival is Richard Macdonald, captain of the Royal Scot tour boat based at Fort Augustus since 1983. Sailing hourly from April through November—£11 per adult, £6.50 per child, £33 pounds per family of four—the Royal Scot features sophisticated depth-ranging gear and boasts multiple sonar contacts with large unknown objects in transit, but Captain Macdonald’s personal accounts enter another realm entirely.
Despite repeated sorties on the Royal Scot, I saw Macdonald in action for the first time on 16 April 2010. Commanding the attention of an unruly crowd below decks, he reeled off details of personal sightings—the most recent occurring at 6:01 p.m. on 28 June 2007—and described a population of seventeen specific cryptids dwelling in the loch, identifiable by size and behavioural traits. The proof was on his mobile phone, in the form of multiple photographs, all but one reportedly snapped by Macdonald himself during years of research conducted, he says, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA.
Why MIT? Perhaps because Boston native Robert Rines spent years on the university’s faculty, conducted underwater searches at Loch Ness with MIT’s professor of electrical engineering Harold “Doc” Edgerton, and had an MIT distance learning center named in his honour during 1997.
Why NASA? That requires more of a stretch, for a federal agency whose mission is simplicity itself: “to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.” (14) How does that goal, pursued since NASA’s creation in 1958, mesh with studying Nessie? Does the strange overlap explain NASA’s eagerness to contradict the BBC in 2003?
In any case, Macdonald says his research is classified, with copies of his photos—one portraying an apparent severed tail—held exclusively by MIT, at NASA headquarters, and in his personal archive.
One of the photos on display this afternoon, however, is familiar. It depicts a rotting carcass dangling from a shipboard crane. Macdonald says that it was snapped off New Zealand in 1994, scientifically dismissed as a giant squid’s remains in an apparent effort to conceal “the truth” about sea monsters. He’s right about the venue but mistaken on the year and final diagnosis. In fact, the photograph depicts remains of a creature hooked by the Japanese fishing trawler Zuiyo Maru on 25 April 1977, subsequently identified as a decomposed basking shark from traces of the protein elastodin found in its rotting tissue. Objections to that finding continue in some quarters, particularly among fundamentalist Christians who seek proof of “young Earth” creationism in the possible survival of prehistoric reptiles. (15)
The Royal Scot’s captain offers no such religious trappings for his endorsement of Nessie. Macdonald, in his own words, has devoted his life “to study of these creatures,” and withholds opinions on their similarity to other cryptids seen around the world, including “Champ” at Lake Champlain and “Ogopogo” in British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake. To him the presence of a breeding cryptic population in the loch appears as certain as the bloom of heather during spring.
Is there, in fact, some covert study group in place? A classified project linking MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the Royal Scot’s wheelhouse at Fort Augustus? For now, at least, the answers to those questions lie beyond our grasp.
* * *
Three days before my scheduled departure for the States, Mother Nature pulled another trick out of her hat, unleashing Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. I never glimpsed a speck of ash as it disrupted flights throughout the bulk of Western Europe, but I found my working holiday extended for the best part of another week.
There are, in fact, worse fates than being “stuck” in Scotland. Listening to crazed “tea party” loons at home, for instance, as they try to stop the clock on efforts to place U.S. health care on par with powerhouse states such as Singapore, South Korea, Cuba, and Brunei.
While waiting I was moved to wonder: how will any cryptids lurking in Loch Ness respond to Iceland’s drifting plumes of ash? Will those new deposits hasten extinction of a species still unrecognised, as Robert Rines suspected global warming had, years earlier?
Perhaps.10. Nessie and friend follow the Royal Scot.
And yet, as my flight belatedly lifted off from Glasgow International Airport, I could imagine Roger Allam as Lewis Prospero in V for Vendetta, bellowing a slightly altered version of his trademark battle cry across the Scottish landscape. It echoes from the Highlands, through the pass at Glencoe, to the world at large.
“Goddamn it, Nessie prevails!”
1 Billy Paterson, “Is Nessie Dead?” Sunday Mail (Glasgow), 30 September 2007.
2 Bob Dow, “Veteran Loch Ness Monster Hunter Gives Up.” Daily Record (Glasgow), 13 February 2008.
3 Michael Newton, Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology (McFarland, 2005), p. 447.
4 Karl Shuker, In Search of Prehistoric Survivors (Blandford, 1995), p. 87.
5 “BBC ‘proves’ Nessie does not exist.” BBC News, 27 July 2003.
7 Newton, Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology, p. 330.
9 Lindsay Selby, “Is Nessie Dead?” Still on the Track, http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2009/12/lindsay-selby-is-nessie-dead.html.
10 Diane Maclean, “Nessie is dead, long live Morag, Lizzie, etc., etc.” Caledonian Mercury , 11 January 2010. 11 Linda Engels, “The end of Nessie: Researchers fear Loch Ness monster may be dead.” Daily Record (Glasgow), 6 January 2010.
12 “Formally unqualified monster man grows his own Nessie,” Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club Nessie News, http://www.lochness.co.uk/fan_club/news.html.
14 “About NASA,” National Aeronautics and Space Administration, http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/what_does_nasa_do.html.
15 Malcolm Bowden, “The Japanese carcass: a plesiosaur-type animal!” http://www.mbowden.surf3.net/plsfin13.htm; John Goertzen, “New Zuiyo Maru Cryptid Observations,” Creation Research Society Quarterly Journal 38 (19-29 June 2001): 19-29; Pierre Jerlström, “Live plesiosaurs: weighing the evidence,” Journal of Creation 12 (December 1998): 339-346.
ILLUSTRATIONS: Note: With the obvious exceptions—Nos. 01, 02, and 10—I own all rights to the photos submitted. They should be credited to Heather Newton as the photographer.
Apparently a booze-up was organised for all horned animals. The hare (alternatively a hyena or other animal) was jealous that he wasn't invited so wandered about till he found the carcass of a buck and wrenched the horns off it. (He must have been a strong lad!)
Next he searched for a bee hive, pinched some wax and stuck the horns to his head. He arrived at the party early in the morning (with his friend the ground hornbill - sounds like the word 'horn' was all that was needed for entrance).
The hare (like an idiot) chose to sit by the fire to imbibe his beer and had a rare old time but in time got hotter and the wax began to melt. Hare was discovered to be a bog-standard, hornless specimen, and kicked out of the party.
I, for one, am glad such strict rules are not applied to British nightclubs as it was hard enough waiting for 18 and 21 to go out to get sloshed without having to grow a pair of horns as well!
Varmints: Mystery Carnivores of North America
682 pages, $29.95
Includes a review of the anomalies and oddities of our known native carnivores, and a state-by-state (and province) survey of sighting reports of felines (black, maned, striped, spotted, etc.), hyena-like animals and strange canids, giant polar bears, and more.
Cover image can be seen at:
On this day in 1940 Tom Jones was born. As well as being one of the greatest singers in the world ever, Jones stared in the Sci-Fi film Mars Attacks. I know that is a very tenuous link to Forteana, but that’s the best I can do today.
And now, the news:
S. American critter found sleeping on Ill. porch
Music concert for dogs, no really...
The Dog Slum Of Brazil
Birds frozen in oil: image of a desperate summer
Fla. beekeeper stole bees from rivals
Cow at large negotiates its life back
What a ‘moo’-ving story… |
I’ve been fascinated by the subject of Sasquatch my entire life. I’ve probably read more books about Bigfoot than most people even know exist. There was a time when TV shows about Bigfoot fascinated me; that was until I noticed a trend of them never finding a damn thing. Will Animal Planet’s “Finding Bigfoot” continue or end the trend?
Animal Planet is throwing their hat into the televised Sasquatch hunting ring with a new six-part series beginning Sunday, June 5th, at 10/9 Central called “Finding Bigfoot” that hopefully won’t end with nothing more than conjecture and inconclusive evidence as is so typically the case with these cable cryptid shows. Oh, if only Bigfoot hunting was as exciting as Syfy original movies make it out to be.
A four-person team from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) – the leading scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery – investigates supposed Sasquatch sightings by interviewing locals, examining evidence and infiltrating the woodlands and forests in places where Bigfoot has been reported, including Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. In each state, the team listens to harrowing tales of run-ins with Bigfoot before generating reconstructions of the encounters to judge their plausibility or dismiss them as hoaxes. Then, outfitted with the latest technology, including night-vision and infrared cameras, the team sets out on exhilarating and eerie investigations where any broken branch or peculiar noise could mean a Sasquatch is lurking nearby.
The BFRO Team is comprised of a former roadie (Bobo), a science teacher (Cliff), the BFRO president (Matt) and a skeptical scientist (Ranae); each teammate has varying experiences with Bigfoot and differing beliefs about the existence of this enigma. What binds them together, however, is their longing to understand the creature, passion for proving its existence and willingness to stop at nothing to finally track down Bigfoot. In the end, will they verify the presence of Bigfoot and convert skeptics, or will this obscure American legend elude them too?
I think we all know how this is going to end.
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Start casting your footprints in the comments section below. |
Saskatchewan’s Turtle Lake Monster
Turtle Lake is located in Saskatchewan Canada and is known for sighting of a mysterious creature. Many sighting of a lake monster or other type of cryptid animal have been reported through out the years. Reports go as far back as an ancient indian legend that told ” that anyone being foolish enough to venture into the monsters territory would never return”. The sightings and reports have varied through the years putting the size of the creature in the area of 10 to 30 feet long and having a skin like texture from smooth to scaly along with a sea horse looking head.
It has been impossible to get an idea of this mysterious creatures origins from reports and sightings. There are many who simply connect many of these sightings and reports to giant sturgeon which are known to inhabit the lake. But there are others who claim that the sturgeon theory is very unlikely as these animals are largely bottom dwellers who seldom approach the surface of the water. Some in the cryptozoology field believe that the creature could actually be a plesiosaur or some form of these creatures which has survived and adapted through the years. This theory is said to possibly hold water , as Saskatchewan was once covered by an inland sea many years ago.
There is still no solid proof as to what this creature is and that it actually exist. The vast theories all have some possibility of being correct but with the lack of evidence we can only hope the future will produce more answers. |
The pacific giants [electronic resource] : The Cryptid Files Series, Book 3. Jean Flitcroft.
- ISBN: 9781467734868 (electronic bk)
- ISBN: 9781467770460 (electronic bk)
- Publisher: Minneapolis : Darby Creek, 2014.
|General Note:|| Title from eBook information screen.
|Summary, etc.:|| The ugly head pivoted on its long neck. Its eyes bulged, its jaw dropped open, and then the snake-like coils appeared...With another summer ahead of her, Vanessa joins her dad's girlfriend, Lee, on a trip to a remote island off the coast of Canada. Lee's investigating the disappearance of whales in the area. Vanessa hopes to spot a few whales herself. But she doesn't expect to encounter a very different kind of water creature—one that the locals don't like to talk about. Without her mom's cryptid files to help her, can Vanessa identify this strange beast?Mysterious sea serpents aren't the only secret on this island, though. Vanessa soon finds herself drawn into a world of ruthless whale hunters. To expose their crimes, she'll have to risk her life—and come face-to-face with the monster that roams this corner of the Pacific.
|Target Audience Note:|| Grade 3 - Grade 4
MG/Middle grades (4th-8th)
5.2 ATOS Level
|System Details Note:|| Requires Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 3124 KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 1159 KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB) or OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB).
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Young Adult Fiction.
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|Mongolian Death Worm|
|First Sighting||1000 years ago|
|Country||Mongolia, Middle East, Asia, North Africa|
The Mongolian Death Worm's native name, Olgoi-Khorkhoi, means "intestine worm", due to its red blood-like color, and size, which is the size of an intestine. It has been described by many to be from 2-7ft long, have the ability to spit out a corrosive yellow saliva and to generate blasts of electricity. However this latter power is thought of as being folkloric by the nomads of the Gobi. Western culture has come to call this monster the "Mongolian Death Worm."
Mongolian nomads believe the giant worm covers its prey with an acidic substance that turns everything a corroded yellow colour. Legend says that as the creature begins to attack it raises half its body out of the sand and starts to inflate until it explodes, releasing the lethal poison all over the unfortunate victim. The poison is so venomous that the prey dies instantly. Livestock and humans are supposed to be its main prey. Because Mongolia had been under Soviet control until 1990, very little was known about the Death Worm in the West. In recent years, investigators have been able to look for evidence of the creature’s existence. Ivan Mackerle, one of the leading Loch Ness Monster detectives, studied the region and interviewed many Mongolian people about the worm. Due to the sheer volume of sightings and strange deaths, he came to the conclusion that the Death Worm was more than just legend.
Nobody is entirely sure what the worm actually is. Experts are certain it is not a real worm because the Gobi Desert is too hot an area for annelids to survive. Some have suggested it might be a skink, but they have little legs and scaly skin whereas witness accounts specify the worm is limb-less and smooth bodied. The most probable explanation is that the deathworm is a new species of amphisbaenia or worm-lizard, a group of burrowing reptiles. Although the native Mongolian people are convinced of the Death Worm’s nature, it will take more years of research to satisfy the rest of the world’s scientific community.
In 2005 an expedition from the Centre for Fortean Zoology crossed a thousand miles of the Gobi on the track of the deathworm. They concluded it was probably a large, unknown type of worm lizard and that the powers attributed to it were apocryphal.
The main antagonists in the film 'Tremors' were based upon this Cryptid. The.The creature was also shown on Beast Hunter,Lost Tapes And Freak Encounters. |
Filmmaker and documentarian John Johnsen has worked in all aspects of freelance photography and videography. John became involved in cryptid projects by accident; having produced and released three documentary films: "Keeping the Watch", "Spotlight on the Patterson Gimlin Film: the M.K. Davis Theory" and "Hunt the Dogman". John and his work with M.K. Davis present an interesting theory on the creature we know as Bigfoot.
Author and filmmaker Ken Klein presented his thesis that Egypt's Great Pyramid was built by Enoch, and serves as an oracle to help humankind transcend to their higher nature. Klein contended that the Egyptian ruler known as Thoth, who wrote The Book of the Eternal Day (later called The Egyptian Book of the Dead), was actually Enoch, a real human, who was later deified. Further, the Greek god... More »Host: George Noory |
A Bookaholic, Pro-life, Pro-Family, Pro-Oxford Comma, Catholic (with Asperger's) who reads and writes as her obsession. I've been reading over 400 books a year lately. These are my ramblings on some of the books I read. To read about all the books I read and comment on, visit me at LibraryThing or Goodreads.
I've been blogging since 2007 and at this point (July 2015) am trying my hand at turning the theme of this blog towards mystery, thriller, and crime, fiction and nonfiction. I have some special interest topics and categories within this broad genre which include (but are not limited to) serial killers, scandi-crime, Victorian history and historicals, history of the criminally insane and asylums, psychopathology, death, funerary practices and burial, corpses, true crime and anything dealing with the real life macabre, or that portrayed in fiction.
I also read a short story a day from various collections, sometimes anthologies othertimes collections of a single author's work. These reviews are also posted here and while they are of mixed genre the mystery, thriller, horror, gothic and macabre often appear within their pages as well.
I also blog about graphic novels and manga on a separate BLOG.
I also blog about graphic novels and manga on a separate BLOG.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
258. The Circus Infinitus Stories, Vol. 1 by Ethan Somerville
Circus Infinitus, #6
Finished: Oct. 12, 2012
First Published: Jan. 12, 2011
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: steampunk, urban fantasy, historical fantasy, short stories,
First sentence: "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Circus Infinitus!"
Publisher's Summary: "This book features the following short stories:
“Welcome to the Circus Infinitus” – an introduction to the mysterious Circus Infinitus and its unique cast of characters.
“Madam Zazuma” – penniless aristocrat Elizabeth Montrose turns to the Circus Infinitus for help to escape from a loveless arranged marriage.
“I Want to Join the Circus” – a small boy decides to run away to join the Circus Infinitus.
“The Monocle and the Morality Police” – Queen Victoria decides the Circus Infinitus is a corrupting influence on the people of London and charges Sir Hubert Fotherington and the IntelliGent with the task of shutting it down.
“The Haunted Funhouse” – Take a tour through one of the Circus’s attractions.
“Maxiumum Terror” – inside the Maze of Mirrors, don’t look too deeply or you might see the darkness inside your own soul.
“A Week in the Life of Victoria-7” – Introducing the Lady with the Seven Faces.
“Goril-Ho-Tep” – Amuna the Mummy leads an expedition into the British Museum to steal a mummified ape.
“Fool’s Errand” – Cousins Reggie Jefferson and Bart Sabbath both desire the ancient artifacts of King Arthur’s Fool, stored within Professor Abbacus’s laboratory – for entirely different reasons.
“A Week in the Life of Violet” – Victoria-7 tries out the Immortality Machine in an attempt to break her curse, and makes herself human once more.
“Gremlins” – After arriving in the United States for the first time, the Ringmaster must seek help from the Zero Corps to save the Circus from an infestation of insectoid monsters from the Immaterium."
Acquired: Purchased this when it was being offered for free.
Reason for Reading: For some reason I love weird circus stories, so this just appealed to me.
An entirely entertaining introduction to the world of the "Circus Infinitus". According to the publication date, this is actually the 6th book in the series but it read well for me as a starting point. There are times when one wonders if one would have a slight bit more fun if they'd more background knowledge but overall, most of the stories are background introduction stories themselves to the particular characters who inhabit this world. I'd certainly classify this as steampunk as it takes place in Victorian England, for the most part, and includes steamworks, clockworks, and odd mechanical gadgets. There are nine books in this series which have been published since 2010 to the current year, so far, and I must say I was a bit unsure going in what I was in store for as there are no reviews of any of the books at this point. But I feel like I've stumbled upon a little secret gem as I enjoyed this enormously. The book, however, is in need of editing. There are typos, misspellings and grammar errors; enough to be quite noticeable. I wasn't at the point of frustration but some people may not tolerate it. However, at .99 purchase price, the writing outweighs the editing at this point. I did enjoy the book enough that I took the plunge and purchased the first published novel in the series, for .99, to give it a go and see how a full-length novel measures up. I'm quite tickled at this point to have discovered this series.
1. Welcome to the Circus Infinitus! - This first story introduces us to this strange circus of freak shows and unusual acts, we become aware that there is something magical, perhaps paranormal about the circus; at least it doesn't run by the boundaries of this earth. We watch a show in progress and are introduced to many of the acts in the circus as they perform. There is a strange hissing sound as curtains close, then open and a new stage is immediately set for the next stage. There is a man who works with electricity and is mysteriously all bandaged up and "steampunk" thinks the reader. In the audience is a serious man who does nothing but scribble away in his little notebook muttering to himself about the Queen's displeasure. Queen? Victoria? Oh, yes, steampunk happening thinks the reader again. After a double break line letting us know something new is about to happen a freak with a deformed body named John (yes, I am thinking his last name at this point) is put on stage growling and acting as he is introduced as the Elephant Man. Then John Merrick collapses, the show is called to a halt and a doctor is sent for. This doctor is one of the circus' own and is actually an alchemist nicknamed Jack who has just got himself a new talisman, so his powers are at high form. Jack the Ripper comes back, under duress I might add, and helps cure John Merrick. So ends our introduction to the Circus Infinitus. I just loved this story! What a load of fun!! The back story of just who Jack the Ripper really is, is very imaginative and great fun. A great beginning to what could prove a fascinating book if it continues in this vein. 5/5
2. Madam Zazuma - A young couple, Edward and Elizabeth, go to the Circus one evening. As the night goes on we find out they are engaged, it is an arranged marriage that Elizabeth is obliged to, and that Edward is somewhat of a brute. Elizabeth convinces Edward to visit the fortune teller Madame Zazuma. Edward is insulted by his fortune and storms out but Elizabeth stands her ground saying she wants her fortune told. She is warned off Edward and told that things will come to rights in the end. Elizabeth finally finds out that Edward has been soliciting the company of Adella the Amazon and this is where things get very strange and Elizabeth's life is changed forever, for the good we hope, but we will have to see if she turns up again in future stories. A couple of characters from story 1 appeared in this one. Again another fine story. Individual but lightly connected to the first. 5/5
3. I Want to Join the Circus - A young boy sneaks off to join the Circus Infinitus. As he sneaks around at night he becomes aware of the unsavoury goings on at this circus and witnesses much horror. While Tumblety and Abacus have no sympathy for the lad, we get to know the Ringmaster better as he takes care of the situation and saves the boy, while explaining why there are no children workers at his circus. Not a major story in the canon but explains some more about this odd circus and the goings on. The Ringmaster may not exactly be an admirable fellow but he does seem to have his own code that he adheres to. 4/5
4. The Monocle and the Morality Police - We met the Monocle back in the first story. Here he has a meeting with Queen Victoria and a Hindu contemporary. She wants the Circus gone, whatever it takes. This is the longest story by far up to this point and very creepy and weird. It involves X the strongman who is not human anymore as he has several symbiosis living inside him. The symbiosis can leave at will and lead separate lives but X is helpless without them. I won't give any more details but lets just say very strange! Unfortunately, The Monocle and IntelliGent kidnap X to torture and extract secret information about the Circus. Obviously they've picked the wrong guy and things do not work out as planned. 4/5
5. The Haunted Funhouse - We are taken along with the customers on a tour of the haunted house, knowing the house is inhabited by real paranormal creatures and human oddities. The people start off cock-sure that they will meet people in sheets and fake masks only to be amazed by the oddities they see. The tour becomes scarier and scarier until midway through people are screaming and rushing from rooms, until the end where things calm down a bit and many have the bravado to say they would go through again right away. Once the tour is over, we meet the "performers" gathered as they talk of the tour's profits. This one is very short and has good atmosphere, though doesn't include any major characters. 3/5
6. Maximum Terror - This story doesn't really add to the cannon or even introduce any new characters. It is very similar to the last one. This time we move next door to the Mirror Maze attraction. Like normal funhouse mirrors these are set to alter the person's appearance but rather than humorous they change the person into odd, rather disturbing images designed to give a little shock to the system. Well this time people come screaming out of the maze saying they saw horrible things such as maggots, rotting corpses, exploding intestines turning into snakes, etc. Professor Abbacus is called to the scene and we are taken inside the clockwork machinery to see the slight adjustment that has to be made to set things aright. 2/5
7. A Week in the Life of Victoria - Nothing happens in this story, we are just introduced to Victoria 7, who on each dawn of the new day transforms into a new being. The cycle resets every seven days. We've already met one of her personages in a previous story and now we are introduced to her properly along with the other six. Victoria is musing upon herself and describes each individual in looks, desires, appetites, feelings, powers and how she compares them against each other. Not a very exciting read but will serve a purpose if she shows up again in another story. 2/5
8. Goril-Ho-Tep - Now we are thankful for the above story as this one features Amuna the Mummy, one of Victoria 7's personages. It also features a certain un-named Detective who resides on Baker Street. The mummy of a gorilla is on display at the British Museum and business is not so brisk at the Circus. Out of curiosity Amuna goes to see the display and is immediately drawn to the Gorilla. She wants him brought back to life and while we've heard of it many times before in previous stories, we finally get to see the steamwork "Immortality Machine" at work. By this point Professor Abbacus has become a well-known character, and The Ringmaster to a lesser degree. An entertaining story. 3/5
9. Fool's Errand - A very long story which has two cousins drawn to the Circus by an object nobody has ever found of any use before; one has a legitimate reason for coming, the other has been sent by the Bishop who, with the Monocle and Queen is working to bring the Circus down once and for all. An entertaining story with lots of action and we meet Victoria as Lady Frankenstein in this story. A secret is revealed about Abbacus and the Circus does its disappearing trick and ends up in Yorkshire this time. 4/5
10. A Week in the Life of Violet - While the stories are still episodic, at this point the book has taken on the resemblance of a continuing story. Vampiress decides she wants to remain in this form and convinces Abbacus to use the Immortality Machine on her thinking it will stop her daily transformations. Instead she becomes the visible Invisible Woman, a human girl, the real girl she was before she was cursed, Violet. Violet has the time of her life and wants to be human forever, she finds love and hopes for the best. Things don't work out for the best for her and the story ends with a mysterious cliffhanger leaving us wondering about The Ringmaster. Another long story. I really enjoyed this one. It also mentions Reggie Jefferson from story 9 and Elizabeth from story 2, so we know they are still with the Circus and what their jobs are. 5/5
11. Gremlins - The Circus is in the States and President Cleveland has received a letter from Queen Victoria so he sends his team of three supernatural investigators out to essentially get rid of them but, instead, they become great friends and end up helping the Circus fight off an infestation of the new Industrial Age cryptid, Gremlins, who feed off mechanical parts. This was another long story and very enjoyable. I really liked the three new American characters and found this a great story with which to end the book. 5/5 |
A map of the globe, similar to the one seen in the Awakening ending cutscene, is shown. The voices of panicked people can be heard in the background. News of Chicago being taken by the Cryptids, as well as that the President of the United States is dead.
Godfather: Godfather to Arclight, report.
Arclight: Approaching Exodus launch site. Three mikes.
Godfather: We don't know if Cross can be trusted. Your orders are to protect the Cortex, by any means necessary.
Arclight: Copy that.
Samantha Cross undergoes a brief seizure. Once they stop, she goes to grab the Cortex. The copilot of the Osprey pulls out a Browning HP and aims at her head.
Copilot: Anything you want to say before I pull this trigger?
Samantha Cross: You might want to fasten your seat belt.
The soldier looks out the front window to see that a Gargoyle is flying at the Osprey. It kills the pilot and attacks the copilot. The copilot manages to fire a couple of rounds into it before getting overpowered. A soldier in the back of the Osprey fires at the Gargoyle. The prologue ends, with the soldier likely dead.
Godfather: The Exodus Program. When the threat of a doomsday scenario became clear, a secret contingency plan was set in motion to safeguard the future of the human species. A decommissioned space station was covertly retrofitted to serve as a self sustaining orbital sanctuary for a handpicked crew of soldiers and scientists, from which one day our descendants will strike back, and reclaim the Earth.
An render of the Gargoyle appears on screen.
Godfather: Paleobiologists have a Latin name for this new breed of flying Cryptid. The rest of us call them Gargoyles.
Information on the Gargoyle appears. It's Latin name is Gurgulio, and it has prehensile wings, high-acuity night vision, radar reflective epidermal tissue, retractable claws, and a chitin tail blade. Clips of the Gargoyle play, including one from the Awakening opening cutscene.
Godfather: The Ancestors' airborne assault troops. Silent, fast, invisible to radar, strong enough to rip the tail boom off an Apache gunship. They dominate the airspace over our cities and launch facilities. We'll never get off the ground if we can't find a way to break through.
It ends with the Gargoyle attacking the soldier from the prologue.
An image of the Cortex appears, as well as an Ancestor.
Godfather: The Cortex, the ace up our sleeve. The preserved brain tissue of a living Ancestor in a casing designed for transporting donor organs. I don't pretend to understand the science. It sucks up bio-electric energy, stores it like a psychic battery, then detonates like a neutron bomb. They say the radiation is harmless to humans. I doubt that. But when the pulse is focused and amplified, it'll flash-fry a cryptid's brain in less than a second.
Godfather: The Ancestors. Our people have been studying the data collected during the Ark raid but we still don't exactly know what we're up against. They possess both telepathic and telekinetic abilities. They're physical bodies are relatively fragile, but they can project a powerful gravimetric field to deflect attacks, and perhaps even levitate. We suspect the Ancestors are virtually impervious to small arms fire while the field is active. It's possible that the experimental weaponry Archer developed can even the odds.
The NX-1 Disruptor is briefly seen before the cutscene ends.
The Final OptionEdit
Godfather: The Colorado Ark was only one of dozens, if not, hundreds, of Ancestor strongholds. The citadels of the prehistoric empire that spanned the globe may soon do so again. We lost Washington in the first eight hours. San Antonio, Colorado Springs, every military center in North America, annihilated. The president is dead. I'm in command of what's left of the United States. We are overrun, and surrender is not an option. There is only one refuge left - beyond the enemy's reach.
Caller ID: UnknownEdit
Unknown: This is David Archer. I know what you're thinking. But you're wrong. You've got it wrong about a lot of things. Like Samantha Cross. She's a sleeper. A double agent. Everything that's happened, everything that's about to happen aboard your space station.
The voice changes greatly, and it is confirmed a negative match for David Archer.
Unknown: It's all part of the plan. Their plan, General. Not yours.
The source of the message has been identified to be from multiple signal sources. The transmission is three hours old, and Godfather was notified.
More Than HumanEdit
Samantha Cross: They left me for dead once. Later they saved my life. We're on the same side now. But I'm not the same person. Maybe not even human anymore. I can sense their fear. They're wondering if they should kill me. It's a bit late for that. Samantha Cross died months ago, on a cold night in Alaska.
A rocket is launched from the Exodus facility.
Unknown Person: We're not gonna make it!
Gargoyles are attacking the rocket. The Medusa Device goes off, and the Gargoyles stop attacking, either they stunned or killed from the detonation.
The scene shifts to the Exodus Space Station, with a rocket heading towards it.
Samantha Cross: History repeats itself. One species falls, another rises to take its place. Countless lives were sacrificed so that a chosen few might be saved.
Cross is inside the Space Station. She goes into a device that looks like the one she was in during the events of Mayday.
Samantha Cross: They believed my power could make the difference between survival and extinction. They were right.
Cross opens up her eyes, to which they have changed to a deep red. The cutscene ends.
This is simply a bonus intel that isn't required for the achievement. It shows a gathering of people watching a man fire a flaming arrow at a large, flammable Neversoft logo. The other screens just show various parts of Neversoft's workspace. To obtain this intel the player must shoot the letters on the large gas station sign atop the garage on the left side of the map, spelling out the word 'Neversoft'. The player will know if they have hit a letter if it appears at the top of their screen. After hitting all nine the world will shake and the player character will say 'Intel stowed'. |
How to Become a Vampire in Real Life and Why You Should Think Twice
What is a Vampire?
What makes a vampire? Is someone born that way or do they choose the vampire lifestyle? Or, do you become a vampire through some strange turn of events?
In our modern culture we seem to be in the midst of some kind of vampire golden age. Apparently there are a lot of folks out there who think vampires are pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that countless people today are seeking ways to get closer to living the vampire life.
This may be thanks in part to certain trendy pop-fiction YA novels and their corresponding motion-picture treatments. But most vampires throughout history were not brooding, angst-ridden teens with perfectly quaffed hair. Real vampires were pretty nasty characters, and turning into a vampire was, at one time, a very unfortunate life event.
How did vampires go from loathed to lauded? Stephanie Meyer wasn’t the first to fiddle with the vampire definition. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897, kicked off the modern interpretation of vampires guised as charming, if somewhat enigmatic, gentlemen.
But it was Anne Rice who launched vampires into a new dimension, making them way sexier, way cooler, and somehow even more mysterious. Her 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire is perhaps the greatest vampire story ever told, sweeping through two centuries of an immortal life. The film that followed, starring Tom Cruise and a young Brad Pitt, solidified the vampire mystique.
So, fiction might make the vampire life seem exciting and unique, but on the other hand people don’t dig up someone’s casket and jam a stake through their heart without good reason. Before Twilight, before Ann Rice, and even before Dracula, the vampire legend struck fear into the hearts of people from all different cultures around the world. Is there any truth to these ancient myths, and, if so, are you sure you really want to be a vampire?
Before you answer, read on.
Real Vampire Stories and Legends
Many people cite a real historical figure as the inspiration behind the modern vampire legend. In the 15th century, in the country of Wallachia, there lived a nobleman with a particularly bad reputation and a habit of impaling his enemies on the ends of tall stakes.
Some say he even consumed their blood along with his meals. This gentleman became known as Vlad the Impaler following his death, but while he lived he was called Vlad the Third, Prince of Wallachia. His father, Vlad the Second, was known by the name Dracul, which would have made Vlad the Third Dracula.
So, there really was a real-life Dracula whom Bram Stoker based some of his character around. But Vlad the Impaler was far more menacing than Stoker’s Dracula.
The vampire legend goes much deeper: In Eastern Europe in particular the belief took a strong foothold. In 1726 a Serbian farmer named Arnold Paole passed away, only to be spotted days later wandering around his village, now sporting fangs and a thirsty look in his eyes. Hysteria ensued of course, and the villagers dug up his body only to find it had not decayed, which led to the wooden-stake vampire cure.
Such too was the case with Peter Plogojowitz, another Serbian who took on the unfortunate post-mortem accusation of vampirism. In both situations, authorities documented eye-witness accounts and supervised the unearthing and staking of the offending undead.
Real Vampires in America and Around the World
The vampire phenomenon spread to America as well. In 1892 the body of a New England woman named Mercy Brown was exhumed after two months in the ground upon accusations of vampirism. When her corpse showed no signs of decomposition, the appropriate anti-vampire actions were taken.
While these accounts represent the best-documented cases of real-world vampires, stories date back to antiquity. The Greeks and Romans both had legends of vampire-like creatures, as did the Persians, Babylonians and Hebrews. In some cases these entities are similar to the undead vampires we are accustomed to, such as the Vetala of Hindu folklore. In other cases they are demonic beings, with no earthy tether.
Even in very recent times we see the reinvention of the vampire myth in creatures like the horrifying Chupacabra.
From Europe to Africa, from South America to the British Isles, tales of vampires go back to ancient times. Could this mean the vampire phenomenon is more than a legend?
Anne Rice Talks About the Modern Vampire Fad
So How Do You Become a Vampire?
If vampires are indeed real, where do they come from? Since we can’t possibly explore every culture’s explanation for how vampires come about, let’s consider the most common Western-world definition.
While this is up for considerable debate, consensus opinion is that to become a vampire you must somehow entangling yourself with someone who is already a vampire. However it hashes out, the point is it involves an interaction with a real vampire. You can't make yourself a vampire, or simply decide you are one. You must be chosen.
Some people claim you can be born a vampire, which is a theoretically intriguing idea. This implies that vampires are another race of hominid, which means they must have evolved along a very similar line as humans, and preyed upon humans throughout history. Like Vampire Bats, they would have evolved to exist on blood instead of solid food.
This is extremely implausible, but interesting to ponder. Of course it eliminates the supernatural aspects of vampire lore.
But by most accounts the transformation from human to vampire is a supernatural occurrence. This presents several problems, not the least of which is locating an actual, real-life vampire who is able and willing to transform you. (Hint: That weird guy down at the comic book store with the pale skin who says he’s a vampire almost definitely is not.)
Certainly there are a lot of people around today who claim they are true vampires, but take a logical look at this for a moment: If you were really a vampire, how would you live your life?
Would you announce it to everyone? Would you put up a blog telling everyone about it, or brag about it in on social media? Would you tell your schoolmates, or your coworkers? Would you tell anyone?
You would be wise to be suspicious of anyone who so boldly claims to be a vampire. A vampire in today’s world would have to be among the most careful and secretive of creatures. We’re talking about an undead being that may have been around for hundreds of years, a predator of humans that probably has to do some pretty awful things to get what it needs.
Such a creature could only survive by keeping its true nature a secret, and tracking down such a thing would be almost impossible. Thus, going out at night in search of vampires would be pointless.
The odds are against it, but your one hope would be to encounter a vampire by accident. Then what?
Living the Vampire Life
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of being a vampire. Of course there are many different beliefs surrounding the natural and supernatural rules governing vampires, and you probably won’t really know what you’re in for until it’s too late. Nevertheless, the following thoughts are based around the traditional vampire stereotype:
- Lack of food options (Con): There’s only one item on the menu: blood. In the mood for a cheeseburger? Too bad. And where do you get all this blood? Taking it from humans is unethical not to mention illegal. Blood bank? No. They have their hands full supplying hospitals and don’t have the time or resources to bother with vampires. There are probably a few unscrupulous and unpleasant ways you can imagine getting it, but after a while it would all get to be quite a hassle. Remember, this is something you’re going to have to keep up until the end of time. Speaking of living forever. . .
- Immortality (Con): Living forever sounds like fun, but you’d better be careful. We humans have enough trouble keeping ourselves in one piece for 80 years or so. Can you imagine how tough it would be to avoid getting yourself seriously injured for hundreds of years? As a vampire you’ll have superhuman strength, speed and reflexes, but eventually bad luck would catch up to you and you’d end up damaging a bodypart you’re going to need for the next thousand years. Let's hope those super regenerative powers come through for you. Also, being immortal means you’ll have to stand by and watch everyone you care about grow old and pass on, over and over again.
- Aversion to sunlight (Con): Say goodbye to the beach. As a vampire you’re not going out in the sunshine ever again. Ever. Certainly there are mortal humans who don’t like to spend much time in the sun, but as an undead bloodsucker it’ll kill you. Will you have to sleep in a coffin? There seems no practical reason for this as long as you keep your sleeping quarters dark enough, but whatever makes you happy. The plus side is that you’ll have a much lesser chance of developing melanoma.
- Shape-shifting (Pro): This is one of the better reasons to be a vampire. Traditionally, vampires change into bats and flap around spying on people. Boring! We can assume you’ll be able to use your powers to transform into all kinds of different things. Have fun with it, and try to think outside the box.
- Public opinion (Pro now, Con later): Right now you might not think it would be a bad idea to let other people know if you become a vampire, but what happens in a hundred years or so when this current vampire-pop craze has long died down? In the past, letting people know you're a vampire meant a visit from a mob of angry villagers wielding torches and pitchforks, not a mob of screaming teenage girls. Historically, local communities have not been supportive of vampires living among them.
Still Want to Convert to Vampirism?
As you can see, the odds of becoming a real-life vampire are astronomically slim, and even if you do there are far more negatives to the vampire life than there are positives. But perhaps you are still interested in the vampire thing, even though you don’t feel like enduring centuries of hardship and suffering. You may be in luck!
Around the world today there are pockets of vampire culture strewn about. These people know they aren’t really undead, but they choose to exist in a way that they feel reflects the vampire lifestyle. They range widely in their beliefs, from the peaceful and deeply spiritual folks to those you really ought to stay away from.
There is nothing wrong with immersing yourself in an alternative lifestyle, as long as you do it safely and wisely and never lose sight of the line between make-believe and reality. Never engage in anything that seems unsafe or illegal, and never do anything that could bring harm to another person (including you). If you encounter people who seem like they are taking things too far, get away from them. Bottom line: Use your head, and if people seem like trouble, they probably are.
As far as becoming a real vampire, unless you get nabbed by one while you’re out for a stroll one dark night the odds aren’t in your favor. But if it happens, and you have a choice, think long and hard. That skinny kid from Twilight might make it look pretty cool, with all those pensive glances and whatnot, but the life of a real vampire is no doubt a curse, and a sentence to endless nights of sorrow.
Do you think vampires are depicted accurately in books, movies and television?See results without voting
© 2012 cryptid
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Posted by: Craig Woolheater on December 7th, 2008
Field researcher Thomas Steenburg is B.C.’s go-to guy regarding Bigfoot, having spent 30 years investigating the elusive beast. Jon Healy photo.
Ridiculous is a meaningless word until you’ve seen Thomas Steenburg, Bigfoot field researcher, taking giant strides across Harrison Lake’s beach wearing replica creature tracks moulded to a pair of Chuck Taylors. He is conducting an experiment, see, to find out whether or not convincing Bigfoot tracks can be easily faked. They can’t. Even in the softest sand, Steenburg’s tracks—replicas of the 1958 Bluff Creek, California, prints that catapulted the term Bigfoot into public consciousness—mark only an eighth of an inch of the surface. The tracks he claims to have discovered at Ruby Creek the week before, in late September this year, were three times that deep, indicating a foot structure designed to carry a very heavy animal. He says.
Here’s the story: a man from Chilliwack went hunting in the forests around Ruby Creek, about 50 kilometres up the Fraser River from Agassiz. He was in very difficult terrain, a bog so moist and so deep that Steenburg later sank waist-deep while exploring the area. The hunter told Steenburg that something threw a rock at him. When he turned to look, he saw a manlike creature covered in hair walk into a thicket of trees. He believed it was a Bigfoot (also widely known in this part of the world as Sasquatch, which means “hairy man” in Halkomelem, a Salish language).
So the hunter was spooked, of course, and called Steenburg. After 30 years in the field, Steenburg has become B.C.’s go-to guy for this sort of thing. Fellow trackers Bill Miller and Christine Marie went with Steenburg to investigate and they found a few tracks in the forest where the hunter saw the creature wander. They cast one of the prints in plaster and unveiled it, placed upon a trash bin, at the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club/West Coast Sasquatch conference on the shore of Harrison Lake on October 4—the event at which Steenburg was taking giant strides across the sand. Harrison Hot Springs is a hotbed of Sasquatch activity, and the creature is ever present in the locals’ psyches: there are Sasquatch murals and statues and a restaurant and a provincial park named after the elusive (many say mythical) animal.
The cryptozoologists were crowding around the nine-inch cast. It was a mediocre print, at best, covered in bog gunk, and hardly proof that Sasquatch is alive and kicking. Then again, there’s more to it than just this print.
“There are two facts,” says veteran B.C. Sasquatch tracker John Green, sitting in the living room of his Harrison Hot Springs house. “There is something out there making those prints.
“Second, thousands of people, including university professors, have said they have seen a large, bipedal animal covered in hair. If we get a team together, we’ll discover that humans have been faking it throughout history—an interesting human activity—or there’s really something out there.”
Green is a pioneer in Sasquatch field research and was one of the first to investigate the location of the famous and controversial 1967 so-called Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film shot at Bluff Creek. There have been more than 3,000 sightings in B.C. since 1920, by his count. (In July this year, two people separately claimed they saw a Bigfoot on Mt. Archibald near Chilliwack within three hours of each other.)
Green has written three books during his half-century search. He says he has seen many footprints but has never seen the animal, something he chalks up to “bad luck” but something that cynics use as proof that he’s running a fool’s errand.
“People don’t believe because they have not actually delved into the subject themselves,” says John Kirk, chair and cofounder of the BCSCC and author of In the Domain of the Lake Monsters. “They have never done any research; they have never done any comprehensive analysis of the evidence there. They’ve never really looked into it.”
Kirk says that when he began investigating British Columbia’s unclassified species, or cryptids, in the 1980s, he faced “incredulity from the public at large”. He got used to it a long time ago. He finds value in his work, even if most think he’s nuts—new species are discovered all the time, after all. The Congolese mountain gorilla inhabited the same mythical realm for westerners as Bigfoot until it was officially discovered in 1902, Kirk says. Cryptozoologists have a long list of such creatures, and Earth is a big place. Just because we don’t know it’s out there doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
The scientific community has refused, Kirk says, and still refuses to tackle a “fringe” subject that could compromise careers. There are superstars in Bigfoot’s corner, however: such highly regarded wildlife experts as Jane Goodall and George Schaller have acknowledged publicly that Sasquatch may exist and that science should invest more resources in looking for it.
But they’re a very small minority. Most scientists find the hunt pointless: why not devote our research to helping animals that are known to exist instead of dedicating time and resources to an animal that, if it exists, hasn’t affected humanity in any way?
“Well, humans want to understand our environment and we want to understand nature as best as we can. It’s like any other animal that hasn’t been discovered yet,” Kirk says.
“I’m not out to prove that it exists,” says Gerry Matthews at his home in Chilliwack. Matthews is the founder of West Coast Sasquatch, an on-line forum where Bigfoot enthusiasts share information. “I wouldn’t be terribly heartbroken if it was proven not to exist.
“But the mystery is still out there. There’s enough going on to say, ‘Ya know, there’s something happening here; there’s something on the go.’ It would be nice to get to the bottom of this, once and for all.”
The more one looks into it, the deeper the mystery gets. The Sasquatch conundrum defies logic. The creature’s potential existence is about as baffling as the lengths that presumed hoaxers will go to so they can fool what is, essentially, a very small cult following. One thing is clear, however: anyone who does a little research soon learns there’s a lot more going on than media reports of hoaxes.
“A lot of Sasquatch tracks are found where nobody goes; it’s simple as that,” Kirk says. “I always get very doubtful when they’re found close to human habitation, and I quadruple-check those to ensure that the footprint shows flexibility, otherwise I’m out of there in two minutes flat. It’s a waste of time. If every print is exactly the same, thanks but no thanks.”
There have been plenty of hoaxes over the years, the latest by three men from Georgia who claimed to have a Bigfoot carcass stored in an icebox. It turned out to be a gorilla suit stuffed with possum guts. But that doesn’t mean all sightings and tracks are fabricated.
The reason Bigfoot field research continues is that convincing tracks are found every year around the world—tracks that change with each step, indicating that something organic, not rigid, is making the impressions. The Willow Creek Museum in California has a $100,000 reward for anyone who can demonstrate how to replicate footprints in dense terrain that reflect the gait and girth of a heavy, bipedal animal. So far, no one has come forward to demonstrate how convincing, organic-looking prints can be fabricated.
“Whenever I hear that [footprints are impossible to fake], my bells go off,” says B.C. Society for Skeptical Enquiry chair Lee Moller. “Impossible to fake? People are very, very smart. If they want to see a toe that seems to splay, all it takes is a spring, a little bit of intelligence, and they can do it. Don’t underestimate people’s ability for fakery.”
Moller, a software designer by trade, wonders why, in an age when “just about everybody and their dog” has a digital camera or a camera phone, not a single convincing photograph has been taken.
“It’s virtually impossible to believe that an 800-pound primate…could have not [only] gone unnoticed, but could have left no evidence behind. We have fossils from our predecessors that are three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half million years old,” Moller said. “This leads me to believe that it’s a figment of our collective imagination.”
Stanley Coren, a UBC psychology professor, says, “If you believe there’s a Sasquatch, then you’re going to find more material out there that would suggest to you that you really did see the Sasquatch than if you don’t believe it.” Coren explains that in the 1950s, UFO sightings were a hot topic. Not surprisingly, reports of UFO sightings skyrocketed during that time but have since tapered off as public interest in the phenomenon wavers. “If you didn’t have the idea of a Sasquatch in your memory then you wouldn’t have the Sasquatch to interpret something you weren’t expecting.”
Science, of course, requires a dead body or, better, a live one. Even bones or hair will do. Moller says that anything would be better than “cheesy footprints” or a video of what he describes as a man in a furry suit that could easily have been faked. He says that the likelihood of finding any previously unknown bipedal land-going mammal weighing more than 100 pounds is “slim to none, and slim just left town”.
Vancouverites tend to have this skeptical attitude, but the farther one gets from the city, the more one finds people inclined to believe in Bigfoot. For them, the creature appeals to that childlike belief that fantastic possibilities do exist on our planet. Bigfoot is the cryptid mascot. And if it really does exist, Earth is a very different world than we know.
But as with any other puzzle, we’ll never know the answer unless society keeps an open mind about it.
“There’s no place in the universe for cynicism,” Kirk says. “Skepticism, yes. As we say in the Bigfoot world, when you’re out in the field, keep your ‘skepticals’ on.”
Bill Miller swears he’s seen one. He took a picture of it, too, in broad daylight, back in 2003, about 4,200 feet up a mountain near Harrison Lake. The picture shows something hairy standing upright, half obstructed by the surrounding trees, about a half-mile away, across a valley. The figure’s arm is extended behind it, indicating it’s in mid-step. Miller points out the sunshine gleaming off the arm. The picture is blurry, of course—Bigfoot photos always are—but it’s sharp enough to show that it’s not a bear. He’s spent the past five years investigating what that furry blur was.
“I want to get close,” he says. “Not so close that I can feel its breath in my face—I don’t want to be that close. That’s a nervous thing to even think about.”
He’s steering his Polaris Ranger six-wheel-drive up Mt. Archibald—the site of the double sightings back in July—scanning the trail for tracks or anything out of the ordinary. There’s no special skill set for what he does: just be in as many places as possible as often as possible and hope for the best. The truck bed is loaded with rope, some tarp, his camera. There’s bear repellent in the cup holders.
He pulls over and stops where one man claimed he saw a Sasquatch cross the forest service road in front of his truck, coming from terrain so steep and so dense that any man roaming around in there wearing a monkey suit is about as plausible as a Sasquatch actually crossing the road.
Miller has been hunting Bigfoot for more than 10 years, but he says not to call him a hunter. That would imply that he has caught something. It’s tireless, thankless work, and the minute Miller catches a good picture or a video, he says, he’s retiring for good. He’ll let the scientists handle it from there.
“I have other things I would love to do,” he says. “I would love to get it over with tomorrow. When I get a film, I’m done. I am done.”
Vancouver Free Press
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005. I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films: OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou. |
Author has written 2 stories for Cryptid Hunters.
Hello everyone! I'm the brother of ChancyAngel.This is my profile...even though you can see that... Right,um,Let me start off with something that might be easier to introduce myself.
Favorite color Blue
Favorite hobby Make oragami
Favorite tv show Wizards of Waverly Place
Favorite Books Harry Potter series
Favorite school teachers Mrs. Krozylk (Pre-K teacher)
Favorite sports Basketball
Hair color Brown
Eye color Brown
Favorite cartoon Pokemon
Where do you live Houston,Texas
Favorite music type Blues
Favorite song Robot riot
What school do you attend Stevenston Middles school (Go dragons!)
Best school subject Science
Favorite thing about school Free Period
Loves Being on the internet,making oragamis,balh blah blah...
Hates My sister,homework(sometimes) and so on...
Scared of The dark,sharks,spiders,snakes (Y'know...animals.)
Favorite instrument Drums
Ta da! Finished. ChancyAngel helped me on the editing on my profile and stories cause...I'm new here... Anyways,Bye! ;) |
October 6, 2016. October 6, 2o16. October 6, 2016.
That date is spinning around my head as I look back over the past eighteen months. Man and Brother (working title: His Brother’s Keeper). That very first draft I did for National Novel Writing Month 2012 is so far from what’s being released in a week.
Mind you, this is a year and 5 days after I intended to release it, so this moment is bittersweet.
As an author, I have agonized recently over some of the most bizarre errors in the book. Double-ups of words I missed. Typographical errors, particularly involving o and i. Vanished verbs. What is most baffling of all of these? I missed them.
My brain corrected them as I ground through the document slowly. That is a cruelty of biology, that our brains make those lovely little corrections when we do not want it. Those mistakes should not have been there. Then again, I can see how exhausted I was by the number of errors.
As a writer, I was handicapped by nature. I wear eyeglasses and have since I was 17. I knew the bifocals were in my future. I knew they were coming two years ago, when I released ‘Til Undeath. And right when I needed my eyes to get that polish on Man and Brother? That’s when I needed a reader prescription added to my normal prescription. The irony was that my normal prescription hadn’t changed. I can still use those glasses, beaten up as they have been from the up-and-down and casting aside and restoring to try to see. And then? I chose progressives. It’s disorienting at first, but once I figured it out? It was game on.
I also had a relocation. Anyone who’s moved understands that life absolutely upends. This wasn’t across town, either. This was a big move that includes a dramatic climate change. While the social change is much improved, the summer was oppressive compared to what I faced when I published ‘Til Undeath. My writing resource library is packed in a storage unit. However, I have better internet connectivity in the new location, so I can get the grammar answers I need.
Getting this book out right now was a miracle, but I was in the same position as I was when I was publishing the Dome Trilogy. I was held back by similar delays then as now. The last time, I had less pushing to publish. This time . . . well, the Cryptid Series has more enthusiasm behind the scenes to see it published in a timely manner.
As I sit here trying to think of exciting things to say, I can’t muster the energy. I am thrilled. I really am. But at the moment, I still have IABOS. I miss my friends. I miss my life.
So, here’s the take away: Writing is art. It is a maze of pain and frustration, of attempting perfection and falling far short. It is tears and yelling between creator and manuscript (“Why can’t I get this scene right!!”). It crushes souls and grinds bones and breaks spirits and snaps minds.
But damn . . . when that day comes and the book is out there–as close to perfection as possible yet frustratingly imperfect? It is . . . wordless.
October 6, 2016. |
Jessica’s “Fact-Books are Your Friends” (06 January 2015)
Alice’s “Fact-Books are Your Friends” (06 January 2015)
Writing back-story, which goes unseen by readers, is nothing new. Organizing back-story is the real challenge.
So, I tried to look up fact books (and even fact-books) online. I came back with wonderful examples of encyclopedic tomes filled with information on specific subjects. While these may come in handy as research resources, I found nothing at all on creating a novel fact-book.
In other words, novelists who wish to prepare a fact book have the two aforementioned blogs (and this one) as resources. Fortunately, Dare to Dream, Live to Write (Jessica Loftus’s online journal) is filled with personal-experience guidance for novelists who want to bind their own writing grimoires. I recommend following her ‘blog.
Why Should I Create a Writer’s Grimoire/Fact-book?
In the past few months, I have grown increasingly overwhelmed. My fact-book is in my head and scattered about notepads. Retaining story threads and character information inside has had a wretched side effect: writer’s block. I am writing a series. I need a reference manual for my ever-expanding world.
I need a fact-book.
How Do I Make a Writer’s Grimoire/Fact-book?
Writers create worlds from aether. To honor that creativity with a bound work of art is an investment in the alchemy of putting mind to pen to paper.
After I read Jessica’s and Alice’s entries, I was inspired. Unfortunately, I scatter my ideas in spiralbound notebooks and composition books and on the margins of my typewritten pink pages. I want to be organized enough to put it all into a stunning journal like the one shown to the right. Some people can; I encourage those people to find and use an ornate, pre-bound journal.
Whenever I write, each story becomes a living thing. The tale evolves, grows, and changes even after I draft, rewrite, and publish. It’s why I write series, to be honest. My worlds grow too big to be held in just one novel.
So, what’s an alchemist of words and worlds to use? Here’s my personal recipe:
- One D ring binder, 3″ to 4″
- Tabbed dividers
- Lined paper
- unlined paper
- graph paper
- pens/pencils/crayons–whatever I find to write and draw with.
The nerd in me also wants plastic slide-in protector sleeves. Maybe I can use them for drawings, pictures, and character bios for the main characters (MCs); general notes don’t need protection. The general notes are, after all, going to be marked up like mad as the story progresses.
What Do I Put in My Writer’s Grimoire/Fact-book?
I want characters who act and react consistently with their personalities–even as the characters evolve through the story. I want every significant story thread tucked neatly back into the story weaving. Not all threads are tucked back into the same book they’re drawn out. If I forget a thread which I made a fuss about in an earlier volume, then I risk losing readers. As an indie-published author, I cannot afford to lose even one potential reader.
While my fact-book contents list is not yet complete, I know these elements will be put into it:
- Character biographies
- Series and novel themes
- A cryptid bestiary with histories, mythologies, legends, and modern interpretations
- Scene summaries
- Back-story which readers should not have to suffer
- Series story threads
Come on. Do I Really Need a Writer’s Grimoire/Fact-book?
You may not, but I do.
In the Dome Trilogy, I introduced a major story thread at the beginning of Beneath a Sunless Sky that I resolved halfway through Solaray Dawn. That story thread was so important that it got a nudge in Nightmare Specters–to let readers know I intended to address and resolve it in Solaray Dawn.
I did not have a fact book for that series, so I had to re-read Beneath a Sunless Sky and Nightmare Specters as I wrote, rewrote, and polished Solaray Dawn. I wasted a lot of time and put off Solaray Dawn‘s publication because a 433-page novel and a 506-page novel constituted my trilogy “fact book.”
The Cryptid Series has four drafted novels already, and the fifth through eighth novels are getting re-imagined even as I write this journal entry. The series started as a chick-lit series: one-shot personal-development romances between cryptids and the women who love them. As the world grew, it evolved into urban fantasy with a dash of romance. Something, however, kept pulling me toward the paranormal science fiction genre. The current premise, and its resulting genre, evolved from a question I have asked myself since 2009:
“What if cryptids–the creatures of fantasy, legend, and mythology–returned in force to the modern world?”
I thought about the fairy tales, the mythic stories, the anecdotes of mystery and magic. Once upon a time, cyclopes and unicorns were real. The truth was irrefutable; cyclopes’ skulls and unicorns’ horns were proved to exist, and individuals could examine both.
Well, they were both real until the Scientific Revolution. Cyclopes’ skulls suddenly were dwarf elephant skulls; unicorns’ horns suddenly were narwhal tusks. But what if . . . ?
Fact-books Are Just Good Science.
Science rules science fiction; I cannot proclaim, “Therefore, magic!” and continue on my merry way as a science fiction novelist. While I may not be able to answer every question, I can approach each scientifically. How?
I can record my findings in my fact book, even if the paranormal creatures and events make the fact book appear more like a grimoire. |
Panic in the Woods is a strange phenomenon found in Grand Theft Auto V. It is based on the claim that, on rare occasions in the San Andreas woodlands, a high pitched buzzing noise will be playing loudly, similar to the medical disease tinnitus, and the player character's health will gradually decrease, until he returns to civilization.
According to the blog The Paranormal Guide, Panic in the woods has been associated with the Pagan God Pan, protector of wild places, whose unseen presence inspires causeless terror. Victims experience an overwhelming feeling of paranoia, such as a sinister force nearby, and sense imminent danger. This usually leads the person to flee the area, desperately seeking out civilization. One curiously common characteristic of panic is, that people often describe that the woodlands will go completely silent, deafening the witness before the loud pitch sound sets in a few moments later. Deafening silence and paranoia in the woods are related to the real life cryptid Goatman and another group of paranormal monsters, known as Skinwalkers. At least one article on the phenomenon has been written for Fortean Times Magazine by Patrick Harpur, titled Landscapes of Panic. The behavior is a common post on many paranormal forums and message boards.
As in real life, panic begins with a sudden, complete silence that soon turns into an annoying buzzing sound. After a few minutes have passed, the player character's health will begin to slowly decrease, and the player character may say some unusual dialogue. Upon reaching a town, or even coming across a road or an NPC, everything returns to normal. Panic may, in fact, be an audio glitch in defective consoles. However, this does not explain the draining health. Occasionally, panic coincides with the appearance of other cryptids. The cryptid known as Goatman is rumored to appear in the game, and if Panic applies to Goatman sightings in real life, they likely apply in game as well. Panic always happens at night, and no daytime sightings have ever been reported.
There are a few theories about the phenomenon, and possibly a solution.
The noise probably comes from a glitched audio file that is either corrupted, or was an unused ambiance around that is not supposed to play, as this would explain the silence that is usually reported to happen before the phenomenon.
The slowly decreasing health is a tricky one. It is most likely a glitch, which could be caused by either an unused file for a beta mechanic, or a corrupted health file. |
The recommended new book, Outbreak! The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior is a massive tome, being a large format paperbound book (8" by 11"), with a total of 765 pages of about 340 entries. The authors are the scholars Hilary Evans, a social historian, and Robert Bartholomew, a sociologist and specialist in collective behavior. The editor-publisher Patrick Huyghe also deserves much credit for being the midwife at Anomalist Books for the birth of this big baby, during the Spring of 2009.
From "Abdera Outbreak of Prose and Poetry" to "Zoot Suit Riots," the book takes the reader on an incredible tour of the topics at hand. The classics of contagion behavior are here, e.g. the "Band Bus Hysteria," "Cargo 'Cults'," "Copycat Behavior," "Phantom Slasher," "Pokemon Illness," "Salem Witch Hunts," "Suicide Clusters," and "Windshield Pitting Scare."
But it may be the more bizarre of the strange that gets some attention for the authors' weird little treks into "Extraterrestrial Tsunami Panic," "Feather Tickling Fad," "Jumping Frenchmen of Maine" (a little more serious than the "kicking horse game" and "cabin fever"), "Masturbation Delusion" (obviously, an in-depth global survey), "Ugandan Running Sickness," and "Wacky Wallwalker Fad."
Some personal Fortean favorites of mine, as well as familiar ufological topics, are to be found in this book. They include "Cattle Mutilations," "Chupacabra Scare" (incorrectly spelled, I must note), "Flying Saucer, Origin of," "Ghost Rocket Scare," "Great American Airship Scare," "Halifax Slasher," "Mad Gasser of Botetourt," "Mad Gasser of Mattoon," "Monkey Man Scare," and "Springheel Jack Scare."
The Jack the Ripper case is discussed under the academic entry heading, "Whitechapel Murders Scare," thus acknowledging the authors' apparent dislike for the "Ripper" label.
Cryptozoology, per se, also shows up marginally in relationship to a "Water Monster Panic" that occurred in Shanghai, China, in August 1947. An "amphibious monster" scare resulted in the death by drowning of a man who jumped overboard when he heard screams of what he thought was the monster. Two other men were beaten to death by a crowd who "believed they were somehow linked to the monster."
The entry for the "Windigo Psychosis" covers pages 726 to 728, and is written much differently than how I would approach the subject. The authors begin by clearly defining where they are going here: "Native Canadians of the Algonquin peoples are subject to periodic outbreaks related to a supernatural naked giant to which they give many names but which is chiefly known as the windigo or wendigo, or weetigo."
The authors tip their hat by using the word "supernatural," and give no basis for how the Windigo, a local name for Sasquatch, is viewed by some First Nations people. The real cryptid or unknown hominid is used as the model for the "boogie man" of the psychosis but does not need to be dismissed, out of hand, in their introduction. The windigo psychosis or wittiko psychosis is real, no doubt, but then too, so may be the "monsters of the woods," the Windigo/Wendigo/Wittiko. The two topics are actually separate but equal, and I see again that the foggy psychosis has caused these writers to pen vague words about the hairy hominid too.
I suppose if you are going to credit an undated article on the "Windigo" psychosis published in the International Journal of Parapsychology for the source of your definition on "Windigo," versus using more folkloric, anthropological, or cryptozoological references on the creatures, you better be prepared for me to not be happy with that entry.
The Windigo (also known as the Wendigo, Windago, Windiga, Wittiko, Wihtikow, and numerous other variants) is an unknown hairy hominid tied to the sightings, legends and folklore of First Nations people linked by the Algonquin languages. The range is much more broad than given in Outbreak!. The Windigo is a bipedal hairy creature, equal to the Eastern Bigfoot, Stone Giant, or Marked Hominid in some classification systems, which is often said to have aggressive behaviors. But the "Windigo Psychosis" has nothing to do with cryptozoology, except that a name is used for a mental disorder.
I do not hide the fact that I have differences in interpretation with these authors, for I find their black and white skeptical approach to a few of the encyclopedia's events as being wholly too psychological-based, without any appreciation for the possible underlying factual reality to be found in some of these encounters. I predict that a few thoughtful suicidologists, social scientists or even ufologists reviewing this book would also have a few comments to make about some of their suicide epidemics or ufological entries, as well. It really depends on your point-of-view.
The book is well-organized, but it does take a few moments to understand the reasoning behind why some incidents are entries and why some items are subcategories under others.
The entries bounce back and forth, between the universal and the incredibly specific, such as, for instance, the worldwide "Streaking Fad" to little collections like the "Sick School Staff Syndrome," and to the minute examples of one event, e.g, the "Ohio Chorus Fainting Fits," which happened on one day, November 23, 1959.
The index is detailed in small print in 10 pages, and it helps a great deal, if, for example, you are looking for the "penis theft attacks" of 2001, which took place in Nigeria and Benin. Those aren't mentioned in the section on "Genital Shrinking Scares," but instead discussed under "Genital Vanishing Scares." Certainly, an important difference.
Such reservations, however, do not distract me from being grateful these two scholars have written such a fine collection of cases, so we may all have this data at our fingertips now.
The book is a masterpiece, that's for sure.
It will become a major reference work for those involved in researching these kinds of events or for those with a casual interest who wish to dive deeper into the literature and stories on such things.
Besides merely congratulating Anomalist Books for taking on the monumental task of publishing this important book, also I congratulate them for keeping the price reasonable, at $39.95 US. I already notice used copies are going for $55.21 on the American site, Amazon.com, so I say, if you are the least bit intrigued, buy it new, now.
Outbreak! The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior |
The stars of a popular cable show are combing the woods around Houghton Lake, Mich., for signs of the the giant bipedal ape-man known as Bigfoot. Animal Planet’s show “Finding Bigfoot” is filming in the area and drew 350 people to an April 5 town meeting held to gather clues about the whereabouts of the elusive cryptid, according to the Detroit News.
Phil Shaw, a member of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization told the News that some of those who showed up for the meeting shared stories of personal encounters.
“My favorite was from a lady who lives south of Houghton Lake that actually had been able to record ‘whoop howls’ from a bigfoot,” he said. “They only howl on a limited basis, so that was very rare and impressive.”
Shaw’s organization has records of around 140 Michigan Bigfoot sightings since 1910 — including a November 2011 report by a hunter who heard “resonant vocalizations and bipedal movement” while camping in Roscommon County.
“Michigan has been a hotspot for sightings since the 1960s, especially areas like Sister Lake and Monroe, where there were reports of very aggressive creatures and people being attacked,” said Loren Coleman of the International Cryptozoological Museum in Portland, Maine.
Coleman said the high number of sightings makes sense because of Michigan’s extensive wilderness.
“It’s in the boreal forest, the heavily tree-covered area that goes from the Pacific Northwest across the U.S.-Canada border to Maine, but it has more sightings than other places because there are more people,” he said. “You need people to see Bigfoot and Michigan has a higher population than, say, the Dakotas.”
The Houghton Lake episode of Finding Bigfoot will air on Animal Planet this summer. |
Books i RECOMMEND you read to aid your own investigations....
Things i came across whilst researching and think are worth sharing...
CanAm Missing Website - David Paulides and teams official website - with latest cases, news, information and lots more.
Vistaramic Journeys 411 - Joel Kostuch took a special interest in the cases and started to visit the locations where the people vanished. During his trips he placed the visit on video, it's an excellent representation of where the incidents occurred.
The Charley Project - The Charley Project profiles over 9,000 "cold case" missing people mainly from the United States. It does not actively investigate cases; it is merely a publicity vehicle for missing people who are often neglected by the press and forgotten all too soon.
The DOE Network - The Doe Network is a 100% volunteer organization devoted to assisting investigating agencies in bringing closure to national and international cold cases concerning Missing & Unidentified Persons. It is our mission to give the nameless back their names and return the missing to their families.
National Missing Person Directory - Missing People News and Directory.
NamUS - NamUs is a free online system that can be searched by medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement officials and the general public from all over the country in hopes of resolving these cases.
Protect your Kids forums - Regularly updated in real-time. Almost minute by minute updates of dangers, accidents, murders, kidnappings and vanishings of young people, some of the old data was lost through ID-theft, but it still has a pretty comprehensive backlog of cases going back many years, which are important because the posts on these threads were posted real-time, this means the information they posted is probably not mentioned again in later reports.
The Biggest Study Blog - Extremely comprehensive cryptid and folklore blog, with huge back catalogs of posts rammed full of interesting and some even quite worrying data.
Crytomundo - Very up to date blog with many well-known and credible cypto contributors, including scientists, professors and authors.
Above Top Secret - This website, in particular the forum, are great sources of information, with contributions from all walks of life from all corners of the world, it is incredible how quickly some of the threads take off in many different directions, opinions, viewpoints and possibilities. You may have to sign up to view most of it efficiently.
Bigfoot Encounters & Stories - This website attempts to provide the interested reader or research student with a general overview of thebiology of the sasquatch to the same degree that one would expect from, say, a bear website.
UFO Sightings Daily - Website dedicated to covering every aspect of the UFO phenomena on a real time basis.
UFO Casebook - Alien Abduction Stories - A collection of stories gathered from allover the world dating back decades recording peoples witness testimony to being abducted by, subjected to, or witnessed events of UFO related behavior. |
Andrew Knight is a European veterinary specialist in animal welfare science, ethics and law who speaks regularly on animal welfare issues at universities and conferences internationally. Here, he describes how his career has developed, along with his interest in cryptozoology
- British Veterinary Association
Statistics from Altmetric.com
I'VE been an active animal advocate ever since helping to launch Australia's campaign against the live sheep trade to the Middle East in the early 1990s. I'm from Perth, Western Australia, the world centre of the trade. The terrible conditions on the ships caused enormous suffering and the death of over 100,000 sheep each year out of more than five million exported, with a similar number dying in feedlots on arrival. I found it so rewarding to be doing something to help large numbers of suffering creatures that I essentially decided to make animal advocacy the focus of my life's work.
I completed the veterinary course at Western Australia's Murdoch University from 1997 to 2001. As an undergraduate I successfully campaigned for the introduction of humane alternatives to harmful animal use within the surgical and preclinical curriculum. Thereafter I was commissioned by two US animal protection organisations.to critically review certain fields of animal research. Numerous scientific publications were published in 2006/08, including a prominent contribution to a debate within the British Medical Journal USA.
I continued to research and publish on a range of animal welfare topics, and in 2009 was appointed a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. The centre aims to contribute to the developing field of animal ethics and welfare, particularly through its peer-reviewed Journal of Animal Ethics, and its Animal Ethics book series. I was asked to write my book ‘The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments’ for the series.
In 2010, I was awarded a PhD from Australia's Griffith University for a set of 16 academic publications critiquing animal research. In 2011 I was awarded European veterinary specialisation in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law. And in 2012, after locuming as a small animal vet for nearly a decade, mostly around London, I was recruited to my current position at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM).
More than anything else, my successes have resulted from the substantial body of academic publications on animal welfare issues I've built up over the years. This has not, however, been without certain costs in terms of work/life balance. For example, I've never had time to learn how to surf properly, which is quite embarrassing for an Australian, and could be problematic here in the Caribbean (if I ever had the time). But I can bodysurf!
At RUSVM, I coordinate one course and teach numerous others. My course focuses on veterinary practice management, jurisprudence, defensible practice and liability insurance, personal and practice finances, trends in veterinary student debts and starting salaries, communication and interview skills, and mental health. I also lecture in three other preclinical courses on subjects such as animal welfare and ethics, ethics in science, and veterinary career pathways.
Additionally, I'm the director of our clinical skills laboratory (CSL), which offers instruction on a wide range of small and large animal surgical and medical skills, along with other clinically important skills such as team work, communication, problem solving and critical reasoning. Some skills are taught in our theriogenology laboratory and communication simulation laboratory. Like many of our facilities the latter is state of the art, and includes a simulated veterinary practice reception area and two consultation rooms, complete with one-way glass and video recording. We use a wide range of models, mannequins and simulators for teaching surgical and medical skills in all semesters of the course before students enter their final clinical year, and develop new models as needed through our active research and development programme.
As director of the CSL I oversee much of our surgical and medical skills training, and support the work of six full-time technicians and three full-time faculty staff who work and teach within the CSL. On a weekly basis I attend CSL labs, partly to teach, but primarily to monitor the functioning of our many different laboratories.⇓
I also regularly participate in our volunteer-run feral cat project, in which faculty veterinarians and closely supervised senior students surgically neuter feral cats. This helps to increase the health and wellbeing of these individual cats and, over time, also helps to reduce the feral cat population, which presents one of the biggest animal welfare problems on our island.
The best bit of my job, without a doubt, is teaching; in particular, facilitating that magical moment when the ‘penny drops’, and a student who has been struggling to understand a challenging concept finally succeeds. I love encouraging students to think critically and develop their own, defensible positions on the challenging multifaceted animal ethics dilemmas they will regularly encounter in practice.
I also love teaching surgery, especially helping students successfully complete their first spays. We never forget these momentous, stressful occasions, and it's a privilege to be able to help students through their own. It's so rewarding to see them gaining skill and knowledge, and developing good surgical and welfare standards, and justified confidence in their own abilities.
However, academia is not for those who lack the necessary patience to deal with administrative challenges. The administrative burdens are substantial and a source of great frustration to most of us who just want to teach, research and publish.
Anyone considering a career in academia should develop a long-term plan. I think perhaps the greatest secret to success is the ability to say no to the distractions that will come your way. This equates with the ability to focus on your goals, but I recommend balancing this with enough flexibility to alter your plan if really good opportunities unexpectedly appear. For a career in academia, this means gaining as many relevant qualifications, and publishing as many case reports, studies, reviews or even opinion pieces (supported by reason and evidence), as possible.
On a lighter note . . .
Fortunately, not all of my career is serious. I'm also working toward my specialisation in veterinary cryptozoology (DipCrypt), focusing on the medicine and surgery of animals considered extinct, or otherwise non-existent, by mainstream biologists. To date my studies have taken me to alpine summits in France, Peru and Scotland; to Loch Ness, Ireland, Prague, and even London's College of Psychic Studies. I've learnt so much about the natural environments of these ‘cryptids’.
The outstanding success of most of these trips has been only marginally diminished by the unfortunate absence to date of any actual cryptid encounters. Nevertheless, I remain determined to bring the benefits of modern medicine to the rarest and most wonderful of the world's creatures, no matter how many mountains I must climb, snow-fields I must ski, or tropical islands I must search; and no matter how much time I must — with the deepest of regrets — take off work.
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This is the fourth of five sets of author interview questions compiled by Elisabeth Barette and sorted by me.
I enjoy writing, adventuring, observing. Interviews . . . I don’t know what to say for myself. On the whole, I don’t consider myself a particularly interesting person.
Oh, I care about people. I enjoy talking to people. I even enjoy talking about writing with people. I believe, now, I could do a book signing if only to meet and greet people.
Interviews to promote myself, my books . . . they are difficult. What I’ve done and seen eases smoothly into the realm of fiction for me. Traveling the nebulous space between fact and fiction is akin to picking my way over a stony and narrow path along a cliff face, only to find glyphs I cannot comprehend etched in rock at the top.
Yet, here we are again.
How long have you been writing?
Well, I started writing poems, songs, and short stories as a kid, so just about three decades. Sometimes these were creative writing assignments; other times, for my own entertainment. An owl feeling oppressed flew away from home then returned. A mouse girl had a birthday party where another mouse was mean to her yet befriended the poorly-behaved mouse girl anyway. I wrote about fairies; I wrote about magical children. Though I’ve had a darkness to my writing since the beginning, I was (and still am) always longing for a happy resolution to my stories.
I didn’t write voraciously as a child (my writing disturbed teachers), but I was already familiar with the writing muse even as I read insatiably and daydreamed incessantly. I wrote short stories for myself late in high school, most of which I did not finish. I wrote short stories in college, all of which I finished.
In 1992, I was given a wonderful gift in spoken words which changed my life: “What happens next?” That question started me writing novels. The novels entertained people, particularly the person who asked the initial question. During this time, I learned I could write a full-length novel draft in less than two weeks. None were good enough to be sent out to agents or publishers, but the march toward finding my novel-writing voice had begun.
In 2003, I wrote the draft which became the entire Dome Trilogy over November and December. Since then, I have written dozens of full-length novel drafts.
Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?
Not really, no. I researched my subjects in books and on the internet. I’m not even sure how to petition an expert to give me information. I do have to admit, the Cryptid Series could benefit from sitting down with a biology professor or someone in organic chemistry. I’ve met wonderful people since I started ‘Til Undeath Do Us Part, but none were part of researching the novel.
Are there vocabulary words or concepts in your book that may be new to readers? Define some of those.
Well, in the Dome Trilogy, I created its own set of words and did my best to offer imagery or descriptions which explained the unfamiliar word. After my own difficulty with George Orwell’s 1984 and its Newspeak glossary as an adolescent, I tried to do what I think most writers do and build sentences which explain the word within the context of the story. My sister read challenging fiction; her vocabulary was massive simply from reading, and her writing was strong enough to earn her an acceptance into a world-class college then a world-class graduate program.
I think maybe the science and sometimes the psychic paranormal vocabulary and concepts in the Cryptid Series can get detailed, but I do my best to explain it in conversations between characters. If I don’t know what’s going on, then I failed in my goal of keeping a steady story flow for the reader.
What inspires you?
I don’t understand; the question is too vague. What inspires me to write? What inspires me in general?
In the realm of writing, I am swept away by a story which must be written. I have no real alternative; I have to write, or I am haunted by ghosts of novels unwritten. Writing, itself, inspires me. Reading does as well.
In life, being out in nature inspires me. New experiences inspire me. Seeing how the world has changed and celebrating or mourning those changes inspires me. Life, itself, inspires me.
What are some day jobs that you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.
Mmm, next question.
[Note: if I were asked this in an interview, I wouldn’t answer it then, either. Writing is my calling, my career. I appreciate that others’ works of fiction and non-fiction are deeply influenced by their work experiences. They influence my writing, yes, but they are not at the heart of it.]
What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
I haven’t really seen many works try to approach myth and magic with a scientific bent. A person says, “Oh, this turned out to be real,” and everyone accepts it. They don’t question why, don’t try to understand how this supernatural person, place, or thing suddenly is part of the natural world. It’s too easy; if I learned vampires are real, like the characters in ‘Til Undeath Do Us Part learn, then I want to know what they are. I want to know what myths about them bear up to scrutiny, which fall down, which are simply bad cause-and-effect or a story told to raise a storyteller’s esteem in the eyes of others.
I have skeptics as main characters in my books; they demand of themselves and others to seek questions and answers science can provide. Does it mean they get those answers? Not always. Science has its limitations at every age and stage, which inspire future scientists to pursue theoretical then experimental proofs of ideas.
What do you like to read in your free time?
Whatever I can! I read across genres; I read fiction and non-fiction. I read fairy tales, poems, short stories, sagas, novels, novellas, blogs . . . I read. |
Dinosaurian Coprolite & Fossil Skin
Coprolite is the scientific name for fossilized fecal material. To be even more blunt, we are talking about preserved dinosaur poop. Typically soft materials (like dinosaur skin, internal organs, and scat) are not fossilized. These tend to be easily destroyed in the process of dying, deformed by the burying sediments, decayed rapidly by bacteria, and scavenged by other animals. So typically all we have preserved from the great reptiles are the bones. But occasional exceptions have arisen, to the delight of paleontologists, as fossilized dinosaur skin (like the Hadrosaur skin impression on the right) and even mineralized droppings have been found.
To the left is a wonderfully preserved dinosaur skin from a fossil Triceratops named Lane (photo by the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research). Amidst the scales are large protruding bumps, or rosettes, that match up well against some of the historical depictions of dinosaurs engraved on the Ica Stones. While these fossils typically still leave a lot of unanswered questions (like what colors the dinosaur was), they can give valuable clues to the general appearance and physiology of the great reptiles. For example, the evidence of fluffy hairs on some pterosaur fossils led to artistic revisions and provided further evidence that they warm-blooded.
Fossilized scat is particularly interesting to modern cryptozoologists who hunt for possible living dinosaurian species. Droppings and footprints are often discovered and analyzed long before an elusive creature is photographed or captured. By comparing droppings found in a cryptid hotspot against an image like that at the lower left (The DinoWight Collection – Solnhofen Eichstätt Quarry), a researcher can determine if they ares on the right track towards finding a possible living pterosaur. While pterosaur coprolite is rare, many pieces of mineralized dinosaur droppings have been found, some weighing up to hundreds of pounds. It seems that the pressure involved in a burial under watery sediments, along with the relaxation of bowel muscles quite often resulted in defecation soon after death. |
SKEPTIC magazine offers a free eSkeptic weekly newsletter to be delivered to your inbox. It gives (of course) a skeptical viewpoint on things ranging from "mad gasser" folklore to psychics.
COMMENT: The problem I have with most avoewdly skeptical publications is that they lump cryptozoology in with ghost-hunting and all the other "pseudoscientific" phenomena. Not accurate. However unscientific the methods of some amatuer cryptid enthuiasts may be, cryptozoology deals in falsifiable hypothetheses and is therefore a science. You can never disprove the theory "There are ghosts haunting some old houses" but you CAN (assuming adequate resources) disprove "There is an apelike monster in those woods" or "There is a large unidentified creature in this lake." (Whether the resources are in fact available has nothing to do with whether the hypthesis meets science philosopher Karl Popper's time-tested falisfiability postulate.) Cryptozoologists have gone out into the field and disproven some cases, like the presence of unnautrally large predators in small Irish lakes and the claim of a mermaid-like creature off New Guinea called the ri. So I repeat - cryptozoology is logically a science, even if not always practiced as one. Unscientific activities no more invalidate cryptozoology than Fleishman and Ponds' unwarranted cold fusion claims invalidated nuclear physics. You can argue cryptozoology isn't needed, since people in "mainstream" fields of zoology are investigating reports and finding new species all the time (much more than most people realize), but again that doesn't invalidate the logic here. My view of cryptozoology is that it's a branch that applies scientific methods to discovery of new species but broadens somewhat the types of data considered to get an investigation started in the hopes of assuring we don't miss anything. |
Hunting and fishing – two favorite activities shared by millions the world over. While some people pursue these pleasures for the sport, others take part as a means of survival. Deep in the heart of Alabama, hunting, fishing and farming are an inseparable means of cutting one’s survival out of the land using his or her own hands.
Families pass down their traditions and skills from generation to generation in hopes of providing meals for years to come. So, what happens when a hunter is unfortunate enough to stumble into the path of a werewolf? Well, for one anonymous hunter who did encounter a lycan, he used what he’d been taught and put his hunting skills, as well as his gun, to use.
Before we get into the details of his encounter with the cryptid predator, there’s a bit of interesting back story. The werewolf is not unfamiliar to the man, and he claims the creature has been lurking in the woods since he was a small child. He referred to the beast (or beasts) as “the white ones”, insinuating they may be a particular breed or type of werewolves not commonly reported in other areas of the country.
This chance encounter with “the white one” happened while the man was deer hunting. As he explained, he met a creature with long, canine-like fangs and pinkish-red eyes, nose and lips. Recalling a cautionary tale story from his childhood, the man stated that
If your dogs come running back faster than your truck will run, you better get the hell out of there!
Instinctively, he took aim and shot the shapeshifter in the upper left shoulder and the force of the impact knocked it to the ground. However, true to centuries of werewolf legend, the gunshot wound failed to have the desired effect and only enraged the creature. It stood back up and charged his position.
At this point he did what most of us would have done, he ran for his life, leading the beast on a half mile chase back to his truck. Perhaps the wound slowed the werewolf just enough to allow his escape and avoid becoming its next meal. A hair-raising tale, indeed.
After his close call, the man maintains he’s never gone back to that hunting location and has never seen the creature he wounded again. Not that he wants to, because he’s not particularly keen on becoming the beast’s dinner. I’m sure no one blames him for those sentiments.
Unlike other werewolf sightings where the creatures are north of seven feet tall, the man said this lycan that had stalked him in the woods was only about five and a half feet tall. He approximated its weight to be anywhere between 150 to 200lbs. A stark contrast to other reports of the beasts weighing up to an estimated 400lbs.
Should we believe that this man really put a bullet in a werewolf? He did seem genuine in his tale and if it’s true that he never went back to his hunting ground then perhaps that’s a good indication he did encounter something out there. The tale is an excellent reminder, in any event; to always pay close attention to your surroundings, especially when you’re out in the woods. |
El Chupacabras, (from chupar "to suck" and cabra "goat") are a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas.
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Beyond The Edge Radio
Alternative Talk Radio...with an attitude!
2/19/2017 JC Johnson of Crypto Four Corners
February 21, 2017 05:28 PM PST
We're back Sunday night as Eric and Marie are packing their bags to take a trip to the Four Corners area of the Southwestern United States as we welcome back renowned Cryptozoologist and Monster hunter J.C. Johnson. In the first half hour we welcome back Shawn and Marianne Donley of Panic’D and Dark Shadow Ghost Tours for another episode of The Haunted Spotlight. Then at 8:30 we welcome back J.C. Johnson to the show and we’ll be talking about the latest happenings in the Crypto Four Corners area and some of J.C.’s more bizzare cases he has investigated. Be sure to tune in for another fun and frightening episode of BTE Radio!
JC Johnson, considered by some to be the "Indiana Jones of Cryptozoology," founded and leads a group of dozens of enthusiastic and determined researchers focused on a variety of strange and mysterious creatures in the Four Corners area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. This group’s research includes Bigfoot, giant snakes, living dinosaurs, werewolves, dragons, giant birds, pterodactyls, centaurs, Native American “Skin Walkers”, and other cryptids frequently reported in this wild and remote region. Johnson has been a professional river and outdoor guide for more than 20 years. His experience, knowledge, attunement to nature and undying faith make him a driving force in the field of Cryptozoological and Paranormal research.
J.C. will bring us up to date on his latest research, investigations, and encounters, from hairy humanoids stalking young ranch-dwelling women, to wolfmen, dogmen, large predators and ultraterrestrials, all very active in two mysterious areas of the Southwest.
Please visit JC Websites:
February 14, 2017 07:42 PM PST
BTE Radio is back again this week as Eric and Marie welcome UFO and Cryptid investigator Butch Witkoski from the UFO Research Center of Pennsylvania.
In the first half hour we welcome Seth Breedlove of Small Town Monsters who will update us on his two new films he is working on The Mothman of Point Pleasant and Invasion on Chestnut Ridge along with the Kickstarter Campaign to help fund these projects. Then at 8:30 pm est, we're joined again by Butch Witkoski of UFORCOP who will update us on the latest UFO and Cryptid sightings he's received. Definitely will be an interesting show with lots to talk about this week on BTE Radio.
It was time to go about this work in a different manner, and after almost a year of serious reflection and consideration, I started the UFO Research Center of Pennsylvania in 2009 and brought together some of the best like-minded researchers I could find.
Visit the website at http://uforcop.com/index.html2/5/2017 BTE Welcomes Scary Harry Metz and Walt "The Music Man" Shrum
February 07, 2017 06:14 PM PST
After several months on hiatus, BTE Radio is back this week with a fun and entertaining show to kick off 2017. Jeff Belanger will be rescheduled for later this spring but this week we're in for a real treat as we'll be entertained by Walt the Music Man and Scarry Harry and the Spooky Spectre from Fright Night Theatre.
In the first half hour Shawn and Marianne Donley of Dark Shadow Ghost Tours and Panic'D are with us to kick of 2017 with a new episode of the Haunted Spotlight.
At 9:00 pm, Eric and Marie welcome Musician Walter Shrum and local TV Personality and star of Fright Night Theatre, Harry A. Metz.
Walt the Music Man is a Uniontown singer/songwriter's who's inspiration to sing a song about Bigfoot has inspired an entire album dedicated to those who hunt the legendary beast of debatable mythology.
Walter Shrum has been writing and singing songs for 20 years and even turned his attic into a makeshift recording studio, but a bit of inspiration took him down an unusual songwriting path.
It was something about Bigfoot — a.k.a Sasquatch, Yeti, Hairy Stinka Boo, Skunk Ape, Momo and Windego — that Shrum was looking into that caused him to come up with a song and contact his friend and local television personality Harry Metz to shoot a music video to the song “Searching For Bigfoot.”
The video scored more than 8,000 hits on YouTube, but one of those hits came from Rick Dyer, a Bigfoot hunter who has gained national attention over the years and who shared the music video on his website.
The 21-song CD titled “Tribute to the Stars of Bigfoot” not only mentions up to 25 of those Bigfoot hunters who have gained national press and have their own shows, but also includes autographs from them on the CD case, including Rick Dyer, Derek Randles, Biff Burke, Dallas Gilbert, Justin Smeja, Stacy Brown, Tammy Murray, Michael Merchant. Others cited include Matt Moneymaker, Cliff Barackman, James “Bobo” Fay and Ranae Holland from the television show “Finding Bigfoot,” and Beyond The Edge Radio Host and Bigfoot Hunter Eric Altman.
Shrum said he plans on shopping his songs to local radio stations and is trying to get the album in mom and pop stores in the area. For those who need to satisfy their Bigfoot serenade fix, the songs can be purchased on iTunes or viewed on YouTube under “waltthemusicman”.
People can even purchase the entire CD for $12.99 on Pay Pal by contacting Shrum on his facebook page.
Harry Metz AKA Scary Harry AKA the Spooky Spectre is a videographer and owner of Scary Harry Video. Harry is also a local tv personality and hails from the Uniontown area as well.
Harry or Spooky, is the star and host of the TV show Fright Night Theatre which airs on Uniontown PA Fayette TV Channel 77 Atlantic Broadband every Saturday night at 11 PM and the show can also be seen on his Youtube channel Fright Night Theatre. Harry devotes a lot of his time filming videos and shows at the Haunted Smock Museum in Smock PA. Harry has worked closely with Walt The Music Man filming many of his music videos among other projects.
Harry’s recent music video projects include Dogman and Chupacabra both which star Walter Shrum with Guest appearances by Bigfoot researchers Ed Brown Jr, Dave Groves and BTE Radio Host/Bigfoot Researcher Eric Altman.
Walter along with the Spooky Spectre and Scary Harry will be appearing this spring at the 2017 Pennsylvania Bigfoot Camping Adventure where Harry will be meeting fans, posing for photos and signing autographs. Walter will be playing hits from his new CD on Both Days.
Join us this week as BTE Radio is back with a fun and musical edition of the show as Walt will be telling us about his new CD and playing new and familiar hits while Scary Harry and the Spooky Spectre will be providing comment.
Visit Harry’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheSpookySpectre and Fright Night Theatre on You Tube.
Visit Walters Facebook page at You can visit Walters Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/walter.shrum.9
See all his music videos on his you tube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/waltthemusicman12/4/2016 BTE's Christmas Party with Author Lyle Blackburn
December 05, 2016 05:14 PM PST
Join us for the BTE Radio 2016 Christmas Party and our last show of the year as we welcome back Author, Investigator and musician Lyle Blackburn back to the show to help us celebrate the holidays. Lyle is back for the full two hours this week with so much to talk about. BTE Radio will wrap up 2016 with our early Christmas present to you as Eric and Marie are scheduled to take an early Christmas vacation and will return to the airwaves on January 8th but before we do, we wanted to say thank you and celebrate the holidays with you by giving you an early gift. We are bringing back one of our favorite guests Lyle Blackburn as we'll be talking about Cryptids, Creatures, and Serial Killers this week on the show. We'll head to the Gulf Coast this week to Texarkana to 1945 and 46 to discuss the Unsolved Moonlight Murders or Phantom Killer case that inspired the Charles B. Pearce movie "The town that feared Sundown. We'll also talk about the Boggy Creek Monster documentary that Lyle narrated and Co-produced with Seth Breedlove of Small Town Monsters. We'll also discuss with Lyle his latest book Monstro Bizaro, an Essential Manual of Mysterious Monsters. So stoke up the fire place, turn the lights down low, cuddle under the Christmas Tree with our special gift to you, Lyle Blackburn this week as we present the 2016 BTE Radio Christmas Party.
Lyle is also a staff writer for the monthly horror magazine, Rue Morgue, and founder of the rock band Ghoultown.
Lyle has been heard on numerous radio programs including Coast To Coast AM, has appeared on various television shows airing on Discovery, Animal Planet, Destination America, A&E, HGTV, and CBS, and served as consulting producer and special episode host for the tv show Monsters and Mysteries in America. Most recently, Lyle was featured in the documentary film, Boggy Creek Monster. To learn more visit www.lyleblackburn.com11/27/2016 ParNews and Discussion with Fred Kracke
November 28, 2016 05:34 PM PST
Celebrate the end of Thanksgiving weekend this week on BTE Radio, as we welcome back our Paranormal News Correspondent Fred Kracke for the last Paranormal News and Discussion of 2016. Fred will be reading the latest news of the weird and unusual from around the word. Tune in to hear the latest stories on haunted locations, ghosts, aliens, ufo's, strange creatures. Bigfoot , lake monsters the unsual and mysterious. Always a fun time discussing and sharing all the strange happenings from around the world with our good friend Fred Kracke this week so join us as we wrap up Thanksgiving weekend here at BTE Radio with our last Paranormal news and discussion of 2016!11/20/2016 Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler and the Monsters of the Midwest
November 23, 2016 06:01 PM PST
Tune in this week for the last Creature Features edition of BTE Radio for 2016 as Eric, Marie and Karyn welcome Authors Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler to discuss their new book "Monsters of the Midwest: True Tales of Bigfoot, Werewolves & Other Legendary Creatures. Jessica and Monica will be joining us to talk about the research and writing they did on some of these strange and unusual cryptids that are reported to lurk and haunt the forests, hills and rural areas of the Midwestern U.S. To learn more about Jessica visit her website www.jessicafreeburg.com and to learn more about Natalie visit www.nataliefowler.com. Join us this week as we track down some of the creepy cryptids of the Midwest with Jessica Freeburg and Monica Fowler this week on the last episode of BTE Radio's Creature Features!11/13/2016 Ed Douglas and Gavin Goszka of Midnight Syndicate: Zombies
November 15, 2016 06:18 PM PST
This week we welcome back the masters of Music of the Macabre Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka of Midnight Syndicate. Ed and Gavin are back with a brand new release "Zombies the board game soundtrack." We'll talk with Ed and Gavin about the new album, play some of the new tracks, the new board game and behind the scenes what went into writing and producing Zombies.
ABOUT MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE
Founder Douglas’ passion for making music was ignited when he listened to records by The Beatles on his kid-sized turntable and dreamed of composing epic scores like John Williams’ Star Wars, Superman and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Both he and Goszka grew up watching classic black and white horror films, listening to Vincent Price reading the tales of Edgar Allan Poe and Playing Dungeons & Dragons. They continued to fall in love with the world of horror, fantasy and the supernatural as they developed their own artistry: Douglas played piano and bass guitar, playing in rock band sand scoring student horror films in college and Goszka played keyboard in rock bands and went onto study classical composition and percussion in college. They eventually discovered ways to explore fantasy in literature, film and art through music.
In 1995, Douglas directed and wrote his first full-length horror film score to a thriller called The Dead Matter (1995), which helped set the principles of Midnight Syndicate in motion. In 2010, he went on to direct, score, and co-produce the remake of The Dead Matter alongside Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk Till Dawn, co-founder, KNB FX) and Gary Jones (Xena, Boogeyman 3). In 1997, he put together an album with the goal of providing a collection of “soundtracks to imaginary films.” The collection presented many different narratives through a variety of genres, including classical, New Age and rock and was punctuated by sound effects. For the sophomore release, Born of the Night, Douglas decided to focus on a Midnight Syndicate album that would specifically appeal to gothic music fans, Halloween enthusiasts, and role-playing gamers. It was at this time that he decided to partner with compelling solo artist Goszka, whom he had known since 1994.
Midnight Syndicate’s music has become integral to setting a powerful mood at top-rated haunted attractions and amusement parks as well as at costume shops, gaming and Halloween parties and Halloween-themed cruises from Siberia and Hong Kong, to Europe and the United States. In 2005, industry expert Leonard Pickel estimated that 75-90% of the attractions in the haunted house industry owned at least one Midnight Syndicate CD. In September, 2009, AOL released the Top 10 Best Halloween Music CDs of all time according to AOL/CBS Radio listeners. Three of the ten listed were Midnight Syndicate discs, which ranked lower only than Danny Elfman’s Nightmare Before Christmas and John Carpenter’s Halloween soundtracks. In 2015, their album Out of the Darkness was named as one of the 50 Essential Horror Albums – Discs that Created, Evolved, or Defined Genre Music Over the Decades by the venerable horror publication, Rue Morgue Magazine. The band’s music has also been used at Hugh Hefner’s Halloween parties, on episodes of The Barbara Walters Special and in the drive-in film The Rage, Universal Studio’s Horror Nights XVIII as well as by Monday Night Football and by artists Insane Clown Posse, Three Six Mafia, Twiztid and the Misfits.
Midnight Syndicate released many studio albums between 1997 and 2005, among them Midnight Syndicate, Born of the Night, Realm of Shadows, Gates of Delirium, Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt and the multi award-winning The 13th Hour. They teamed up with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast in 2003 to produce the first official soundtrack to the classic Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. In 2008, Douglas’ and Goszka’s tenth studio album, The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates came out as a preview to the 2010 remake of The Dead Matter film. That same year, Midnight Syndicate put together their first music video, a live performance of the song Dark Legacy, produced by Robert Kurtzman’s Creature Crew and Screamline Studios and filmed in the haunted historic Phantasy Theatre in Lakewood, Ohio. The band’s fourteenth studio album, Carnival Arcane (2011) was based on research into turn-of-the-20th-Century carnivals as well as the writings of Ray Bradbury and plays like a self-contained, vivid musical film. The disc garnered rave reviews from pressand won Best Horror CD/Soundtrack at the 10th Annual Rondo Hatton Awards.
Midnight Syndicate continues to pursue its quest to use instrumental music to tell explicit stories full of tension, twists and turns. Most recently, the band released gothic music vocalist Destini Beard’s A Time Forgotten, the follow-up to The Dark Masquerade, her first collaboration with Douglas and Goszka and completed the score to the grindhouse thriller Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan. In summer, 2013, Midnight Syndicate released the soundtrack to that film along with Monsters of Legend, a tribute to the classic Universal, Hammer and Euro horror films that gave birth to horror cinema. Featuring cover art showcasing original Universal Monster images with an epic sound to match, the disc has immediately become one of, if not the band’s most critically-acclaimed album to date. In addition to cracking FEARnet’s Top 10 Horror CDs of 2013, in May of 2014, the album won Best CD honors in the 12th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards marking the band’s second such honor. Visit the Midnight Syndicate Store to see and hear more!
After seventeen years, fourteen studio albums, three soundtracks, and a motion picture, Midnight Syndicate announced that they were teaming up with the world famous amusement park, Cedar Point, to launch their first live performances. Midnight Syndicate Live! Legacy of Shadows, a multimedia horror-themed concert blending live music, theatre, and film debuted at Cedar Point’s 18th annual HalloWeekends event. Before the shows, Charles Bradshaw, Corporate V.P. of Entertainment for Cedar Fair was quoted saying, “Working with these industry leading music producers on a live show is an exciting prospect. The final product is going to amaze.” And amaze it did. Upon its debut, the show began breaking attendance records while being called “top-notch and ambitious,” “brilliant and artistically creative,” and “a must see” by audiences and press alike. “The success of the inaugural run of Midnight Syndicate Live! has ensured that live Midnight Syndicate shows will be a permanent part of our plans going forward,” said Edward Douglas.
In September of 2015, Midnight Syndicate’s Out of the Darkness album was included in Rue Morgue Magazine’s 50 Essential Horror Albums – Discs that Created, Evolved, or Defined Genre Music Over the Decades. That same month, Midnight Syndicate released Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering. The album featured the band’s unique twist on classic holiday carols blended with new and original material. “Our goal was to treat each song in a way that would merge familiarity with originality,” said Gavin Goszka. “There are definitely recognizable elements, but plenty of additional original material as well. It also incorporates the widest instrument palette we’ve used to date and represents what we consider to be the most varied collection of songs we’ve ever released. There are serenely beautiful moments here alongside more intense, darker tracks, and the end result is a thoroughly compelling and involving listening experience.” “With so many Christmas-themed albums out there, we wanted to make this collection uniquely our own,” added Edward Douglas. “I think we were able to do that.” Since its release, the album has received universal critical acclaim.
zombiesprIn April of 2016, the band announced that they would be creating the first official soundtrack to the immensely popular zombie apocalypse-themed board game, Zombies!!!. “I’m a big fan of Zombies!!!,” said Edward Douglas. “With the game celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2016, it seemed like the perfect time to undertake this project. We’re working closely with the Twilight team to create something that really enhances their players’ gaming experience. I think album will also resonate with our fans in the Halloween and haunted house industries. “Musically, it will be interesting to work in a modern setting,” added Gavin Goszka. “Most of our albums have been set in the Victorian and early 20th century, so this will definitely be something different and exciting for us and our fans.”
“Words cannot express how excited I am to have Midnight Syndicate doing a soundtrack for Zombies!!!,” said Twilight Creations co-founder Kerry Breitenstein. “For many of our players, Midnight Syndicate’s music has already been the unofficial soundtrack to their gaming sessions over the years. To have them working with us to create something specifically for our universe is incredible.” The soundtrack is tentatively scheduled for release in September 2016. To learn more about Midnighty Syndicate visit their website at www.midnightsyndicate.com
Join us this week as the undead walk the Earth as we preview the new album Zombies the boardgame soundtrack with Ed and Gavin of Midnight Syndicate.11/06/2016 Small Town Monsters and Boggy Creek Monster
November 08, 2016 02:21 AM PST
This week on BTE Radio we're heading down south to the swamps and bayou of Arkansa to a little town Fouke to search for the legend of Boggy Creek. Director Seth Breedlove of Small Town Monsters along Producer Brandon Dalo and possibly Mark Matzke from the Small Town Monsters film crew will be joining us to discuss the new film Boggy Creek Monster. In the first half hour we will be joined by Shawn and Marianne Donley of Dark Shadow Ghost Tours and Panic'D who will be live from the world famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado for a new spooky episode of the "Haunted Spotlight!" Then at 8:30 we will be joined by Seth, Brandon and Mark of Small Town Monsters to talk with us about the Boggy Creek Monster which will premier November 12 at the Fouke Middle School in Fouke Arkansas. You can pre-order your copy of Boggy Creek Monster or any of Small Town Merchandise including Beasty of White Hall and Minerva Monster by going to the website www.smalltownmonsters.com. So join us this Sunday night for to learn about the new documentary and find out the story about the infamous town of Fouke Arkansas and the Monster that supposedly lurks along boggy Creek, this week on BTE Radio.10/30/2016 Annual Halloween Spooktacular with Jim Harold
November 02, 2016 06:45 PM PDT
In this episode of BTE Radio we celebrate our 9th Anniversary on air and our Annual Halloween Spooktacular as we bring Shocktober to a thrilling climax. and or our Annual Halloween Spooktacular and what better way to celebrate it than with our favorite cool ghoul and America's favorite Podcast host of the Paranormal Podcast Jim Harold. At 8:30 pm, we welcome back Jim Harold of Jim Harolds Campfire Tales, and the Paranormal Podcast. Jim is joining us once again as our special guest co-host this year and to help us judge our annual listener spooky story contest.
We've got some spooky, spine tingling listener stories to share and
Jim Harold is America’s most popular paranormal podcast host. With his two free flagship programs, The Paranormal Podcast and Jim Harold’s Campfire, Jim has developed a loyal following that spans the globe. In addition to his free podcasts at JimHarold.com, Jim also hosts a series of premium podcasts on the supernatural and related subjects at JimHarold.net
As a result, he has also become a published author with his Campfire series. The first book was originally published by traditional publisher New Page Books, and since then Jim has taken the books independent. All four books are available in eBook and paperback at JimHaroldBooks.com and via Amazon.com.
The first four books in the series have been #1 Supernatural Best Sellers on Kindle at various times and the newly released Campfire 5 is well on its way.
In October 2015, both of Jim’s flagship programs reached the Top 100 of ALL podcasts on the Apple iTunes store out of approximately 250,000 podcasts across ALL categories. Campfire reached #32 and The Paranormal Podcast reached #60! The competition at this level included many podcasts produced by major media networks.
In 2005, Jim created The Paranormal Podcast. After over a decade of working on the business side of media, Jim decided it was time to dust off his broadcast training and step back behind the mic. A life long interest in the paranormal, combined with his love of broadcasting and technology, have resulted in some of the most successful podcasts of their type to date. Jim has worked in the radio, business to business media and technology industries.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Communication Theory and Methodology and is accredited as a Certified Digital Media Consultant by the Radio Advertising Bureau. Jim has also had the opportunity to teach at the university level.
Jim’s free podcasts are regularly among the top Podcasts on iTunes in their respective categories competing with mainstream media publishers such as NPR and many others. Jim lives in Ohio with his fantastic wife and two daughters. He is incredibly thankful for them and his loyal audience.
Jim won’t dress up in alien costumes and doesn’t plan on buying that $19.99 Super Official Ghost Detector off of late night TV but believes there is more to life than what meets the eye.
If you want to learn more about Jim Harold or are inquiring about sponsorship, media or personal appearances please contact Jim directly at jimATjimharold.com or visit his websites www.jimharold.com or www.jimharold.net.
Join us this extra special episode for what's sure to be a Spooktacular time as celebrate our 9th Anniversary of BTE Radio and we bring Shocktober to a thrilling conclusion with the 2016 Annual Halloween Spooktacular with the Haunted Spotlight and Jim Harold all this week on Beyond The Edge Radio! www.beyondtheedgeradio.com10/23/2016 Halloween stories and Terrifying tales with Dark Waters
October 25, 2016 05:12 PM PDT
Only two more weeks of Shocktober and it wouldn’t be the same without good old fashion spooky stories, tales and encounters just in time for Halloween. And who better to share them with us than the one and only Dark Waters. Dark is back with us this week to bring us the scariest true encounters shared with him by his listeners and followers of his popular Dark Waters You Tube Channel. Lock your doors, light your pumpkins, draw the shades and gather your loved ones around as we invite you for an evening of frights, thrills and chills as we welcome back Dark Waters to Shocktober on BTE Radio
Dark Waters, as he is affectionately known by his subscribers is a YouTube horror narrator born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He directly attributes his success to growing up in such a diverse city filled with myth and lore. Waters is a professional storyteller who interviews witnesses to strange, confusing or frightening phenomena, and recreates their stories as accurately as possible on his website and YouTube channel. The Dark Waters Horror Channel was created in November 2015 to serve a niche within the YouTube horror genre.
Dark Waters blends his unique style of investigating, narration, and down to earth commentary to create some of the most compelling true horror stories on YouTube. With story topics ranging from Black Eyed Kids, Ghosts, Demons, Shadow People, Bigfoot and Dog-men, the Dark Waters Channel is quickly becoming one of the top destinations for horror.
Dark Waters Channel is the place to find real true horror stories. The channel was born out of my own paranormal experience I had when I was 12 years old. Since then I have been fascinated with things that go bump in the night. You will find that we focus on stories form the Southeastern region of the United States. We do our best to visit the actual site of each encounter, safety permitting. We hope you enjoy the channel.
To learn more visit the channel at
The official website
Beyond The Edge Radio is a two hour alternative talk radio show hosted by Eric Altman and Marie Samuels LIVE on Sunday nights at 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET on our new home at Para-X Radio @ www.para-x.com. You can also hear us on Intrepid Paradigm Radio, Planet Paranormal and Tune In Radio. We interview fascinating guests on a variety of topics including the paranormal, strange and supernatural, mysterious and the Macabre. Anything unusual, and you'll find it right here! To tune in live visit www.para-x.com or go to our official website at www.beyondtheedgeradio.com and click on listen live. "Lock your doors, and open your minds!" Alternative Talk Radio with an attitude!
Beyond The Edge Radio is hosted by Eric Altman and Marie Samuels. BTE Radio is a 2 hour Alternative talk radio program interviewing the biggest names and experts in their fields covering a variety of topics From UFO's, Ghosts and Hauntings, Cryptozoology, conspiracies, to the strange and unusual, mysterious to the Macbre. You will find it all right here. We are the best in Alternative Talk Radio with an attitude. We are now live on our new home at Para-X Radio. To hear us live go to www.beyondtheedgeradio.com or www.para-x.com. and tune in Sunday nights 8:00 pm est for two hours of the best Alternative Talk radio on the planet. "If you're not listening, you're just stupid!" www.beyondtheedgeradio.com
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I just finished reading the chapter about the Loch Ness Monster in the skeptical cryptozoology book Abominable Science! by Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero. I will review it here.
Overall, the chapter makes a decent analysis of several of the evidence marshaled to support the existence of the Loch Ness cryptid, including the Surgeon's Photo taken by Dr. Robert Kenneth Wilson, who was really a gynaecologist, rather than a surgeon, but, hey, I guess most people don't think of the Loch Ness Monster, but something else entirely, when they hear the phrase "Gynaecologist's Photo". I agree with the chapter's conclusions that the Surgeon's Photo is likely to be a hoax, although I am still open to the possibility that it shows either a bird or an otter, as well as the same conclusion with regard to the Stuart Photo. I should note that when I first set eyes on both of these pictures as a child, they looked off to me, in some way. I suppose my intuition wasn't too far off the mark.
I also found the connection drawn between King Kong and the sighting by the Spicers enlightening, and I am inclined to think that this is quite a plausible suggestion. I think it is quite plausible that the release of the movie King Kong created an atmosphere during the time of the Great Depression which made prospective witnesses more likely to interpret sightings of common animals and disturbances of water in the loch in the light of the film, causing it to morph into a sauropod- or plesiosaur-like entity. I might opine here that the Spicer sighting could have been a group of otters seen crossing the road, which they interpreted as a sauropod-like beast since they might have been driving home groggily after seeing the movie.
These are the good parts of this chapter, in my opinion. Overall, I found the analysis of evidence, such as photos and videos, to be mostly rational and cogent, with one exception. The digital enhancement of the Rines flipper photograph was emphasized, and the original, unenhanced version was shown next to the enhanced version, in an attempt to show how a plesiosaur-like flipper was detectable in the enhanced version, but not in the unenhanced version. However, with me, this juxtaposition of the images had the exact opposite effect as that which was intended. Indeed, I could still clearly make out the shape of a flipper, even in the original, unenhanced version, and it is much too clear to me, I think, to be a case of pareidolia on my part.
But when it came to the evaluation of the plesiosaur hypothesis and the possible entry of prospective Nessies into the loch from the ocean, I was left somewhat disappointed. I did not find the argument put forth against a plesiosaur identity being a possible one for a prospective unknown creature in Loch Ness convincing. This is because the argument overlooked key fossil finds and paleontological studies, overlooked possibilities for plesiosaur behavior and physiology which seem plausible in light of those of relatives known to be extant, and flatly contradicted other portions of the same chapter on the issue of entry into Loch Ness from the sea.
It is stated that "They [plesiosaurs] were tropical animals, unsuited for the cold waters of the loch—and most plesiosaurs were marine animals, unsuited for freshwater in general". Yet a study published three years prior to this book found evidence that plesiosaurs likely were in possession of endothermy, colloquially referred to as "warm-bloodedness". And the claim that plesiosaurs were "tropical animals" is just false. Indeed, plesiosaur fossils have been found in several Upper Cretaceous formations in Antarctica. And while it is true that Antarctica in the Upper Cretaceous was warmer than it is today, it still had a climate not too dissimilar to Southern South America today, as one article covering an Antarctic plesiosaur fossil find noted. Considering the southern tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego, lies at a latitude that is more southerly than Loch Ness is northerly, I doubt that a plesiosaur adapted to the cold climate of Late Cretaceous Antarctic waters would have much difficulty adapting to the cold climate of Holocene Loch Ness waters.
And plesiosaur fossils have also been found in regions indicative of them having lived in a freshwater environment. Indeed, considering that numerous modern species which spend some or much of their life in marine environments, ranging from seals to cetaceans to Bull sharks to both saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), have been known to inhabit freshwater environments, as well as saltwater environments, it seems rather dogmatic to me to state that plesiosaurs could not have done the same.
It is also stated that "Finally, plesiosaurs were air breathers. Any plesiosaurs in Loch Ness could be photographed several times an hour, each time they surfaced to breathe." This argument is stating that, as plesiosaurs were air-breathers, they would be regularly seen far more often breaking the surface of the water to take a breathe, rendering it unlikely that they would be able to remain inconspicuous for long in a lake such as Loch Ness. However, the idea has been previously brought forth that plesiosaurs might have evolved snorkel-like appendages on their heads that they might protrude above the surface of the water to take a breathe, which would not be as conspicuous. And while it is argued that such snorkels would, nevertheless, still be detected, another option awaits in the wings. And that is the aquatic cutaneous diffusion method of respiration.
Whether plesiosaurs were entirely air-breathers, or whether they respired through water, is not something that can be directly ascertained from the fossil evidence at hand. It is, in fact, entirely plausible that plesiosaurs could have been able to supplement their oxygen intake by aquatic cutaneous diffusion of oxygen -- i.e., absorbing molecules of oxygen directly from the water through their skin. Indeed, some turtles are known to respire in this way nowadays, and it is worth noting that, additionally, all humans once respired in this manner, as well, in utero, prior to their birth. If plesiosaurs were able to respire in such a manner, it would render them far more adapted to an aquatic lifestyle and ecological niche. Indeed, considering that extant turtles, which are less aquatic than plesiosaurs probably were (there is evidence that plesiosaurs were viviparous, giving birth at sea, constituting evidence that they were supremely adapted to a nearly completely aquatic existence), have evolved this ability, it would be surprising if plesiosaurs did not, likewise, do the same. A plesiosaur respiring through water via cutaneous diffusion of oxygen would not have a pressing or urgent need to routinely come to the surface to breathe air, meaning that it could conceivably remain hidden in a freshwater lake for a long stretch of time.
When discussing possible entry of the unidentified animals into Loch Ness from the ocean, it is stated, as well, that "The rivers and canals that flow into Loch Ness can be confidently ruled out as commuter routes for large monsters, broken up by shipping locks, or some combination." While it is true that, past a certain upper limit on size, an oceangoing creature would encounter considerable difficulty in navigating these pathways to the loch, it is worth noting that it is a confirmed fact that animals as substantially-sized as seals and porpoises have managed to do so. Indeed, it strikes me as rather perplexing that the author(s) spent so much of the rest of the chapter emphasizing the fact that these known marine animals have been known to make their way into Loch Ness previously with the purpose of using their presence in the loch to explain Nessie sightings. So why the double standard here? If porpoises and seals can swim into Loch Ness from the Moray Firth through the River Ness or the Caledonian Canal, why not putative Nessies, as well?
The statement about "large monsters" not being able to enter the loch is a red herring, as it is by no means a prerequisite that the creatures must already be large at the time that they enter the loch. The creatures could have made their way into the loch from the ocean when they were juveniles, perhaps no larger than salmon, or even smaller, and remained in the loch until they grew larger, rendering them trapped in the loch.
Indeed, this allows me to segue into another issue brought up in this chapter, that of the need to maintain a breeding population of creatures in the loch for eons. It is asserted that, to have a population large enough to breed, it would necessarily follow that there would not be enough food in the loch to sustain them, and the population would be too large for them to be able to remain hidden.
However, it is entirely possible that, rather than a breeding population of creatures having been extant in Loch Ness since the end of the Pleistocene, occasional vagrants have navigated their way into the loch from the ocean, and remained trapped there for a generation or two, before dying out. This would have the additional advantage of explaining why sightings seem to pique in some years in comparison with others. This hypothesis has come to be referred to as the 'Rogue Nessie' hypothesis, and it is covered delightfully well by writer Kurt Burchfiel in this article for StrangeMag magazine: http://www.strangemag.com/roguenessie.html
Finally, it is stated repeatedly that there were no sightings of a strange, unidentified creature in the same vein as Nessie at Loch Ness prior to the 1930s in the decimal Gregorian calendar. Yet this, too, is demonstrably false. Indeed, a newspaper report from the 19th century of the decimal Gregorian calendar reporting on a sighting of what seemed to the locals to be an anomalous large fish in Loch Ness stated that the locals had been inclined to think of the existence of such a besst in the loch as a reality for years, indicating that there was already a tradition of reported sightings of strange creatures in Loch Ness by this time.
And, even if it were true that Nessie sightings made their debut in the 1930s, this would not be a big deal, as, with the Rogue Nessie hypothesis, which postulates that Nessie is an oceangoing creature which occasionally swims into the loch from the open ocean, it is entirely plausible that a small population of these creatures could have entered the loch for the first time in the 1930s.
Overall, the chapter on Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, the fourth chapter of Abominable Science!, contributes a decent analysis of much of the evidence purported to support this alleged cryptid, while having some deficiencies in the theoretical realms, in particular, when it comes to the arguments presented against a plesiosaur identity for Nessie and those presented against the creatures being able to remain undiscovered in Loch Ness.
The truth is that the palaeontological evidence from peer-reviewed scientific journals is, at worst, indifferent to the question of whether or not a plesiosaur identity is plausible for lake monsters in general, and the Rogue Nessie hypothesis shows that the objections with regard to population size and detectability can be surmounted by certain scenarios, the plausibility of which has been borne out by documented cases of marine animals making the switch to freshwater habitats.
It is worth noting at this juncture that all of the evidence and reasoning presented here applies to most reported lake cryptids, such as Champ of Lake Champlain, Ogopogo of Lake Okanagan, Storsjoodjuret or Storsie of Lake Storsjon, Selma of Lake Seljordsvatnet or Lake Seljord, Nahuelito of Lake Nahuel Huapi, etc.
Endothermy in Plesiosaurs: |
Here are a few local headlines that you might find interesting...
Searching for bigfoot in the woods of Houghton Lake, Michigan
The stars of a popular cable show are combing the woods around Houghton Lake, Mich., for signs of the the giant bipedal ape-man known as Bigfoot. Animal Planet's show "Finding Bigfoot" is filming in the area and drew 350 people to an April 5 town meeting held to gather clues about the whereabouts of the elusive cryptid, according to the Detroit News.
Psalm 104:24, 30
How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.... When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
Searching for a fugitive in the woods of Houghton Lake, Michigan
A Houghton Lake manhunt is underway for 29 year-old Everett Alan Robinson. On Monday morning May 21st an Arenac County Sheriff's Deputy was transporting Robinson between Roscommon County and Arenac Courthouses for a hearing. Robinson overpowered the deputy, stole the deputy's gun and then the vehicle along M-55 between West Branch and Houghton Lake. After 30 hours of searching, which will continue, on Tuesday May 22nd at 5 p.m. the stretch of M-55 between M-157 and I-75 was reopened. Anyone seeing Robinson or with information should contact the Michigan State Police Tip Line at (877) 616-4677…..Maybe bigfoot got him?
*UPDATE* He was finally caught late this morning! (the fugitive, not Bigfoot)….Still no word on Bigfoot... although the search continues.
“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known” (Matthew 10:26).
Wildfires continue to burn in the Upper Peninsula….LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder has declared a state of disaster in the Upper Peninsula counties of Luce and Schoolcraft, where wildfires already have consumed more than 20,000 acres.
*Since late last week, the fire has burned more than 22,000 acres and destroyed 80 buildings including homes, cabins and sheds.
Isaiah 9:18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
Meanwhile, our own little fire remained safely contained
Smoke from the fire pit Saturday.
I really like the effect the smoke in the foreground has on the woods in the background.
~HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY~ |
The word Chupacabra comes from two Spanish words, chupa “suck” and cabra “goat.” Unlike many myths and legends that stretch back to times before people can recall dates, we know when the Chupacabra first appeared: March of 1995. Yes, that means it is a newly hatched cryptid, the new kid on the block of demons and monsters. Where did it come from? What does it look like?
We’ll answer the second question first. There are two types of creatures that have been sighted by people that have been classified as chupacabra. The first is one that looks like a reptile with spikes on its back, standing about 4 feet tall, often times with red eyes and wings like a flying squirrel. The second group of creatures look like a skinny, larger, hunched over dog with patchy fur or no fur. To the left is an artist’s rendition of the animal and below is a photo of what is supposedly a captured and killed chupacabra.
The chupacabra is a relatively new monster. It first appeared not in Mexico but in Puerto Rico. In the spring of 1995 the residents of 2 small Puerto Rican towns had discovered dead farm animals on their properties, and the animals had two incisions on their necks, and reportedly, all the blood drained from them. The creature was not spotted until 5 months later and the description was very vivid. The first encounter with the creature was described in detail at the time by the Puerto Rican tabloids and later in a book published in 1997 by Scott Corrales called Chupacabras and Other Mysteries. There are a great deal of books uut there on the chupacabra for children, like it’s the newest monster under the bed. There is not a whole lot of scholarly research done on this topic.
A flurry of sightings happened right after the creature was talked about on the pan-Latin American talk show hosted by the bleached blonde Cuban-born Cristina Saralegui called “Cristina”. The first sighting in Mexico happened right after that broadcast. Did the show give people permission to talk about this phenomenon or were people just hallucinating?
A wave of reports occurred in the late 1990s across northern Mexico and the state of Jalisco in central/western Mexico. Many of these sightings were of the wingless, hairless doglike creature. In May of 1996 there was a rash of sightings in the rural parts of the state and many dead animals with the characteristic bite marks on the necks, especially in goats and sheep. The director of the Guadalajara Zoo went out to some of the ranches and took plaster casts of footprints and said that the creature was probably a large dog. Two investigators from Mexico City Patricia and Mario Mendez Acosta also traveled out to rural Jalisco to look into the phenomenon. They even set up traps to catch the chupacabra and each time caught wild dogs. A local police official made a comment at the time saying that locally the chupacabra phenomenon could be explained away by wild dogs and that the wave of sightings was part of “una gran psicosis,” a great psychosis. Ironically, throughout Mexico, sightings of the chupacabra have been going down with time. Sightings are now few and far between.
The early sightings in Puerto Rico, of the slightly winged reptile kind were blamed on UFOS and even the US military. America has long used PR as kind of a dumping ground, according to locals, and some people suspected that the chupacabra was some sort of chimera, the product of a biological experiment gone bad. There is also a story from a PR tabloid about how the creature was being transferred by the US military from a crashed saucer site and got loose after a wreck on a back road.
Some Mexican and Texan chupacabras have actually been tested and examined. The photo here is of a chupacabra supposedly killed in south Texas near the Mexican border. Animal experts have claimed that these are dogs, coyotes or even racoons with types of mange or scabies, diseases that stress the animals and cause their hair to fall out, make them look disheveled and give them a foul odor. The diseases may also weaken the animals to cause them to go after domestic livestock instead of hunting or foraging normally. There have been formal DNA tests on some of these animals to determine that they are indeed dogs or other known animals.
But what would explain those other sightings? The ones where the creature is standing upright or that it has spikes on its back or even wings? Is it part of a Gran Psicosis or an entirely new creature either recently discovered, manufactured in a lab or imported from another world?
Further Investigation: (not a formal bibliography)
Tracking the Chupacabra by Benjamin Radford
Chupacabras and Other Mysteries by Scott Corrales
“Chupacabra Rides Again” Fortean Times, no. 156 (2002)
“Night of the Chupacabras.” Inexplicata: The Journal of Hispanic UFOlogy (blog post published June 1, 2010) |
STRANGE SPANNERS being an accounting of strangeness of the warp and woof of my mind
For those of you new here, think of this as 1/2 "Night Gallery"
Our Motto: Nos somnium quisnam es futurus fatum quod insolitus tutus vos!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Bush Goblins are a rare cryptid
found in western africa
they look extremely sad
so sad it's said no one can see one and not burst into tears |
"This creature, like Architeuthis, is probably a deep-water dweller. What earthly—or oceanic—reason would a squid have for attacking a ship?" Richard Ellis asked that reasonable question in National Geographic's feature, "Colossal Squid Revives Legends of Sea Monsters." TONMO staff memeber Kat Bolstad has already put paid to that article's many inaccuracies and distortions, and cited the acknowledgement on the part of the French yachtsmen that their reported "squid attack" was a hoax. Whether or not large oceanic squid have "attacked" boats is probably beside the point. Less photographic or physical evidence of such an event, there's little reason to believe that it's a common occurence, let alone evidence of "man-eating" squid plucking sailors from lifeboats. On the other hand, giant squid have been observed from surface vessels (the 1861 Alecton encounter), actively defended themselves against fishermen (1873, Conception Bay, Newfoundland) and collided with moving vessels (the Santa Clara, off North Carolina in 1947). Then, there are all those "sea serpents." Some of the best known and described encounters involved ships and "serpents" in close proximity. The cryptid seen in 1848 by the crew of the H.M.S. Daedalus passed close to the ship's side and crossed the wake, as did whatever animal was seen by the crew of the H.M.S. Plumper (1848). In 1872, an unknown animal followed a small sailboat in Scotland's Slough of sleat, and again in 1905 a "serpent" followed Maj. General Merriam's sailboat of the Maine coast. If the notion that these and other "sea serpent" sightings were actually observations of big oceanic squid is accepted, it does raise an interesting question: since many such sightings were made at close quarters from the decks of ships, sightings that involved animals moving quite energetically, why would a healthy giant squid interact with a ship? The collision that ocurred between a GS and the Santa Clara seems even more unlikely; given the vastness of the ocean, and the size of the ship (a Grace Line steamer), the odds of a random collision would seem to be vanishingly small. If squid occasionally interact with ships, following them, investigating them or grabbing them, what "earthly reason" could they have for doing so? Might the squid "think" that these boats were something else? |
Savannah (Zombie) / 21 / Lesbian / Pennsylvania
I'm just a big shy werewolf who is tired all the time and likes to draw and play video games.
Male and female pronouns are cool with me, whichever you want to use!
Likes: Cats, reptiles, cold weather, being outdoors, candy, cartoons, comics, guns/knives, mechs, robots, cyborgs, monsters, blood/gore/guts, gross looking things, teeth/mouths, pink and blue colors, fantasy, sci-fi, music, video games.
Dislikes: Loud noises, strangers, being social, going out in public, horror/scary stuff.
(Tell me if you add me on most of these! I'll most likely reject it if it's a random request)
Skype: (Ask me)
Xbox Gamertag: big cryptid
3ds FC: (Ask me)
- If I never respond to your message or take awhile know that I'm not ignoring you. I'm just bad at talking to people, especially people I don't know, it makes me super nervous and anxious :c
N7 Multiplayer Profile: Link |
In the indie horror game ReLive, you’re trapped in a building, lost, isolated and unarmed, with the exception of your phone and a source of light. It reminds me of Daylight, Zombie Studios’ next project, which shares in its themes of isolation and the supernatural. Both games continue the increasingly popular trend of taking elements from the popular Slender Man subgenre, only now the popular Internet-born cryptid has been replaced with something less specific.
There’s no shortage of games that are trying this out, and all of them, including ReLive, look incredibly exciting. Read on to see it in action.
If you would like to support the game, you can do so on its Kickstarter page.
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this week in horror
This Week in Horror - June 12, 2017 - Starship Troopers, Godzi...
An animated Starship Troopers movie is coming to theaters, Godzilla vs. King Kong has its director, and more details emerge about Jeepers Creepers 3. It's This Week in Horror with Whitney Moore!Posted by Bloody-Disgusting on Monday, June 12, 2017
R.I.P. Henry Deutschendorf, Oscar from ‘Ghostbusters II’
3D Art of SpongeBob and Patrick “in Real Life” is Deeply Unsettling
Lionsgate Confirms ‘Saw’ Sequel Title: JIGSAW!
So How About That ’47 Meters Down’ Ending? Director Explains
Slasher Game ‘Dead by Daylight’ Hit Consoles Today; Play as Michael Myers Soon! |
In my dolphin post, I shared a video of a cat interacting with dolphins. It was such an Awwww moment, I thought I’d share a few more with you.
I give you….Dog and Owl.
Dog and Otter.
And my personal favorite, Dog and Elephant.
Looks like Dog isn’t just Man’s Best Friend.
I have three cats. Two do little more than ignore or occasionally hiss and bat at my two dogs, but Sage, my oldest loves to torment play with my dogs. It’s all done out of love though, I’m sure. He’ll stroll teasingly in front of my aged Belgian, taunting him to give chase. Sadly, Domino’s hips aren’t what they used to be, so he has to be content with yelling at Sage instead of leaping to his feet and sending Sage scampering. I’m sure Sage misses their fast and furious chases; more and more I find the two of them curled up together on Domino’s thick and comfy bed. Sage is probably starting to feel his age too, he’s got three years on Dom’s thirteen. They often groom each other, trading face-washing and ear cleaning. Lately though, when Domino’s not watching, Sage also makes up to Golly, our 5 year old yellow Lab, face butting and grooming her. Golly is a little embarrassed by it I think; when I catch them in the act, Golly will turn her head away or stand up and walk off as if to say, “Nope, nothing to see here.”
Short and sweet this week folks. I found this video a while ago, and just love it! Lil’ Drac is a short-tailed fruit bat abandoned by his mom and raised by the folks at Bat World Sanctuary in Texas.
Why bats? Aren’t they icky, scary bloodsuckers? On the contrary, they pollinate and eat bugs. If you have bats in your area you can thank them for helping keep the insect populations in check. Go ahead and enjoy those bananas, mangoes and guava, all pollinated by bats.
This quickly became one of my favorite memes on Facebook.
I love bats! I always wanted to have one as an education animal when I worked at the Zoo, but it never happened. So, I am content to enjoy them from afar, and ask Hub to build us a bat house.
What’s a bat house? Why would you want one? A bat house provides a safe place for bats to roost and sleep. With increased habitat loss, bat populations are in trouble. You can provide a safe home for bats on your property, keep them from roosting inside your house and under your eaves, and reap the benefits of their insect control. Check out why we need bats, and why bat houses are a great idea here.
Ah, Bigfoot. One of the trifecta of cryptids that also includes the Loch Ness Monster and the Yeti. Remember the Patterson film that surfaced in 1967? A large lumbering ape-like creature filmed by two men out on horseback in Northern California had been praised and vilified. Is it a hoax? Is it real? Both men involved consistently claimed it was not a hoax, but many have come forward since saying they wore a suit and faked the Patterson film.
Others, such as the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization maintain that this is a legitimate film showing an actual Bigfoot.
Real or fake? A flesh and blood organism, a large mammalian species that has thus far gone undiscovered in North America? Sightings continue to this day, as you can see in the two following videos.
Some of them even make it to the evening news.
Naturally, some are manufactured, deliberate hoaxes, as was the case in Montana when a man put on a Ghillie suit (a type of camouflage), to try and get people to call in and report Sasquatch sightings. Sadly, that hoaxer met a tragic end when he was struck twice and killed by cars while crossing a highway.
The biggest factor brought up by the naysayers is the lack of hard evidence. The blurry photos and videos, the absence of physical trace seem to point to an absence of an actual animal.
Or do they? Is there any physical evidence that has not hit the mainstream media? Researchers in Texas say they have sequenced Bigfoot DNA from “purported Bigfoot samples.” They claim that the DNA proves Bigfoot is a heretofore unknown species that is a “a human hybrid with unambiguously modern human maternal ancestry.” Wow. Take that one in for a moment, and ponder if we can prove that one cryptid is real, what does that say about the rest? I encourage you to read the report I found, here. It’s not a scholarly article, still waiting to see that, but nonetheless, it is food for thought.
Have you seen a Bigfoot? Heard one hollering in the woods while you were camping? I haven’t, but a good friend tells how she and another friend listened to one howling on a mountainside while they were camping a few years ago. These were experienced campers, and outdoor enthusiasts and both said it was like nothing they’d ever heard before.
OK, I’m tossing you a softball here. Who out there remembers Flipper? Who’s been to Sea World? Does anyone not love the bottlenose dolphin?
When people say ‘dolphin’ this is the animal most of us immediately see in out head, but the bottlenose dolphin is only one of almost 40 species within the family Delphinidae. The Delphinid family also includes killer whales, Pacific whitesided dolphins, and spinner dolphins.
The bottlenose dolphin is the one we pet and feed at Sea World, the one who does the bulk of performing in dolphin shows and in the movies. Lots and lots of lore and legends surround the dolphin, going back to ancient times. In Greek mythology the dolphin is linked to the god Apollo, and his temple at Delphi, but also Dionysus, god of wine and revelry. Maybe that’s why dolphins are always smiling and look like they’re having so much fun? The Greek myth of Arion tells of dolphins rescuing this famous singer from drowning. You can read about this legend and more here.
Today, dolphins have a reputation for being intelligent. New Agers claim they are smarter than us and here to help the us and the planet. You can find dolphin swim programs all around, just Google it. Wherever there is warm water and tropical resorts, you are likely to find companies that either have dolphins on site or will take you out to them in their native habitat so you can swim with dolphins.
Who’s in? I know I would be the first to jump in and play. One of the most enduring legends about dolphins is their capacity to play and make friends. I think these two short videos say it all.
Doesn’t that look like fun? This one though, always warms my heart.
But how smart are dolphins, really? If you measure it by the things dolphins have made, then not very bright at all. However, put a human and a dolphin in murky water and ask them to find objects on the bottom or even floating around and the human will look like a floundering idiot. Current research shows that dolphins give themselves names, called signature whistles, that they develop when they are infants. Dolphins will use these to get the attention of other dolphins in their social group, or to find each other in murky waters. Is this language? Research done by Louis Herman in Hawaii shows that dolphins do possess the ability to understand word order, as shown in this really cool video.
Let’s see…swim and play all day with your best buddies? Yeah, next life I think I want to be a dolphin. What would you be if you could choose?
Happy New Year! New beginnings, new possibilities, new horizons to seek are all awaiting us in 2013. This is the time of year when people make resolutions, plan to break bad habits and form good ones, and reconnect with friends and family. My wish for everyone on the planet is this: May 2013 be the year that brings you all the love, prosperity and abundance you desire.
But we didn’t get here all at once. It was a long journey through all of 2012; the joys and sorrows of the past year are part of us, and it is up to us to take in those lessons, the bitter and the sweet, learn from them and move on. Take your pain, bless it, thank it for its teachings, and let it go. Take your joys, embrace them, tell yourself that prosperity/love/abundance is your true destiny and desire, and manifest that for the coming year. You can do it!
Every journey starts with a single step. Today is the first step of your new life. Seize it!
To help you on your road, I want to introduce you to two animals that make incredible journeys in a single year. Let them inspire you, that you too can accomplish much and travel far in 365 days.
The Humpback Whale
Humpback whales make the longest migration of any mammal on the planet; 5,160 miles traveling from the frigid waters surround Antarctica to the balmy Caribbean. Think you’ve had a long year? Try swimming from the pole to the equator and back again. Humpback whales are found in all the oceans, and they regularly migrate from cold Arctic or Antarctic feeding grounds to warm equatorial waters to bear their young.
Humpback whales are baleen whales. All cetaceans, the animal group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises, are divided into two groups, baleen whales and toothed whales. Baleen whales strain very small fish and other organisms from the water using thick, fibrous plates called baleen. These baleen plates hang from their upper jaws like curtains, and the skin and muscles of their lower jaws expand tremendously to take in huge quantities of water and food. The water is pushed out with the tongue and the little critters in the water are trapped by the baleen and eaten.
It’s not just their travels that make the humpback unique, look at those long front flippers. Oh yeah, and they are flippers NOT fins, here’s the difference; flippers have bones and fins do not. No other whale has elongated, wing-like pectoral flippers, making the humpback whale instantly recognizable.
What really makes me love the humpback? They sing. Just like my own Hubby making up songs to delight me, humpback males sing long, complex, beautifully haunting melodies to entice the ladies. Here’s the really amazing part, all whales sing the same song. It changes year to year, but every whale makes the same changes in a year. It’s still a mystery how they communicate the changes to each other.
I figure if all the humpbacks in an ocean can manage to get their act together each year and all decide on the new song, I should be able to step it up and make the goal of being better at networking and growing as a writer.
The Arctic Tern
This tiny, 4-ounce bird makes the longest migration of any animal on the planet. They have the humpback beat by a whole hemisphere. Arctic terns migrate from Greenland to Antarctica, traveling 44, 000 miles one way. These birds have a life span of up to 30 years, and scientists estimate in that time they travel 1.5 million miles. Let me give you a little perspective on that number; in its lifetime, an Arctic tern will travel the equivalent of to the moon and back three times. I will never again complain about my commute.
On the upside, they never see winter. Their travels take them from northern summer to southern summer. How far would you travel to always have long, warm summer days?
Arctic terns mate for life. Talk about commitment: “Honey, it’s time to pack up the kids and head to Antarctica.” It must be true love.
How far would you go for what you love? From one pole to another?
We are all on this life journey together. Many small steps taken one at a time can carry you incredible distances. What commitments do you need to make for your journey? What is your first step? How far will you go?
“Look! A seal!” A little boy points excitedly. Mom, walking nearby peers in the direction her child is pointing. A sausage-shaped creature lolling just above the surf line blinks back at her.
“Is it a seal, Mommy?”
I know this has been a burning question for so many of you. It’s even tripped up animal expert Randall. In this video he refers to a seal as a sea lion, incorrectly. Oh the horror!
Aside from that, it’s a cool video and for an excellent cause too. Yay Randall!
I know, it’s a huge issue, and I’m here to help. In a few brief sentences, I’m going to make all of you pinniped experts.
Pinnipeds are aquatic mammals; the name means wing-, or fin-footed. This group includes seals, sea lions and walruses. No one has trouble recognizing a walrus.
Big tusks, googly eyes and a huge moustache of sensitive whiskers. Easy!
Seals and sea lions are just as simple, once you know what to look for. Just remember, a true seal has no ears.
See how this lil’ cutie above just has a hole immediately behind his right eye? No external ear flaps for the true seals. These guys have very short, clawed front flippers, although you can’t see the claws in this pic. The true seals are incredibly graceful swimmers, but they inch along like fat worms on the beach. Their front flippers are too short to prop them up very far, and they drag their hind flippers behind them.
Their movement on land may be slug-like, but seals are able to climb and maneuver over obstacles such as rocks and logs.
A sea lion, on the other hand, has external ear flaps.
See how this pretty girl also has long front flippers? Sea lions can pull all four limbs underneath their body and run down a beach like a dog. They’re actually pretty quick, faster than you and me over the short distance, so if you ever do see one, or more, on a beach make sure you keep your distance. Federal law actually prevents you from approaching them; all pinnipeds are covered by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Do not attempt the following:
Yes, it was the best job in the world. Harpo was a total sweetie, and he met thousands, quite possibly even millions of people in his years at the San Diego Zoo as an animal ambassador.
So, what is Harpo?
I’d play Name That Mammal, but you already know this one:
Hey, it wouldn’t be Halloween without this classic creature of the moon. Wolves are one of the most wide-spread mammals on the planet, they can be found on every land mass but Antarctica. The rarest wolf is the Ethiopian wolf, check them out in this great article by National Geographic.
The wolf has been one of the most misunderstood animals on the planet; myth and legend frequently paint them as ravening beasts, bloodthirsty killers. The supernatural association with werewolves and vampires has only added to the animal’s mystique and fear factor.
Conversely, the wolf has also been revered as a teacher, a pathfinder, and a keeper of wisdom with the admirable qualities of loyalty and strength. They have been powerful totems for cultures around the globe and through history.
The Cherokee tell the following tale:
In honor of Halloween, since it is a time when the Veil thins between the worlds and cycles turn, I’m going to ask you my readers, to feed the good wolf.
You’re out hiking in the woods on a late summer evening. The full moon is rising above the distant hills. You can’t see it, but its brilliant silver light spills between the boles of the trees and the world around you is moving light and shadow. The only sound is the rustle of your feet through the small green plants lining the forest floor and the wind sighing through the branches above you.
Off to your left, a bush shakes violently, and with a spray of leaves a massive creature leaps out onto the path in front of you. It hunches on all fours, before slowly unfolding to a two-legged stance that towers over you. The last thing you see as it lunges at you are its wolf-like jaws parting.
I confess. I love the idea of being a shapeshifter. Seriously, how fun would it be to be able to change into another creature? Better than being dead, and still walking around. If I had a choice between becoming a werewolf and becoming a vampire, well, I’d be werewolf all the way. Frankly I don’t care how lively a vampire is, they’re still just a pretty zombie. Enamored as I am of the werewolf mythos, I have always relegated it to the world of make-believe, or at least that it exists purely on the spiritual realm. But what if it wasn’t?
I found this website, The Beast of Bray Road. Linda Godfrey details on her blog and her websites about large creatures with manlike bodies and wolflike heads in rural Wisconsin and Michigan. Multiple sightings, encounters, even a movie was made about these beasts, and Animal Planet talks about them.
Another version of Bigfoot, right? Possibly. But then again, what is Bigfoot? Lots and lots of theories have been put forth, including that these are dimensional creatures, able to shift back and forth between our reality and others. I find these reports interesting, but I have no definitive views either way. I heard Linda on Coast to Coast one night, and the sheer number of sightings was impressive, reported by people from all walks of life. I do think our world is wider and wilder than most people think, and the idea that these wolf-men might actually exist is absolutely intriguing.
Not long ago, I heard David Paulides on Coast to Coast AM. He was discussing his book, Missing 411, which describes mysterious disappearances from national parks. Mr. Paulides has a long history in law enforcement and investigation, and I listened to him detail case after case of people who have gone missing under extremely unusual circumstances. It was a memorable show, but what really stood out was when he described a little girl who went missing. When she was found told of being carried away by a ‘big wolf’ who ‘picked her up in his arms.’ He ‘gave her berries to eat’ and ‘ate her hat.’ Many of those recovered described similar encounters with large beasts. Again, intriguing, compelling but not definitive. I think I’ll have to pick up Mr. Paulides book and get the full story.
What would you do if you ran into a werewolf? Would you want to be bitten? Do you think it possible that some form of this creature could exist in our world? |
Wondering how supply chain delays could affect your order? Click here!
Oh, hello there intrepid adventurer, thank you for visiting our humble shop. What goods are you looking for today?
Nothing physical? Well perhaps it is knowledge that you are seeking. Let me look to see what we have... Not much... But, there is this notebook from the famed adventurers Eric Silver and Julia Schifini. I've heard that they've traveled the world far and wide and this notebook, well, it's the culmination of their travels. Contained within are their notes on 20 different creatures from the farthest reaches of this planet.
You'll take it? Excellent. Would you like this in paper, plastic, or a bag of holding?
The Cryptid compendium is the system neutral manual with stats and descriptions of 20 different creatures from folklore around the world! Written by Eric Silver and Julia Schifini. Illustration and design by Zoe Polando Ryder.
** The download includes one 23 page pdf. |
Friday - November, 23 @ 10:00pm
Portland is awesome, music is wonderful, and Sassquatch is real! This cryptic cryptid is the missing link between genres, blending funk, rock, jazz, pop and fusion that is sassy enough to bear its name: Sassquatch
Jazz. Funk. FUSION.
Jared Wilkinson (Guitar/Sax/Vocals)
Christine McCormick (Vocals/Songwriter/Lyricist/Synth)
Matt Knight (Guitar)
Bryant Sirois (Guitar/Synth)
Dan Gilbert (Bass)
Cameron Lopez (Drums)
650A Congress Street, Portland ME
- Mon: 5PM-11PM
- Tues: 6PM-12AM
- Wed: 5PM-12AM
- Thurs: 5PM-12AM
- Fri & Sat: 5PM-1AM
- Sun: 4PM-10PM
Blue has won Portland’s Best Jazz Venue for several years in a row and dedicates every Saturday night to Jazz at Blue.
We are a DONATION BASED venue. Please show your support to the musicians by donating to the basket by the stage. Because we don’t charge a cover and 100% of your donations go to the musicians we respectfully ask that each person make a ONE PURCHASE MINIMUM of food/beverage to help support the room. All seats are first come, first served (feel free to share a table). We do not take reservations. |
Explore the world of weird with this cool and unique, Chupacabra Cryptid design which makes a great gift for any cryptozoology, ufology, mythical, paranormal, and legendary creature enthusiasts. Perfect for cryptid lovers and those who want to represent their home state with an awesome vintage shirt. Get weird and grab yours today and remember: home is where the cryptids & legends are.
This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for both men and women.
• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Ash color is 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester
• Athletic and Black Heather are 90% combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Heather Prism colors are 99% combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping |
The May 2022 Cryptid Crate had a grab bag theme featuring a lot of different cryptids!
-Cryptids of West Virginia T-Shirt MSRP $20 and Ballyraven's Field Journal MSRP $15
Black on Old Gold t-shirt depicting many different cryptid and paranormal entities and full color field journal with art of 15 different cryptids and QR codes for even more information. Both by Kristen at Ballyraven Folklore.
-Not It! The Cryptid Hunters Edition - MSRP $22
Dice based matching card game. Comes with Cryptid Dice and Dice Tower
The third in our series of Cryptid Themed Dice! This set features the Grafton Monster, Dog Man, Chupacabra, and an alien gray.
BONUS: WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
Sticker from Spooks, Creeps, and Assorted Devilry podcast. Check them out HERE |
Incremental Epic Hero
Incremental Epic Hero is a 2D, RPG, Adventure, Anime, Cartoon, Crafting, Combat, Strategy, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed by Happy Wakuwaku Project and published by Idle System, Inc. In this gameplay, everything you must do is figure out again that alchemy’s more high qualities would be to use medicines to fight again for the next region or to use liquids to decrease the rate of difficult enemies. Killing the Slime Emperor Assignment monster and then utilizing it to harvest more reborn credits quickly is indeed the right strategy to proceed.
You’ll spend up to 4 k RB credits across every character at begin, afterward 16k, 32k, etc. Just have enjoyable crushing the identical thing repeatedly to achieve a current elevated level. You can indeed begin catching creatures to complete objectives—another pointless continuous grinding. Incremental Epic Hero has prominent features such as Various Upgrades, Attractive Skills, Vast Explorable Areas, Crafting, Rebirth, and Battle Bosses.
Games Like Incremental Epic Hero
Grim Clicker is a 2D, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Strategy, Casual, Indie, Free-to-Play, RPG, Hack-and-Slash, and Single-Player game developed and published by Evil Charm Games. This game combines quiet mode and elements in which you must devise your unique approach to discover the forgotten kingdoms. The videogame includes a comprehensive personality growth, various customized products, internal and external way of play and is motivated by titles like Warcraft, Grave Twilight, Resident Evil, and others.
Personification is facilitated with a vast and smart ability structure. You can modify, destroy, and reassemble your armaments to develop something unique. There are more than enough different tools to aid you on your quest besides weaponry. If the arrangement doesn’t seem to be working, repeat the routine and begin again. You will just become powerful with each passing moment. The key features of the game are Skills Trees, Inventory Management, Ritual, Idle/Clicker, Shopping, Chests, Cosmic Scale, Mystery, and Pleasant Music.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is a Strategy, Idle Clicker, and Single-player video game developed and published by Codename Entertainment Inc. The game challenges the player to establish a team of champions and plan his strategy to dominate the battlefield. It offers a stunning world invaded by enemies, and the player has to unlock new heroes, upgrade them using his points and reveal their special abilities and gather epic gear to progress through the game. The player can learn through tutorial how to combine the abilities of multiple champions and use them to defeat an onslaught of brutal monsters. The game lets the chance to the player to gather famous heroes from around the world of Dungeons and Dragons, in limited time events. It offers forgotten realm that the player has to explore and find familiar locations to immerse himself in an epic adventure. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms includes prominent features such as a variety of Cards, Regular Events, Premium Purchases, Navigate the Forgotten Realms, Formation Strategy, and more. Try it out.
Idle Calibur is a 2D, Anime, Strategy, War, Open World, RPG, Adventure, Action, Casual, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed by Absolutely Wang and published by Dream Step. This videogame is great if you need to play an effective purchasing action without spending huge amounts more cash on draws. It includes a large quantity of information and an inactive level unless anyone desires to continue working hard while agreeing to devote interest to the gameplay.
You might still export customized, eventually creating into another game compared to the competition’s modification compatibility. This game’s biggest armies are continuous throughout the gameplay and therefore are obtained throughout a quest mode technique in the gameplay. Surprisingly, the majority of their weapons are obtained from ranking event packages. Since you can, you might also buy things from merchants. The game has multiple features such as heroes with Characteristics, Random Events, Several Relics, Various Equipment, Future Trading, Endless Tower, and Customization of Heroes.
Wizard and Minion Idle is a Role-playing, Idle Clicker, and Single-player video game brought to you by Oninou for Microsoft Windows. With the expanding limits to your unique play styles, the game enables you to experience the awesome play style. In the game, you can put your skills to test and struggle to make as many points as possible to upgrade elements to advance through the game. In the start, you can cast powerful spells to raise your minion and navigate the wild environment to collect exotic materials. During the gameplay, you can craft magical gems and catch the strange fish using the idle clicker skills. You start the game as the beginner to find your true potential. In the game, you are a wizard and your aim is to create your physical and sorcerous powers to take down fearsome enemies. Wizard and Minion Idle includes prominent features such as Catch Strange Fish, Innovative Inventory, Five Distinct, Ever Expanding New Content, Untold Challenges, Powerful Bosses, and more.
Cookie Clicker is probably one of the best clicking/Tapping and incremental video game. This Free-to-play, Online Idle Clicker video game lets you be a Baker who wants to fill the whole universe with cookies created by him. Your task is to bake as much cookies as you can and fulfill your dream. The cookies are made by clicking so you’ll have to click on a mega cookie on the left side of your screen and gather up a lot of money to buy upgrades and other exciting things. You can buy Prisms, Labs, Grandmas, Clickers, Farms, etc. by simply spending your earned money. The bought and installed upgrades will eventually grow the numbers of cookie production and you’ll get richer to conquer the whole universe by Clicking. Cookie Clicker provides with a super cool and smooth game-play along with best visuals and easy interface. For a great Idle Clicker gaming experience, you must play this game. It’s a blast.
Idle Paladin is a 2D, Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG, Casual, Fantasy, Atmospheric, Crafting, Combat, and Single-Player game developed and published by Ribeiro. This game is just an evolutionary roleplaying video game involving defeating armies of enemies in various places to become as powerful as possible and spending a substantial amount of time leveling up the profile and discovering how powerful you could get. You can find a lovely digital universe that has been custom.
Lots of various products are available for you to try, and see things which are the greatest fit for you. With the cooperation of additional individuals, you can construct a magnificent community in this adventure. For enhancing the hero’s strength, test forth thousands of various frequent itemsets, each with its distinct impact. The prominent features of the game are Pixelated World, Several Different Items, Ever-Expanding Village, Various Characters, Hundreds of Upgrades, Dozens of Items, Unique Effects, and Boostable Characters Power.
Tap Ninja is a 2D, Casual, Side Scroller, Action, Adventure, Medieval, Hack-n-Slash, RPG, PvP, Free-to-Play, Indie, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Broken Glass. In this game, you begin mostly from the initial concept, then move up to Ninja King Level, destroying oncoming attackers using a strong Sword Strike, building a community, or researching redesigned kits to boost your strength. Thousands of Awards with different Identities are unlocked, and then you can customize your appearance with quite a variety of colors.
The contest may be played without internet service, and the community will start generating wealth regardless of whether you are gone offline. You can customize the characters or unlock different equipments by using rewards that you will get after completing each stage. The fundamental features of the game are Combo System, Tons of Upgrades, Ascension System, Achievements, No Video Ads, Random Events, Offline Progress, and Playable Entirely Offline.
Inventory Manager is an Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie, Atmospheric, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Videja Games. The primary goal of the play is to maintain the undead who transfer besides someone store pleased through stocking a wide variety of products to suit where every goblin’s preferences. However, even though the public image among the creatures grows, creatures might very well begin to mandate unlikelier and much more particular products.
Handle company things, recruit travelers, market products, or optimize the operation through getting equipment and many various essential materials in this adventure. The basic gameplay is in which a monster runs a store and starts selling stuff to passing barbarians meanwhile maintaining all of the products, inventory, rubbish bins, and machinery organized. The main features of the game are Hire Adventures, Inventories or Items, Different Rarities, Several power levels, and day/Night Cycle Technology.
The Magician’s Research is a 2D, RPG, Casual, Indie, Adventure, Strategy, Fantasy, Action, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Mad Labyrinth Studios LLC. The game’s investigations are somehow gotten out of control, and you need to entrust in chasing things out, investigating them, getting destroying of them because they cause devastation on adjacent communities or reproduce. The individual creation in the gameplay would be a great experience, but somehow, a videogame seems to have a mechanism that puts all or most of the effort worthwhile.
This game includes characteristics that allow players to move through one requirement any time they choose, with a variety of bonuses, the ability to be reborn, as well as the ability to develop in whatever way you desire. There will be many new features, so trust the developers to stay on track because this gameplay will become much more amazing once completely published. The game has core features such as Leaderboards, Weekly or Daily Login Rewards, Offline Progression, Permanent rewards, Trophies, Trade Ruins, Numerous Quests, and Skill Trees.
SPACE / MECH / PILOT is a 2D, Action, Adventure, Atmospheric, Casual, Indie, Story Rich, Free-to-Play, RPG, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Sky Hour Works. Through this thrilling videogame, you may finally realize the childhood ambition of becoming a ruthless spacecraft captain, zooming throughout the galaxy, the planets, as well as the shattered undercarriage of your competitors. This computer game enables you to battle adversaries, get Experience, and accumulate large amounts of money.
You may travel across space or absorb oncoming warships. To destroy adversaries, you have to press the firing button once. As you gain experience, you will spend your tradeskill on more amazing new powers and improvements. Participate in virtual windows scoreboards to earn rewards. SPACE / MECH / PILOT game has prominent features such as Three Keys Game Play, Powerful Upgrades, Integration, and Brand New Summer Projects.
Card Storm Idle is a 2D, Automation, Casual, Card, Indie, Strategy, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Hyperbeam Games. It is evolutionary gameplay that may be played in various defensive and offensive modes. To acquire quite enough power as necessary, pick decks and make a prepaid debit collection. Begin besides tapping upon that monsters to eliminate each and earn coins. Use the cash to purchase additional decks or increase enemy effectiveness.
Develop a strategic plan for yourself. Established the finest mixture of multiple card configurations by adding Artifacts and Components. You can choose activated decks to increase your clicking strength or make inactive decks to let you deliver harm with clicking. You can customize characters according to your requirements using these coins. Card Storm Idle has prominent features such as Prestige Points, Several Resources, Monsters, Cards, Combinations of Decks, Boosting Powers, and Simple Controls.
Melvor Idle is a 2D, Adventure, Indie, RPG, Casual, Cartoon, Colorful, and Single-Player game developed by Malcs and published by Jagex Ltd. Each talent in this videogame has a defined objective and interacts with someone else in different manners. This indicates that your genuine effort across one skill will improve several. Then that does not stop with woodcutting, killing, fishing, and gardening, use your perfectly trained clicking capabilities in combat to fight on 100 plus creatures with assault, usually range, and magical powers.
It has not been easier to overcome tough levels and topple noisy monsters than now. There are around twenty abilities to gain experience, internet advancement, storage-saving support, integrating financial institution structure, and deeper but understandable features, including fifteen non-combat talents to acquire, each with its dynamics and connections. The game has prominent features such as 40+ Cute Pets, Cloud Saving Functionality, Over 1100 Items to Discover, and an In-Depth and Endless Combat System.
Bard Idle is 2D, RPG, Strategy, Fantasy, Management, Casual, Indie, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Illegal Turtle. In this game, you need to create a one-of-a-kind group or squad of warriors. You may select warriors from such a list, everybody with a unique armament, gender, or skill. Much of this results in an enormous amount of various numbers! You must make the right decision: in a good squad, the warriors will complement one another. The game includes a ballad-writing mechanism.
To promote the way of gameplay and enrich your squad of warriors, write a melody of your selection. Even powerful warriors, aided either by piece generating units or gelatinous gnomes, may have a lasting effect on society. Some fundamental features of the game are More Than 15 Classes, Different Types of Weapons, Several Races, Unique Balled Lines, Various Jelly Gnomes, Events, Game Modes, and a Combination of Active or Passive Play.
Critter Clicker is a 2D, Casual, Farming, Strategy, Graphics, Management, Building, Free-to-Play, Indie, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Time Wasting Games. It is an agriculture simulation activity with a distinct and versatile gaming system. It comes with a small auto clicker. Designers dislike pain and stiffness as well. Collect commodities, develop creatures and structures, trade the farmland whenever you need more space, and never stop growing. To generate money, construct factories to create food.
Construct animal paths to help you get your agriculture job done faster. Improve productivity by constructing blacksmiths. Expand your mansion until you’re able to accept your agriculture to another standard. You can customize your farmhouse according to your farm requirements. The game has prominent features such as Various Plots, Pleasant Farms, Auto Clicks, Repetitive Music, Free Gameplay, Funny Sounds, Easy or Simple Controls, and Retro Pixels.
Idle TD: Heroes vs. Zombies is a Tower-Defence, Strategy, Free-to-Play, Zombies, Management, Fantasy, Graphics, Automation, Combat, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Swell Games LLC. It is indeed a fantastic mix of passive or castle defense games. The gameplay will go on indefinitely and, therefore, can mainly complete independently with no involvement. To perform properly and very well among the colleagues just on scoreboards, meanwhile, a great deal of technique is necessary.
Discover a beautiful realm, combat warriors or monsters, and conquer huge demons on such a great never-ending desire. Arrange teammates, including Ground Rider, in key locations for extra-quick assaults, or employ Lights Bearer for even more devastation. If everything becomes out of hand, use wildfire magic to destroy the entire globe completely. The game has fundamental features such as Unique Heroes, Skill Sets, Effective Combination, Several Maps, Different Strategies, Countless Upgrades, Variety of Resources, Rewarding Games, Daily missions, and Endless Gameplay.
Tap Heroes is a 2D, Action, Adventure, Strategy, RPG, Casual, Funny, Indie, Retro, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by VaragtP. It is indeed an interactive videogame in which you attack, destroy, or capture monsters by clicking upon them. You should utilize the cash to build it yourself and or your company of three heroes so that you can better effectively attack, fight, or capture monsters by clicking on them.
The gameplay is colorful, and the avatars are well-drawn. There seem to be a good number of monsters to shoot; although there are a lot of stages to complete, there is still only catch: if you continue after a certain location, all you’ll be doing is chasing accomplishments. Then do it again until you’re sick of it. The game has prominent features such as Different Enemies or Bosses, Several Areas, Distinct Heroes, Interesting Powers, RPG Grind Elements, and Infinite Gameplay.
Let’s Journey: Dragon Hunter is a 2D, Action, Adventure, RPG, Clicker, Funny, Casual, Indie, Fantasy, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed and published by Potion Player. It’s a roleplaying controller set in a fantastic fictional environment. Select a character, throw the numbers, and then go on an amazing journey! Dozens of enemies will indeed be defeated anywhere along the way, as well as precious items or iconic creatures. The destiny of the monster hunter will certainly be determined by chance and your abilities.
In pursuit of missing components of a valuable treasure, travel through a fantastic fictional universe. To gain a continuous golden bonus, complete the hidden jewel and defeat the warriors to receive a persistent prestigious award that will enable you to battle most effectively in each next entry. Let’s Journey: Dragon Hunter has fundamental features such as Auto Clicker, Unique Abilities, Upgrades, Various Locations, Treasures or Rewards, Epic Bosses, Endless Journey, Incredible Adventure, and Various Monsters.
Taps of Eradine – Rebirth is a 2D, Action, Adventure, Casual, Free-to-Play, Strategy, RPG, Funny, Retro, Simulation, and Single-Player game developed by Cryptid Tech and published by Nutaku Publishing. It is a web-based activity passive clicker featuring monsters, conflicts, and attractive heroines to uncover. Clicking ladies is no anymore enjoyable with so many fairies to gather, each one with three phases of development and numerous graphic paintings to achieve.
This videogame is a humorous journey around the competition’s regions, complete with compelling stuff as well as experiences. Throughout mini engagements, take on traditional adversaries, even rounds of supreme monsters, and observe yourself for the reward places. In this game, you are also able to customize the items and boosters according to your requirements. Taps of Eradine – Rebirth has fundamental features such as Daily Bonuses, Nymphs to Unlock, Animated Scenes, Unique Artworks, Customization, and Dungeon Mode. |
I lived a good twenty years in Florida before realizing how many primates, both wild and captive, shared my home state. This post explores the idea that introduced species like the Silver River macaques and Dania Beach vervets are not the only primates in Florida. According to some, an ape roams the swamps that is bigger, smellier, and more elusive than any monkey.
Who is the Skunk Ape?
Skunk apes are reddish black apes, with glowing green eyes, that range anywhere from four to 12 feet tall and weigh between 180 and 350 pounds. They are bipedal, and their footprints range from seven to eighteen inches long, including only four toes. Skunk apes have been spotted in abandoned guava orchards and orange groves, along the roadside, and in trailer parks. Sightings have been reported from 48 out of Florida’s 67 counties, but also occur in other swampy, southern states. The pictures of skunk apes I have seen most resemble orangutans.
The explanation for their stench of skunk and rotten eggs comes from the fact that they spend time in underground alligator caves, which emit methane gas as organic material decays inside. Alligators dig these caves, more accurately known as burrows or ‘gator holes,’ with their nose and tail. They are used as shelter for their young, to stay warm or cool depending on the weather, and as protection from wildfires and drought.
In 2011, I lived in central Florida (near the location of one of the most famous skunk ape sightings) when I worked as a research intern at the Lemur Conservation Foundation. It was there I met my friend and fellow primatologist Dr. Jennifer Botting. In addition to lemurs, she has studied wild vervet monkeys in South Africa and great apes at the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Upon the skunky stench of the sunshine state ape she reflected: “I lived in rural Florida for three months, using water from a borehole that had a high sulphur content. It was like bathing in scrambled eggs. I’m pretty sure I smelled like rotten eggs for my entire stay. I imagine if the Skunk Ape was bathing in similar conditions, it would smell much the same.”
She continued, “One of my questions would be; why would the ape hide out in alligator caves? To hide from humans, or for some other reason? It seems strange that an ape would choose to spend time in a cave frequented by predators – not a very adaptive choice. However, primates such as baboons are known to spend time in caves, so perhaps there’s a benefit to visiting these caves if you’re a skunk ape, such as a special food source, or to escape the Florida sun?”
According to accounts of skunk ape sightings the large, stinky primates may be engaged in a variety of activities including, but not limited to: jumping on parked and moving cars, tearing up doghouses, terrorizing and killing livestock, playing on kids’ swing sets, throwing tires, swimming offshore, or making loud noises that resemble screams and howls. (There is some disagreement about whether or not the apes are aggressive toward people.) Apparently, they live in families and spend time both on the ground and up in the trees where they make nests of leaves and twigs. Skunk apes have good hearing and are adept at climbing trees and swimming. Mating occurs in the summer months.
Their diet changes with the seasons but may consist of fish, crustaceans, reptiles, deer, wild hog, guavas, grubs, trash, apples, palmetto berries, oak acorns, or other animals including nestling birds. According to Shealy’s field guide (pictured below), they also enjoy lima beans.
There are multiple facilities in Florida that house captive primates. A skeptic could easily explain away a sighting by claiming that any number of apes, macaques, or baboons could have escaped the confines of one of these facilities. Other explanations involve escaped pets, and zoo and circus animals. For example, there is record of an orangutan escape during its transportation through the state in 1954. Large, hairy creatures could also be black bears (possibly with mange), standing on their hind legs or walking bipedally for short distances. Skunk ape vocalizations are often compared to panthers and birds.
There is also no fossil evidence of extinct apes anywhere nearby. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but it does limit the extent to which we can use the fossil record to support the possibility of the skunk ape’s existence. Finally, despite the fact that people tend to grossly overestimate the size of unfamiliar critters, none of the introduced and/or captive primates in Florida even come close to the reported size of the skunk ape.
Some key questions remain: Why is there no clear, reliable photograph or video of a skunk ape? Why don’t we find remains or roadkill? Where is the genetic analysis from hair and fecal samples that have supposedly been collected?
Does the Skunk Ape really exist?
I don’t know! Probably not. I want to believe- I love the folklore, the stories, and the speculation. The effects of believing in the skunk ape are certainly real. And they are important because they teach us about the world and about ourselves. Peter Dendle, an English professor who studies religion and folklore, explains it like this: “I think cryptozoology serves as a means of staking a line, and saying, ‘You scientists don’t know everything. There are still truths out there to be discovered.’” He goes on to say that, “In this digital age, the world suddenly feels very, very small. There’s a sense of claustrophobia, and a loss of wonder. Cryptozoology is a way of refusing to have the last piece of the unknown taken away- of imagining there’s something bigger than us out there.”
Scientists don’t know everything, nor should they, in my opinion, aspire to. Isn’t the mystery, the asking of the questions, what fuels science in the first place? Narwhals, komodo dragons, giant squids, okapis, platypuses, and manatees all are real animals who were believed at some point to be mythological beings. Dendle suggests that cryptozoology enthusiasts “are doing something noble. They’re carrying on a tradition of exploration, and open-mindedness, and genuine inquiry, the spirit of which has driven science for many centuries.” This is the same spirit that scientists in our world-of-shrinking-mystery stray from in the pursuit of publication, funding, and prestige. Perhaps we have something to learn from cryptozoologists and cryptid enthusiasts for which the actual existence of the skunk ape is irrelevant.
What does Dr. Botting think?
“How likely do I think it is that a giant, non-human bipedal ape lives in rural Florida?…Well, populations of primates previously unknown to scientists are still being discovered around the world, so it is not impossible that an undiscovered population of Skunk Apes could exist in rural Florida. It’s perhaps highly unlikely, but I’m generally of the opinion that nothing is impossible.”
She’s my kind of scientist!
Just in case…years ago on the night of December 31st, a skunk ape reportedly joined a backyard fireworks-viewing party in Tallahassee. I’ll tell my friends in the panhandle to keep their eyes peeled. Maybe the skunk ape is as eager as we are to ring in 2021.
Happy new year, fellow primates!
Newton, Michael. 2007. Florida’s Unexpected Wildlife: Exotic Species, Living Fossils, and Mythical Beasts in the Sunshine State. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Stromberg, Joseph. 2014. On the Trail of Florida’s Bigfoot- the Skunk Ape. SmithsonianMag.com |
Hello there! Are you looking for a reason not to sleep tonight or ever again? Cool-cool-cool same, so let's join spooky hands and run through 17 of the scariest urban legends ever. Let's see...we have a wailing ghost who wanders rivers trying to doom people, a cryptid that feasts on goat blood, an axe murderer who spends his time dressed as a bunny (nope, do not want), and Slender Man—an urban legend so very legendary that people have tried to kill in his name.
Ready? Yeah me neither, but here we go I guess. Also, a word of warning: after reading this list, you will likely assume that every friendly dog who tries to lick your hand is secretly a serial killer trying to murder you. Enjoy the nightmares!
Let's kick things off with this total classic, involving a deranged dude with a hook for a hand who goes around attacking couples trying to make out in their cars. Usually, said couples are listening to the radio, and find out that a serial killer has escaped a mental institution RIGHT before getting slashed to death. Oh, and our dude almost always leaves his hook hanging ominously in the car door.
Naale Baa is an Indian urban legend involving a malevolent spirit dressed as a bride who manipulates people into letting her inside their homes. But once you open the door? You're toast. The only way to deter Naale Baa is to write her name on your door, so excuse me while I go do that real quick, thanks.
The legend of Teke Teke hails from Japan, and involves the spirit of a young woman who was tragically cut in half during a train accident. Apparently, the top half of Teke Teke's body can be found wandering stations in the evenings—and legend says she'll cut you in half if you run into her. So yeah, something else to worry about next time you're taking the train home!
Despite the name, Rat King is not a cute rodent reigning over his whiskered subjects. Rat King is the horrifying name for a phenomenon where rats become tangled together and form a giant super rat. The worst part is, this is a thing that actually happens—so it's less of an urban legend and more of a terrifying glimpse at what's probably going down in the New York City subways.
^ The only rat king I currently recognize.
This is one of those stories that gets passed around from friend to friend and is likely very untrue, but here's the deal. Once upon a time, a college student comes home after a party and sees her roommate lying in bed. No bigs / ordinary, so she goes to sleep. But uh, when she wakes up the next morning, she sees that her roommate's throat has been slit and the words "aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light?” are drawn on the wall in blood. Thanks, I hate it!
The Vanishing Hitchhiker
This one has been around FOREVER thanks to multiple people telling the same story: they pick up a hitchhiker, everything's normal, and then poof! Said hitchhiker vanishes from the car. Guess the consensus is that ghosts are trolling us? Kinda here for it.
The Spider Bite
I honestly don't even know how to describe this one, so I'll just go ahead and say it: The Spider Bite is an urban legend about a, duh, spider bite which swells up and bursts, revealing millions of tiny baby spiders in the wound. I'll give you a moment to collect yourself and/or vomit.
Yours truly grew up with this particular folktale, which originates in Mexico and is about a mother named Maria (aka La Llorona) who threw her children into a river upon realizing that her husband was unfaithful. She immediately regretted the impulsive act, and so legend says that if you lurk around rivers or arroyos after dark, you might come across her wailing spirit. La Llorona wears a highly haunting all-white lace outfit, and laying eyes on her will bring you death and doom so RUN THE HELL AWAY.
Hands up if you've ever walked into the bathroom, turned the lights on and off, and chanted "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary" in front of the mirror. Because apparently this is how you summon ya girl Mary! And the good news is that sometimes Mary's nice. The bad news is she often appears as a corpse covered in blood. So yeah.
P.S. If you've ever played Bloody Mary and truly thought you saw her, don't worry—you were most likely hallucinating, which apparently can happen when you stare into a mirror for too long. The alternative is you're just seeing the spirit of a dead girl. Either way!
Ah yes, the Chupacabra! 'Tis a legendary cryptid rumored to meander around the Southwest and Puerto Rico. This deranged-looking furry friend is said to drink the blood of goats and other unlucky livestock, and there's no way you want to be caught near one. Apparently, the Chupacabra has been doing his thing since the '90s, when eight sheep were found drained of blood in Puerto Rico. A few months later, a whole SLEW of farm animals were killed, and after that, people all over the world started citing reports of their livestock having two puncture wounds and zero bodily fluids.
There's been a ton of legitimate research about whether or not the Chupacabra is real, and the answer is no-ish. IRL sightings are probably just coyotes with mange, but still. Watch your goats. Especially this goat:
The Goatman of Maryland
Oh, you don't know of the Goatman? The half-human and half-goat hybrid monster who trolls around Maryland? TIME TO GET ACQUAINTED because this dude is frightening as f*ck. According to urban legend, the ax-wielding Goatman used to be a scientist, until an experiment involving goats turned him into a goat and he started murdering everyone with his ax.
Kinda like Goatman, but with MOTHS. Most people are somewhat familiar with this buggy buddy thanks to the legendary Richard Gere movie, but if you need a reminder, Mothman is a man who is also a moth. He lives in West Virginia, and first showed up during the '60s, when several folks claimed to see him. So, is Mothman real? Who knows, but look: if you want to believe there's a giant moth person roaming around the South, godspeed.
This is a personal favorite due to how completely messed up it is. Here's the story: a girl and her dog are home alone, so she has her dog sleep under her bed because she's scared. In the middle of the night, the girl wakes up to the sound of creepy dripping coming from the bathroom, so she puts her hand underneath her bed for comfort, and is reassured when her beloved dog licks it. But the next morning, she walks into the bathroom only to find her dog slaughtered and strung up from the shower rod, his blood dripping onto the floor. On the wall, someone has scrawled the message, "HUMANS CAN LICK TOO."
If you thought Goatman was bad, meet Bunny Man! He's a dude from Virginia who dresses up as a rabbit and murders people with an ax! There's even an entire BRIDGE named after him. Some say Bunny Man is an escaped convict who goes around Virginia skinning rabbits and hanging them on Bunny Man bridge, and rabbit carcasses are said to show up around Halloween, so feel free to visit this October.
The Black-Eyed Children
Reports of black-eyed children panhandling their way around the country have been around since the '90s (which, judging from this list, was the creepiest decade ever). Verdict's still out on whether they're vampires or monsters, but the first person who saw them was a man named Brian Bethel, who claims they showed up in Texas. In conclusion: Never going to Texas again.
You can go deeeep into the legend of Slender Man right this way, but here's the TL;DR version: He's a scary man with super long floppy arms who lives in the woods and preys on children. Slender Man is 100 percent not real (he was invented on the internet in 2009 by Eric Knudsen), but this fake story made its way into urban legend so fast and furiously that kids started believing he was real. In fact, there have been multiple crimes attributed to Slender Man—including the high-profile case of two girls who were accused of stabbing their classmate in his name.
Killer in the Backseat/High Beams
Saved the worst for last! You've heard some version of this story before if your childhood was as WTF as mine, but here we go: a woman is driving home alone at night. Suddenly, the car behind her starts driving erratically and flashing its high beams. Understandably, she assumes she's being stalked and rushes home—getting her car safely into the garage so that the car behind her can't follow her in. Annnnnd it turns out that there's been a man crouching in her backseat wielding a knife the whole time, and the driver behind her had only been flashing his lights to try and deter him from attacking. (Psst: 1998's Urban Legend movie starts with this story.) |
I’ll admit, if you told me back when I started this blog that I’d be talking about monsterfucking, I probably wouldn’t have believed you, but I just read To the Flame by A. E. Ross, and some things need to be said. This paranormal cryptid romance is about a college guy named Emerson (he/him) who… Continue reading To the Flame by A. E. Ross
Exploring the possibilities of transness, masculinity, and personhood in Ray Stoeve's BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL, a review.
Bodies, embodiment, and the self in R. E. Katz' forthcoming debut novel, AND THEN THE GRAY HEAVEN.
Aiden Thomas' CEMETERY BOYS, validation, and confronting the unhealthy desire to prove one's gender identity, a review.
How naming something or saying something out loud is a powerful thing, and how that power can be used to create a found family in Ziggy Schutz' "twice-spent comet" from the anthology BEHIND THE SUN, ABOVE THE MOON, a review.
The difficulties of messy relationships, and how FINNA by Nino Cipri shows how to move forward after they end, a review.
LGBTQIA+ use of traditionally-gendered handicrafts as a way to mitigate isolation and lack of place in Matthias Klein's "The Art of Quilting" in TRANSCENDENT 4 edited by Bogi Takács, a review.
The resonant comedy of Nino Cipri's "Ad Astra Per Aspera" in TRANSCENDENT 4 edited by Bogi Takács, a review.
The problem with binaries in Chelsey Furedi's ROCK AND RIOT, a review.
Parallels between magic and transness in Brooklyn Ray's DARKLING, a review. |
Own your own Mothman!
Mothman is a West Virginia cryptid - an obscure, undocumented creature typically originating from folklore - reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 12, 1966, to December 15, 1967. The creature was described as a "large flying man with ten-foot wings," a black figure with piercing, red, glowing eyes.
This Mothman plush is 9 inches tall and is inspired by Japanese plush toys, and characteristics of owls and moths. The wing, tail and antenna embellishments, as well as the eyes, are embroidered with red thread. The plush's body is covered in short, black thread fabric. |
Submitting and working with a publisher can be easy and you will receive more benefits than from self-publishing.
When you are ready to submit your work, it is important to take your time so you can make a great first impression. Read all instructions below to ensure that you meet our requirements.
PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK
Submitting and working with a publisher can be easy and fulfilling. While we understand that self-publishing is very popular these days, there's a lot involved in doing so, hence why traditional publishers like ourselves are still around.
When you are ready to submit your work, it is important to take your time because like anywhere else, first impressions count.
Read all the instructions below to ensure that you meet our requirements for submission.
New Authors Welcome
We are currently accepting new manuscripts within the paranormal, UFO, cryptid and true crime genres. We are looking for only non-fiction works. While we have published fiction in the past, we are currently NOT accepting submissions for fiction (novels, etc). Please check back periodically as we may change that policy.
We do NOT publish fiction, short stories, poetry, cookbooks or children's books.
No agent/representation required.
Any questions you may have reference our FAQ page.
Submissions guidelines below. Please read and follow instructions carefully. Failure to do so may result in your manuscript not being accepted.
Your submitted manuscript should be a Word file only (.doc or .docx). Please include your cover letter at the beginning of your manuscript and submit as a single file. The cover letter should include an introduction, a summary, and author biography. Submitting a professionally edited manuscript will help your chances of getting published. DO NOT send sample chapters, but the full and complete manuscript. If you are not done with your book, we suggest you complete it, get it edited then submit.
Every manuscript that is submitted per instructions will be reviewed. Our acquisitions team takes every submission seriously and gives each one adequate time to determine fitness for publishing with Beyond The Fray Publishing.
After your manuscript has been reviewed, you will be contacted. Please double check your contact information to ensure everything is correct. If your manuscript is not selected, you will receive a response via e-mail.
Thank you for considering Beyond The Fray Publishing.
Submit your manuscript to: email@example.com |
Clark Crew BBQ won almost 700 BBQ awards before even opening
the doors of the restaurant on Northwest Expressway. Clark
Crew may have very well set a new standard for barbeque. They
also give seminars on...
Howdy Y’all…just kidding! Welcome to our page. We are the Only in Oklahoma Show, where you can hear about travel and entertainment in the Great State of Oklahoma. Our sole purpose is to shine a light on some of the people, places and stories that make Oklahoma, more than just “OK”. In fact, Oklahoma is one of the most underrated travel destinations in the country even by some of the locals.
Powered by award winning podcasters (2018 Podcast Award – Society and Culture), Harley C. and Brett Manzer.
Tune into the Only in Oklahoma Show to hear interviews, news and reviews about Oklahoma’s best restaurants, hotels, festivals, museums, outdoor activities, breweries, rodeos, concerts, casinos, Route 66, and more (literally this list is endless). If it’s fun and in Oklahoma, we will be talking about it. We will also be covering some not so topics, like bureaucrats, bridges, toll booths and taxes. If it affects your bottom line or your lake time, we will be cussin’ and discussin’.
If you are joining us from the Odd Pod, some things never change. Manzer and Harley will be trying to make you laugh while dropping some knowledge about the places we cover. Don’t worry, we will still be covering the occasional red-dirt ghost story, cryptid, and UFO conspiracy…as long as it is north of the Red River (BOOMER!).
Boots and straps and cowboy hats are optional. Welcome to the Only in Oklahoma Show! |
In what sounds like a scene from the movie Ginger Snaps, residents of a neighborhood in Cordova, Tennessee are on high alert following a series of attacks on pets in the area, resulting in three dead dogs and a fourth injured. The only evidence of the attacker are some large cat-like prints which have been found by residents. It’s too early to tell if a cryptid is involved but the pattern and circumstances suggest the attack is consistent with that of a werewolf. Let’s hope the creature is discouraged from returning before it moves on to bigger prey.
The locals have brought in a company to set up motion sensor cameras in the hope they can find out what kind of creature is behind the attacks. The main fear is not only will more pets die but that the attacks could also involve children in the neighborhood. One of the dogs killed weighed was over 100 pounds, so the creature is clearly very strong and dangerous.
On news channel WREG.com, a report was aired from the neighborhood addressing the frightened members of the public. So far, none of the residents have seen the creature but some of the attacks have happened behind fences that were six foot in height. Curiously, there were no marks on the fence indicating the creature had climbed them lending even more credibility to concerns a werewolf was involved. Werewolves are well known for their ability to jump great heights and a six foot fence would not have been a challenge.
Tennessee legend also lends credibility to the presence of a werewolf with stories of a mysterious creature called the Wampus Cat, also called the Ewah. This cryptid was a fearsome monster known for killing from the folk lore of the Cherokee people who lived in Tennessee. According to the legend, the Wampus Cat was originally a woman who disguised herself using the skin of a mountain lion so she could spy on the men of the tribe telling sacred stories. When she was discovered, the medicine man of the tribe punished her by turning her into a half-woman, half-cat monster. The unfortunate woman is still believed to wander the Tennessee area to this day.
The embedded video is courtesy of http://wreg.com/2014/02/21/mysterious-beast-killing-dogs-in-cordova-neighborhood/#ooid=doNjNzazq5bfWVjLwVEfl8clmV31HzjJ |
Book Review: NEAR THE BONE by Christina Henry
A young woman finds out the truth about her past and escapes a monster in Christina Henry’s newest novel, Near the Bone.
Title: Near The Bone
Author: Christina Henry
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Publication Date: April 13, 2021
Paperback: 336 pages
A woman trapped on a mountain attempts to survive more than one kind of monster, in a dread-inducing horror novel from the national bestselling author Christina Henry.
Mattie can’t remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that they’re not alone after all.
There’s something in the woods that wasn’t there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws.
When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for the creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry.
Stand alone or series: Standalone novel
How did I get this book: Purchased
CW: implication of rape, child abuse, and other abuse
On a winter’s day like so many others, Mattie awakens and goes about her chores. Her husband, William, is not a patient man, nor is he kind. Mattie knows that she is a bad wife because she continually disappoints William–she woolgathers, she’s clumsy, and most importantly, she hasn’t been able to bear him a son (though she performs her wifely duty every night). Mattie might not care for William’s approval, but she certainly knows that she must avoid his rage–William’s caprice is often accompanied by blows that leave Mattie bruised and bloodied, for even the smallest provocations. (Or, indeed, even when there is no provocation beyond William’s mercurial temper.)
So, on this particular winter’s day when Mattie discovers a fox’s mutilated remains and enormous prints in the snow, she hesitates. She knows she should collect the rabbits from their traps or there will be hell to pay, but no bear or other creature would have done that to a fox. William is predictably upset with Mattie’s dallying and even more upset when she tells him about the fox (it’s not Mattie’s job to think), though he decides to investigate. A bear, William concludes, and one that could feed them all winter if they’re able to catch it.
Soon, though, Mattie and William learn that the creature that left those prints is no bear. It is an impossible creature, the likes of which no one has ever seen before, and William is immediately concerned about what the creature will bring with it: people. People who will want to hunt the creature, people who will want to study it, people who might just discover William and Mattie’s secluded cabin.
For Mattie–who hasn’t seen another soul but has memories of a girl and a song that she carefully tucks away from William–strangers arriving on their mountain is exhilarating and terrifying. And, as Mattie grasps for memories about a time outside of the mountain and before William, she also understands very keenly that the creature on the mountain is very real and very dangerous. Mattie is very good at sensing danger.
Near the Bone is a kind of hybrid novel–it’s part creature-feature horror story, part locked-room (or, more accurately, stranded on a mountain) thriller. But really, and most importantly, it’s a story about a young woman who repeatedly faces incomprehendable horror. It’s not a surprise that Mattie has been abducted, abused, and her past erased by her “husband” William–it’s also not a surprise that Mattie’s memories are fragmented and disjointed, her thoughts solely focused on survival. Near the Bone is told in Mattie’s voice and filtered through her thoughts, adding an even more terrifying layer to the narrative–her focus on keeping herself safe, warring with her desire to even imagine a world without William, is absolutely harrowing stuff. This is the real horror novel and the stuff of nightmares–William’s ice-chip blue glare, his physical and emotional abuse–and Christina Henry does an incredible job of pulling back Mattie’s layers, giving her voice strength and surety as she learns more about her past and the prison William has constructed for her. Know that this is not an easy book to read, but for Mattie’s journey alone, it’s worth it.
Of course, the other part of this story–the less-well done bit–is the creature feature. Reminiscent of an X-Files monster-of-the-week episode with a dash of Crichton-esque thriller juice, Near the Bone‘s catalyst for action is the sudden discovery of a creature in the woods. This cryptid–as the zoologist student researchers in the book come to call it–is large, brutal, and, most vitally, smart. Unlike bears or other more common creatures, the cryptid doesn’t just stockpile its food, it collects and separates bones from organs. It moves quickly and soundlessly, and… well, likes to play with its food. Sort of. There are some motivations that are hinted at, but unlike a monster-of-the-week episode, there’s no Mulder or Scully to connect the dots, which is oddly frustrating. The cryptid’s sudden appearance and its motivations for hunting Mattie, William, Griffin, C.P., and Jen are mysteries that remain unsolved. The why isn’t something that we get into in Near the Bone and that makes sense–but it does diminish the overall impact of the story. (It is the cryptid, after all, that is the entire reason for Mattie’s ultimate motivation to escape.)
This criticism said, the author does a damn good job of building tension through the sequences with the creature–and the dual specter of William and the cryptid looming over Mattie’s choices is plenty terrifying. This, paired with Mattie’s heart-wrenching narration and the refreshingly human, flawed good Samaritans who intervene, makes Near the Bone a solidly entertaining read.
Absolutely recommended for anyone who wants to get lost in a good horror-thriller.
Rating: 7 – Very, Very Good |
Points to remember before you participate in this discussion:
|Manisha said: (Jun 13, 2021)|
First of all, we will see what is meaning of triple talaq, talaq is an Arabic word that means divorce, actually, triple talaq is pronouncing of talaq word three times by means of orally or written and in the Islamic community by doing this Muslim men's can give divorce to their wives without their consent. As it is legal in their community so Muslim women can't do anything they become helpless after this triple talaq. But nowadays in the digital world Muslim men are misusing this triple talaq they are using SMS, WhatsApp, etc digital apps to give talaq which is very illegal.
So, in July 2019 Indian parliament passed a bill for Muslim women bill (protection of rights on marriage) as a law to protect Muslim women's rights making triple talaq an offence of crime.
Triple talaq is banned in 23 countries including India. The first country was Egypt who banned this triple talaq.
It is a very vital step taken by the government to ban triple talaq as it was defeating article 14 of the Indian constitution. Every Indian have the right to live his life. So by banning triple talaq Muslim women's rights are protected.
|Subhashree said: (Nov 7, 2019)|
|All the people here have said that how India is a developing and desperate country and we do not have money to spend on such missions, which are the actual "steps" that develop the country, then we will always be "developing" but never "developed". No country has ever been rich and strong by birth.
The even US had 13 failures before its first successful mission, but blaming the situation is never the solution.
And when it comes to money, if I start listing the "good uses" of money done by our government then we will get to know that how an ample amount of money has been used by ISRO and how much it has co-operated to maintain their budget.
|Sandy said: (Sep 9, 2019)|
|India is in the nascent stage of development.
More money shall be infused in infrastructure and other areas of concerns. When we lack basic facilities the government shall not ponder taxpayers money in useless exploration. It's like a guy doing a toiling job throughout his day and in spite of spending money to his children's education the guy spends it in buying a car which he cannot even maintain in the future, thinking of that his car will make him feel proud and the real thing is nobody gives the shit. So it's obvious that all the people around him will laugh at him instead of being proud of him.
|Robb said: (Sep 8, 2019)|
|Space missions are a good venture for developed nations but India is still a developing nation, whatever great achievements received by our citizens still the world considers India a third world country.
Poverty and Uneducation are still a basic problem in India.
The government should solve the problems that have the highest priorities.
|Sanjay said: (Jul 14, 2019)|
|Let's address our water, power and agricultural deficits before spending money on space missions. I can understand satellite launch capabilities need to be developed but moon missions. We live in a democracy, I don't see when we the people were asked for permission to spend so much money on these projects. Also, the people supporting thus waste of money need to give us actual, practical examples of how a moon mission will help India. Maybe a cost benefit analysis? Come on Modi government, give us the business justification besides shallow bragging rights. I live and work in one of the most impoverished regions if Andhra Pradesh and can give many better uses for the money spent to help our fellow citizens today.|
|Pavani said: (Apr 6, 2019)|
|It is a not waste of money, it will benefit the development of our country. If we can stop the scams of big businessmen and prevent money from being corrupt it can be a good use to poverty and also you can use that money to the building government schools and colleges.|
|Harshit Mavi said: (Jul 2, 2018)|
|I think that India has not enough money to do these things because it not developed the country.|
|Kevin said: (Jan 14, 2018)|
|Space missions are not exactly useful especially when the country is not that developed enough. 40% of children are still suffering malnutrition. India produces 50000 doctors a year. Still, 2 million citizens die due to tuberculosis. So should the government spend on space or for the welfare of people?|
|Gantasaala said: (Oct 5, 2017)|
|There is no wastage of money by sending space missions. Just one thing we have to remember before we talk about this.
Generally, to send one satellite to space requires nearly 200 crores for India. It will be a great proud to send that successfully.
Rather than we are spending nearly 300 crores for Bahubali answer 250 crores in robo2. We are looking and showing interest on entertainment only. If we spend that money we can send more satellites which will useful for the future generation.
Love technology more than entertainment.
|Uttara said: (Aug 6, 2017)|
|Space missions are not wastage of resources as these missions if done successfully and within stipulated budget then aid in agriculture defence education health care disaster management activities of the govt which directly benefit the whole nation. More over recently ISRO launched 104 satellites into the mission among which 103 satellites were from other nations. India earned huge amounts from these nations to launch their respective satellites. The Mangalyan mission was a huge success in a minimum of 450 crores which is very less compared to foreign investments. Thanks to our scientists. But Indian govt should better the education and infrastructure in India so that well educated and skilled scientists don't leave India to work for NASA. Thus it can reduce brain drain. And GOI should encourage science study in early ages so that in future the technology and cost involved in space missions are reduced significantly.
|Tithi said: (Apr 18, 2017)|
|According to my opinion, India is a developing country. But whether it has really reached that level of development where it needs to compete in space missions where most of the populations are fighting against the poverty. Scientific advancement should be encouraged but side by side a portion of the money should be granted for the social welfare of the people.|
|Prasanth B said: (Mar 10, 2017)|
|We need not be apologetic about our aims. Space technology is very important for a nation like India for development/defense - hope our leaders will give more priority for scientific research and education.|
|Saurabh Das said: (Feb 12, 2017)|
|To consider space program as a waste of money and resources would be a hasty assumption. ISRO has been continuously focusing its research on remote sensing, meteorological satellites, navigation satellites and telecommunications satellites.
These technological advancements have helped the people of the country in more ways than one. Telecom satellites provide cellphone services to every corner of the country. Remote Sensing satellites recognize the presence of resources in different locations.
Let me give you an example. In 1999 due to the super cyclone that hit the east coast of India, 10000 people perished. In 2013, a cyclone of even greater destructive force called the Palin hit the eastern coast. But this time there were only 23 deaths.
There are several reasons for this.
First, meteorological satellites by ISRO provided accurate data on the severity and movement of the storm.
Satellite phones used by disaster management teams helped in ease of communication during times of distress. These phones were dependent on the Telecom satellites in orbit.
Locations that would be more likely to be flooded were recognised and marked with the help of cartography satellites.
Thus we realise that even for the common man Space is a profitable and useful venture.
|Mudit Sharma said: (Feb 12, 2017)|
|According to me, space missions are important, we are not wasting economy in space missions, with the help of space missions we are demonstrating that we are capable of doing any type of things. We are count in developing country but still, we have our own GPS system. And if we want to compete with other countries like china and USA they are well-developed country, even they can change their weather, that time we have to do other things like space missions etc. Our president also in a favour that space missions are imp for our country. With the satellite, we can easily connect to peoples on internet. And we can forecast the msg if any calamities occur. And it is beneficial for the defense sector like surgical strike,
SOMEONE SAID THAT MANGALYAN MISSION IS USELESS. I think your mind in your knees. You know very well. Today population increases rapidly. Suppose people have no place to live that if MARS have a life that time we can shift to mars. If India will not participate in such kind of missions in future other countries will hold of every place in another planet. Many people now thinking that this will not happen and this is impossible to do. But everything is possible. Thank you, everyone.
|Balaji.P said: (Dec 28, 2016)|
|Space research is the potential to develop the nation-said by father of space science Dr. Vikram sarabai.
Its not a wastage of resourse, we are demonstreting ourself that we are technically capable in doing space research and exploring the universe, And we are cost effective too. NASA Mars exploration mission namely MAVEN cost about 671 million dollars, but INDIA'S Mars mission namely MANGALYAAN cost about only 74 million dollors!. And also we are the only asian country succeeded in mars exploration in the very first attempt.
|Prachi said: (Dec 25, 2016)|
|I think space missions are not a wastage of our Indian economy because by that only.
1. We are able to compete with developed countries like USA, Russia, etc.
2. We are solving problems of poverty as the space programme is giving employment to many youths.
3. By Chandrayaana only the world came to know that there is water in moon and also mars.
4. It is helping in communication system.
5. It is helping in our defense system ex:- surgical strike.
6. By satellites, we will come to know the upcoming natural disasters.
Someone said that scientists are busy in useless research but by their useless research only India is able to compete with other countries. I am not saying that you should invest so much of money in space programme they have limits for that and they are doing well.
|Alina said: (Dec 25, 2016)|
|Actually, I have a question.
If we launch a multistage rocket which has other countries satellites and while launching it fails. What should we do after that?
|Abhas Bhardwaj said: (Nov 27, 2016)|
|It is good for our country because if we feel proud of our scientists and appreciate their work then they will do their work with more interest and this will also create more job opportunity for Indian.|
|Mischief said: (Nov 22, 2016)|
|Space missions are simply the missions for the exploration of celestial structures in outer space. The most common purpose of which they are undertaken is for proxy wars. But India is now earning from the space missions and also the advance expertise and the low-cost program achievements have proved that it can become a contributor to the GDP. India is developing rapidly so it is important to tap all of the possible sectors to become world's major economic power.|
|Suraj said: (Sep 20, 2016)|
|In my opinion, Indian exploration to space has a great opportunity to be invested by many under developing countries. When we were in war with Pakistan in 1999. USA stopped the GPS system. But now India have its own navigation system which means we are not dependent on such kind of purpose now.|
|Swarnali Ghosh said: (Aug 2, 2016)|
|I am in the motion of the topic. India is a developing country and to make it a developed country, we need to make full usage of the resources provided to us and after we have established ourselves as a developed country, then we can think about space missions. Half the people in India live below the poverty line and we need to support them.|
|Ganesh Gunjal said: (Jul 16, 2016)|
|Hi, here Ganesh.
I think space propagation Is the important part for nation why because our country now on the developing track. Unless few European countries are already developing in space research. We also take over them. So many things get from space mission. Like communication, and others land information so it for beneficial to our future generations. So keep development in space mission.
|Ramesh Singh said: (Apr 16, 2016)|
|Literally space missions are the part and parcel of complete wastage of our resources. If our half of the population is forced to die due to starvation then what is the use of investing trillions of dollars upon it? Human exist on the earth only in this entire universe. Human being is blessed with divine powers they should be loved cared, and helped at any cost. I want to see happiness in the eyes of each and every human being on this planet. For ex, Swami Vivekananda and Lord Buddha served the humanity they didn't go to the moon and mars. They helped humanity. In the same way, if we live with peace n love among us there is no need of wars. And there will be no required wars among the nations.|
|Cryptid said: (Jan 24, 2016)|
|Space missions definitely seem to be extravagant, wasteful endeavors. But they are acts of exploration. And Humanity cannot exist with exploring new frontiers. Remember the Neanderthals and our ancestors who lived side by side. The Neanderthals were conservative and did not wander into dangerous territory. If they're rare wandering hit a water body, they would stop, if they confronted a mountain, they would stop.
Humans were crazy and irrationally insane. If we hit a water body we would swim, a mountain would make us climb. We did over and over, but when one died another was ready to try again. Imagine how many people drowned to reach Easter Island for an example. We loved to stare death in the face over and over again. And yet now Homo Sapiens rule the earth. And the Neanderthals are extinct in their graves. Space is just another large ocean. So now tell me whether we should swim in it.
|Minung said: (Oct 25, 2015)|
|I would say that, space programme of launching satellite to earths orbit for purpose like remote sensation, weather forecasting, communication purpose, 4g, 3g etc are very important for our day -to-day life. But mission like chandrayan mission for moon, mars mission etc are useless. What would b their uses, even if we are able to get water on them?
Useless, its just a stage of I would say that, no doubt space programme such as launching satellite to earths orbit for various resources. Instead of focusing on such useless mission we should focus on how to improve our other satellite system. Why to search water/land on them? When we have already water able barren that desert?
Why don't we spend money on that land to make it fertile? You may say, Indira Gandhi canal is there, but why don't we construct one more to improve more, there are many points Mars and Moon mission are useless.
|Prashantraj said: (Aug 20, 2015)|
|It is good for our country because if we feel proud for our scientist and their work then they also take interest in their work. And if we are not feel good for our scientist works then they also can't do their works with interest.|
|Chaithra.R said: (Aug 7, 2015)|
|Guys how can we tell that space missions are not solving economic problems? The poverty rate of America was 33% before launching their space mission but after that it was reduced to 15%. Space projects provide employment opportunities which is very important for a country to develop economically.|
|Deeksha said: (Aug 7, 2015)|
|As the 21st century gets underway, the impact of space activities upon the welfare of humanity will only increase. Space mission are not a waste of resources for India.
Now a day India are in the category of developed country like USA, China, France, Russia are too using satellite developed by ISRO as remote sensing satellite like IRS-1C and IRS-1D. ISRO is giving very tough competition to other space agencies in world.
|Anvita said: (Apr 30, 2015)|
|Space missions is not a wastage of resources because it is mind of scientist which is new new things to do for our India so that's why India is developing also and it is proved.|
|Akas said: (Apr 24, 2015)|
|There should be a clear distinction between space missions and satellite launches. Satellites are including GPS and other systems are extremely useful for the development of the country carrying out space missions to Moon or the Mars are absolutely pointless and clearly waste of resources. We know that these barren spheres do not have anything that support life then why go there and waste precious Earth resources?|
|Anjali said: (Apr 5, 2015)|
|According to me space missions are not a wastage of resources. Because it is necessary for our development our country's development. For complete development all directions should be equally developed and space technologies is one the most important field.|
|Santulan Kumar said: (Mar 23, 2015)|
|Space mission are not a waste of resources for India. Now a day India are in the category of developed country like USA, China, France, Russia are too using satellite developed by ISRO as remote sensing satellite like IRS-1C and IRS-1D. ISRO is giving very tough competition to other space agencies in world.
In recent CHANDRAYAAN-1 have launched by ISRO at first attempt to reach on moon through these life can exist on moon in near future. It is through these space resources that a nation reinforce its national pride, it is through these satellite that vegetation is mapped, biodiversity is searched, weather is predicted and most important is that communication is possible like mobile, internet.
|Raghu said: (Mar 19, 2015)|
|In my view Space Missions are not a wastage of resources with the of those we are giving competition to other countries, and we are trying to convert India is a developed country. Now-a-days each and every project or object or goods or like many other works depends upon science.
With out of this space missions we will be always as a developing country. The resources put on space missions never be wastage it shows the power and skills of our people. Space missions are the indicators of our scientists knowledge and power in science and technology.
|Pragya said: (Feb 26, 2015)|
|Hello people, Pragya here.
I feel it's stupid to think that space researches should be banned.
To start up in be brief, it is through these space researches that a nation reinforces its national pride, through this people killed in cyclone Phailin were in fifties in not in thousands, it is through these satellites that vegetation is mapped, bio diversity is searched weather is predicted in what not. Don't all this help the people in poor inclusive.
Secondly is giving money the only way of helping poor. Many a anti- poverty scheme have been launched in India but the " Faulty Corruption " is to be blamed, leading only 10% be reached. SO the fact is with aspiring youth and intellectual minds (since this MOM will reduce brain drain) and India being a $ 300 million contender in GLOBAL space, nation will advance.
|Anupam Shrivastava said: (Feb 7, 2015)|
|I think investing our resources and investment in space research is not wastage for Indian as we can see that Indian space agency ISRO is giving very tough competitions to other space agencies by developing satellite launching vehicles like PSLV and GSLV etc. We have developed remote sensing satellites like IRS 1-C and IRS-ID which are among the best in the world for proving high resolution data to the user communities anywhere in the world even countries like USA, Russia, China, Japan and France are too using these satellites.
I would like to mention Chandrayaan-1 which was developed and launched by ISRO has confirmed that water exists on the moon and successful mission of Mangalyaan has showed India's achievements towards space research to the world. If you know that Chandrayaan is the first moon satellite in the world which has successfully reached to the mars in first attempt.
The chairperson of ISRO Dr. K Kasturirangan has projected a significant lowering of space research costs in the country in the next few decades. While the cost of positioning 1Kg material in the space was around 20, 000$ it was presaged that the same cost will come down to 5,000$ and would be 500$ in around 2030 so my point is that if our ISRO scientists has ability to developed such portable vehicles to reduce the cost of launching vehicles then why should not we invest in Space exploration.
We should not we invest a minimum amount of 200 crores for our space programs while our programs are being successful. As our country is moving very fast towards a developed country and almost all developed countries are investing a lot on their space programs and even they have had achieved so many success in their programs so we have to keep investing in space exploration programs because we have to be ahead in all aspects to become a real developed country.
|Savio Vincent said: (Oct 22, 2014)|
|Space mission, to be precise, about the recent mission Chandrayaan, one can know about the planet and if there is possible to survive, may be near future some of us will be living in other planet. It would be a wonderful finding. Spending money cannot be a wastage.|
|Eleanor said: (Jun 24, 2014)|
|India is a developing country, so space research is must for our nation but spending millions of rupees just for the sake of giving competition is not good as we need know that there are so many people in India who are just dying of poverty. .
I thnk space research should be definitely done but with without wasting money as in all this is for welfare of the people.
|Mounika said: (May 16, 2014)|
|How can space research be a waste of resources. If we look at the present scenario improving in space research is also a matter of development of the country. Besides we-indians aren't wasting numerous resources on research like America or Russia-right! we had been paying 300 crores every year to russia to put our communication satellites in geostationary orbit but on jan 5th our isro has launched gslv-d5 into space which was a great achievement for us and in doing so we don't have to pay Russia anymore and we had joined the crya club-america, russia, japan, france, china.|
|Ankush Abrol said: (Apr 25, 2014)|
|Space missions are not wasteful act of resources and mainly a country like India being a developing nation, we should proud of our nation that we are taking part in the field of science and technologies along with the nations calling themselves developed. Its a very big achievement. And if we talk about the resources, I don't say that we have much but we still have enough that we won't starve even if there would be any case like these. And space missions are not held by a single nation.
Its a joint venture in which two or more countries invests. Its only because of the space missions that we are able to know about the life on the other planets. If some of the resources are being used, this doesn't mean that resources are gonna gone for ever. There are some alternatives that are used to minimize the use of resources. So I think it is not a good statement that we are burning our resources on the space missions not on our people.
|Anshu said: (Mar 18, 2014)|
We cannot completely do away with the advantages these space missions offer, be it communication, defence, entertainment, weather forecasting, etc. Also India is not a resource starved country, there is proper allocation of funds to every sector in the Union Budget, and these space missions take up a very small part of these funds.
As you all know about the recent Mars Orbiter Mission by ISRO, it is perhaps the cheapest interplanetary mission as reported by media and the ISRO chief himself.
So kudos to these intelligent and most competent scientists of our country.
P. S : Holistic development of the country means to give importance to all the sectors, Developed Nations are not built in a day.
|Aarushi said: (Feb 18, 2014)|
|Space missions are not really a waste of money and natural resources but at the same time we also have to look at the poor suffering everyday in every corner of our country. Space missions are important as a growing nation but it is also important to look at the people suffering everyday. We also have to think of a Corruption free India, poverty free India altogether a better India.
|M.Balaji said: (Feb 7, 2014)|
My point of view is India can invest more number of money in space mission than now. Because one of the main field to increase international market standard in India is space technologies. Growth and development in space technologies surely hire our market status and technical growth with other countries.
Our recent technologies in space mission explore developed countries and our recent projects are huge success. By this other countries are seeking our technology with a huge value. So many R&D projects will be taken on space technologies in order to increase our economical standards and it will help to attain India 20 20 said by Dr. Abdul kalam.
|Megha said: (Jan 26, 2014)|
|According to me, space missions are not a wastage of resources for a country like us. We cannot ignore the role that is played by the satellites in our day to day life. Because of these satellites, we can predict the occurrence of various tsunamis, cyclones, floods etc. That can cause a huge loss to human race. Only because of these satellites we can predict the disasters and can take evacuation steps earlier so that the loss can be avoided. Our involvement in launching the satellites also necessary for making INDIA a developed country.
Hence, space missions are not wastage of resources if we use the resources in all the fields equally i.e.for eradication of poverty, unemployment, etc.
|Vijay M Aher said: (Dec 11, 2013)|
|Space programs is most appreciable, Indians contribution in the field of technology and space mission is remarkable. We simply can not have one sided development too, yet we have to work a lot in the direction of unemployment, poverty, rural development & FREE CORRUPTION India. These are huge challenges in front of our policy makers and leaders, we Indians almost 20% of the population is still struggling for basic needs and a square meal. RTE &RTI are passed and definitely positive effects we'll get shortly. Yet we need work more for LOKPAL BILL to fight for corruption free India.|
|Indranath said: (Dec 4, 2013)|
|According to my view it's not about wastage. And all the matter should not come under wastage of money. Our India is improving day by day in all field. Our children is getting enthusiasm because of these. Space missions are very important for many growths as military, education, research, tele-communication. Wastage of money should not come in these cases. Rather we are wasting money in doing imitation, forgetting our culture, social matters.
Proper rationing system in all things can brings us hope. Black money, corruption, lavis-imbalanced lifestyle, many unnecessary things can make our country more bright and full of resources. Thank You.
|Simranjit said: (Nov 20, 2013)|
|This is a topic which requires no doubts pertaining to its implementation in any way what so ever.
As people in this discussion have earlier mentioned how it is a very small part of our annual budget and how it benefits us.
Without Space expeditions we would be totally handicapped and our basic means of living and development would be hindered.
Today we require a new handset and allied technologies every year and we are doubting space missions which are a backbone to all this?
Certainly this ain't justified and we should get our facts straight before making judgments!
|Vinay Kumar said: (Nov 6, 2013)|
|India is not a resource starved country. Even if you think so, it is not at all waste of sending satellites because as chairmen of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said, "Three satellites are helped very much at the time of 'pilin' cyclone to identify the position of it and make arrangements to face it like asking the people to leave the places where the cyclone is going to effect most". If there are no satellites this couldn't be happen and we would have loose many people. For a nation it is more important of human welfare rather than money. Satellites are also playing a major role in ease of communication, investigation of fuel, detection of tsunami so and so fore.
There is also a huge responsibility of young and dynamic engineers and scientists of all over the nation to try for reducing the cost of satellites by implementing the new and advanced technologies.
|Dr. Rishav Sinha said: (Nov 2, 2013)|
|I think we need to think about India, its size of economy, IISRO' s annual budget and the space launch market together. There is no point criticizing something without taking the whole picture. Indian economy is approximately 1.9 billion trillion dollars. , Indians food security bill passed this session of parliament is of 19 billion dollars per annum. The recently announced statue of unity being built in Gujarat is worth 200 million dollars. The international space launch market annually is around 10 billion dollars. Mars mission costs 70 million dollars. Plus it gives our educated youth a sense of pride and self confidence on being an Indian, and demonstrates to our potential launch customers our advanced space launch and navigation capabilities. Even economically its worth every penny, and other than that there is no argument against it.
Lastly, just one more example to clear it up. During late nineties when our country invested in information technology, I remember people full of pessimism commenting we need toilets more than computers, we need to concentrate on poverty rather than computers! IT accounts for 160 billion dollars of annual trade for India. It gives jobs to millions and food to the poor. Lets support our countries scientists wholeheartedly. There are better times to come.
|Kavi said: (Sep 29, 2013)|
|In my opinion, what I say is, India is a country in which people are highly brainy in a sense other country people get fear of working with an Indian. So, when we have the potential, human who are willing to give their knowledge, it is the duty of the government to give importance to developing projects on space technology. I don't agree with some people who say stuffs like India is only a developing country and all. Only when something high and powerful comes out of our country, we get recognized, we can develop. So its really an important thing that government should take this a consideration and encourage such missions.|
|Bharath Reddy said: (Sep 23, 2013)|
In my opinion our country is well advanced in the field of space technology when compared to our counterparts (developing countries). We are lagging behind in the areas like poverty, literacy, job resources & many more. At present we don't require any missions like 'moon mission'. Because we need to think more on eradicating serious problems like poverty, overpopulation etc. , & added to this countries like us, russia are doing research in this field. So instead of putting huge amount of budget in this space missions. We need to concentrate on more serious problems that India is facing.
|Suraj said: (Sep 4, 2013)|
|The space mission are not a waste of money and resources. It is the need of India to stand in globally to compete and to show them that this is not the consumer nation only.
The space research organization like ISRO that successfully launch Mission like Chandrayaan I and the success is admired and used by NASA. Also the ISRO launches satellite of other nations successfully which is another source of money.
|Sneh said: (Aug 21, 2013)|
|Space mission is not a wasteful of resource, infact it contribute towards the development of economy. Without science and technology how can we compete with countries like usa, japan. I agree that we should not waste money on missions like study on mars and moon but other missions like telecast, telecommunication, internet, 3G are very important. India can become developed economy By contributing in all field whether it is education, science, technology, employment etc.|
|Navin said: (Aug 11, 2013)|
|Hello friends. In my opinion Space missions are obviously an integral part of growth of any country. For country like India, I strongly believe that space missions have really put India in the line of developed country. Those who say that a country like India which is starving in resource should not waste money in these fields.
I would like to tell that in the most of the space missions of other countries like USA, Russia Japan there is involvement of Indian scientist as well. They have very crucial role to play in the space agencies of other countries. So if our scientist have the capability then why can't India have its own space missions. As far as the question of resources are concerned I believe that India is not in dearth of any resources. I also believe strongly that India will be second to none in future in the field of space technology.
|Iswarya said: (Apr 13, 2013)|
|Space missions are definitely an integral part of our growth and development. It would be utterly foolish to abandon them altogether. They are essential for national security and for the maintenance and development of communication channels. However, spending an indefinite amount of money in these could result in a major financial fiasco when we require money for other noble and important purposes as well. Care should be taken when while allotting money for these missions such that our progress in other fields is not hindered because of that.|
|Joy said: (Mar 19, 2013)|
|If the ministers and political leaders are really invested the money for our country in such a way that each and every field can developed properly then our country do much better in every position. There is a chance to compete with other countries in space, science and technology, because I think we are very intelligent respected to other countries.
But unfortunately the top level ministers just do not invested the money properly, however they kept it in their "pocket". They just think about their sons and daughters and for these people our country is only a developing country in world.
Space mission is one of the greatest achievement a country can achieve. And if among all the countries there is a name "INDIA", it will be a great honor for us. However, there is a space center presents in India called "ISRO" at sriharikota. But still there are lot of improvements needed in space department in our country.
For this, the system need to change much more and the young generation must come forward for betterment of space mission in India.
|An Indian said: (Mar 2, 2013)|
|India got independence way back in 1947, still our country is considered as developing country. This is because of faulty govt policies. Not only space missions, any kind of Research and Development needs money/resources which are usually do not give any profit in the form we need. Our govt should give more importance in creating jobs which will eradicate poverty. The govt should also consider giving less importance to foreign companies which are set up in India in the name giving jobs. In reality India is slowly depending on other country. I worked in a space mission center, I can tell that the so called scientists are not at all that knowledgeable as they are portrayed. They are well payed for not doing anything. They do get all kind of benefits and they do no job at all. And the central govt increase the DA at regular intervals. Most of us do not know the working of satellites, only we watch the launch. Most the satellites do not work as they should do. For layman, one can say, launch was successful means, the launcher worked perfectly, the products which are inside it need not necessarily work. Even if it worked, most of the projects are total waste. Example the chandrayaan. What we have got are photographs. These photographs we be got from NASA site by paying 5 rupees in internet cafe. Someone has mentioned in one of the posting here, that space machines help in forewarning of natural calamities and other planetary collisions, it is ridiculous to think. No scientist gave any clue about tsunami which hit Tamil Nadu. Many earth quakes happens bringing loss of property, no scientific organization have slightest clue about them. If a planet is going to hit, it will most probably destroy the whole earth. It won't hit only India. Even if you consider it will hit India, what are the chances of knowing it beforehand, as our scientists do not have any knowledge of other natural happenings like rain, storm etc. To conclude, all space machines should be slow down. The salary and remunerations enjoyed by these employees should be reduced (They do not deserve even 10 percent of their current salary as they lack knowledge of anything). It is even better if all this organization is shut down permanently.|
|Rishant said: (Feb 14, 2013)|
I think the space mission are not a wastage of resources, by the space mission we improved our technological skills which can provide a best future for us, by performing the space mission we can achieve treatment of many diseases, like cancer and many more. Other countries, like USA, UK these are developed country and have great advantage in the space mission. In the present scenario we are developing. So if we want to make our country developed then we need to lead our space mission otherwise we will always count in the list of developing countries. Space is is also helpful to our army to make more powerful weapons to protect our country from terrorist.
|Lavanya said: (Jan 3, 2013)|
In my opinion space mission is not wastage of resource. If we are doing a job perfectly surely it will leads to a greater success through proper planning we can achieve the goal easily. Planning is more important, in space mission we are investing a lot so through proper planning we can develop our thoughts and views and thus our India became a developed country.
|Poonam said: (Oct 18, 2012)|
|Hi Friends, According to me Space missions is not wastage of resources. It will help us in our Technical growth. In today's world every developed country is growing very fast because they are technically very strong and developed. Eg. Before ISRO we are completely depended on Outer countries. But now our ISRO is growing just because of space knowledge we can easily tell about daily weather. With help of that we can judge before and taking appropriate action if any planet is coming towards Earth and going to create any disasters. In short without knowledge of space we can't grow properly and solve many natural problems.|
|Punam said: (Oct 11, 2012)|
|Hi friends this is Punam,
Space mission is not a wastage of resources it is a use of our knowledge which use in wrong way or right way. The world is going to progress and if we say wastage of our resources that is wrong. If there is no any invention then we will lag to our life. Due to space mission we know about different types of hazards or any accidents occurs instantly is known by space research.
|Munu Guddy said: (Oct 4, 2012)|
|Space mission is not a wastage of resources, but this improves our India's knowledge towards other country. It solves our communication problem. India is a developing country. Some development may be depends upon this science.|
|Ads said: (Sep 21, 2012)|
|Space missions are never a wastage of resources. It is an integral part of the science and technological development of the country. Without any technological development, we can never be really independent until we gain the technological excellence comparable to the the developed countries. Until then the poverty of India cannot be abolished, whatever budget is allotted to it. The only way to eliminate the poverty is to drive out the illiteracy, which can only be achieved by scientific excellence of the country.
Besides, the space missions are also a very much necessity to our communication system and national defense. So, it is a sector of strategic importance of the country in the world. In this world full of terrorism, a global surveillance system of the country over the world is very necessary. And as for the failed space mission, any successful mission needs some failure in order to the lessons. So, the only way to stop the failures is to stop the missions at all, which is a extremely ridiculous to think.
|Subhrajit Mandal said: (Aug 30, 2012)|
We all know about the last few successful projects of ISRO. As an Indian we all should be proud of having such an international level research center. Otherwise we have to depend upon other countries like America or Russia for a good communication system or forecasting weather and lot of our basic needs. May be the project works are very costly but so what if we have to pay the charges of using others technology. So if we highlight on this issue that how much money do we save and if other country use our technology then also we get paid for this. Is it good or bad. If we invest money on this sector our country also be enriched by its technology and in future may be ISRO will come to the same level of NASA and make us proud. But we should trust and wait for that.
|Jeevaraj said: (Jul 23, 2012)|
|Hello friends, good day to all of you, I had agreed some points related to the space mission is helped to find out the ocean layer is damaging & ultraviolet rays are affecting to the earth, warning of heavy rain, cyclones, etc. But, that time astronomers performing projects of find the water molecules in the moon, mars are unwanted works. Because, normally we are brought a one liter earth water at 15 to 20 rupees in bottles. These the water can't be brought by middle class families. So, that the time these the space water rate should be fixed at high amount. So, top richest persons are should be avoid these the space water. So, these research of water on space is waste less one.
|Ckgaiki said: (May 13, 2012)|
|Space reasearch is worth to explore even if it is a costilier affair. Because the output results can be very well utilised for the benefits of the nation as well as a globe. Further it also protects the country from various threats may it be natural calamities, threaths from neighbour countries etc. Therefore we must support such space missions and shall utilised the data base colleted in the interest of all human kind across the globe.|
|Anu said: (Apr 19, 2012)|
In my opinion we are not wasting our money in space research. We are able to grow in the field of Telecommunication with the help of satellites. Not only that we are getting information about weather and other natural disasters with the help of space research. If we are neglecting this field due to the money spend then how can we get the information about unknown aspects of an other world.
|Shyam said: (Apr 13, 2012)|
|Friends I think judging space research as a profit or loss venture is not an appreciable thing. We belong to a diversified nation. It is not only space missions but it applies to general chemical pharmacies where profit is considered secondary to welfare of society. Coming back to our topic, if space research was a wastage we would have been in a belief of eclipse may be due to raahu and kethu. As someone are complaining here about corruption our ISRO is out of it, because every single compartment of a space shuttle is made by some organisation in disguise and are assembles by ISRO. Where all the technical strategies are kept secret. If you observe our recent achievements in space wing we met failure only for 2 out of 5 times. And all of them being in collaboration with other countries. I may say we human beings have traced places like Bermuda triangle because of space research. Think we are to hit by a meteoroid, we are helpless. But because of recent developments, we have laser cutting devices placed outside our atmosphere hence we are safe.
Finally, what I want to say is noting all the past, present and future space research, I would say considering this a wastage will be a disaster.
|Bibhishan said: (Apr 9, 2012)|
|Space missions are don't wastage of resources because increase the level technology for e.g. 3G technique and weather forecasting for protect different natural calamities, for use in agriculture crop protection.|
|Simran said: (Mar 30, 2012)|
|Hello Friends, I would like to patronize the people who said that space missions are not a wastage of resources. I would like to provide a solid exposition for this statement. Space is not an encumbered subject to study, it has no defined boundaries, There are a lot more things to be explored. And space is just not mere squandering which leads to nothing. Space research has many pros which outweigh its cons.
1) We can expect to find water on Mars, which would open a new era of life for humans. Moreover because of the global warming we cannot rely on the conjecture that earth is going to survive for million more years, and if we do not have any other option we would seriously be in a predicament.
So space research and alternate options for life seems a pretty good rationale for spending on space research.
2) As of poverty, Unemployment and other problems, These can be tackled by getting rid of corruption as our leaders have blocked money more than what we spend on space research. So to ameliorate things we have to uproot corruption. Moreover the govt is ready to provide enough help to the poor, but the help is not able to reach the impoverished sections of the society only because of the corrupt.
3) Also, Space research gives as a social stature in the world of cut-throat competition. It will make the world see that we are capable of creating avant-garde inventions.
4) As many of you have already mentioned, Space research helps in weather forecasting, thus making us less prone to the damage of the most hazardous disasters. It will assist us in saving millions of lives and resources worth millions.
5) It is important for us to know about our universe. Example. Because now we know about the sun and its properties, we can avoid sunburns. Now we know about rotations and revolutions, we are able to set our standard times.
So when we interpret the above information we can clearly make out that space research is advantageous. It provides us with a great array of other resources.
|Sumit said: (Mar 19, 2012)|
|I think space missions like chandrayan is total wastage of money, such missions can only give name & fame but can't reduce poverty. Instead of doing such a research work that requires lot of money, govt should invest money in improving satellites that gives weather report, because we all know how poor our weather forecasting department is.|
|Vithal Vyas said: (Dec 21, 2011)|
Today world has become totaly unpredictable number of nutral clamity occuring now has suddenly increases in such scenerio it becums important for us that we shuld try to know about there occuerence before they occurs. And since by spending on such research we get weather report, clamity alarms. This why developed countries are also spending huge amount of there money on such rescearch.
|Abhay said: (Sep 17, 2011)|
|Space mission is not always wastage of money. Unless it is for education, entertainment.
Now using technology we can easily get the weather report, and also about like tsunami or any volcano. But if we use our money just for knowing that how the surface of moon. Then it is totally wastage of money as well as time. Usa or others country are doing so our nation is also doing this. But this type of space mission is not good for our nation where max people belongs to middle class or below poverty line.
As we know usa or other western country are rich so they can easily think about space mission and complete it. For a space mission almost 450 million usa dollar is spent this is a very large amount of money for country like India. We should know about latest technology but we should not waste our money like this. As we know oue country already spend a large amount of money on defence and if also spend large amount on space mission it will harm our economical condition.
|Ruudvireddy said: (Aug 7, 2011)|
|As think of my serlf spaceship technology is very use full technology, why because in prasent day world is almost depend on satellite. Its not a wastage of money. By using this we improve our technical skills.|
|Jaskaran said: (Aug 5, 2011)|
|Space missions are not a wastage of resources.As we all know about space mission CHANDRA YAAN-1,we get a lot of information about moon.Even the NASA admits that this mission really disclosed the secret about water on the moon.Similarly missions like this or missions related to communication, satellite will really help us.Missions like that will help us to compete with the developed countries like USA.|
|Meenakshi said: (Jul 13, 2011)|
|Our former President A.P.J Abual Kalam gave us mission 2020,which stand to see India a developed nation by 2020.On this path of development satellite and space technology plays a major role. It provide advance information in telecommunication (3G), whether forecasting ,space research & many more. Government is spending huge amount on space mission .Our organizations like DRDO ,ISRO etc are working hard achieve the goals.|
|Srikanth Seelam said: (Jun 14, 2011)|
|Indian space research organization (ISRO) is one of the big six advance space agencies in the world.
Vast development of the Tele-communication systems, wheatear forecasting systems, Television & Media Networks, Tele-Medicine, Tele-Education, Internet, GPS are few fruitful products of space research in the country. It also enhancing & supporting our defense forces.
The development in these areas will have a greater impact in overall development of the nation directly or in-directly also which lead us to improve our standards of living. So money spent on space research is not waste besides it is essential to allocate little more on it.
|Rohit said: (May 12, 2011)|
|Space missions are very important for many sectoral growths as defence, education, research communication. I don't feel it's wastage of money if it spend in this areas.
But funding the money for Mars and moon missions just to study surface properties and structure of that planet I don't feel its of any help. It's just like following the crowd. As NASA doing it we will also do it. I feel its wastage of money if used for such project.
|Sudhanshu said: (May 9, 2011)|
|For a country to be developed wholly, it has to grow at rapid pace in all fields and we can't hold the progress in one field (space mission) and wait that we first solve basic problem of education, health, illiteracy, poverty and then spent our resources on space mission.
It's not that because of huge money allocation in space missions we are lagging on other front, but a sufficient money has been allocated in those fields also and if properly utilized it would alleviate the social, economic problems India is confronting with. But because of our corruption-ridden system the money remains unutilised and we progress at slower rate.
In fact any advancement in science and technology helps to solve the basic problems of humankind. Advancement in space missions is no exception. For eg-:
A) space missions help solve communications infrastructure problems. It is because of this only we are advancing in mobile communication which has well connected our villages with towns. Now mobile has reached even the remotest of the villages. Farmers because of that know the prices in offing at towns, without being depending on the middleman's.
B) We can forecast weather and natural disturbances on time and can stave-off any chances to be affected by any impending natural calamity. So, money spent on space missions are helping to reduce the loss due to natural disaster also. There are many more examples.
So, if we look at the main problem which is bothering, then it is the failure of missions which costs us heavily. So, we can increase the collaboration with other countries space agencies and perfect our technical knowhow to avoid such fallout.
|Jayaranjan said: (Apr 27, 2011)|
|Space Missions are not a wastage of resources,but the money spent on the missions should not be from the pocket of the common man, it should be taken from the acount holders of swiss bank so that it can be used for the constructive purpose and if it is done our nation should march ahead with out any doubt and it should be taken up to prove our strength and make others silent.|
|Val said: (Jan 25, 2011)|
|It is important to find out what is the motive behind the mission.
-if we are doing it for development of country like may be a communication satellite or a weather information satellite then it is good for development.
However if we are doing some research outcome of which may not have impact on our growth then it could be a wastage of resource. In such cases we can collaborate with developed countries for joint research that way reducing cost and achieving the goal.
|Prasanth said: (Jan 4, 2011)|
|I think space mission are wastage of resources, because there are many crisis that decaying our development. The main 2 are.
If we use the money in which we are spending in space missions we can somewhat able to satisfy the two main crisis. We known the small country cuba in olden days they had not concentrated in any space mission. They only concentrated on these 2. Now they have become a developed country.
|Sarthak said: (Sep 30, 2010)|
|Space missions are a very critical part in scientific advancement of the nation. We are in the race to be super powers and such activities only pave our ways to the right future, as far as usage of resources in concerned then if that is the argument then probably India should not invest anywhere because every thing uses resources.
But the fact is that India is no more a poor country, we are progressing extremely well and we should support such space missions as they encourage scientific growth of the country.
|Minhaaz said: (Sep 21, 2010)|
|Now a days scientific research is very important, one of them is research on space. By using space missions only we can find out what it going on in the space and we are able to relate those things in our daily life by which we can escape from lot of misfortunes. Like floods etc. are detected by space missions only by which we can take necessary preventions. It doesn't mean that for this we have to consume all our resources. In the limited resources only we have to make use of space missions without any wastage. Because these resources are not belongs to us. We borrowed it from our future generations and it is our responsibility to return it back to them without any damage.|
|Digil said: (Sep 12, 2010)|
|Hi friends, In my opinion Science have big role in India's development without science can you live? It is not possible without science and space research Thomas Alva Edison may not invent the bulb, and India will not have the Telecommunication, Telecast, GPS, Defense forces, Internet etc.
I support India's space and science research it should keep on going we need to show to whole world We are the Indian's! Jai Hind.
|Santosh Swain said: (Sep 9, 2010)|
|Its very good that India is taking a great deal of initiative in space research programme but in my opinion the economy should not be compromised with the space research at least when 15% are facing to have a square meal a day.|
|Robertpattinson said: (Sep 1, 2010)|
|India's Development in space research are ofcourse appreciable. But overall gain of such works counts less when compared to the loss of resouces and environmental pollutions. Improvements in technology and science, prevent us from preserving the resources for future use. Today, everybody can feel the scarcity in earthy minerals. Basic things like water, coal, pollution free air, etc are available in very less amount. So I feel that inspite wasting our resources, we first find recycling solutions for it.|
|Saranya said: (Sep 1, 2010)|
|India is the second fastest growing economy in the world. What I feel is we should not restrict ourselves to a particular field in order to have all round development. I can surely say that using resources in Space Missions is not a waste unless it becomes a failure. Recently we have launched CARTOSAT 2B, a foreign satellite and student satellite designed by students of Tamilnadu on July 12, 2010. This is our fourth satellite in the CARTOSAT series. Because of this we can keep watching an object 24hrs a day continuously. This will be a very great plus point in Defense.
Today all round the world, countries are joining hands to remove terrorism. Even the terrorists are up to date in case of technologies. To fight with them we should be one step ahead. ISRO is encouraging the students to try a hand in satellite, which has ended in the student satellite. These things should continue to create an unique identity to India.
|Swarupa said: (Aug 31, 2010)|
|India is a developing country. Indian government allot billions of money to the necessary researches under going the space. According to the GDP growth it is not necessary comparing to rural development. I wont say this is useless. We can also say launching space missions also shows the development in science but not in economical background of India. First we should implement ideas to using man power and should get succeed. What I want to say is Economical development is important along with Science development.|
|Amrita said: (Aug 29, 2010)|
|As we all know that China and India are the next two nominees of super power nation so it should utilize its power and resources for the space and development purposes. So that it can develop at a faster rate. Missions like Chandrayan I and II should be continued not only for the development of our country but for the whole world as India has a potential (both brain and resource) to do it.|
|Karan said: (Aug 28, 2010)|
|But guys, I believe that we should also progress simultaneously like other countries in the world India is not a poor country these days we have been leading the charts in GDP growth, satellite missions and all thus its a mark of success.|
|Abhishek said: (Aug 27, 2010)|
|India is developing country so just like other developing countries it must take part in space research. It will prove to the world that India is certainly progressing and reaching heights, if its about resources well we must learn to utilize them and of course it comes at some expense. But now india is sending foreign satellites so its earning from its launching. Thus contributing in country's growth.|
|Pratiksha said: (Aug 25, 2010)|
|Scientific research is very important thing and in case of space research, it is done for the search of resources however, it already proved its importance by its applications of its various theories in many inventions. How can one think of its country's development without investing in research which is advance way of getting education and knowledge.|
|Mainu said: (Aug 24, 2010)|
|How can you say Divya, do you think that India is developed country with enough sufficient renewable resources. It should be preserved for the next generations. Do you know that space missions requires some tons of litres of energy for its successful completion of its task.|
|Anya said: (Aug 23, 2010)|
|Hey Divya, can you explain some current affair of space mission, because little lack of info about that field;|
|Divya said: (Aug 19, 2010)|
|Space Missions are not a wastage of resources, but is should be done with limited resources. Because space missions are a great source of knowledge about this world, and Indians should not be behind in such matters as without knowledge country can't progress & solve many natural problems.|
Space Missions are a Wastage of Resources for a Resource-Starved Nation like India
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In the beginning of things men were animals and animals men. ~ Algonquin saying
"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons." ~ The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Saturday, May 29, 2010
African Lion Loose in Texas?
The Texas Cryptid Hunter has an item about the news report of a lion reported roaming around in Marshall, Texas. First thing I thought: did the reports include mention of a mane? Texas Cryptid Hunter asks the same thing. Is it a cougar, bobcat or something else -- like, a lion? And if a lion, is it male or female, and how did it get there? One possibility is an escapee from a "canned hunt" (bastards!) place, though I don't know if there are any in Marshall. According to the Animal Liberation Front, there are over 500 canned hunt sites in Texas. |
A cable news channel in North Carolina is reporting that 31-year-old Sara Nelson from Greenville, South Carolina and her 38-year-old husband James Nelson also of Greenville, South Carolina were attacked by a UFO while observing the Brown Mountain Lights.
Channel 12 (WXII12 possibly?) showed the car through a fence at the Burke County Sheriff's Impound yard. It did have the back windows out including the rear window and the back of the car had extensive damage from what was shown.
The story originates from an Asheville newspaper clipping posted to the web page. According to the report, the couple had been visiting Brown Mountain in North Carolina in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the mysterious ghost lights that have been sighted there over the years.
After watching and waiting for two hours the couple finally saw some lights to the west, but rather than sitting back to enjoy the spectacle the pair were instead confronted with a strange flying object that headed towards them and actually bumped in to the top of their car.
The bizarre tale goes on to claim that as the couple attempted to drive away the object held the vehicle in place, preventing their escape. During the struggle, the object allegedly hit the roof with such force that the back window smashed and the car was crushed by about eight inches.
NOTE: I honestly don't know if this incident occurred or not, but it's the first I have heard of a UFO attack at this location...Lon
THE BROWN MOUNTAIN LIGHTS
Brown Mountain lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Parkway with an elevation of only 2,600 feet. The Brown Mountain Lights of Burke County, near Morganton NC, have intrigued residents and visitors for hundreds of years. The lights are mentioned in local Native American mythology, and by Geraud de Brahm, a German engineer and the first white man to explore the region, in 1771. The lights have been described in many ways from being a glowing ball of fire, to being a bursting skyrocket, or a pale almost white light. The fact that they never seem the same is as fantastic as the lights themselves. At times they seem to drift slowly, fading and brightening and at other times they seem to whirl like pinwheels, then dart rapidly away.
One of the legends explaining the Brown Mountain Lights was of a planter from the low country who traveled to the mountains to hunt, and became lost. One of his slaves came to look for him and was seen searching through the hills with a lantern, night after night. Now, according to the legend, the old slave is gone, but his spirit remains and the old lantern still casts it's light.
Another such legend is of a woman who disappeared about 1850, the general suspicion was that her husband had killed her. Almost everyone in the community joined the search for her and one dark night while the search was on the strange lights appeared on Brown Mountain. Some of the searchers thought that this was the dead woman's spirit come back to haunt her murderer and warn the searchers to stop looking for her body. The search ended without a trace of her body, but long years afterwards a pile of bones was found under a cliff and were identified as the skeleton of the missing woman.
The Cherokee Indians were familiar with these lights as far back as the year 1200. According to Indian legend, a great battle was fought that year between the Cherokee and Catawba Indians near Brown Mountain. The Cherokees believed that the lights were the spirits of Indian maidens who went on searching through the centuries for their husbands and sweethearts who had died in the battle. Early frontiersman believed that the lights were the spirits of Cherokee and Catawba warriors slain in an ancient battle on the mountainside. Some say the lights are just a troop of candle-bearing ghosts destined to walk back and forth across the mountain forever.
Of the many scientific theories made to explain the Brown Mountain Lights, none have been proven. Some suggest that the lights are caused by a combination of several minerals and gases in the area. One geologist suggested that possibly deposits of radioactive uranium ore in the area may be responsible for producing the lights. Another suggests phosphorus, but this element oxidizes quickly and is not found here. Pitchblende Ore, from which radium is derived, has been mentioned, but the rays from radium are invisible.
Some scientists have advanced the theory that the lights are a mirage. Through some peculiar atmospheric condition they believe the glowing balls are reflections from Hickory, Lenoir, and other towns in the area. The only drawback to this theory is that the lights were clearly seen before the War between the States, long before electricity was used to produce light.
A U.S. Geological Survey decided in 1913 that the lights were locomotive headlights from the Catawba Valley south of Brown Mountain. However, three years later in 1916 a great flood that swept through the Catawba Valley knocked out the railroad bridges. It was weeks before the right-of-way could be repaired and the locomotives could once again enter the valley. Roads were also washed out and power lines were down. But the lights continued to appear as usual. It became apparent that the lights could not be reflections from locomotive or automobile headlights.
A second U.S. Geological Survey report disposes of the cause of the Brown Mountain Lights by saying they are due to the spontaneous combustion of marsh gases. But there are no marshy places on or about Brown Mountain.
The lights can be seen from as far away as Blowing Rock or the old Yonahlosse Trail over Grandfather Mountain some fifteen miles from Brown Mountain. At some points closer to Brown Mountain the lights seem large, resembling balls of fire from a Roman candle. Sometimes they may rise to various heights and fade slowly. Others expand as they rise, then burst high in the air like an explosion without sound.
Brown Mountain is located in the Pisgah National Forest, in the Blue Ridge mountains of Western North Carolina. There are several places where the lights can be seen, here are a few of the more popular places.
* Brown Mountain Overlook Located 20 miles north of Morganton, on NC highway 181, 1 mile south of the Barkhouse Picnic Area.
* Wiseman's View Overlook Located 5 miles south of the village of Linville Falls on Kistler Memorial Highway a.k.a Old NC 105 or State Road 1238.
* Lost Cove Cliffs Overlook Located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, at mile-post 310, 2 miles north of the NC highway 181 junction.
The Brown Mountain Lights are a somewhat rare occurrence, and are not always visible. To see the lights you need good visibility between your viewpoint and Brown Mountain. Clear weather conditions with little or no moonlight are the most favorable for viewing the lights, but the lights have been seen during hazy conditions and light rain. The lights have been reported to be seen at all hours of the night between sundown and sunrise, but the best noted times are at 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. The locals also say they are much more prominent in the months of September and October.
One thing is certain, the lights do exist. They have been seen from earliest times. They appear at irregular intervals over the top of Brown Mountain. They move erratically up and down, are visible at a distance, but vanish as one climbs the mountain. From the Wiseman's View on Linville Mountain the lights can be seen well. They at first appear to be about twice the size of a star as they come over Brown Mountain. Sometimes they have a reddish or blue cast. On dark nights they pop up so thick and fast it's impossible to count them.
Who knows what causes the Brown Mountain Lights, but if you view them, as I have, you can say you have viewed a natural phenomenon that scientists have yet to explain. - westernncattractions.com / ncsmokymountains.com
Video - Brown Mountain Lights 1 or cut/paste http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OubYf0YjMs8
Video - Brown Mountain Lights 2 or cut/paste http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Df3Utl93Rcg
The Brown Mountain Lights and The Mesozoic Phoenix
The Brown Mountain Lights, A North Carolina Legend
Smoky Mountain Mysteries
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I’ve been creating a set of these Bigfoot marker art sketch cards for the 2016 Ohio Bigfoot Conference at Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge, Ohio.
I started working with Copic artist markers recently and have become quickly hooked on them. In addition to the Bigfoot sketch cards, I’ll have more paranormal and cryptid sketch cards featuring aliens, UFOs, Chupacabra and other cryptids. I’ll also have some skull sketch cards as well.
The event takes place on May 14th, 2016 and I will have a vendor table there selling these sketch cards along with other Bigfoot, Yeti and Sasquatch merchandise (embroidered patches, t-shirts, buttons, pins, stickers, prints, original art and more).
If I happen to have any left after the event, they will be available on my Etsy shop. |
The Mothman of West Virginia is a mysterious creature that shares the spotlight with similar cryptids such as the Chupacabra, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness monster.
But, something that is very different about the legend of the Mothman is that it is said that sightings of the bizarre creature are usually omens of a tragic event or natural disaster to come, the most famous of which was the collapse of the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant which killed over 40 people.
The first sighting of the cryptid creature that would become known as “The Mothman” occurred in the late 1960s. It was November 12, 1966, in Clendenin, West Virginia, when a group of gravediggers working in a cemetery spotted something strange.
They glanced up from their macabre work as something huge soared over their heads. It was a massive figure that was moving rapidly from tree to tree. The gravediggers would later describe this figure as looking like a “large brown human being,” but with wings and red glowing eyes!
A few days later, there was another sighting. This time in nearby Point Pleasant, West Virginia, two couples noticed a white-winged creature about six or seven feet tall standing in front of the car that they were all sitting in.
Eyewitnesses Roger Scarberry and Steve Mallett told the local paper, The Point Pleasant Register, that the beast had bright red eyes about six inches apart, a wingspan of 10 feet, and the apparent urge to avoid the bright headlights of the car.
According to the witnesses, this creature was able to fly at incredible speeds — perhaps as fast as 100 miles per hour. All of them agreed that the beast was a clumsy runner on the ground. They knew this only because it allegedly chased their vehicle to the outskirts of town in the air, then scuttled into a nearby field and disappeared.
At first, reporters were skeptical. In the papers, they dubbed the creature “The Mothman,” but said it must have been a misidentified bird or a large bat, or some such mysterious creature. However, they did print Mallett’s description and that of the gravediggers describing it as “…like a man with wings.”
As the months went by, more and more sightings were reported in the Point Pleasant area, and over the course and into the next year, the legend of the Mothman began to take shape.
All the reports mentioned the “red glowing eyes” shining back at them. One report even suggested that the beast had taken a family dog.
What Could the Mothman Be?
Explanations of what The Mothman could be range from a demon to extraterrestrial, to an ancient Native American shapeshifter. But skeptics have some more conventional possibilities.
Some say it could be an unknown species of large bird or bat. Others say they know exactly what it is these people have been seeing.
Dr. Robert L. Smith, an associate professor of wildlife biology at West Virginia University, dismissed the notion that a flying monster was staking about the area. Instead, he attributed the sightings to a sandhill crane, which stands almost as tall as a man and has bright red flesh around its eyes.
This explanation was compelling, especially given the number of early reports that had described the creature as “bird-like.”
Some people hypothesized that this crane was deformed, especially if it resided in the “TNT area” — a name that locals gave to a series of nearby bunkers that were once used for manufacturing munitions during World War II. It has been suggested that these bunkers have leaked toxic materials into the neighboring wildlife preserve, possibly affecting nearby animals causing gross mutations that could account for the Mothman.
Still, others say it is all a complete hoax created by a very committed prankster who went so far as to hide in the abandoned World War II munitions plant, where some of the sightings occurred. This theory posits that when the national press ran with the Mothman story, people who lived in Point Pleasant began to panic. Locals became convinced they were seeing the Mothman in birds and other large animals — even long after the prankster had given up on the joke.
But, none of these “rational” explanations can account for the seeming link between the Mothman as either a harbinger of doom or, more sinisterly, its cause — a legend that has its roots in the tragedy that befell Point Pleasant shortly after the first Mothman sightings in that cold November graveyard.
The Collapse of the Silver Bridge
On December 15, 1967, just over a year after the first Mothman sighting, traffic was bad on the Silver Bridge. Originally built in 1928 to connect Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to Gallipolis, Ohio, the bridge was packed with cars.
On that cold December day, without warning, a single eyebar near the top of the bridge on the Ohio side cracked. The chain snapped, and the bridge, its careful equilibrium disturbed, fell to pieces, plunging cars and pedestrians into the icy water of the Ohio River below.
Forty-six people died, either by drowning or being crushed by the wreckage.
Following the Mothman sightings, the bridge collapse was the second terrible and bizarre thing to put Point Pleasant on the map in a year’s time. So it didn’t take long for residents to connect the two.
In 1975, author John Keel solidified the connection between the Mothman sightings and the bridge disaster in his book The Mothman Prophecies. He also incorporated UFO activity. His story took hold, and the town soon became as iconic among conspiracy theorists, ufologists, and fans of the paranormal as Area 51 or the Amityville Horror house.
Much as the town of Roswell, New Mexico does for aliens, Point Pleasant, WV, now embraces the legacy of the Mothman. The township’s fame as the home of the Mothman legend hasn’t waned even well into the 21st Century. In 2002, a movie based on Keel’s book rekindled interest in the Mothman.
In the Mothman Prophecies film, Richard Gere plays a reporter whose wife seems to have witnessed the Mothman shortly before her death. He finds himself inexplicably in Point Pleasant several years later with no clue how he got there — and he’s not the only one having trouble explaining himself.
In the film, several locals tell Gere’s character that they have experienced premonitions of distant disasters always preceded by visitations from a mysterious figure called the Mothman.
The film — a supernatural horror and mystery — offers no conclusions, communicating instead an eerie feeling of disjointedness that was both panned and praised by critics. Most notably, the film popularized the image of the Mothman as a harbinger of doom.
This belief tied sightings of the Mothman to the Chornobyl disaster of 1986, the Mexican swine flu outbreak of 2009, and the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan.
As for sightings of the actual Mothman, they’ve mostly declined since the late 1960s. But every so often, a sighting emerges. In 2016, a man who’d just moved to Point Pleasant spotted a mysterious creature jumping from tree to tree. He claimed to local reporters that he was unaware of the local legend of the Mothman — until he allegedly spotted the beast himself.
Whether these sightings are real or not, the Mothman can still be seen in Point Pleasant today in the form of a historical museum and also in the form of a 12-foot-tall chrome-polished statue, complete with massive steel wings and ruby-red eyes.
Furthermore, a festival commemorating the Mothman’s visits has taken place annually for years — a fun celebration that attracts locals and tourists alike. Every September, the festivities celebrate one of America’s strangest local legends that still has people scratching their heads to this day. |
There are few names in the UFO disclosure world as well known as Jeremy Corbell – the documentary filmmaker responsible for obtaining and releasing a number of military videos and photographs of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) encountered by U.S. military personnel, including many taken by pilots using their own cellphones. Corbell’s releases have been confirmed by the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, so those in the UFO research world perk up their ears when Corbell has something new to say. That he did recently in an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast when he made a controversial revelation: he had seen documents concerning an incident when the U.S. military fired upon a jellyfish-shaped UFO. Since there have been very few confirmed attacks on UAPs – Corbell himself released documentation on at least one – because of the military’s strict rules on engagement, this is highly controversial. And, since many of the UFOs that look like jellyfish have turned out to be rocket launches by SpaceX or a foreign space agency, this could easily have triggered an international incident. What did the documents Jeremy Corbell saw reveal?
"We see other countries firing on these. Russia, Syria – we know it's not their assets so the question is, who are these?”
Jeremy Corbell expressed surprise when he told Joe Rogan about reading the details surrounding a UAP sighting that seemed to escalate into a deadly encounter or potential dogfight. As reported by The Daily Star, he explained that the U.S. military has explicit rules of engagement determining when to fire upon a potential enemy aircraft and when to stand down. Corbell said that those documents discuss determining whether or not the craft or object has a weaponized payload – a “yes” to that question means this UAP is a potential threat and can be fired upon. One piece of data that undoubtedly contributed to the decision in this case was that the UAP was similar to objects the military has confirmed were fired upon by Russian an Syrian forces – that means the UAPs are not theirs and they considered them to be a threat as well.
"I have images of one of these. It looks like a jellyfish. It's stiff, about the size of a big coffee table – about 10-12 feet.”
If you were thinking U.S. military pilots should be able to identify a rocket launch that looks like a jellyfish, you would be right … and Corbell supports that argument by revealing that he saw at least one photo of at least one of these jellyfish UAPs and it was a relatively small and rigid object – nothing like a rocket or a real jellyfish. He could tell two more disconcerting things from this photograph.
"It was domed and was recently fired upon."
If there’s one thing you can count on with Jeremy Corbell, he gets his hands on military photos of the UAPs in question – he’s the guy who obtained shots of a pyramid-shaped UFO, videos of dozens of spherical UFOs buzzing aircraft carriers, and the famous ‘transmedium vehicles’ from 2019 that showed no loss of velocity nor maneuverability as they dove in and out of the ocean. He claims to have seen the jellyfish UFO and could tell it had a dome and was recently fired upon. Unbelievably, he also revealed that the military currently has no “retrieval program” for downed UAPs or material left after the missile hit.
What could this jellyfish UAP have been? At ten to twelve feet in length, it sounds like it was the size of a drone. A military drone armed with a ‘payload’ would fit into the decision-making process that resulted in it being fired upon. However, why would this drone be any different than the ‘drones’ in a swam encountered by an aircraft carrier? And why the jellyfish shape?
It seems we can eliminate the possibility that this was a recent rocket launch because of its small size – there are plenty of photos of that jellyfish-like phenomena (see one here) to make identifying it easy – yet many people continue to call in their sightings. The jellyfish UFO or “Atmospheric Jellyfish” is a distinctly shaped UAP that has been around for a while and seen and photographed by many people worldwide, including meteorologists. As Cryptid Wiki reports, “It is one of the few UFO phenomena to be recognized and researched by the scientific community, while additionally still filling the headlines of newspapers.”
The first and perhaps most famous jellyfish UFO incident occurred on September 20, 1977, over an area stretching from Copenhagen and Helsinki in the west to Vladivostok, Russia, in the east. It’s called the ‘Petrozavodsk phenomenon’ because of a particularly large glowing object that beamed numerous rays on the city in what was then the Soviet Union. (Photo here.) It was blamed on aliens and military testing, but the most commonly held explanation as the launch of the Soviet satellite Kosmos-955. Because of the secrecy of the Soviet Union, there were (and still are) doubters, and the Petrozavodsk phenomenon was said to have influenced the creation of Setka AN, a Soviet research program for anomalous atmospheric phenomena.
Another famous Russian jellyfish UAP (do you detect a trend here?) was a squid-like bright light in 1985 witnessed by the crew of an Aeroflot plane flying over Minsk enroute from Tbilisi to Tallinn. A similar squid UAP was sighted on December 24, 1999 (Santa?) over Vitebsk, Belarus. Wintesses claimed the objects were moving, enormous, noiseless, semitransparent, and vanished suddenly, almost like it disintegrated. Another satellite launch?
A more recent non-Russian jellyfish UFO occurred in 2015 over Groningen, Netherlands. Witness Harry Perton thought he was going to take photos of a storm but instead captured a flashing green jellyfish UFO floating in the night sky. He claimed he saw the flash but not the jellyfish UAP until he looked at the photos later. As usual, it was blamed on a rocket launch, a lens flare, aliens or a weather anomaly – even Perton thought it might have been a ray of sun beaming through the dark storm clouds that gave it a greenish tint and jellyfish shape. (Photo here.)
Jellyfish UFOs of the non-rocket and non-weather anomaly kind are rare and unusual. Military pilots would certainly not want to be accused of firing a deadly missile at either by mistake. Jeremy Corbell has proven to have an eye for noting when a UAP is nothing like any known human-made aircraft. Let’s hope he reveals the photo so the public can see just what the jellyfish UAP was that the U.S. military deemed dangerous enough to attack. |
Friday, 29 November 2019
Elon Musk is man set on changing the world, his inventions and contributions to humanity are numerous. He has a vision of the future and the drive to help get us there. Choose your project underground tunnel networks, or colonizing Mars, humanity will be a different thing when Musk has finished.
He has appeared on many media platforms speaking about his endeavors with space x, could his access to the stars give him the inside track on what is going on up there?
could his recent comments on the existence of extraterrestrial life be worth the world paying closer attention too?
So what did Musk say and what thoughts does he have about aliens and the planet Earth?
The billionaire South African innovator recently made a guest appearance on Lex Fridman’s Artificial Intelligence Podcast, in the broad cast he made the shocking statement that he believes that humanity is far from alone in the universe.
In an ever increasing number of high profile public figures speaking out on the idea that humanity is one of a number of multiple species found in the far reaches space, the idea creeps ever closer to mainstream acceptance.
Elon was first quizzed about his recent steps into creating artificial intelligence, musk has been developing Azure AI an artificial general intelligence that will be able to solve more complex problems that AI currently is capable of.
An investment of $1 billion was made by Microsoft, with this funding it is highly likely that Musk will succeed with the project. Musk has made no secret of the fact that he sees AI as a danger.
He fears for the future saying “AI is humanity’s biggest existential threat a threat that could be compared to summoning a demon”
His apocalyptic rhetoric doesn’t stop there.
He has said “As AI gets “probably” much smarter than humans, the relative intelligence ratio is probably similar to that between a person and a cat, maybe even bigger, I do think we need to be very careful about the advancement of AI.”
These fears are just a few of the difficulties Elon sees humanity facing in the near future and he thinks we need an insurance policy.
That policy coming in the form of a program to colonize other planets, his first goal being the habitation of Mars
During the podcast he spoke about his dream of colonizing Mars, adding that he thought that the universe is likely peppered with long-gone alien civilizations.
The futurist spoke on his thoughts about alien races:
“It's funny, the universe appears to be 13.8 billion years old. Earth, like four-and-a-half billions years old.
“In another half billion years or so, the Sun will expand and probably evaporate the oceans and make life impossible on Earth.
“Which means that if it had taken consciousness 10 percent longer to evolve, it would never have evoked at all, 10 percent longer. I wonder how many dead one-planet civilizations there out there deep in the cosmos, civilizations that never made it to other planets and ultimately extinguished themselves or were destroyed by external factors? Probably a few.”
He went onto to explain how he plans to insure the human race’s survival, using the space X project he will develop craft which will be capable of making the trip to the red planet, this space ship will carry everything need to first colonize and then shuttle humans to the new world.
It will fly back and forth like an interplanetary shuttle, the technology is in its early stages and as the engineers advance the design it is a trip that will become easier.
In his excitement and passion for the topic Musk made hint that there may indeed be living alien races in the depths of space, he said “there might be life out there”.
Then in what seemed like a little bit of a back pedal he denied having any knowledge of extraterrestrial life, then saying that it was a frequently asked question from his fans.
Quoting Musk he said “People often ask, ‘What do you know about the aliens?’ and I’m like, ‘Man, I tell you, pretty sure I’d know if there were aliens. I’ve not seen any signs of aliens’.”
Could he have made a slip when speaking about his plans does he know more than he is letting on?
It has been said that the development of commercial space programs was put on hold for longest time by NASA as they frantically tried to hide the evidence of the extraterrestrial life they had found on their first trips to the stars.
Could they have made an agreement with Musk and others, if we look at those who are making space a commercial arena have they been informed on the secrets and who could be running such dissemination of the truth.
One man and a huge company that works closely with NASA and would fit the bill is Bigelow Aerospace.
The American space technology company based in North Las Vegas, Nevada, has strong ties to the government and Bigelow over the years has gotten his fingers into lots of private UFO pies.
The conspiracy that surrounds the man is legendary, Skinwalker ranch and his project called the National Institute for Discovery Science, an organization built to research paranormal phenomena has been the focus of many, it is said he is also involved with the academy to the stars group. This group being fronted by the ex-superstar musician Tom Delonge.
But let’s just stick with Musk for the time being.
Elon went onto to further support the idea that he doesn’t think we have made contact, he said that as far as he has seen there is no proof that an intelligent extraterrestrial race has visited our planet.
Concluding his thoughts by saying, we’re the only consciousness life that’s out there.”
This is somewhat paradoxical as we know that Musk is among 27 other space experts who have warned against recklessly attempting to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations.
So which is it, Elon?
Do you think Elon Musk and possibly many other of the world’s top scientist and engineers have been filled in by the governments and government run contractors around the world about alien life being found by the space programs of countries like the US and Russia?
Are these billionaires helping keep the secrets or possibly drip feeding the truth to the planet?
All in preparation for full disclosure?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
It’s a sad fact that sometimes people just vanish. The causes for their disappearance and the methods of their vanishing are many but there has been a widely covered group of vanishings that have captured headlines becoming known as the “missing 411”
These people came from all walks of life the commonality they share is that they all went missing after venturing out into the wilderness of North America. This then leading to the perplexing mystery of the many hundreds of thousands of Missing 411 cases.
Could this phenomena be global, could a series of strange disappearances on the opposite side of the world offer up some more clues?
Are there links between the “missing 411” in the USA and Australia’s Black Mountain vanishings?
Let’s begin by explaining the name, many get confused and think that it is the number of people whom have vanished, it is not. It actually refers to an inconspicuous computer term.
411 being the error code that is thrown when a pc cannot locate data, a metaphor that works for the thousands of disappeared people its referring to.
We are all well aware that in a world as hectic as todays it not uncommon to lose touch with people, even as social media continually creeps into all aspects of our lives we still lose contact with family friends and loved ones. In the United States some 90,000 people are reported missing each and every year a staggering number. With figures this high it is virtually impossible for the authorities to investigate each and every case. One man however has stepped up to the plate. A veteran police officer with over 20 years’ experience began looking into some of these disappearances and he uncover some strange patterns and events.
David Paulides discovered that many people vanished while out hiking and yes Mother Nature can be cruel but with the number David uncovered something more than misadventure had or has to be occurring. Many of those that vanished were also accomplished outdoors people making it even stranger that something should happen to them.
The investigator does not hazard a guess as to what has happened to these people instead he hunts the truth, compiling data and evidence in the hope of finding an answer to some if not all of the cases he takes on.
During his investigation he has found that are hotspots for the disappearance of people, concentrations or clusters of reports that seem to share little in common.
This is the mystery that has led many to craft their own theories on what has happened to the people disappeared from the face of earth and became part of the 411.
The ideas stretch from the plausible to the absurd, some say that it is a series of abductions being carried out by evil extraterrestrials, taking these people to experiment on or even eat!
The wilderness being the host to many dangerous animals has other saying that these unfortunate people became the lunch of a mountain or bear some even ask if Bigfoot is responsible.
Darker theories have also been proposed, these making mention of active serial killers or even cults snatching people away to be used in rituals. Those who are more into government conspiracy claim that these people are being taken by secret government agencies to be used as test subjects in projects they compare to the likes of MK – ULTRA!
David Paulides says that a lot of these vanishing occur near rocky terrain or streams and rivers and that this could explain the lack of a body if someone had, had an accident.
But with very little evidence to go on we are still left asking, what happened to these people?
Could we find an answer or more questions with a number of disappearances reported in Australia?
Is there a relationship between these disappearances and older case, famous cases like from Australia?
Like what was reported to have happened in Queensland Australia?
In the back country of Australia is an out crop of boulders which were formed from magma some 250 million years ago. This ashen rocks are known as the Black Mountain or maybe more ominously called The Mountain of Death. The Kuku Nyungkal people of the region have long shunned the mountain, calling it Kalkajaka, meaning “the place of the spear”.
The location is home to labyrinthine cave systems, these caves being the site of many haunting local legends. The aboriginal people of the area avoid the rocks and caves at all costs and through most of recorded they have been the location of strange stories. Old tales of monsters and demons living in the caves to more modern reports of UFOs and extraterrestrials being seem amongst the rocks.
The caves are said to whistle cry and wail they sing a song that beckons men to their doom!!
Many have been reported as going missing in the area of the black mountain and this is where we may get some insight into what is happening with the American missing 411.
Over the years a collection of tales has grown up around the rocks. One such story coming from the indigenous people of the area. They tell a story of cannibal witch doctor that called the caves home.
The people were so fearful of the man that they would appease him by leaving the old and sick at the foot of the rocks for him to consume and this is just the beginning. Locals warn people away from the area with them claiming that there is something there which makes electronic and mechanical devices stop working. The effect being so strong that pilots have been cautioned about flying over the rock formation for fear they will crash.
The Black Mountain is said to have cavernous underground chambers that are a source of some unknown type of power, this mysterious energy is said to be generated by an underground alien base.
These subterranean extraterrestrial are said to be reptilian and kidnap unsuspecting people who have wondered into their domain. The rocks themselves are said to be an artificial structure built by these aliens, while others say that it is the work of an extremely ancient civilization.
We know that across the US there are many locations that are said to be the location of underground bases some alien, some human, others a combined effort, could this be why so many are disappearing?
Could it be like the stories from Black Mountain?
Disappearances were first recorded by westerners in 1877 when a colonialist courier went out on horseback looking for a lost calf. The fate of the calf also befell the man as he and his were never seen again, stranger stories followed with a band of outlaws attempting to take refuge in the rocky region vanished, with this and other people turning up missing in the area the reputation of black mountain grew with the western settlers, maybe they should have heeded the aboriginal warnings to stay away!
Moving forward in time to 2001 two men unwisely chose to camp near Black Mountain, during the night an eerie silence fell over the bush. This in itself being unusual, the men were awoken by the sounds of rocks tumbling this then gave way to the noise of firm footstep on the cold night ground.
The men sprung form the tent, they hoped to surprise what they assumed was an approaching man. They were stunned when they a large black figure standing in front them, as their eyes focused to the nights light the apparition dissolved into thin air!!
As I think anyone would, they hurriedly packed up and made b route straight for home.
So are places like Black Mountain and Yosemite Park hotspots for the paranormal or the location of underground alien bases?
Are the people that disappear being abducted by strange forces?
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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Cryptid profile time once again, for those new here, this is where I take a look at a cryptid or cryptids and their history and reported...
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Cryptid profile time once again, for those new here, this is where I take a look at a cryptid or cryptids and their history and reported...
Secret societies have been around as long as civilization itself, if you believe in a hidden hand manipulating the world or that the cer...
Most sightings of unidentified flying objects happen to be from people looking up at the sky and seeing something distant and difficult to...
It's all around us, sometimes it's good, other times its bad, being British it a little of an obsession and usually the starting t...
A quick story from Home County to round this week out. Roswell New Mexico, The Aurora Crash Texas and The Kecksburg UFO incident are a...
Today The media machine is on a relentless march to insert itself into almost every aspect of our daily lives. They desperately ba...
One of my favourite movies is the slightly cheesy but always fun to watch “Ghost ship”. A film in which a team of salvagers stumble upon a...
Brazilian Sasquatch. A creature that for the longest time has been said to roam the rain forest of Brazil. An animal that has many stran...
Living a long healthy life is something that we all want to achieve, for most we get around 60 to 70 years but there are those that some s...
When researching the field of UFOs, we often run into the usual clichés of photos being blurry and out of focus. We also see the same ti... |
Yes, hello, I'm your local cryptid who periodically leaves her hobbit hole to give out feedback, prompts, and occasional artsy things. All feedback is given out with the understanding that I don't *actually* know what I'm doing, but I do enjoy giving it, so feel free to hit me up if you're interested.
History, reading, (digital) art
Carol Rifka Brunt, Markus Zusak, Derek Landy
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
"Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
he's not a ~villain~ per se, he's just slightly morally depraved and really annoying: meet Khetve, the 73-year-old version of a spoiled child prodigy
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haha yeah he aims to be unforgettable, and whether they like him or hate him they can't deny him that
This is the kind of character that’s annoying and entertaining at the same time. Once you’ve met him, you can’t forget him (I suppose that’s his goal?) |
may not be real, but one lawmaker in wants to create a hunting season for him anyway.
Just don’t plan on actually shooting the ’Squatch.
“I want to be really clear that we are not going to kill Bigfoot,” state Rep. Justin Humphrey, the Republican behind the bill,. “We are going to trap a live Bigfoot. We are not promoting killing Bigfoot. We are promoting hunting Bigfoot, trying to find evidence of Bigfoot.”
The bill doesn’t specify that. Thedirects the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to create rules, dates, license and fees “establishing a big foot (sic) hunting season.”
Humphreythat he would work on the specifics with the commission, which would include a $25,000 bounty for someone who traps the cryptid.
The commission didn’t seem interested.
“We use science-driven research, and we don’t recognize Bigfoot in the state of Oklahoma,” Micah Holmes of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservationin Oklahoma City, adding that the bill would require them to create a new season and license for something that doesn’t exist.
But Humphrey said it would be great for tourism and outdoor recreation.
“Having a license and a tag would give people a way to prove they participated in the hunt,” Humphrey told KFOR. “Again, the overall goal is to get people to our area to enjoy the natural beauty and to have a great time, and if they find Bigfoot while they’re at it, well hey, that’s just an even bigger prize.”
So Bigfoot might be safe in Oklahoma ― for now, anyway.have laws protecting animals not otherwise named, he’s specifically protected by name in Washington.
However, he might want to avoid Texas. The Lone Star State’s laws allow hunters to bag a Bigfoot on sight.
“If Bigfoot did exist, and wasn’t human, then it would [be legal],” L. David Sinclair of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departmentin 2012. “Bigfoot would be a non-protected wild animal.”
Humphrey made national headlines in 2017 when he proposed a law that would make it illegal for. He told The Intercept that for pregnant women.
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It’s your basic “boy-meets-girl, boy-becomes-cryptid” story, really. A woman walks into a laboratory, and the chemistry experiment begins.
As we’ve discussed, the three steps to getting the audience to like a character is to make a friend, make a joke and make a plot point, and Dr. Alec Holland is about to do all three in record time. The appeal of Swamp Thing is half superhero-action and half romantic drama, so it’s only going to be effective if it can get us to believe in Cable and Alec as a couple, during the limited amount of time before he explodes.
So this meet-cute needs to be practically automatic, establishing that both parties are smart, funny and attractive, and getting them to challenge each other in sparky mini-clashes that are interesting to watch. The time-honored method is to get the characters to stick their hands in a murky water trough, looking for an imaginary animal.
Cable doesn’t know what Alec is working on yet, and frankly, neither do I. She walks through the crowded lab for the first time, past some test tubes, computers, potting soil and miscellaneous. And there are the two doctors, crouched over a water trough, with one hand each immersed in the algae-ridden water.
The movie establishes that Alec and Cable share a sense of humor in the most direct possible way. Cable makes a joke — “Lose a contact lens?” — and Alec looks up at her, smiles, and says “Funny!” And now they’re a couple.
He’ll do that again in a minute, responding to another one of her jokes with a positive evaluation, and I have to admit, there are worse ways to run a meet-cute.
They want to establish that Alec is eccentric and playful, so Alec says, “Well, don’t just stand there, give us a hand!” She’s put off, but he says “Please?” with a little twinkle in his eye, and a twinkling Ray Wise is hard to resist.
“I dropped a cooper’s digger,” he explains, and that’s how you get someone that you just met to stick their hand elbow-deep in pond scum. “Would you look under the rocks, please?”
So she looks under the rocks, tentatively, because why are there rocks in this thing. “What’s a cooper’s digger, anyway?” she asks. “Some kind of shovel?”
And then, the big reveal. “Nah,” he says, “just Alessandro!” And like a conjurer pulling a slimy wet rabbit from a slimy wet hat, he hoists a wriggling, squealing mammal up into the air by his tail. “He’s got a little one-celled animal living in his fur that makes a terrific host.” So that’s how you construct a meet-cute, I guess, if you’re entirely out of your mind and you don’t know how science works.
As our new cast member looks directly into the camera and says hello to the folks at home, I have several important questions to ask about Alessandro.
I’ll start with the most obvious: what the fuck is a cooper’s digger?
Because this is a new form of life, as far as I know. The internet informs me that there’s no such thing; if you search for “cooper’s digger” all you get are quotes from Swamp Thing, plus a greyhound from Australia that may have been named as a Swamp Thing reference, and if you scroll down too far you get some bottom-feeder porn keyword scrapes. That’s it. A cooper’s digger is not a thing.
There’s a Cooper’s hawk, if that helps, but that’s the only Cooper’s animal that I’ve come across. If Cooper discovered anything else worth naming, then they must have kept it to themselves.
The actual animal that’s being taken for a swing around the set is an opossum, a species that tends to get ordinary descriptive names like Bushy-tailed opossum, Big-eared opossum, Osgood’s short-tailed opossum and Bishop’s slender opossum. The only one that comes close to having a luxury name is the Four-eyed opossum, which has little white patches above its eyes that don’t look even vaguely like a second set of eyes. (Looking up pictures of Four-eyed opossums is not worth your time; I learned that lesson the hard way.)
Anyway, the point is that it’s not a cooper’s digger, and I can’t imagine why Wes Craven thinks that it is.
Okay, further questions about Alessandro.
Why is he under the water? Alec says “I dropped a cooper’s digger,” but how do you drop an animal in a scummy water trough? Why does Alec even have a scummy water trough? The water trough is over in a corner of the lab, so what was Alec intending to do with Alessandro when he walked him all the way over to the corner and accidentally dropped him?
If Alessandro was dropped in the water trough, why is it difficult for them to find him? A mammal who’s been submerged in water is usually pretty easy to find, because it’ll be splashing around, trying not to drown. Is Alessandro an amphibian? Even if there is an explanation for why Alessandro was just sitting motionless under the water, quietly practicing his snorkel technique, how hard would it be to find him? He’s huge and furry; two people sitting on the floor and feeling around for him should have found him within a couple of seconds.
And how could Alessandro be under the rocks? Also, why are there rocks in your scummy water trough? I still can’t get my head around even having a scummy water trough in your laboratory in the first place, but if you’re going to have one, why fill it with rocks?
Why are they keeping Alessandro in a little fish tank so small that he can’t even stretch out in it? Why is Alec covering the tank with a piece of wood, presumably held down with that big rock? How does Alessandro breathe in there? Does he just not need to breathe at all? Is a cooper’s digger some kind of supersoldier opossum that can survive in airless environments?
Also, why is there a one-celled animal living in his fur? Does that animal live on other cooper’s diggers, or is Alessandro particularly blessed? If you need a one-celled animal to run experiments on, is there another place to store them besides another animal’s fur?
And how can a one-celled animal be a terrific host? It’s only one cell. What could it be a host for? You try to put something on top of a one-celled animal, you’re not going to get very far. Is the one-celled animal a parasite? Is Alec trying to infect a parasite with another parasite?
Then Alec tells Linda, “I want you to run up a new variation on the formula with that little host on Alessandro’s fur,” and what on earth could that mean? How do you run up new variations, and what does Alessandro have to do with it? Is the one-celled host an ingredient, a test subject or a co-author?
And that new variation that Linda runs up? That’s the one that explodes when you drip it on the floor. What has that one-celled host been doing, all this time? Is it mixing up tiny little one-celled Molotov cocktails? Is Alessandro sitting in his little fishtank, plotting revenge?
I swear, if Alessandro peels off his rubber mask and it turns out that he’s Arcane in disguise, I am going to lose it. I don’t get paid enough to handle this shit.
We check in with Adrienne Barbeau
3.8: Beauty, and the Other One
There are a few visual continuity errors in this scene. The first one is very small: when Charlie looks up at Cable and tells her to get someone to take her into the swamps, there’s a Coca-Cola can on the desk behind him. As Cable walks through the room, the Coke can isn’t on that desk anymore — but we do see it in a different place, next to some flowerpots.
The more obvious one is that in one shot of Alec holding up Alessandro, the animal is soaked in green slime, and in the next shot, he’s totally clean and dry. He’s messy again by the time Alec puts him into the fishtank.
That also applies to the human characters, who all have magically dry forearms that we don’t see them clean off.
We check in with Adrienne Barbeau
3.8: Beauty, and the Other One
— Danny Horn |
De redactie van Ongehoord houdt zich bezig met het beoordelen en herzien van ingestuurde stukken en het schrijven van nieuwe content. Daarnaast werken kleinere teams aan een specifieke focus: het tijdschrift, de evenementen en de website.
Hi, my name is Esmee and this year, I am in charge of the Ongehoord committee. I am in my third year of the English Language and Culture programme, with a special interest in sociolinguistics. I am also currently pursuing a minor in conflict studies, where I am especially interested in discourse analysis. In my free time, I enjoy reading and writing, which makes Ongehoord an especially interesting place for me. I am very excited to be able to help the committee progress and change this year, especially because we have an almost completely new editorial board, with so many new faces!
Hi! My name is Monice, nice to meet you! I’m in my third year of Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a major in psychology but an everlasting love for the humanities. I adore writing academically and creatively. I’ve been doing the latter for most of my life. Ongehoord allows me to discuss this hobby of mine every week, with a cup of coffee and great company!
Second year student of Literary Studies. I’m particularly fond of New Journalism, the Middle-Earth, classic Samurai cinema and YouTube cryptid documentaries.
Hi, I'm Katinka and I'm a Literary Studies student in her second year. I'm particularly interested in celtic myth and its influence in contemporary fiction. Beside literature, I'm also into visual art and painting
Hello! I’m Alma, a fourth year Liberal Arts and Sciences student specialized in Gender Studies, media studies and intersectionality. In my free time I like to read Young Adult books and create immersive stories with my friends through tabletop games. I critically engage with all the media I consume, may that be cartoons, academic writing or podcasts.
Hey! I’m Koen de Boer, a third year Philosophy and second year honours student. Born and raised in Dordrecht in the Netherlands. In my free time I mainly like to hang out with friends and play basketball. My reason for joining Ongehoord was because I wanted to be an active part of the honours community and I find it interesting to see what other honours students are writing about and I wanted to be a part of helping them share this.
Koen de Boer
I am a second year English Language and Culture student from Russia. I am passionate about philology, Modernist literature, Art History and European cinema of the 20th century. In my spare time I write novels and short stories.
Hello, all! I am a German American student who specializes in World Literature with a minor in Postcolonial Theory. I am especially interested in Native American Studies and Indigenous Knowledge.
Lauren van der Spuy
Hello! My name is Lauren and I am an Italian-South African from Cape Town. I am a second year Literary Studies student who specialises in Literature in Conflict. I have a love for poetry and beautifully written texts. I enjoy history, journalism and art. As PR Manager I am in charge of promoting the journal, contacting writers and the social media accounts. I am honoured to be a part of the Ongehoord Journal. |
2021 shuffles in a new age for the established New York tabloid, Weekly World News, with a new editorial team, a new print issue, and the launch of Weekly World News Studios! The Weekly World News has begun a new era of investigative reporting as they continue to cover stories the mainstream media ignores. Stories about the latest sightings of alien abductions, Bigfoot sightings, conspiracy theories, biblical prophecies, alien invasions, the supernatural, the paranormal, and the cryptid phenomena infiltrating all corners of American life. In 2019, Weekly World News Senior Editor (and its most prolific writer), Greg D’Alessandro, took the reins as the imprint’s CEO/Editor-In-Chief along with his partner, David Collins, serving as President. Together they are bringing WWN’s cast of characters to a new generation, taking WWN beyond print, beyond its presence online and on social media.
2021 sees the imprint announcing the arrival of Weekly World News Studios in Los Angeles. WWN Studios is developing content for podcast, television, and cinema universe with D’Alessandro at the helm and veteran theatre producer, Joe Corcoran, serving as Director of Development.
Deadline has Mr. D’Alessandro’s comments on the launch of Weekly World News Studios “There has been an enormous amount of interest in the WWN IP over the last few years. We have a vast library of colorful characters and highly creative stories we are developing with our talented in-house writers and with various production partners, ” says D’Alessandro. “We are excited for what lies ahead and thrilled to finally be able to bring Weekly World News to the world of TV, film, and digital media.”
You can read about the launch of Weekly World News Studios on the Weekly World News website. WWN Studios will be creating and producing films, tv shows, and podcasts – on our own and with several production partners. The Zombie Wedding is WWN Studio’s first project out of the gate and you can read more about this project here.
|WWN Studios will be making more exciting announcements soon about two other exciting projects: SAUCERS IN A SMALL TOWN! Film. The story of alien abduction in the Berkshires, MA. Two WWN reporters are reporting on a famous alien abduction that occurred here in 969. But while they are reporting on it… the Gootans return and there’s another abduction, and guess who is taken? This is written by the INCREDIBLE ED NAHA (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Trolls, etc.).UNTITLED BEN GREENMAN PROJECT. A scripted comedy series. It’s about rock and roll, nostalgia, and the pain (and pleasure) of selling out. This is an exciting project written by the INCREDIBLE BEN GREENMAN. The plot is top secret because it’s so unique and SO awesome.|
The History of Weekly World News
The influential black and white tabloid, with its famously bizarre headlines, ceased its incredibly successful 27-year print run in 2007. But Weekly World News has continued disrupting the media landscape for the last 14 years. The stamp of Weekly World News’ hard-hitting investigative journalism continues to have a lasting impact on the American pop culture psyche and has impacted readers around the globe.
The top publishers in the media industry wouldn’t dare cover stories about the five members of the US Senate who are extraterrestrials or the allegations that the CIA kept classified documents about underwater UFOs or the failed attempts to recruit a cloned Adolf Hitler into QAnon.
As outlandish as the reporting might seem, Weekly World News still delivers the truth that major news organizations ignore. One of their recent investigative reports revealed the true cause of the record heat waves scorching the United States: A Door to Hell was left open in Death Valley! If the sensationalist reporting of Weekly World News doesn’t fully persuade readers to consider thinking “what if!” then the recurring storylines of the tabloid’s universe of characters keep them fully entertained.
The no-bullshit, zero filter advice of Dotti Primrose of the Dear Dotti column has been setting reader’s life priorities straight for a fraction of the cost a therapist charges. The hot-headed rants and raves of pundit Ed Anger have been flaring and tickling readers’ nerves with his unabashed thoughts on the range of topics from the generational culture wars, the foreign policies of ten different presidential administrations, and why we should pave the rainforests.
However, no character in Weekly World News has impacted both political affairs and pop culture more than the half man/half bat anomaly, Bat Boy. The de facto mascot of Weekly World News was initially co-created in 1993 by longtime art director Dick Kulpa and launched into countless adventures, ranging from short stints as president (and king!) of the United States, being an asset for the US military in locating Osama Bin Laden, leader of a globally touring rock band and escaping from countless bounty hunters.
The Impact of Weekly World News
National Inquirer publisher, Generoso Pope Jr, founded Weekly World News in 1979. Under the leadership of longtime editorial members Eddie Clontz, Dick Kulpa, Joe Berger, and their staff of eccentric writers, the paper went on to gain a global following over 40 years. There are 110,000 + hard stories in their library, ranging from mermen living among us, to pets enslaving their owners, and to the unthinkable love triangles involving aliens and the Clinton family.
Between Fall 1979 and Summer 2007, the tabloid’s peak circulation of 1.2 million brought the paper considerable attention with its iconic covers, questionable headlines, and stories involving their cast of characters such as Bat Boy, P’Lod The Alien, Manigator, Spycat, Ph.D. Ape, and Bigfoot Hooker among 300 + others. When the publication went fully online, the intrepid reporters of Weekly World News continued to break stories that received national attention.
The outrageous reporting even made media bigs cover Weekly World News stories! Fox News sourced the tabloid when morning show, Fox and Friends, reported as a factual the Weekly World News story about the LAPD purchasing 10,000 jetpacks at the cost of one billion dollars. Further feathers were ruffled in 2012 when Weekly World News reported that Facebook would shut down, causing Facebook to issue a public statement denying the claim when influential technology blog, Mashable, ran the story.
Weekly World News was published exclusively online until Spring 2020, when the first print issue in 15 years appeared thanks to a wildly successful 2020 Kickstarter campaign. Longtime readers made their voices heard: they want the paper to return to print!
By the way, have you picked up your copy of the Greatest Covers issue yet? This limited edition run is the first print copy of Weekly World News in 15 years and features the most iconic covers in the tabloid’s history! Copies are available here
The Cultural Significance of Weekly World News
The influence of Weekly World News is visible throughout all corners of American pop culture. References to the tabloid seen in dozens of prime television shows like The Simpsons, American Dad, Supernatural, Gravity Falls, and dozens more.
In the movie realm, Weekly World News is the main information source for the agents of Men In Black and the prime inspiration behind David Byrne’s 1986 directorial debut, True Stories. The tabloid also received considerable coverage in Mike Myer’s romantic dark comedy, So I Married An Axe Murderer, referenced in the Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis science fiction thriller, 12 Monkeys and featured in the Leslie Nielson comedy The Naked Gun 2½ The Smell of Fear. Howard Stern, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel regularly reference Weekly World News on their late-night shows.
Many musicians have also been influenced by the tabloid. New York punk rock group, Lunachicks, wrote about their admiration for Dotti Primrose’s no-nonsense advice with the high-energy tongue-in-cheek track “Dear Dotti” featured on their Pretty Ugly LP. Weird Al’s tabloid love song “Midnight Star” on his Grammy-winning LP “Weird Al” Yankovic In 3D is directly influenced by Weekly World News. Bat Boy’s endearing legacy has transcended into off-Broadway rock theatre, with the 1997 debut of Bat Boy: The Musical making its inaugural debut in Los Angeles before traveling to New York City, St. Louis, and overseas to London’s West End theatre.
The influence of Weekly World News is far and wide. D’Alessandro promises that the new era of Weekly World News will be the best the publication has ever had!
“It would be comforting to see Bat Boy screaming at us from the bottom rung of the supermarket rack again.” – (New York Times)
“There are three different types of WWN readers: Those who believe, those who don’t believe, and those who want to believe but aren’t sure.” – (The Atlantic)
“Unashamedly for the bizarre, unbelievable, and the tasteless.” – (LA Times)
“The only gossip I’m interested in is in the Weekly World News. ” – (Johnny Depp)
“One of the few media outlets left that talks in the plainspoken, outraged, but also sentimental voice of America’s Heartland.” – (Entertainment Tonight)
“Funnier than “Saturday Night Live,” deeper than Leno or Letterman, smarter than Mad, more outrageous than the Onion, Weekly World News just might be America’s best purveyor of social satire and the most creative newspaper in American history. The fact that it’s disguised as a sleazy tabloid just makes it that much more delicious.” – (Washington Post)
“Weekly World News headlines were just fake enough to not be considered fraud but just true enough to grab your attention.” – (Vice)
“I read the Ten Commandments to my people, then I read them the Weekly World News!” – (Moses)
“The best damn investigative reporting on the planet!” – (Agent K of Men In Black)Weekly World News Online |
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Review: The Butterfly Conspiracy by Vivian Conroy
By Amber KellerAugust 3, 2018
The Butterfly Conspiracy by Vivian Conroy is the first book in the Merriweather and Royston historical mystery series set in the late Victorian era.
This debut in the Merriweather and Royston Mystery series by author Vivian Conroy was simply a delight. In The Butterfly Conspiracy, we see main characters Merula Merriweather and Raven Royston as they work to solve a murder in Victorian London. This story ended up being one of my favorite reads of the year with its wonderful characters and fascinating mystery that kept me guessing until the very end.
Merula Merriweather is a Victorian lady, but she also breaks the mold with her unique interests in zoology and science. She has been able to study her interests because her uncle allows the work to be done in his name. In this way, her work is in secret, as it has to be in this time period.
“This is your work,” he said with certainty, “not your uncle’s.”
She flushed, remembering his earlier observation to that point at the lecture. Her attempts to pretend she’s had merely assisted her uncle with some practical things, such as choosing plants and designing the pupa cabinet, hadn’t been credible at all.
Royston continued before she could deny it, “Your uncle knows next to nothing about animals. Still he is praised for doing important research in which even the Royal Zoological Society is interested. He could be invited to meet the queen, while you do all the real work. Why on earth does he take credit for your accomplishments?”
“You can answer that question for yourself. Because nobody would allow me in. I am a woman. You heard them earlier. They do not even accept Uncle Rupert telling them anything, whether he has the support of the Royal Zoological Society or not. They would never listen to me, a mere girl with what they call fanciful ideas.”
When a butterfly—the Attacus atlas—from exotic lands hatches, she proudly takes it with her to a prestigious talk for the Royal Zoological Society. Spurred on by a mischievous Royston, Merula lifts the protective glass enclosure and allows the massive butterfly to fly around the room, demonstrating that it is indeed real. When the butterfly lands on Lady Sophia’s arm, she promptly collapses and is pronounced dead. Her uncle is declared responsible, as it is believed that the butterfly had poisoned Lady Sophia, causing her death.
“No one has harmed her,” Foxwell spoke, slowly and carefully, “but she might have been stung by a creature. Could that have caused her to die?”
Merula blinked as she tried to work out what he meant.
The doctor’s eyes went wide. “A creature? You mean, a snake or something?”
He glanced across the floor as if he expected a huge adder to come slithering up to him and climb up his leg. “You keep snakes in your home?”
“Of course not.” Havelock looked appalled. “All of my samples are dead. Which cannot be said of the creature you brought here tonight, DeVeere. You should have known better.” He turned to the door, which was still open following the doctor’s entrance, and snapped his fingers. “Dispose of that thing.”
Upon this signal, Havilock’s butler rushed in, carrying a poker in his hand, with which he struck at the butterfly as it hovered over a sofa.
It’s left wing smashed, it fell to the floor.
“No!” Merula cried. She felt as if she were caught in a dream where everything was happening very fast and she could do nothing to stop it. “Uncle, say something. It is not dangerous. The butterfly didn’t cause Lady Sophia’s death. No, don’t…”
But the butler’s shiny shoes had already trampled the fallen form. In moments the tender creature that had filled her heart with hope and happiness was reduced to dust on the carpet.
Merula, along with an unlikely ally in Royston, sets out to prove her uncle’s—and her own—innocence and find the actual murderer before she ends up dead herself.
There are other mysteries in this story as well, such as the identity of Merula’s birth parents. She doesn’t know who they are, only that they gave her to her aunt and uncle to raise—and they don’t answer any questions about them. Merula has a locket that she wears as her only tie to her past. Also, although Royston’s parents died years before, there’s a mystery surrounding the details of how his mother met her death. It is implied that she suffered from mental health problems and may have committed suicide, but as Merula and Royston look into it a bit more, they find that his father may have been responsible. These mysteries are teased but not solved, and I hope that they will be revisited further in the series.
Royston has a peculiar way of treating Merula, by her standards. He actually listens to her and respects her opinions. He believes a woman can do the things she wants to do, and he doesn’t see her as a delicate flower that can’t take care of herself. Merula reinforces Royston’s feelings by continuing to be a strong-willed woman who is definitely ahead of her time. There’s chemistry between the two, but it is very restrained, as per the time. We do see Merula’s feelings through her internal thoughts, but she does not act on them, which is to be expected.
Assisted by Royston’s group of friends and helpers, Galileo and Bowsprit, they are able to figure out exactly what happened to Lady Sophia and how it was done. It’s all quite marvelous, considering the time period.
Merula and Royston have proven to be a wonderful team. The ending sets up the following book in the series and lets the reader know that the duo, along with the rest of their group, will be having another adventure. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book and to watch their relationship grow—not to mention the cryptid name drop that has me chomping at the bit. I’m looking forward to the second book in the series. |
This is a re-post from 2019, but let’s face it: Bigfoot never gets old!
Cryptids Large and Small
Bigfoot is a cryptid, which means “hidden animal,” i.e. an animal whose existence has not been proved. Cryptid is a big category. Some cryptids, when researched, turn out not to exist (for example the Loch Ness Monster, as far as we can tell). Others eventually get moved from the category of cryptid to that of actual animal. (Europeans did not believe in the existence of gorillas until the corpse of one was brought to Europe.) Other cryptids are 100% hoax (the Fiji mermaid, constructed by sewing a preserved monkey torso onto the preserved tail of a large fish). This post will argue that Bigfoot is in the gorilla category. In fact, he is almost exactly like a gorilla: a large, elusive primate native to the deep forests of North America.
Obviously I did not research all this stuff myself. My source is the research done by Jeff Meldrum, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University. He has written a lot of stuff, but the source I am using is his book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science (Tom Doherty Associates, 2006).
By the way, I had already read the book, but last month I got to attend a Bigfoot conference in Pocatello (home of Idaho State University) and hear Meldrum give a talk. Turns out he’s a very nice guy, with none of that defensiveness that we might expect from a cryptid researcher. The pictures in this post are from that event.
It’s hard for a blog post adequately to cover a scientific topic like this one. (And yes it is scientific: detailed analysis of footprint casts, human and primate gaits, fossils, local legends, and more.) I’ll just try to summarize some of Meldrum’s main arguments, but obviously, if you want to delve deeper, you can buy the book yourself.
Many Casts of Prints
Bigfoot is often reported in places that are conducive to taking casts of footprints, such as a muddy forest floor at a logging site. Many casts have been taken of footprints in such places. Some are up to 17 inches long. None of them match the stiff, narrow, 15-inch wooden fake feet supposedly used by Ray Wallace and his family to fake all(!) of the Bigfoot tracks in the Northwest. Some have a step length of 50 – 60 inches and a depth that indicates whatever made them weighed more than 800 pounds (Sasquatch chapter 2). There is even an instance of a very large club foot (page 238), a few knuckle and hand prints (105 – 111), and a hilarious butt print where the sasquatach apparently sat in the mud, then leaned on its left forearm to reach for a fruit (111 – 115).
Large, deep tracks with a 65 – 70 inch stride have also been photographed in the sand on the Oregon coast, after a sighting the previous evening (190).
“Patty,” the Lady Bigfoot
The famous October 1967 Patterson film “was shot during the day, in full sunlight, out in the open on 16mm film. Independent researchers examined the location immediately after the encounter, and footprint casts and countless measurements and photos were taken … and yet this film remains controversial, written off as an obvious hoax by many” (134 – 135).
Not surprisingly, the star of the video, dubbed “Patty,” has had everything about her analyzed, from her gait, to her saggital crest, to the speed of the film, to the color of the soles of her feet. The book covers this in more detail over several chapters. The upshot is that experts, when asked to view the Patterson film, tend to be very impressed at first, then panic, back off, and start thinking the film is a fake is because if it isn’t, they would have to “believe” in Bigfoot. One typical protest is that this film is suspect because it was shot by someone who was specifically looking for evidence of Bigfoot. It’s hard to imagine, though, how we could get such a film from anyone else.
It’s also hard to imagine how the creature on the film could have been faked. Consider:
The Bigfoot in the Patterson film appears to have breasts, and as it walks, you can see its muscles moving underneath the hair. An experienced Hollywood costume designer who has designed many ape costumes opined that it does not look like a man in a suit. He felt that instead of a suit it would have to have been a minimum ten-hour makeup job in which the hair was glued directly to the actor’s skin (158). (The actor would then have to have been delivered to the film site and just as quickly spirited away, without leaving any vehicle tracks.) A computer graphics animator adds that “the boundaries of the human form do not even fit within the form of the creature” (176). Six-foot men have tried to re-create “Patty’s” walk in the same spot, and have found it difficult to match her stride and impossible to make footprints as deep as the ones she made.
Native American Knowledge of Bigfoot
Many Native American tribes, all over the continent, have Bigfoot legends. This is particularly true in the Northwest, where you can see stylized carved stone heads, masks, and statues of the buk’wus (a Kwakiutl word), or his female counterpart, the dsonoqua. Their faces look ape-like and distinct from similar carvings of bears. (In the picture below, some of the souvenirs are adapted versions of this native art.) The Northwestern tribes seem to have more zoological detail in their legends about Bigfoot and have testimonies of sightings right down to the present day. They also, of course, ascribe spiritual qualities to the creature, as they do to other animals.
As we move farther East, Bigfoot becomes a more purely spirit-like figure. This may imply that the creatures died in out first in the eastern part of the continent, where they are remembered only as a myth.
On Painted Rock, in central California, there is a large (2.6 meter high) pictograph of Hairy Man with tears streaming from his eyes. According to the local creation story, Hairy Man is crying because people are afraid and run away from him.
At any rate, these legends definitely pre-date Ray Wallace, who supposedly “created” Bigfoot all by himself. The descriptions of Bigfoot’s behavior in the Northwestern native traditional knowledge match well with what has been reported in sightings and surmised from the behavior of other great apes.
Great Ape Behavior
Much of the Bigfoot behavior that is sometimes reported in sightings has parallels in the intimidation behavior of other primates. This includes grimacing, throwing things, banging wood on trees, pushing snags of dead branches at an intruder, hair bristling, emitting a pungent stink when agitated (male mountain gorillas do this), and vocalizing (chapters 9 and 10). There are also behaviors that resemble that of other primates but are not intimidation behaviors, such as making sleeping nests from branches. Of known primates, the one that Bigfoot most seems to resemble is Gigantopithecus (89 ff).
But Isn’t It Really Just a Bear?
Bigfoot’s range, as determined by footprints and reported sightings, overlaps almost perfectly with the range of the bear. To a believer, this means the two animals share a similar habitat: temperate forests and rainforests. To a skeptic, this means that all “Bigfoot” sightings are actually bears.
This was the subject of the lecture by Jeff Meldrum that I attended. It is certainly true that photographs of black bears have been put forward as photographs of Bigfoot, only to be exposed later. Meldrum showed a series of bear photos which, at first glance, can look surprisingly humanoid, especially if the animal is skinny and is standing on its hind legs. However, he went on to point out, telling the difference between a bear and a huge, bipedal ape “isn’t rocket science.” Bears do not have a clavicle, so when standing, they don’t have protruding shoulders. Their legs are much shorter in proportion to their body. And, of course, there are the prominent round ears.
Bear tracks don’t resemble Bigfoot tracks at all, except in cases of multiple, overlapping, unclear bear tracks. A bear’s inside toe is its shortest, their feet are shorter and very narrow at the back, and they leave claw marks. Their stride is, of course, very different, although when a bear is walking quickly its footprints can overlap, “giving an impression of elongated footprints spaced in a two-footed pattern.”
Skeptics have also raised the question of whether two large animals can fill the same niche. Bigfoot, if it exists, is probably a fructivore like the other large primates and like Gigantopithecus, whose jaw and teeth are designed for grinding, not for predation. Bears, while also ominivores, have a very different shaped set of chompers. So even if the two animals share a range, they would not be occupying exactly the same ecological niche.
(Fun near-fact: based on his estimate of how many Sasquatch compared to bears a given region of wilderness can support, Meldrum estimates there could be as many as 175 individual Bigfoot in the state of Idaho.)
Bigfoot Outside the Great Northwest
It turns out that, despite usually having much less wilderness than the Great Northwest, nearly every state in the Union has its own version of the Bigfoot legend. I’ll let you make up your mind about these on a case-by-case basis. In Ohio, until recently my home state, we have “the Grassman.” Here is a Hubpages article about him. If you follow the link and read the comments, you will no doubt see many personal testimonies about Grassman sightings.
Update: another WordPress blogger, The Traveling Maiden, had an experience while camping in the Great Northwest that may have been Bigfoot. Read about it here. |
Hybrid Tees will create a line of boys T-shirts and sweatshirts to hit all tiers of retail for the holiday season, while Random House will roll out chapter and activity books and a Cryptid field journal.
The kids' series also has deals with Mattel, as a master toy partner, D3Publisher and Warner Home Video.
"There is a great deal of excitement and anticipation surrounding the retail launch of 'The Secret Saturdays' this summer," says Christina Miller, vice president, CNE. "Our strategy for the brand was to create an immersive program that gives fans the true Saturdays' experience to battle, collect and discover and with the partners we have on board, we have done just that."
"The Secret Saturdays" is produced at Porchlight Entertainment in Los Angeles, Calif.
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Here is the September issue of Paranormal Underground magazine. Lots of great articles for the paranormal and Cryptid enthusiast! Check out my article, Dogman VS. Werewolf: Similar Cryptids With a Big Difference (Part 2)
Here’s the link: https://www.paranormalunderground.net/
Check out my articles in the April and May issues of the Paranormal Underground magazine. Lots of great articles and insights into the paranormal from people just like you and me, looking for the truth.
Just a quick not to all of you paranormal fans. Check out, Paranormal Underground magazine. My article, “The Collective Reality with Night Terrors and Scary Movies,” is in the February, 2017 issue as the guest editorial piece.
You will get the best in articles, information and insight besides finding out where the action is happening outside your neck of the woods.
Paranormal Underground is a digital magazine but they also print out hard-copies. So check out their website at:
I highly recommend subscribing to this fabulous magazine! |
Twil — our clueless werewolf girl who always looked so confused, dog-brained and headstrong and easily pleased, always getting the wrong end of the stick, always up for a fight but barking up the wrong tree, always on the edge of every situation, one step behind every conversation — was looking at me like I was the idiot.
Because she was right. I was the idiot. I was the big stupid idiot.
She wasn’t merely three steps ahead of me. Twil was running an entirely different race, on a track I hadn’t even been aware of until five seconds ago. She’d lapped me so many times I didn’t know whether I was coming or going. She’d sprinted past me and spun me around like a roadrunner past a certain unfortunate coyote, leaving me to stagger in a cartoonish daze.
“‘Cos, you know,” Twil was still talking, somewhere far away, “I was real bad, I didn’t figure out me and Evee could even try for it ‘till you said so. Er, Heather?”
She raised a hand from where she sprawled, comfortable and loose in the old swivel chair, with a leg hooked over one of the arms. She was utterly relaxed and natural, even in the unfamiliar surroundings of Evelyn’s study, flanked and hemmed in by bookcases and shadows and the heavy desk. She waved her fingers back and forth in front of my eyes.
“Heather? You okay?”
“You … you mean it’s obvious?” I heard myself ask.
“That Evee’s got feelings for you?” Twil laughed, then trailed off. “Uh, yeah?”
A terrifying vista of reality and truth opened up before me, a vast gulf of how little I really knew; I felt like a Polar explorer, testing the snow before each step with a hiking pole, only to dislodge a fall of ice and discover the toes of my boots were already hanging over the edge of a bottomless chasm. Forget the alien spheres of Outside and the infinite dark sea of the Abyss; relationships were so much more difficult to navigate.
“Er, Heather? Yo? Um … do you need … like … Raine? Should I get Raine?”
“No, no I’m … no.”
For the second time in this conversation, I sat down on the floor. I slid down a bookcase, the shelves bumping painfully against my spine until I landed on my backside. My tentacles were coiled around me too tightly to cushion the landing, in a futile attempt at self-comfort. I sat in a heap for a long moment, staring at nothing in particular.
Twil cleared her throat with a very intentional ‘ahem’ sound. “Need a permit to open a hole like that in Sharrowford.”
I finally blinked up at her, coming back to my senses, discovering that I was still in the semi-gloom of the study, surrounded by books and bare floorboards and one vastly uncomfortable werewolf. I half expected reality to fold up and deposit me Outside.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“Your … your mouth, is like, hanging open. It was a joke, like.”
“Oh.” I shook my head as a humourless laugh forced its way up my throat. I leaned my head back against the hard, cool surface of a wooden shelf, then forward to bump my forehead against my raised knees, then back again so my skull went clonk against the shelf.
Twil scrambled into a proper sitting position in the chair, about to leap to her feet. “Heather? Yo, big H, hey, don’t start hurting yourself, ‘cos then I really will have to go get Raine because I don’t know what to do about that. Yeah? Okay? Are you alright?”
“Oh, don’t worry, Twil. I’m not going to hurt myself.” I groped for a book from the shelves, any book, filling my hands with a random hardback. I put the book against my knees and laid my forehead against the cover, the world’s most uncomfortable pillow. “It’s just me. It’s all me.”
“It … it’s you.” Twil sounded increasingly worried. “Right. Yeah. It is.”
“It’s me,” I repeated, face squished against the hardback. “I’m the useless lesbian.” I let out a huge sigh and raised my head from the cool, firm sanctuary of a book cover. “What even is this?” I murmured, turning the book over. “Oh, The Fellowship of the Ring, huh.”
“Heather, seriously,” Twil said, sounding like she was about to call the fire brigade. “You alright? Because this is giving me the spooks.”
“I’m fine, Twil. I’m sorry. I’m just reeling a bit.”
Twil pulled a toothy grimace, very much like a dog unsure of an unfamiliar scent. She was jiggling one leg up and down with nervous energy. “Wow. Shit. I thought this was like, obvious. Evee, I mean.”
“Wow shit indeed,” I echoed.
“I thought that was kind of why you were apologising and all.”
“No!” I tutted. That forced me to pull myself back together. I couldn’t have Twil misunderstanding this, it was too important for her own well being, for the future of our friendship, for her emotional peace of mind. I drew in a deep breath and slapped my cheek with the book, which made her blink in alarm. “No, Twil, no. I apologised because what I did was wrong. What I did with you and Evee, pushing you together when you weren’t ready, it was like a smaller version of what Seven-Shades-of-Sunlight tried to do with me. Moving people around like cute little playing pieces on some board, satisfied in pairing you off, not treating you as fully autonomous people. It was wrong of me. It’s a genuine apology. I would apologise to you even if Evelyn had gotten together with … I don’t know. Somebody else entirely.”
Twil’s grimace collapsed into a relieved sigh. “Hey, look, it’s cool. You don’t have to keep saying sorry.”
“But I am—”
“Apology accepted!” Twil laughed, one hand out to ward me off. “Apology accepted, yeah? You and me, we’re cool, we’re cool now.”
“ … okay,” I said, slumping back against the bookcase. I narrowly resisted an urge to apologise for apologising.
Twil puffed out a big sigh of relief and leaned back in the chair as well. She rolled her shoulders inside her white hoodie, working out the tension, then pulled both her feet up onto the seat, getting extra comfy. She brushed her dark curls away from her face. “So er, why did you wanna talk to me about this? I get why not Sevens, but hey, anyone would listen.”
I shrugged, still at a bit of a loss. “Who else am I going to talk to? Zheng, right now? Praem, Evee’s daughter? Lozzie is sweet and lovely, but she’s not exactly a fountain of good advice.”
“What about Raine? She is your girlfriend.” Twil laughed.
“A while back, Evee wanted to borrow me for a cuddle,” I said, talking to the ceiling. “It was the night before we went to Carcosa. It was a ruse by Evee, to give me some time away from Raine being difficult, but Raine thought it was genuine. She referenced a ‘deal’ they made in the past and then offered to lend me to Evee. As a partner.” I slid my eyes back down to Twil. She was pulling quite the grimace.
“Oh. Oh dang. What the fuck?”
“Mmhmm. If I told Raine about all this, or if she figured it out on her own, she might lock me and Evee in a room until we kiss. Which I’m not willing to risk.”
Twil puffed out the opposite of a laugh. “Right. Shit.”
“So I’m talking to you. And it turns out you actually understand much better than I do. I’m sorry for underestimating you, Twil.”
To my surprise, Twil flashed a cheeky smile. “That’s just how I roll. Under the radar. Lone wolf in the forest, yeeeeeah.” She struck a pose with both hands, like she was on the cover of a trendy musical album.
I snorted a tiny laugh. “I don’t understand anything do I? Evee has feelings for me?”
“Yeah?” Twil boggled at me. “She obviously fucking adores you, big H. I mean, I knew that before she and I had our thing together, it’s just right out there in the open. She’s always different with you, treats you different to everyone else. Well, ‘cept maybe Praem, but Praem’s her kid. She’s gentle with you. Likes it when you’re close. Didn’t expect you to be all surprised and shit.”
I shook my head and sighed, feeling like I’d been up all night. “But why?”
“You rescued her.”
“I know, several times, but so has Raine, and she doesn’t—”
“No, no no no,” Twil spoke over me, waving both hands. “No, like … you rescued her. Think about it for a sec. ‘Cos like, this is something she and I did talk about. Like, a lot. And I think she’s not said diddly squat to you.”
“‘Diddly squat’?” I echoed. “Twil, your dialect is slipping.”
Twil refused my bait.
“She’d made Raine move out. She was in this house all by herself, long before Praem. Just the spiders for company, and it’s not like they’re up for a chat. Not like she’s got any friends at the uni, either. She was pushing everyone away.” Twil’s voice grew heavy with melancholy. “Think about it. This house was just empty. Then you drop in on her and here she is now, nine months later, she’s got a family. You were the start of it.”
An image of Evelyn floated up from my subconscious, of the first time I’d met her, wrapped in her protective layers of clothing, tucked away in the Medieval Metaphysics room. Evelyn Saye, a ghost of the real person who’d revealed herself seconds later, all hissing spite and bitter anger. She’d lashed out at me with verbal barbs, dripping toxicity she would never level at me these days, saying the most hurtful and rude things. She’d turned even worse on Raine, naked contempt, almost hatred. She’d denied me and driven me off. But then she’d thrown herself Outside, alone, on a wild experiment.
I’d rarely thought about that dangerous experiment she’d done, in the months since I’d rescued her from the consequences. I’d reached out and dragged her back from Outside, with my first intentional Slip; I had broken with ten years of self-abuse and lies, for Evee.
That experiment, that trip Outside, that flawed spell she’d used, the one with no way back — she’d never, ever think of doing such a thing now.
I put my hand to my mouth and felt tears prickle in my eyes.
“She … she was … experiencing suicidal ideation,” I murmured. The cold, clinical words were not enough. Evee, my Evee, she’d almost done it. In loneliness and pain. “Maybe only subconsciously, maybe she didn’t intend to, but … ”
“Yeah,” Twil added. She leaned down out of the chair, grabbed my shoulder, and squeezed me far too hard. The contact brought me back from a dark place. “But she didn’t. That’s the important bit, right? She didn’t. And she didn’t that other time in the library, either. ‘Cos you were there.”
I nodded, a bit numb. I glanced at the study door, vaguely tempted to run all the way downstairs and hug Evelyn. “Best decision I ever made,” I murmured.
“Couldn’t agree more.” Twil let out a huge sigh and leaned back again. “So, hey, you see why she might, like, feel things about you?”
“Well, yes! But she’s never given any indication that she—”
“Oh, come on!” Twil laughed, a mad sound, banishing the heavy atmosphere with a bark. “She does it all the time!”
“But … but … like that?”
Twil paused, raised an eyebrow, and got this tortured faux-shrewd look on her face; I could practically see the gears turning between her ears. She nodded slowly, cracking her knuckles one by one “Ahhhh, yeah, right. I can see where you’re getting some crossed wires here, maybe. Like, yeah, Evee obviously has feelings for you, right. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she wants to do the sideways shuffle with you.”
I blinked like she’d slapped me. “Twil!”
“No, I’m serious,” Twil went on, totally unfazed by my offended tut. “Evee’s got feelings for me too, legit, she hasn’t fallen out of those or something, but that doesn’t mean she wanted to shag me either. I think all that confused her so much that she pushed me away.” Twil shrugged. “I think she might be ace or something. Ace but not realise it herself. And that’s a bloody hard subject to bring up, I dunno if I can do it.”
I shook my head, confused. “Yes, Evee is pretty ‘ace’. At least, I think she is.”
Twil blinked at me, deadpan unimpressed. “‘Ace’ as in ‘asexual’, Heather.”
“Oh!” I blushed like a rotten tomato, flapping my hands and thumping the book down on my knees.
“You do know what that means, right?”
“Yes! Oh my goodness. How are you so far ahead of me all the time?!” I huffed at myself, mortified. “Evee might be asexual, yes, fine. Oh, goodness, how can we be talking about her like this without her present?”
“Because I’m tryin’ give you advice, you big dumbo.”
I sighed and sagged against the shelves. “Yes. Yes, hit me again. I am the big dumbo.”
“And hey, it’s not like we’re bad-mouthing her. We both care about her.”
“That is true,” I murmured, nodding along. “You think Evee is asexual, but she doesn’t understand it herself?”
Twil shrugged. “I dunno, I’m not saying for certain. All I’m saying is that she likes you, but maybe she doesn’t want your fingers all up inside her.” I wrinkled my nose at the crude expression, but Twil kept going. “Maybe she doesn’t even want to make out with you or anything. You get what I mean? I mean, hell, you’re doing this whole poly thing, you probably get this, right?”
“Sort of. Well, actually no, maybe not.”
Twil did a very Evelyn thing all of a sudden — she sucked on her teeth, considering me through narrowed eyes. I’d never seen her make that expression before. On Twil, it was akin to walking through a silent forest at night, then spotting a wolf lurking between the trees, holding itself perfectly still as it watched you in return, uncertain if it was afraid of your unexpected meeting, or about to dismantle you as prey.
“ … T-Twil?” I stammered.
“Wow. You actually don’t get this, do you?” she asked.
She suddenly sprang into action. I actually flinched. She didn’t see, but two of my tentacles uncoiled like springs, as if to catch her and throw her back. But all she did was sit forward in the chair, suddenly all animated hand gestures as she tried to make her point.
“Alright,” she said. “Think about it like this. When people get together, especially when they’re really inexperienced, sometimes they kinda try to be the person they think their partner wants them to be, or maybe they try to do stuff that fits in with the role of girlfriend or boyfriend, like, uh … ” Twil wet her lips and looked around, eyes darting about in animated thought. “Like say a guy gets his first girlfriend, right? And she’s not putting any expectations on him, but he’s absorbed all this crazy shit about how you’re meant to be manly, but that’s not him, it’s not how he is.”
“Internalised gender roles. Yes, Twil, I’m well aware of the concept. Where is this going? How is this relevant to Evee?”
Twil spread her hands. “This is just an example, right? So maybe this guy starts acting different — not better, not worse, just different — ‘cos he thinks that’s how he’s supposed to. And he’s not enjoying it, she’s not enjoying it, and they don’t understand why, ‘cos they’re doing all the ‘right things’ that they’re ‘meant’ to do. It’s kinda like the opposite version of putting somebody else on a pedestal. People put themselves in boxes, you know?” Twil pulled a face. “I think, er, to be real polite, you kinda missed out on this sort of mistake, ‘cos you’re with Raine.”
I blinked. “What does Raine have to do with this?”
“Ahhh, come on,” Twil said. “Raine’s so sweet on you and she doesn’t demand shit, right? If you try to put yourself in a box like that, she’ll like, dismantle the box. Ha!” Twil forced a laugh, trying to keep things light.
Putting myself in a box? I turned the idea over, with a sensation like deja vu. “I … suppose so … ” I said out loud.
I trailed off, half in thought and half because Twil’s awkward laugh heralded a sneaky visitor.
From behind the side of Evelyn’s slab-like desk and behind Twil’s back, a crescent of butter-soft yellow rose with the stately silence of a hot air balloon. A tuft of black hair and a pale, narrow little face followed, wearing familiar yellow robes like a headscarf. Seven-Shades-of-Skulking-and-Skullduggery had apparently been hiding behind the desk this entire time. She peered at me with those gems of red firelight set in black voids, over Twil’s shoulder.
Sevens gave me a pained, awkward, self-conscious smile, all needle teeth and cringing. I frowned at her for interrupting — but Twil was already talking again.
“So like, the point,” Twil was saying, oblivious to the blood-gremlin leering over her shoulder, “is that Evee tried to be the good lesbian girlfriend. And her model for that is just you and Raine, I think. So that meant she had to want sex, right? Even if she really doesn’t.”
I blinked away from Sevens and replayed Twil’s words in my mind.
“Right,” I said. “I think I see. She thought certain things had to happen. For it to count. To be real.”
Twil nodded — Sevens nodded along behind her. I frowned again and Sevens cringed even harder, ducking her head.
“And yeah, Evee’s got feelings for you, sure,” Twil continued. “But this is the real important bit. Maybe she expresses it because you’re with Raine. So you’re claimed already. Your sex stuff happens elsewhere. So you’re … you’re like, safe.”
My eyes went wide. A light bulb flickered on, somewhere down in the archives that I rarely visited.
“Yeah! You get it now? I’m not saying don’t. I ain’t saying never ever do it. But I am saying that if you try to kiss her or shove a hand down her knickers, maybe she’d get the same way with you as she did with me, ‘cos then she thinks it’s all official and has to happen a certain way.”
“All official … has to happen a certain way … ” I echoed. My mind whirled.
“Maybe she just wants to cuddle with you.” Twil shrugged. “Hell, maybe she actually just wants to cuddle with me. She might not want to ever have sex at all. Or maybe she’d be comfy as like a service top, I dunno. She does all the work but doesn’t like it in return? Hell, that’s valid too. You get this now?”
I nodded slowly. I felt like a kettle that had just come to the boil and was now cooling down, my thoughts cleared, my substance clarified, my medium cleansed.
“I think you may be right,” I murmured.
Seven-Shades-of-Shrinking-Sincerity sank downward, dropping below Twil’s shoulder and vanishing behind the corner of the desk again. That time, Twil must have seen the direction of my disapproving frown, because she turned to glance behind herself. I winced, ready for a yelp and a scream and Sevens scrambling out in a flurry of limbs and misunderstandings, just when I felt like Twil and I had finally struck the gold I’d been mining toward for so long. But Twil turned back to me as if nothing was there, though I did notice her sniff the air and frown slightly.
“Thank you, Twil,” I said, trying to bring her back.
“Ahhh it’s nothing.” She pulled a slow wince. “Evelyn Saye is a complicated woman. And I gotta be honest, maybe too complicated for me.”
“Ah? You mean that you would have ended up breaking up anyway?”
“Weeeeeell. If she wanted me to be her cuddle slut, sure, you know? She’s cute, I respect her, it would be nice and all. But that’s not what I really want. And it does take two to tango.”
I laughed gently and stretched against the already uncomfortable bookshelves. “And what do you want, Twil?”
“Er. It’ll gross you out again.”
“Say it anyway. I do owe you that much.”
“Um, alright then.” Twil cleared her throat. “I want a girlfriend I can pin to the bed with one hand while I make her squeal with the other. The good kind of squealing.”
“Oh, goodness.” I cleared my throat and tried not to blush, but I put a hand to my mouth. “I see. Yes. Right.”
“You did ask.”
“Yes! Sorry. Indeed, yes. I did ask, I did, yes. And thank you for sharing. I think.”
“So, maybe not Evee,” Twil said. “However much I do like her.”
“Of course.” I shook my head with a big sigh, feeling a little like I’d surfaced from the deep ocean, from the abyss, or as if I’d just returned from Outside. “Twil, how are you so knowledgeable about this? How are you so … wise?”
Twil laughed with genuine amusement. “I’m not fuckin’ wise, big H. I’m just good at, like, love stuff. I kinda assumed you were too, like you’re in this whole crazy poly thing, I sort of guessed you knew what you were doing.”
“Evidently not.” I watched Twil for a moment, compact and graceful Twil with her big-dog energy and the subtle, hidden mind of a creature that instinctively understood pack dynamics. She rocked a little in the chair, apparently very comfortable with all this. “How do you know all this stuff?”
She shrugged. “Not my first time around the block.”
“You mean you’ve had other girlfriends? Before Evee?”
She nodded. “Yeah, couple of times. Don’t look so surprised. I mean, like, you lot aren’t my entire world or anything. I’ve got mates at school back in Brinkwood, though uh, only one person knows what I am. I went with this one girl for about eight months and she’s still into the werewolf thing, but she doesn’t know about anything else.”
I blinked in surprise. “You … you mean … other people know? You showed people your … wolf?” I cringed at my own terrible phrasing. “You know what I mean.”
Twil grimaced. “Like I said, just one person. And she’s kind of a problem ‘cos of it. Not that she can tell anybody, it’s not like anybody would believe it.”
“What’s her name?”
Twil slumped in the chair. “You really wanna talk about my exes?”
My turn to laugh, blushing but not so mortified any more. I waved a hand in apology. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry, I’m just surprised. Don’t go all grumpy teenager on me.”
“Pfffft,” Twil snorted, but she was smiling. “I’m not grumpy.”
“May I ask you a personal question?” I said.
“You’ve already asked me plenty.”
“Do you like Lozzie?”
A knowing smile crept across Twil’s face. “Ahhhhh, I’ve thought about it. You’ve spotted that, hey? How can you spot that, but not Evee?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, because I’m blind. Are you serious, you like her?”
Twil shrugged, still smiling. “Maybe, I dunno. She’s cute. But like, hey, I’m in rebound here. You don’t get with somebody you respect while you’re in rebound, and I do respect Lozzers. Plus she’s … you know. I mean, she’s lovely and all. But she lives Outside half the time. I dunno if I’ve got the chops for that. So it’s just a crush. Don’t say anything to her, yeah?”
I nodded, very serious. “I won’t breathe a word. And I’ll assume it’s not going anywhere. As I said, Twil, I’m sorry, and I’ve learnt my lesson. I shan’t meddle unless asked to.”
“Cheers, big H. But hey, let’s stick to the subject, yeah?” She nodded at the closed door to the study. “‘Cos we’re gonna get missed sooner or later. You gonna do anything about your little revelation over Evee? Gonna move, or stay put, or what?”
I sighed, coming back down to earth. I finally uncoiled on the floor, stretching my legs out and curling my toes. Every muscle felt tight with unexpressed tension, though my tentacles did relax at least. They gripped the bookcase and ran along the spines of the books, obsessed with my own sources of distraction and comfort.
“The thing is,” I said, “I think Evelyn and I both already knew all this. I just wasn’t looking at it. And she knows that I know. And I know that she knows I … ” I cleared my throat. “You understand. Sorry, Raine’s rubbing off on me. What I mean is that we practically spoke about it already, we just … didn’t actually say the words.”
Twil gave me a disbelieving look, the ultimate teenage expression of exasperation, slack jawed and heavy lidded. “Then you didn’t talk about it. Holy shit, big H, you’re meant to be smart.”
“Oh, I know!” I huffed. “I know! Maybe you’re right, maybe all she wants is cuddles with commitment. But I’m worried that things might change between us. Might go wrong.”
Twil bobbed her head from side-to-side, pulling a dubious thinking face. “Can I make a suggestion? Like, offer you a piece of maybe kinda sorta rude advice?”
“Rude?” I blinked at her. “Twil, you’ve already proven I’m a bit of an idiot, be as rude as you like.”
Twil cleared her throat, visibly uncomfortable. “Far be it from me to tell you how to live your life and all, but haven’t you got enough on your plate without adding Evee too?”
I sighed a very big sigh and squeezed my eyes shut, then pinched the bridge of my nose, hung my head, and let out a groan. “I know.”
“I mean, you’ve got three girlfriends!”
“Three girlfriends,” I groaned into my own hand.
“Maybe focus on Zheng and stuff, until all this shit is over? Dunno ‘bout everyone else, but I could see you were real jealous back there last week with Zheng and July and everything. And I thought you had it under control. But it turns out you don’t.”
“Bloody right I don’t!” I snapped, more at myself than Twil, raising my head again. I couldn’t hide from this any longer. “And yes, I am terribly, horribly jealous.”
“You have every right to be!” Twil nodded along with me. “Damn right, girl! You’re doing this poly shit and she didn’t even ask, right?”
“Right!” I slapped the floor with an open palm. My tentacles bristled.
“Doesn’t matter if it’s three or four or five people,” Twil said, holding up her fingers in sequence, then making a fist. “Unless you talk about it first, then it’s cheating. Plain and simple.”
“Yes! Yes, I … ” I slammed to a halt. “No, no it’s not sex, it’s … it’s fighting. She has a right to fight whoever she wants. I can’t stop that.”
Twil pulled a deeply sceptical look again, a teeth-gritting un-smile, recoiling from my naivety. She raised her hands in a don’t-shoot-the-messenger gesture. “Whatever you gotta tell yourself.”
“It’s not sex!”
“Sure, sure. Whateeeeeever you say.”
“Then why are you acting like it is? You’re acting like she’s gone and slept around. Like your girlfriend is being the town bike. She’s meant to be your girl, right? Or like, one of your girls. You can say no. But you gotta say it!”
“I … I shouldn’t … I … ”
“Why not fight her yourself?”
“What? I mean, pardon me?”
A wicked grin flickered across Twil’s face, accompanied by a ghostly suggestion of a wolf’s muzzle in the air, a half-glimpsed phantom of a violent promise. She raised a hand and flexed fingers that were suddenly wrapped in fur and claw, showing off her weapons. “Either before or after she does the smack-down with July. Stake your claim. Show her she’s yours.”
For a second I stared at Twil, at the hovering promise of joyous violence in her face and her fist, offering a temptation I dared not name. My mouth went dry. My stomach clenched up. My trilobe bioreactor tried to shunt power production up a notch. My tentacles flexed and flared. I felt a tingle in my skin, abyssal instinct making suggestions about chitin armour, toxin production, and jagged spikes. My head felt suddenly hot.
Then a flicker passed over my senses, like a distant discharge of static electricity, or the lifting of air pressure after a thunderstorm. I blinked, reeled my wild instincts back in, and glanced over at the floor. Fight or flight hovered at the edge of my consciousness, a body-memory that surprised me at a deeper level than any desire to wrestle Zheng.
“ … Heather?” Twil said my name.
“I think Evee just opened the gateway to Camelot,” I said slowly. A ball of snakes writhed in the pit of my stomach. The hour was at hand — or at least only a phone call away.
Twil boggled at me. “You can tell?”
“Yes, didn’t you feel that?”
“Nah, nothing. Not surprised though.” She shrugged. “You’ve got a lot going on already, makes sense you can feel the wibbly-wobblies or whatever. Guess they don’t need us after all.” She tilted her head to peer at me when I kept staring at the floor. “Soooo, you gonna fight Zheng or what?”
I sighed. “I can’t.”
“Sure you can. What’s stopping you?”
“You can’t be serious. You’ve seen Zheng fight. She could pin me down and tickle me into submission, with one hand. Blindfolded. With her feet tied together. And food poisoning.”
“No, come on!” Twil complained at me like a football fan shouting at a bad penalty shot, leaning forward in her chair, face lit up with equal measures of excitement and exasperation. “You totally could! Heather, yo, I saw you fight that big ugly bastard, Orangey-whatever. The guy, with the mouths! I was there, remember?”
“Ooran Juh, yes.”
“And you kicked his arse! You went big-time squid-girl mode and went toe-to-toe with him!”
“Twil, don’t exaggerate. I hardly ‘kicked’ anything. In fact, I seem to remember falling over into the water after a few moments. And going ‘squid-girl’ mode almost burnt out my brain, not to mention the bruises. That was an emergency. I didn’t even know what I was doing.”
“Yeah but you didn’t see yourself. You were fucking ‘rad! And you won!”
“Yes, by threatening him with brain-math. I couldn’t have won otherwise, I’m not built for that kind of thing.” I shivered inside for a moment; my tentacles flexed and quivered with the physical memory of being bitten and torn, chunks of them ripped out by ravenous teeth. “I’m hardly going to use the threat of mutually assured destruction in a ‘play-fight’ with Zheng.”
Twil shook her head. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
I frowned and crossed my arms. “And we have to be downstairs, soon.”
“You don’t have to go all-out all the time, duh. I don’t even think you’d win! But you’d show her you’re willing to put a few bruises on the line. That’s speaking her language. Try for real, get on her level, slap her with a tentacle.” Twil mimed a melodramatic slap, like something from a soap opera.
I shook my head, guilt bubbling back up my throat like acid reflux. “Claiming her would be wrong. Putting a mark on her like that. No.”
Twill rolled her eyes. “Then make her reject you!”
“I … I’m sorry, what?”
“You’ve got a right to do this. Do it out there, while we’re all watching. Mark your territory, girl. It’s what I’d do.”
Twil flashed a wolfish grin; for a split second she had too many teeth, too sharp, too canine, set in a grinning muzzle of grey-russet fur. I’d never thought about it before, but Twil probably understood animalistic dominance play better than any of us, save perhaps for Zheng. She was giving me useful suggestions, whether she understood so or not. And not just about Zheng and Evelyn.
I swallowed, about to formulate an answer — perhaps another denial, though I felt a dam straining inside me, undermined and about to break. But then a neat, sharp knock sounded on the study door, a quick and gentle ratta-tat-tat. I jumped. Twil laughed and her face was suddenly back to normal.
“Yes?” I called out, feeling like I’d been caught doing something naughty. “We’re in here! Hello!”
The study door cracked open and Praem stepped inside. Milk-white eyes found the pair of us. In the moment before she spoke, I saw a flutter of yellow vanish behind her skirt, as if somebody invisible had fled the room, but fumbled the last moment of an unseen escape.
“The door is open,” Praem intoned. “Your presence is requested.”
“Sure thing, little Saye!” Twil jumped up from her seat and rolled her shoulders. “Time to uh, not punch a knight, I guess.”
“‘Little Saye’?” I echoed as I picked myself up off the floor and dusted off my backside. I returned The Fellowship of the Ring to its proper place on the bookshelf.
“I am the younger of the two extant Saye women within this household,” said Praem. She directed a stare at Twil. “Not little.”
Twil shot her a cheeky smile and a wink.
“So it’s all going ahead, downstairs?” I asked.
Praem turned to me. “I hope you had a good talk. Your presence is requested.”
“Sure did!” Twil said, heading over to the door and miming punches at an imaginary foe.
I frowned at Praem. Did she somehow know what Twil and I had been discussing? Lozzie had whispered in her ear several times earlier, while we’d all been twiddling our thumbs and waiting for Evelyn to finish the final touches on the gate. Neither of them had thrown knowing glances in my direction — not that Praem ever would — but it wasn’t impossible. I felt a lead weight in the pit of my stomach, a mortified flush trying to bloom in my cheeks. But Praem just stood there in the gloom of the study, barely lit from one side by the late morning illumination which struggled in through the single high window. She gave nothing away.
I cleared my throat. “Praem, um, where’s Lozzie right now?”
“Outside,” said Praem.
It would not be accurate to say that Lozzie had ‘jumped the starting gun’ on our bizarre trip to Camelot, because Lozzie recognised no starting signal, let alone the starting line or even the track. She was off and away, playing to her own tune.
By the time Twil and I followed Praem back downstairs and into the magical workshop, the gateway was finished, open, and waiting.
A door to Outside stood in the far wall of the old drawing room, a gap in the plaster and paint which opened out on some other place, exactly as it had for Carcosa before, and the Castle before that, and the Sharrowford Cult’s hideous jumbled un-space too, back when it had opened for the first time. All of those were terrifying and alien places, even the Cult’s Castle, despite the fact we had it secured and locked down now, ours for the foreseeable future. On each of those occasions, the gateway had seemed like a yawning mouth, leading down into dark and unknown dungeons.
But with the Quiet Plain, Camelot, whatever we wanted to call it, the gate seemed more like a doorway onto the world’s largest back garden. At least we knew this destination was safe. If one hundred and forty eight of Lozzie’s knights were not enough to protect our little beachhead, then nothing was.
I could see the knights as I stepped into the workshop, their stately armoured forms dotted across the slice of gently rolling yellow hillsides visible through the doorway. Lozzie was already over there, flittering between them, her pentacolour pastel poncho fluttering and flouncing as she darted from one knight to the next, sharing a hug here, a few unheard words there, her wispy blonde hair trailing behind her. The knights were unmoving, but I knew they cared, inside.
Lozzie turned and waved at us. She must have seen the motion of Twil and I re-entering the workshop. She flapped the sides of her poncho and moved her mouth, calling to us, though no sound transmitted through the gateway.
Deep purple spilled into our reality, flooding one end of the room with a slowly shifting illumination which seemed to absorb and swallow all other light.
And there was Zheng, already standing on the yellow grass of Camelot. She had her back to us, her hands on her hips, stripped down to jeans and short-sleeved white t-shirt, head raised to take in the whorled purple of the alien sky. That strange light played across the dark tangle of her hair, the ramparts of her shoulders, and the muscles of her back.
I let out a deep and involuntary sigh, the first to break a silence I had not recognised.
“It’s not so bad once you get over there,” Evelyn spoke out loud, staring at the doorway, struggling to put strength and confidence into her voice. “Not like Carcosa, at least.” She glanced at Twil and me. “Good of you to join us at last.”
“Holy shit,” said Twil, craning her neck and then ducking as she peered through the gateway from a safe distance. “Look at that sky, what the fuck is that?”
“Language,” Evelyn hissed, nodding sideways at Tenny.
“Skyyyyy? Sky pretty? Sky?” Tenny trilled, making deep fluttering sounds inside her chest, her antenna twitching atop her head. She was far too entranced with the view through the gateway to get curious about Twil’s colourful language. She was also very brave, standing right next to the open doorway to Outside and peering through as Lozzie waved back to her. But her fleshy wing-cloak was wrapped tightly around her torso and her mass of silken black tentacles was reeled all the way in, close to her body. A puppy, unsure of its surroundings but encouraged by the fact that mother was safely over on the other side and clearly unharmed.
Everyone else was standing far back, at a nice safe distance. Evelyn frowned at the gateway like it was a rival in a staring contest, even when Praem moved to her side and made herself known by touching Evelyn’s elbow. Sevens was curled up on the sofa, making little burrrrrrrr sounds, wrapped in the yellow robes she’d been wearing upstairs. I spared her a look and she pulled a toothy grimace.
We’ll talk later, I mouthed silently. Sevens cringed and averted her red-black eyes.
One of Evelyn’s spider-servitors was in attendance, as always, clinging to the ceiling in the corner. To an unfamiliar observer it would not have appeared to care about the gateway at all, but I had come to recognise the tiny changes and tells in servitor body language — if these things could be said to have body language in the first place. The head of crystalline eyes was fixed on the gateway, staring, waiting, listening for a signal to move.
The only one of us even remotely relaxed was Raine. She was wearing the heavy padded motorcycle jacket she’d worn to Carcosa. Her home-made riot shield — a piece of sheet metal duct-taped to a rubber backing board — lay forgotten against the table, as did her handgun and her knife on the tabletop. Her arms were full of very alarmed and very curious Corgi.
“Just trying to stop him from running out there,” she said to me with a wink. Whistle kept turning his head from side to side, staring at the doorway like something alien had appeared in the heart of his kingdom.
The gateway mandala — the spiralling mass of overlapping magic circles, esoteric symbols, fragments of obscure and alien languages, all sewn together like a cryptid made from spare parts — was blissfully concealed, for the first time since I had completed it under Lozzie’s coerced guidance. White bin bags had been taped together like makeshift tarpaulin, then taped to the walls to cover the mandala. A few fragments still peeked around the edges of the horseshoe-shaped trash-portal, but they were not enough to hurt my eyes by themselves.
“Does it work?” I asked. “Evee, does the anchoring work? Did you remove part of the spell?”
Evelyn let out a deep sigh, almost as if she was disappointed. She gestured toward the table, where a large piece of stiff card lay, detached from the new version of the mandala that she and Lozzie had been building all week. “It’s still open, yes. And short of knocking the wall down, it will stay open. Actually, I’m not certain what would happen if we knocked down the wall, so probably avoid doing that, please and thank you.”
“Evee,” Twil said suddenly, an amused and gentle lilt in her voice as she shook her head. “Evee, Evee, Evee.”
Evelyn adopted an alarmed frown. “Yes, that is my name, last time I checked. Why do you sound like you’re high?”
Twil opened her arms. “Can I give you a hug?”
I narrowly resisted an urge to roll my eyes and put my face in my hands. Raine went “Eyyyyyy.” Sevens hissed like a disturbed rattlesnake. But instead of reacting, I stepped past Evelyn and Twil, briefly allowing the fingers of one hand to brush Evelyn’s shoulder. I caught her eye and smiled a thank you at her, mixed with apology and adoration and a dozen other emotions that I didn’t have names for, not yet. At least a fraction of my feelings must have reached her, because Evelyn did a double take at my expression, as if I’d just blown her a kiss. Then I let go and turned to the gateway.
“Can I? Seriously?” Twil repeated.
Behind me, Evelyn spluttered. “Have you gone mad? Did you hit your head on the way down the stairs? This is hardly the bloody time, what are you playing at?”
“‘Cos I like and respect you,” Twil said, with a grin in her voice. “And I wanna show you I care. And hey, it’s just a hug. I’ll be gentle.”
Evelyn spluttered again. I glanced back and Twil winked at me. I didn’t know exactly what she was playing at either, but after our conversation upstairs, I suppose she had some lingering issues of her own to work through.
“Oh, fine!” Evelyn huffed. “For fuck’s sake, come here you blithering idiot. And don’t squeeze!”
As Twil and Evelyn finally made up — or at least gestured toward a new steady-state for something not quite friendship — I stepped toward the gateway. One of my tentacles subconsciously snagged my squid-skull mask from the workshop table as I passed by, depositing it into my suddenly clammy hands. I stared into the dark eye-holes in surprise, then looked up into the deep purple light spilling from the gate and flooding across the floor. Tenny watched as I approached, trilling a soft and gentle “Heath!” which I acknowledged with a smile and a nod, but I could summon nothing else past the lump in my throat and the tremor in my belly.
Some clever soul had brought our shoes into the workshop, as if this was a new back door. I stepped into my trainers, barely feeling the motions.
Zheng’s back loomed before me, coffee-brown skin and the mass of her dark tattoos visible through her thin white t-shirt. She stood only a dozen or so paces beyond the gateway, bathed in a waterfall of strange purple light.
Nobody called out to me; perhaps they all understood what I was doing.
I took a deep breath as if I was plunging into the ocean, then stepped through the gateway and over to Camelot.
Cinnamon wind, warm and gentle, teased my sense of smell and filled my lungs with clean air. Yellow grass like rubbery velvet cushioned the soles of my trainers. Purple light reached through the backs of my eyes, slid down my optic nerve, and adjusted my visual cortex. All the tiny noises of Number 12 Barnslow Drive vanished, replaced with the soft wind and faint rustle of the Quiet Plain.
Ahead of me, Lozzie flitted and bounced between the knights. The shining chrome giants were still arranged in their rough circle across the hillsides, communing in their silent, invisible shared mind-space. The Forest-Knight was nearby too; I recognised him by the axe over his shoulder. He neither turned his head nor nodded, but I reminded myself to go greet him later.
And a dozen paces away, looking up at the sky, was Zheng.
I opened my mouth to say Zheng’s name, but she must have heard the scuff of my feet against the grass, or caught the scent of my nervous sweat on the wind, because she turned to look back over her shoulder. Dark, brooding eyes like razorblades dipped in oil; the rolling of her shoulder muscles like knotted ropes; her hands flexed with the promise of strength.
“Shaman,” she purred approval — but approval of what?
“Zheng.” I swallowed, resisting with an effort of will the desire to slip my squid-skull mask down over my head. “Zheng, I need to apologise. I want you to know that I don’t like any of this, but I won’t try to … stop … you?”
But Zheng’s eyes narrowed and her smile grew. She looked up and over my shoulder, nodding once.
I turned and almost jumped out of my skin. My tentacles whirled into a defensive cage, ready for a fight — before I relaxed as I realised what I was looking at.
It was one of Lozzie’s caterpillars, up close.
The caterpillar was a curving wall of off-white, the size of a barn and the colour of fresh bone or old Bakelite, pitted and gnarled like ceramic armour that had been subjected to a decade of wear and tear. The main body was separated into sections by vertical ribs of the same material, each section bulging outward as if shaped to deflect armour-piercing blows. The bottom of the carapace curled inward, exactly like a real caterpillar’s body, to ensure ground clearance — except Lozzie’s Outsider colony-organism sat directly on the ground itself. This one wasn’t moving, so Lozzie alone knew how the things achieved locomotion. The bottom two feet or so of the caterpillar’s carapace was smeared with dry, dark red mud, a totally different colour to the soft soil beneath the yellow grass around us. It had clearly voyaged far, out here in Camelot.
“My goodness,” I breathed, a little stunned at the sheer size of the thing. It was bigger than an elephant, like a whale had re-evolved back onto land. Something primitive and instinctive in my mind told me to steer well clear of the creature’s path, even as personal experience and my brief glimpse into the Knights’ collective mind told me the caterpillar was very much on our side — no, on my side, personally.
One end of the caterpillar’s body tapered off into a rounded dome, but the other end was clearly the head, raised off the ground so it could look out across the yellow grasslands, recessed into the body slightly, almost like a mollusc ready to pull sensitive and vulnerable parts back inside the protective shell.
It possessed nothing so obvious as eyes or a mouth, nothing so animal or earthly as a nose or a jaw; the caterpillar’s face was a mass of machine-like antennae, black and shiny, some of them longer than a person was tall, pointing in every direction. Between the antennae I could see shining disks of metal inset into a darker core, like sensors or camera lenses. Several flexible, flat-tipped tentacles also extended from that core of black material, though ridged and lined as if they were more machine than biology. They ran up and down the antenna in an unceasing cycle, stroking or tending or oiling them, it wasn’t clear from this distance. The behaviour reminded me of some marine creature, perhaps a crab, cleaning its mouth-parts.
One tentacle turned to point at me, more than twenty feet up in the air. Inside the flat tip, something moved, something that was not quite an eyeball.
“Um … hi,” I said, feeling exceedingly small. I raised a hand and tried to wave, though I could barely move my arm. My tentacles had bunched up in a protective ball around my torso.
From somewhere deep inside the caterpillar came a rumble, a purr that was not quite biology but not quite machine either. It lasted only one second, deep and powerful, then cut off instantly. The tentacle which had been pointed at me then returned to the strange cleaning or preening process.
I just stared, lost for words next to this vast creature. Was this only the exterior, the equivalent of the Knights’ suits of chrome metal?
And Lozzie had made this — just to explore an Outside dimension?
I had a feeling I was looking at so much more than a simple exploration machine.
The other side of the gateway was located on the caterpillar’s hide, using one of the bulging sections of off-white armour as a piece of wall. Everyone else was staring at me through that gateway opening, vaguely alarmed or confused, so I smiled and waved to them as well. I said “It’s okay,” out loud, before sighing as I remembered sound did not transmit through the door.
Lozzie came bounding past me in a ball of pastel and blonde. She waved to everyone with both hands — which may have done more to reassure them than I could — and then slammed right into the side of the caterpillar, which made me jump. She spread both arms wide, pressed herself against the off-white surface, and emitted a high-pitched “Mmmmm!”
It took me a very confused moment to realise she was giving it a hug.
“Glorious, is it not, shaman?” Zheng purred.
I finally turned back to Zheng. She was gazing up at the caterpillar with open admiration, hands on her hips, clearly impressed.
“That’s rare for you,” I said, trying to get my tentacles to stand down.
“Ha!” Zheng rumbled. She spread her arms to indicate the caterpillar. “It is so big! I would fight it just to give the mooncalf proof of her prowess.” She nodded to Lozzie. “But I would lose.”
“Catty’s big!” Lozzie agreed, finally giving up on her attempt to hug a wall. “But no fighting them! Too much danger. It’s not what they’re for, okay Zhengy?”
“You would lose?” I echoed. Lozzie wormed her way past my tentacles somehow and hugged me from behind, putting her chin on my shoulder and her hands around my belly. I patted her wrists.
“Mm.” Zheng grunted. Her gaze returned to me. “It is the price of combat. Sometimes you lose.”
“Are you going to lose today?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Zheng tilted her head at me, slow and dark, with eyes like coal pits. Over my shoulder, Lozzie stuck her tongue out. Zheng heaved a great breath like a tiger’s purr. She rolled her shoulders and her neck.
“Do you wish to see me win?” she asked.
“I’m not sure I want to see it at all,” I said, feeling myself sinking into toxic mud once again. But I struggled to stay above the surface, to speak truth to my lover. I groped for an emotional handhold and found something unfamiliar as I spoke. “But if you must fight, then I would much prefer you win.”
Where did that come from? I asked myself. What do you care if she wins or loses a play fight?
Lozzie wiggled with pure excitement, making a little eeeee! sound in her throat.
Zheng levelled her dark gaze at me. “Then I will win for you, shaman.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that, but okay.”
Zheng broke into a grin, wide and sharp and full of joy. My stomach did a flip. “Then call the little wizard. Have her bring my opponent. We are ready.”
Twil spitting facts! Turns out the werewolf from the cult-family is actually the most well-adjusted and romantically sensible person in the entire cast. (Well, possibly with the exception of Kimberly, who seems to have decided all this magical polycule nonsense is not for her, thank you very much, and is just quietly enjoying the rent-free housing.) Heather seems to have realised a few things about herself, but can she put them into action? Can she figure out what she wants from Zheng? And what on earth to do about Evelyn in the long run?
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Next week, it’s ringside seats for a demon host boxing match. And maybe more than just the title fight. And how about that great big caterpillar lad?! |
(Editor’s note: This review contains major spoilers.)
Episode 3 of Chasing Bigfoot: The Quest for Truth is titled “The Bigfoot Phenomenon” and focuses on how the cryptid became so popular by interviewing investigators, researchers, and people in the business of selling Bigfoot merchandise.
While the first two episodes concentrated more on the actual cryptid, this episode is more about the media that propelled Bigfoot to popularity. You can read my reviews of the first episode here and the second episode here.
While sightings of Bigfoot were first reported in 1811, the phenomenon didn’t take off till the latter half of the 20th century.
“When Bigfoot was brought to TV, it really took off,” said Cliff Barackman, a researcher and a member of Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot team. “I think that popular television programs have really played a role in kind of getting the subject out there. There was…
View original post 577 more words |
Kage Baker, as must be pretty obvious by now, really liked free-range strangeness. She was a connoisseuse, a collector, a delighted vector for tales of High Weirdness. Like gossip, she was happy enough just to hear of it and not necessarily spread it – but she wanted to know; and, if it was harmless, she liked to be the one to pass it on.
Kage loved being the messenger. She was ordinarily quite shy, but she’d leap into conversations like a gazelle on speed to be the bearer of unusual news. When we attended the 2009 World Fantasy Awards, she took a genuine delight in being able to tell people she was, yes, actually sick! I’m sure several folks were taken aback at the cheerful way in which she imparted her cancer – please bear in mind, if she took you by surprise with that information, that 1) she thought she was going to survive; and 2) it was such a tidbit of news!
Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly. Storytellers gotta tell people stuff.
She collected tales of weirdness avidly. She would always look over at me as we settled in to some hour-long special on demon Laotian catfish, and observe virtuously that you just never knew what tidbit might lead to a story … which was true; but the deeper truth was, she just loved that shit.
The radio show Coast To Coast AM (now hosted by George Noory, but originally with the redoubtable Al Bell) was one of her favourites – before the Internet really got going, it could be found late at night on public access cable television in Pismo Beach. Which was weird in itself, ’cause it was a radio show … The only visual display was closed captioning of the dialogue running across the telly screen, but it was – fascinatingly!- often interrupted by static, scraps of other broadcasts, and weird beeping noises. It suffered inexplicable failures of transmission often, and Kage would be in hysterics of laughter, wondering if it was incompetent engineers or sinister government agencies? We got a lot of alien news from good old Coast To Coast. It’s main charm was the unflappable calm of Mssrs. Bell and Noory, no matter how excited their guests became.
Another interesting source was Blogsquatcher podcasts on Blog Talk Radio. Kage loved the combination of personal gossip (Sasquatch hunters are a quarrelsome lot), bad research and the occasional gem of actual scholarship. Those gems rarely had anything to do with cryptid hominoids, but we learned a lot about game cameras, UV and IR light, ultrasound, and trespassing laws.
Kage drew her personal line at purveyors of total nonsense. The Weekly World News was always one of my favourite brainless reads (Bat Boy Joins The Boy Scouts! Titanic’s Captain Found In Coma On Abandoned Whaling Vessel! Housewife Grows Man-sized Parsnip!) but she scorned its over-ripe journalism. On the other hand, the various “reality” shows on supposedly-respectable stations like The Learning Channel and History were always on her top 10 list; cryptids, legendary beasts, ghosts, strange lands and dubious islands … that was what she liked.
Her research into the murkier aspects of phenomenology was constant. My especial field was actual science – I read dozens of magazines, journals, abstracts and aggregate sites, looking for interesting leads on solar prominences, poisonous phosphorescent fungi, anti-matter, neuron regeneration, prostheses, apoptosis, telomeres, crackpots, rumpots, and How are you, Mr. Wilson?
There was a giant solar flare yestreday; it should hit is in a day or two – maybe on Kage’s birthday! – and who knows what will happen? I will hope for low-latitude aurorae, and pray it’s not the 1859 Incident Redux. Attempts are being made to breed the last few of some of the Galapagos tortoises – aside from the general hilarity (tortoises are determined but not graceful lovers) there is hope for information on why lady chelonions not only do not experience menopause, but seem to get more fertile as they age. Giant jellyfish are swarming round Japan – why? Aside from the obvious, I mean – proximity to abyssal deeps and excess radiation – why?
So much to wonder at; so much to discuss. I am most fortunate that I have you, Dear Readers, to bounce some of these trace signals off of and debate them. For instance, an exploration of modern camping gear (thinking of you, Mike R.) has just shown me how my intrepid Martian living in a survival tent is getting her drinking water …
Always read the weird news. It’s where the treasures are. |
The latest from New York Times bestselling, Goodread's Choice Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated and Ringo Award-winning author Sarah Andersen is a delightful peek into the secret social lives of some of the world's most fascinating, monstrous, and mysterious creatures.
Do you hate social gatherings? Dodge cameras? Enjoy staying up just a little too late at night? You might have more in common with your local cryptid than you think! Enter the world of Cryptid Club, a look inside the adventures of elusive creatures ranging from Mothman to the Loch Ness Monster. This humorous new series celebrates the unique qualities that make cryptids so desperately sought after by mankind (to no avail). After all, it's what makes us different that also makes us beautiful.
About the Author
Sarah Andersen’s debut book, Adulthood is a Myth, was the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Graphic Novels and Comics. She also won the award for Big Mushy Happy Lump in 2017, and Herding Cats in 2018. Her graphic novel Fangs was nominated for an Eisner Award and appeared on TheNew York Times best seller list.
Sarah Andersen is a cartoonist and illustrator in her twenty-somethings. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014 and currently lives in Portland, Oregon.Her semi-autobiographical comic strip, Sarah’s Scribbles, finds the humor in living as an introvert with beloved pets and the continual struggles with waking up in the morning, being productive, and dealing with social situations. |
Fantastic game, I enjoy playing this game, I want you to subscribe to my channel, I need support, help please, you will like my channel, thanks friend, greetings from Spain
A downloadable game for Windows
RATMAN is a VHS found footage styled cryptid survival horror FPS focusing on combat and atmosphere as well as drawing inspiration from V/H/S/94 movie & F.E.A.R games.
A marine is sent on a mission into a sewer system to investigate the current rumors in the news about a cryptid creature said to have eaten many homeless people and a military officer most recently. The unidentified creature is said to roam below the city in the depths of the sewers, fight for your survival if you want to make it out in one piece or be skinned alive by ratman and his minions. It's up to you.
Controls & Info
- WASD = Movement Q/E = LEAN
- Left Shift = Run / Sprint CTRL = Crouch X = Crawl SPACE = Jump
- F = Take item / Interact ( Hold F to drag oil drums )
- RMB = Zoom / Aim / Block / Flashlight on / off.
- LMB = Attack / Slash / Fire weapon
- SCROLL MOUSE WHEEL = Switch between weapons
- G = Throw grenade
- Z = Free aiming mode on / off
- ESC = Shut down application and return to desktop
- NOTE: Underwater physics are present, here you can swim in all directions and have limited breath time, get air before you die when you start to lose your breath.
- Best played in 1920x1080 Resolution - Only supports Windows 64bit systems.
- Game duration short: 15-25 minutes ( depends on skill )
- There's no save system but you respawn at the start of each level, the game is intended to be played in a single session.
PRO TIP FOR RATMAN BOSS FIGHT: Keep moving and kite his minions around the pillars and kill them first by shooting the barrels, then take out ratman afterwards.
Created by Aza Game Studio.
Click download now to get access to the following files:
- RATMAN is now released!May 20, 2022
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
THAT'S A BIG ASS RAT!!
Incredible , awesome all the way through
Any way to rebind controls?
Great game! It was hard!
Had a good time hunting ratman once I found the guns, I was in business. Great work!
Couldn't withstand the never ending army of rats, but it was fun for the attempt
This is the scariest game I've played in a minute! it has all my fears put in here, rats (large rats at that), sewers, sharks and darkness. Lol 10/10
The game overall feels like it's an endless loop of rats. Try guiding the player to where he has to go.
🔲 My 90-year-old grandma could play it
✅ Normal (try adding more ammo on the map)
🔲 "Dark Souls"
- Accessibility -
🔲 Easy to figure out
🔲 Takes some time to figure out
✅ Hard to figure out
🔲 Very Unclear
- GRAPHICS -
🔲 "MS Paint"
🔲 Graphics don't matter in this game
- MUSIC && SFX - 🔲 None
🔲 Not special
- STORY -
🔲 This game has no story it's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ simulator/Shooter
🔲 Like playing "Temple Runners" for the story
✅ It's there for the people who want it
🔲 Well written
🔲 Epic story
- PRICE -
✅ Underpriced (you can place a price on this)
🔲 Perfect price
🔲 Could be cheaper
🔲 Complete waste of money
- REQUIREMENTS -
🔲 You can run it on a microwave
✅ High end
🔲 "NASA" computer
- LENGTH -
🔲 Super Short (0-10 minutes)
✅Very short (11 min - 1 hours)
🔲 Short (1 - 10 hours)
🔲 Average (10 - 30 hours)
🔲 Long (30 - 70 hours)
🔲 Extremely long (70 - 110 hours)
🔲 No ending
- FUN -
🔲 I'd rather watch paint dry
🔲 Hard to enjoy
✅ Actually pretty scary (except if you are going just for the rambo mode)
🔲 Ride of your life
- REPLAYABILITY -
✅ It's a one-playthrough experience
🔲 Only for achievements
🔲 If you wait a few months/years
🔲 Definitely (you can always go back and improve and is still enjoyable)
🔲 Infinitely replayable
Special Thanks to BLUEY from Steam (Creator of the template)
- MARKETING - (How well your game page)
🔲Very Weak (No photos/videos/Description/Story/External Links + Devlogs)
🔲Weak ( No photos/videos/Story/External Links + Devlogs)
🔲Good (No videos/ External Links + Devlogs)
✅Great (has all the above)
Hey! I played your game on my stream! Watch it to see the live review! Here's the link for it: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_ArLfTfksmP1L3mplGs0w 😄
I would also appreciate if you could give an opinion on our latest game. Game devs advice is precious because we know better what it takes to make something work. It's called "Backdoor Shifts"
This game enraged me and I had some heat of the moment criticism But its all for entertainment, and meant nothing by it ❤here's my reaction if you're interested 😋
Man this game is hard! The amount of guns was impressive, though! I just couldn't make it to the titular boy himself.
nice to see some one mention where there influence came from for a horror game which alot of horror devs on itch do not seem to do
Bit hard but I found the way to beat the first without killing a single rat. Will make a video later. 4/5
That was pretty damn tough, but definitely satisfying when you finally get the win. I don't even know how many shots that boss rat took, haha. Pretty fun game though. I did run into a bug a few times that freezes you in place and makes you restart. I think it's around 32min in my video. Thanks for the fun (and torture!)
Thanks Azaxor for making a fun game though I will admit I think that the Ratman himself needed an indicator to say he couldn't be killed considering the amount of lead I shot into him lol.
Had a good time, manage to beat it. Although there was one part where I got stuck on nothing and couldn't move so I had to reset the entire game, but besides that it was good. 👍
Played this game the other day. Really enjoyed it. Seems almost impossible to kill all the rats when they come at you at once. Lol. Really cool game though. I Recommend it!
Really enjoyed this, thanks so much for sharing it with us! :) Pretty hard so I didn't get too far but I enjoyed it hah.
kind of hard to play but did enjoy!
Cool game here's a speedrun
Visually appealing and fun.
Pretty tough game, but cool. ->
It was really entertaining, my friend and I enjoyed it. Also screw that jumpscare :P
VERY VERY well made!! Had calf cramps from being tense the entire time.
I absolutley loved this game! i really enjoyed the challenge! See my experience, including the ending in the video below!
Overwhelmed by giant rats! Game #1!
Very fun and creepy game. Great work!
Great game! Took some time to defeat The Ratman himself.
Thanks for playing Max Horror! |
THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS
One of the joys, and pitfalls, of roleplaying games is how they can become both a vessel for so many of our myriad interests and lead us down rabbit holes into brand new ones. Just ask any GM who decided they wanted to add a little verisimilitude to their city setting only to emerge blinking into the light 6 months later having become a world expert on medieval sewer systems. Whilst the main benefit of this is usually just the chance to become even more boring at parties some people are better at corralling these obsessions into more productive outcomes.
Anna Urbanek, one half of the Finland based Double Proficiency Studio, is one such person who has managed to combine her love of plants and roleplaying games to produce the Herbalist's Primer, a stunning looking book filled with Anna's illustrations and research into the physical, folkloric, magical and medicinal properties of plants, designed to bring your RPGs, whatever the system, to verdant life. With the, wildly successful, Kickstarter campaign for the book drawing to a close this Friday we caught up with Anna to discuss all things botanical...
You’ve been sharing illustrations from the book on Twitter as you've worked on it for quite a while now, so when did you first get the idea for The Herbalist's Primer and what was the initial spark for the book?
The idea came to me last year's spring. Like many other people, I was sitting at home all day and getting rather morose in quarantine, so I've decided to do what makes me happy: doodle some flowers. Then, I've put together a mock-up of a single spread of a magical botany book as a proof of concept, mostly for my own enjoyment. I love botany, and I've been a keen reader of herbals since I was a child.
The idea to connect it with tabletop RPGs, my other passion, was just a matter of compounding on the self-indulgence of this project. I posted the two-page layout sample on Twitter, mostly for fun - and then, suddenly, there were dozens of voices telling me that I should make it a book. So I did, giving in to the peer pressure and never looking back!
The book covers not just the physical properties of plants but also their magical and medicinal uses, what were your go to sources when putting this book together?
Indeed, the scope of the topics is rather wide. For the botanical part, I was mostly using online databases of plant lore, like Plants for a Future and many other websites focused on gardening or botanical classification of species.
The medicinal part is mostly ethnobotanical, which means that it's based on the historical approach to herbal medicine, as described by Culpeper, Breverton, or Maude Grieve in their herbals.
The occult side is researched from thousands of legends, myths, and stories, as well as from modern occult books, like Cunningham's encyclopedias or Ann Moura's Green Witchcraft. There's a bibliography included in the book!
So what came first for you an interest in plants, magic or RPGs?
I come from a long line of self-taught botanists and avid gardeners, so I've been living between plants all my life. My aunt is a pharmacist, and she's been more than generous with her time and textbooks whenever I wanted to learn something.
The magic was also with me from the beginning, mostly taken away from all the legends and myths my Mom used to read to me. I grew up listening to folklore from all around the world, and a Polish edition of Greek mythology was my favorite book for many years.
The RPGs came later, when I was maybe twelve, once D&D 3e got a Polish translation and became available in my local bookstore. Since then, I'm basically mixing all of that, in varying proportions.
What have been the most surprising or interesting things you learnt whilst working on this book?
The most fascinating element was finding the connections between various cultures, the drift of beliefs and stories through the millennia. An oak, for example, is closely connected to gods of thunder - whether you look at the Greek mythology, the Roman, the Norse, the Baltic, or the Slavic.
Or witch hazel - its name comes from Old English 'wice' meaning 'pliant' or 'bendy.' And yet, in most European languages, the names have evolved along the witchcraft vein, even though there's no reason for it, other than folk etymology. It's a 'magic nut' in German and Finnish, a 'troll hazel' in Swedish, and an 'enchant' (abbreviated 'enchantment') in Polish.
Nothing makes me as happy as finding those incredible connections between the cultures.
The completed book will feature around 100 beautifully detailed illustrations across 360 pages, are you sick of plants yet or has working on the book deepened your appreciation for them?
I don't think I'll ever be sick of plants in general - but I am definitely looking forward to getting this project finished and allowing myself to delve into the next of my vaguely scientific hobbies! I have a whole bunch of them, being a librarian cursed with unbridled curiosity.
I'm already looking at the topic for the next book, but I need to stop myself from having too much fun with it. I have a book to write first!
As a graphic designer you’ve worked with some of our favourite RPG publishers, what first got you into the hobby and when did you realise you wanted to make it a career?
My life goal was always to make pretty books: write them, illustrate, lay out - any and all of those. It's not really surprising that the moment I found pretty roleplaying books in my local bookstore, I just delved deeply into the whole RPG thing!
As I grew up, I followed along the line, getting a degree in librarianship (lots and lots of book history and design there!), getting a job as a graphic designer, and then moving with all of that into the tabletop gaming industry.
After a couple of years in historical wargaming, I moved to Finland to live my life as a freelance forest cryptid specializing in book design for tabletop roleplaying games. I'd say I'm on the track to making those pretty books my livelihood :)
The Herbalist's Primer is described as system agnostic but what games do you generally play (for fun) yourself these days?
I'm mostly a Shadowrun player, as I like my systems crunchy and challenging (and I'm not against fixing the mechanics on the fly), but we're just starting a new D&D 5e campaign, in which I get to fulfill my dream of being a shapeshifting witch - that is, a moon druid. I haven't played D&D in a long while, so this sounds like a lot of fun!
We're supposed to do some base building with Matt Colville's Strongholds & Followers, which I haven't done before either. Other than that, we're mostly playing and playtesting systems of our own, hard sci-fi strategy RPG Project Aphelion and sci-fantasy cosmic horror RPG Blazing Aurorae.
The book is described as ‘compatible with all tabletop RPG systems’ but how compatible with real life is it? Is this something that someone with no interest in games but who is interested in plants or indeed witchcraft might get some use from?
The book is as scientifically accurate as I could make it - and I have Rishi Masalia with his PhD in plant biology as a science editor in the project! Obviously, the magical elements are hard to prove, but they have been described according to existing folklore and the occult.
As every magic practitioner knows, it's mostly the intent that matters - if anything in the book resonates with your soul or methods, it might just work!
Right this second as I type this the campaign's got nearly 18,000 backers and has raised just shy of $750,000 so it's s obviously gone incredibly well, did you have even the slightest idea that it would take off like this?
Oh dear, no. Of course not. I've made a book on the intersection of botany, folklore, occult, and tabletop gaming, and I honestly expected it to appeal only to the people who are interested in all of them. As I can only interpret it, it seems to appeal to people who are into any of those topics.
It took us very much by surprise - but it'll let me make the idea into a book series, which is more than I could ever dream about.
Looking to the future in your last update you said that the success of the book means the Herbalist's Primer will now be the first of a series of books, so can you tell us a little about what you hope to do next?
I'm toying with a couple of ideas, and I asked our backers for help. Currently, at the top of the queue (in a random order) are: animals, trees, fungi, and rocks & minerals. I'm not sure which way I'll go yet, but it will probably be one of those. No promises, though! My brain sometimes gets caught up on a brand new special interest, and then the rest of the world ceases to exist.
And if people want to keep up to date with what you’re working on, what's the best way of doing that?
If you're interested in reading my daily updates on a variety of topics, from our garden squirrels to Finnish weather, follow me on Twitter.
For more comprehensive and concise information (but fewer cat photos), jump to our website and sign up for the monthly newsletter! It comes with all the news, updates, and previews of the cool stuff we're working on. We also have a Patreon and a very chill Patron-only Discord server!
Thank you Anna and good luck with the last leg of the campaign!
The Herbalist's Primer by Anna Urbanek is crowdfunding on Kickstarter right now and the campaign ends at 6pm CEST on Friday 24th of September |
Mysterious creature resembling a giant spider was discovered by explorers in the Congo jungle
Today, we take a look at what this explorer encountered while hiker through this jungle in the Congo.
William J. Gibbons was another person who had a run in with this mysterious creature. The naturalist detailed that while on the hunt for another Congo cryptid known as the Mokele-mbembe, his expedition team encountered natives who told them about their experiences with giant spiders. Amazed at what he was hearing he was excited to share their stories with others when he returned to Canada.
This Explorer Claimed They Encountered Giant Spiders While Hiking Through The Congo Jungle |
National symbols of the Norfolk Empire
This article lists notable national symbols of the Norfolk Empire.
|Use||National flag and ensign|
|Adopted||25 June 2019|
|Design||A "blue and white background with the Aztec glyphs for Texcoco, Tenochtitlan, and Tlacopan."|
|Designed by||HRH Prince Cooper Norfolk I|
The flag of the Norfolk Empire is currently flown anywhere, but a paper version of the flag could soon be flying somewhere in the District of New Tenochtitlan.
Coat of arms
|Coat of Arms of the Norfolk Empire|
|Armiger||House of Norfolk|
|Adopted||25 June 2019|
|Escutcheon||Doubling: 1st the Aztec glyph for Tenochtitlan and 2nd two doves and a crown.|
|Supporters||Unchained dogs sand brown|
|Motto||Esperanto: JUSTITO, REĜECO, AZTEKO|
The coat of arms of the Norfolk Empire was created on 25 June 2019 by HRH Prince Cooper Norfolk I.
The shield in the centre of the coat of arms is doubled, . The first quadrant represents the Aztec culture in the Norfolk Empire and the second quadrant represents a peaceful monarchy. The crest of the shield, a laurel wreath, also represents the imperial nature of the Norish Monarchy.
The shield has as its supporters two unchained three-legged dogs to remember Parker Keourac, the Patron Saint of the Norfolk Empire. The motto beneath the shield, JUSTITO, REĜECO, AZTEKO ("Justice, Royalty, Aztec"), is an adaptation of the motto of the Norfolk Empire, “Justito, Reĝeco, kaj Aztekoj” (Justice, Royalty, and Aztecs).
The Dove is the national animal of the Norfolk Empire, named as such on 25 June 2019 to represent peace in the Norfolk Empire. Following in the examples of several U.S. states, other cultural symbols were also designated Norish symbols. The Patron Saint of the Norfolk Empire is Parker Keourac, the National Sport is Bowling, the National Dish is French Toast, the National Drink is a Banana Smoothie, and the National Cryptid is the Kraken.
Sub-national flags and coats of arms
Flag of the Duchy of Dellfolk
Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Dellfolk
Flag of the Duchy of Bitty Ridge
Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Bitty Ridge
Flag of the Duchy of Seekeria
Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Seekeria
Flag of Micasa
Coat of Arms of Micasa
Flag of Hirntot
Coat of Arms of Hirntot
Flag of New Brookeside
Seal of New Brookeside
Flag of Aileen
Coat of Arms of Aileen
Flag of New Tenochtitlan
Seal of New Tenochtitlan |
On Ron’s Amazing Stories we have a brand new listener submitted, Johnny Is It True – Pearl Harbor edition. We follow that up with two scary stories, The Red Lady Of Huntingdon, and a naked man faces a strange cryptid. Also, on the program, we continue with Part 3 of Second Variety by Philip K. Dick. So press play and enjoy!
Featured Story – Second Variety
In parts one and two, we learn that the Americans have created self-replicating robots to fight the Russians for them. Also, that these robots have flipped the script and began making humanoid versions of themselves to fool their enemies. The Russians have taken many losses and are ready to work with the Americans to end the war. Is it too late? Are these robots now the true nemesis? And why can’t Major Hamilton contact his home base?
The story is called Second Variety and was suggested to me by listener Mark Lopez a few months ago. It was first published in Space Science Fiction in the May of 1953 issue.
Ron’s Amazing Stories is produced and hosted by Ronald Hood:
Blog Page: https://ronsamazingstories.blog/
Podcast Survey – Help the podcast by taking this survey.
Story Submissions – Use this link to submit your stories to the show.
Podcast Archives – Looking for the first 100 episodes of the podcast? |
/ behind the scenes
Nye (they/them) - Co-Captain, Music Composer, Co-Sound Designer, Director
Nye is an audio goblin, picking up scraps and jewels to give life to their endless pile of creative projects. While also an audio designer, Nye is an actor, director, musician, and writer. They are so thrilled to be working with such chaotic and creative minds on this project and thanks everyone for giving it their all. “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it.” ― Jordan Belfort
Terran (they/them) - Co-Captain, Writer
Terran Wanderer is a bodiless, genderless entity whose soul was split between seven magical gems, each hidden in a dark Ziggurat. By defeating the perilous traps and acquiring all seven stones, the Holophonic Theatre gained the ability to summon this chaos spirit. Control...is perhaps too strong a word. They are a published author, playwright and poet. All will be made manifest in the fullness of time.
Veto (he/him) - Production Assistant, Stage Manager
Veto has been doing theater for a few years, mainly stage management and set construction. Veto is currently working on a BA in Drama. Other than theatre, Veto enjoys reading, writing, screaming for no reason, and long walks on the beach (just kidding, beaches suck). Veto is super excited to be embarking on journey as a theatre artist, and hopes everyone enjoys what The Holophonic Theatre is here to give.
Matrix (she/her) - Co-Sound Designer
Matrix is thrilled to be involved in this virtual production. She has had several experiences working in sound for the stage, but this is one of her first few digital jobs. Previous to this, she’s been sitting on her couch wondering when she was going to do something creative again. So this was a welcomed change of pace. Creating unique (occasionally unsettling), uber specific sound effects is one of her favorite things to do, so this was right in her wheel house. She hopes that you end up enjoying and becoming deeply invested in the story just as she has, and it inspires some creativity in everyone else, too.
Local No.Body (he/him) - Co-Music Composer
No.Body enjoys long walks that gets him lost in the mountains or in the ocean, 3 glasses of Amaretto sours shaken with a dash of bitters and almost everything music related. Through seemingly endless years working in theatre and choir, No.Body has also dabbled in composing original scores for plays and building Spotify playlists that last 24+ hours hoping someone will give him a music consultant job for a show like “Letterkenny” someday. No.Body is honored to be working with the Holophonic Theatre on this virtual project and hopes to bring music that makes the normies discover emotions they didn’t even know had actual names.
Scott Interrante (he/him) - Composer/Arranger
Scott Interrante is a composer and arranger based in New York City. His original music has been featured on hundreds of episodes of reality television and he has arranged or produced for artists like Mitski and That Brunette. In 2020, Scott composed and co-wrote the one-act online musical How You Holding Up?: A Quarantine Musical.
Michael Isabella (he/him) - Assistant Arranger
Michael Isabella is a composer and producer from New York who writes music for television and releases his own garage rock songs under the name Harvey Bruce.
Nightfawn (she/her) - Head of Graphic Design
Nightfawn is a creative spirit with a hand in many forms of self-expression, from putting out her own content as an amateur voice actor to the visual arts. She likes to keep herself busy, some might say too busy, but sleep is a myth. She’s honoured to be part of such a wild and crazy but innovative and inclusive project.
Crowe (they/them) - Resident Artist
Crowe is a mysterious cryptid who screeches haunting hymns at all hours of the day. They are a nonbinary and disabled artist with a chaotic personality and a strong penchant for justice. Chronic illness is a bitch, but they're a bigger one. You can generally find them in the woods, lying in bed with their cat, or eating things out of the fridge in the middle of the night with their bare hands. As the resident artist for Vacant Arcadia, they know exactly what kind of underwear every character is wearing. |
You’ve studied the footage, connected the dots, and gathered what meagre evidence you could. You’re close – soon the whole world will know the truth behind the Cryptid. A group of like-minded cryptozoologists have come together to finally uncover the elusive creature, but the glory of discovery is too rich to share. Without giving away some of what you know you will never succeed in locating the beast, but reveal too much and your name will be long forgotten!
Cryptid is a unique deduction game of honest misdirection in which players must try to uncover information about their opponent’s clues while throwing them off the scent of their own. Each player holds one piece of evidence to help them find the creature, and on their turn they can try to gain more information from their opponents. Be warned – give too much away and your opponents might beat you to the mysterious animal and claim the glory for themselves!
The game includes a modular board, five clue books, and a deck of setup cards with hundreds of possible setups across two difficulty levels. It is also supported by an entirely optional digital companion, allowing for faster game setup and a near-infinite range of puzzles. |
[Review] 'Monstrous' is Light on Actual Monsters but Leaves a Big Footprint with Exhilarating Characters
The horror film climate of the last decade has been populated with several Sasquatch related films, and as a casual Sasquatch/Bigfoot enthusiast, I’ve seen most of them...
...Many of the lot are the kind of insultingly bad horror movies you’d find at a Redbox, with poorly rendered cover art. All too familiar with getting my hopes dashed, it’s always a delight when a winner sneaks up on me. There have been a few exceptions throughout the years, with some even becoming a part of my revisited film rotation. As I sat down to watch Monstrous with crossed fingers and cautious optimism, I desperately wanted it to be one of those exceptions. Director Bruce Wemple and actress/writer Anna Shields have certainly made something that defies expectation and is full of surprises, but these genre defying twists and turns may not be as satisfying as intended.
After a brief scene introducing our hairy forest roamer, Monstrous kicks off its tale of intrigue with a newsreel compilation of mysterious sightings and disappearances in Whitehall, New York. Sylvia (Shields) and her best friend, Jamie (Grant Schumacher) have lost all contact with their friend Dana, who had reportedly been driving up to Whitehall. The conspiracy/cryptid hunting Jamie thinks he has a lead on what happened to Dana, after obsessively studying connections between several other disappearances and “Squatch,” as he calls it. Sylvia, being more of a skeptic, initially tries to temper Jamie’s theory, but, after he reminds her of Dana’s trouble and sets up a meet with another person traveling to Whitehall, her guilt sets in and she decides to make the trek. On the day of travel, Jamie calls the whole thing off because of food poisoning but Sylvia, now determined to find answers, goes against his wishes and sets off with their contact, Alex (Rachel Finniger). A quiet road trip with two quaint girls getting to know one another turns into a tension filled disaster as each woman learns the true identity of the other.
After watching Monstrous, I felt a myriad of emotions. I felt part emotionally invested, part deceived and misled, part angry, and part impressed. On a script and story level, Monstrous is its own worst enemy. The setup of the story is intriguing enough, but once things get rolling, the film doesn’t know where it wants to take you. Sasquatch is pitched to us as the centerpiece of the story, but midway through, the legend that has so much mystique and intrigue is thrown on the backburner. The famed creature is in the film for roughly ten minutes. Instead of focusing on what I was most interested in and what had been teased, the film takes an unsatisfying turn, and becomes a psychological thriller that’s so far removed from the initial setup, it feels like another film entirely. I’m a cheerleader for films that want to fuse genres together and I applaud Shields for trying something different, but it has to have connective tissue that gives the story meaning, or at the very least, coherency. Sasquatch could have been removed from this film altogether and it wouldn’t have any impact on the overall story.
Anna Shields carries the film with an impeccable performance as Sylvia. An intriguing backstory revealing the origins of her insecurities and flaws mixed with her earnestly presented vulnerability create an effectively sympathetic and well-written lead role that makes up for the focus and identity issues elsewhere in the film. Her past traumas could have easily been heavy handed and mishandled, but Shields gives an understated, subtle performance. In several scenes she is forced into extremely uncomfortable situations and we squirm in our seats with her as we witness her suppress a barrage of emotional distress. Even when the film falls apart, I still found myself rooting for Sylvia and wanted to see her return home to safety and comfort. Another notable cast member is Rachel Finniger, who plays the overbearing and cryptic Alex. Finniger exudes possessive confidence and boldness through Alex just as effectively as Shields handles Sylvia’s vulnerability, and the dynamic between the two makes their anxious and sometimes erotic interplay exhilarating to watch.
Visually, Monstrous looks just fine for the majority of the film. I’ve seen many films with little to no attention paid to specified locations, so the establishing shots of Lansing, Michigan and Whitehall, New York were a surprisingly authentic addition. As someone familiar with a wide range of Michigan, I’m happy to say they went the extra mile by ensuring the proper aesthetic details were on point when recreating Lansing for earlier scenes. My only visual gripes, in fact, come from the ever-shifting color grading. I was a bit put off from the onset when I noticed how oversaturated the film was, but I can chalk that up to stylistic preferences. If everyone in a Michael Bay film can have orange-tinted skin in a world of overly vibrant objects, Monstrous can be oversaturated. The inconsistency of the color grading, however, is harder to ignore. Toward the end of the film, there is an outdoor sequence with cutaway shots between the landscape and one of the characters. With every alternating shot, the color grading would shift in such a way that it took me out of an otherwise tension-filled scene.
Monstrous uses the framework of a creature feature and injects a “we’re the real monster” metaphorical narrative into its core, resulting in a far different film than the fun monster flick we’re led to believe it is. Part of the reason for this disappointment is the “Squatch”-focused buildup we never get to see carried through. Had the film not teased us with such an exciting hook, its metaphoric tendencies would be easier to forgive. In spite of all its misgivings and flaws, Monstrous is worth checking out, if only for the mesmerizing performance of Anna Shields. Just don’t go in expecting another Exists (2014) or Willow Creek (2013), as this film differs in tone, story, and most notably, a severe lack of the “Squatch” himself.
Monstrous comes to VOD/DVD from Uncork’d Entertainment August 11th.
By Jeffrey W. Hollingsworth |
Spanish artist Eduardo Valdes-Hevia's work includes photorealistic images that document the strange and supernatural, and in this case, the downright cute. Image via valdevia.art
Written by Frank Lopez
Grainy footage that went viral of what looks like a pair of pants walking across a lawn is all it took to create a folk tale known around the world — the Fresno Nightcrawler.
The cryptid — an animal claimed but not proven to exist in the wild — has gained so much popularity online that it’s joined the ranks of Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster and the Mothman. While not as famous as the others, the Nightcrawler has captured the imagination of online pop culture
Artists, writers and crafters, along with fans of the supernatural and unexplained, have embraced the Fresno Nightcrawler, creating stories that add to the lore and producing stickers, plush dolls, animations, keychains and more of the creature.
Though it’s taken more than a decade for the Fresno Nightcrawler to become known even in the area where the tale was born, the local community has come to embrace the mythical resident.
Birth of a Legend
The story of the Fresno Nightcrawler starts in 2007, when a Fresnan who identified himself only as Jose brought surveillance footage of his front lawn first to the Univision television station then paranormal investigator Victor Camacho. Jose was frightened and was looking for an explanation.
Another video from 2011 captured two white figures with long legs walking across Yosemite Lakes Park.
These two videos are what sparked the rise of speculation over the cryptid — inspiring even more creators on YouTube to discuss and feature the internet-age legend.
More sightings have been claimed, but these days there is more activity with the Fresno Nightcrawler in merchandising and the art world.
Making Modern Myths
Artists across the world have taken their own creative liberties with the Fresno Nightcrawler, depicting it in all sorts of ways — from serious and terrifying to cute and lighthearted.
Eduardo Valdés-Hevia, 25, a digital artist from Spain, has been passionate about myths and folklore since he was a child. He creates images and stories about cryptids and other mythical creatures, including the Fresno Nightcrawler.
Valdés-Hevia, a medical school graduate, uses Photoshop to combine historical photographs with monsters and creatures, resulting in photorealistic images that document the strange and supernatural. He also creates stories to add context to the images, framing it as a historical document.
Sometimes that can fool people. In May 2021, Valdés-Hevia’s image of a mermaid discovered in Nova Scotia made it to the popular fact-checking website snopes.com, which declared it false after being circulated online as proof of a mermaid.
It was actually a digitally altered image of people standing around a beached whale.
Valdés-Hevia is originally from Asturias in Northwestern Spain, which has rich culture of European folklore, sparking his enthusiasm for myths and the macabre at a young age. He was exposed to the Fresno Nightcrawler more recently, through artist friends making their own takes on the creature.
He said the Fresno Nightcrawler is unique in the world of cryptid folklore as you can trace the origins to a certain time and place, as opposed to the myths of Europe, which are hundreds or thousands of years-old and harder to trace.
“In this case, you can clearly see it started in this certain year, with this certain person, telling this story, and then it grows from that, Valdés-Hevia said. “It’s very different from the myths I’m used to.”
A big appeal of the Fresno Nightcrawler, Valdés-Hevia said, is that they are cute, which scores a lot of internet points and lends itself to be made into stickers and plush dolls. When it comes to cryptids, he can’t think of a more recent one that has reached the popularity of the Nightcrawler.
Valdés-Hevia believes the Fresno Nightcrawler is more famous outside of the Fresno area.
Since his artwork is widely circulated on the internet, which could lead to people thinking the images are real, Valdés-Hevia feels he has a part in modern mythmaking.
“I’ll make something with a mermaid, or with a Fresno Nightcrawler, and I do my own take on them — a different perspective,” he said.
Laura Splotch is a local artist and artistic director at Storyland, a children’s theme park in Fresno. She’s also a lover of all thing’s cryptid, creepy and weird.
She features various cryptids in her artwork — with a soft spot for the Fresno Nightcrawler because of its local connection.
“These really intrigued me because they’re from Fresno,” Splotch said. “They look unique and different. It’s a weird thing to fake, but if they’re real, that’s even weirder.”
In May 2022, Splotch attended a Fresno Arthop event celebrating the local cryptid where she bought Nightcrawler earrings and stickers. The theme for her 2022 Halloween decorations will be all cryptid, and she plans on making a figure of the Fresno Nightcrawler with mannequin legs.
Splotch likens the Fresno Nightcrawler to the Chupacabra, a creature of Mexican folklore known for killing and feeding on the blood of goats. She thinks the Fresno cryptid could possibly be some type of animal — with the legend growing from there.
Even with just the few videos of supposed Fresno Nightcrawler footage, Splotch said so many people are still interested in them, and the supernatural in general.
“It’s unexplainable,” Splotch said. “A lot of people are drawn to the unexplainable. But I’d rather Fresno be known for the Nightcrawlers than some of the other stuff we are known for.”
Along with videos on YouTube exploring and analyzing the Fresno Nightcrawler, the Central Valley cryptid is also the subject of podcasts.
Dallas-based comedians Christie Wallace and Heather McKinney are co-hosts of the Sinisterhood Podcast, with weekly episodes covering topics such as true crime, cults and all things creepy.
They’ve made about 200 podcasts that have been downloaded more than 25 million times.
Listeners voted for the hosts to do an episode on the Fresno Nightcrawler that came out in June 2022.
McKinney said that when they take their show on tour in the comedy club circuit, they take a break from the darker, more serious topics, opting instead for fun, lighthearted topics such as the Fresno Nightcrawler and other cryptids.
Wallace said she wasn’t aware of the Nightcrawler when the videos first came out, but later saw them on Etsy and featured on memes.
“Even though it’s only a few years old, it has already joined the pantheon of Mothman, Nessie, Bigfoot — despite being pretty localized,” Wallace said. “We saw pictures and thought people seemed to like it, and when we did the vote, people voted resoundingly for the Nightcrawler.”
Wallace said her first reaction to the video was that the creatures looked like someone walking around in a big pair of pants, which leads to its appeal, she believes. She said because they don’t look like any other cryptid, or any animal found in nature, it’s funny and simple appearance lends itself to merchandising.
Because stories of the Nightcrawlers simply involve them lurking in the dark, and being non-threatening, there is a wider appeal, she said.
McKinney said that in their research for the Fresno Nightcrawler, they learned about the local area and the people involved in the story, giving them a deeper understanding of Fresno.
The Nightcrawler podcast was a hit with listeners.
“Anytime we cover a small lore from a specific area, listeners that are from that area get really excited, so we had a lot of the people from the Fresno area stoked that we were covering something from their neck of the woods. It seems its being embraced in the City of Fresno, but the Nightcrawlers have made a name for themselves in other states as well,” McKinney said. |
As Birk exits California like the last son of a dying planet, we check in with our brother from another podcast before his transmitter gets out of range. Please enjoy what is likely the final episode of this podcast before Spencer divorces Caleb over cryptid-gate.
Loveland Aleworks Blackberry Lemon Bar Sour (5): Producer Ross likes Among Us. In Dissecting Our Fun, we talk about why he is alone and wrong.
Tool Brewing Mr. Orange 2019 Edition (3): In Mixed Six Mock Draft, we’ve got to paper the shelves of the trash canon with self-help books by sidekicks.
Boulevard Brewing Nutcracker Winter Warmer Ale (3): Ben Asked Mixed Six about their favorite cryptids. That was really the beginning of the end.
Boulevard Brewing and Rhinegeist-Crust Fall Peach Berry Pie Sour (4): We Make a Pair pairs alcohol with Halloween candy to get ready for all the Trick or Treating you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BE DOING.
Rockwell Beer Co. Stand By Hoppy Pilsner (4): Innervium has to sell the brain juice from Deep Blue Sea. If we can get three movies out of that franchise, we wring some profit from these shark brains.
Oskar Blues’ Mama’s Little Yella Pils (3): Finally Drunk Enough, we answer the ‘how to write’ question. Caleb’s answer is appreciated at levels commiserate with his other contributions. |
How I forgot to include the World Series in my ode to October, I don’t know. Well, I rectified that by talking about this year’s Fall Classic. It don’t look good for the Detroit Tigers. They are three games down to the San Fransisco Giants. I talked about Pablo Sandoval’s achievement of hitting three home runs in one game in the World Series. A feat that has only been done four times before in the history of the series. Babe Ruth (he did it twice!), Reggie Jackson, and Albert Puljols have done it. And now they can add “Panda” to the record books.
My son and I have been watching the animated series Star Blazers on YouTube and I gave my thoughts on the show. It’s silly fun and its regard for science is nonexistent. They think that Mars is THOUSANDS of light years away from Earth! Um, not exactly, but who cares? Just go with it.
For seven years, Steve Spears has been producing a podcast and blog dedicated to his favorite decade, the 1980s, called Stuck In The 80s. Along with his irreverent and very funny cohost, Sean Daly, he would bring us news and interviews and general talk about the pop culture of that decade. There were other cohosts over the run of the show, but Sean Daly’s zaniness was a perfect fit for Steve Spears’ more subdued persona. It was very entertaining.
The final (?) show featured call-ins by long time SIT80s fans and a couple recorded messages (one by a Dr. Dim, ever heard of him?) and lots of memories of the show. There are 270 plus episodes to listen to on iTunes, so if you haven’t heard it there’s lots of fun awaiting you.
There’s a new “reality” show on the horizon. Another one? Yep, just what we need, right?
Given that people have been searching for the cryptid for decades and the areas where it might be are shrinking and the fact that everyone carries a camera with them everywhere they go and no bigfoot has yet been found, I’d say Spike TV’s $10 million is safe.
Movie Recommendations: Young Frankenstein (1974)
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Date With A Vampyre‘ by The Screaming Tribesmen & ‘Antonin Artaud‘ by Bauhaus
Closing song: ‘Angler’s Treble Hook’ by $5 Fiddle |
The Tantrum House crew got together with Peter Vaughan from Breaking Games to play the new Dwellings of Eldervale board game that's coming to Kickstarter soon. In this video, they chat about their experience playing a prototype version of the game. Note: All shown components are prototype and do not reflect the final production.
Are you looking for a way to improve your game nights? To start making friends? And to start winning again? Then look no further than Meeplex XP! It's the solution for getting you back into the game!
Join the Tantrum House Crew as they recap their play-through of the game Cryptid.
After playing a round of Captain Marvel, from USAopoly together, the Tantrum House crew hangs around to share their thoughts on the game.
We just finished playing Reef and now we take 2 minutes to give our thoughts on the board game.
The Tantrum House crew just finished playing the new Gemstone Mining game from USAopoly. Now find out what they thought about the game!
Tantrum House just finished playing Zombie Dice from Steve Jackson Games. Get their opinion of the game and see what it's all about.
Want to watch it played? Check out our Playthru here: https://youtu.be/xO7pa5b4isE
Will, Sara and Melissa just finished playing the new Fireworks board game from Renegade Game Studios.
After playing through the new Fruit Ninja board game from Lucky Duck Games the Tantrum House Crew spends 2 minutes talking about what they thought of the game.
Playthru - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDCd6WF9wTA
Tantrum House shares their thoughts on Pictomania published by CGE. To watch our Playthru of the game check out this video: https://youtu.be/xQyIYlQHxUw
The Tantrum House Crew did a Playthru of the new Blank Slate from USAopoly and then hung around and shot this video where they shared some of their thoughts on the experience. Have you played Blank Slate? What was your experience like?
The Tantrum House crew did a Playthru of the game Goodcritters from Arcane Wonders, and in this video they share their thoughts on the experience.
Welcome to the House!
We are a group of long-time friends who enjoy sharing our love of board games with the world. If you are new to the hobby—welcome! If you're working on a Kickstarter, let us know how we can help. If you're looking for family-friendly fun and info about tabletop games, then you've found the right place! |
Sep 10, 2022
Is Bigfoot a supernatural creature? Dr. Simeon Hein says the answer is yes! We discuss it on this week's edition of The Cryptid Report! PLUS ONLY!
You can find his book on the subject at Amazon: Dark Matter Monsters: Cryptids, Ball Lightning, and the Science of Secret Lifeforms
Thanks Dr. Hein! |
(Editor’s note: This review contains major spoilers.)
Night of the Sasquatch by Keith Luethke is a horror story about a family’s encounter with a clan of Bigfoot. The interesting wrinkle in this entry into cryptid fiction is Luethke tells the story from the points of view of the family and the Bigfoot.
Night of the Sasquatch begins as the typical cabin-in-the-woods trope with newly married couple Wein and Stacy traveling to a mountain cabin for a honeymoon weekend with their five-month-old daughter Valery. During a grocery stop on the way, a stranger appears just long enough to warn Stacy to “stay out of the woods.”
The story soon shifts to the clan of Bigfoot alarmed by the arrival of humans. Living in a nearby cave, the Bigfoot characters have names and distinct personalities, and the males are engaged in a power struggle for leadership of the clan.
Members of the Bigfoot clan watch the human family in the cabin and try to warn them off with rocks. Their action prompts a call to police and a detective’s decision to watch the cabin for the remainder of the night.
The Bigfoot clan members argue over what to do about the humans. Should they leave or attack? Their decision fuels the action-packed climax, ending with acts of self-preservation and humanity in the pulse-pounding finale.
Night of the Sasquatch is an entertaining break for Bigfoot fans and takes less than an hour to read.
NEXT UP: Chapter Sixteen: Something in the Woods. I review the 2015 film directed by Tony Gibson and David D. Ford.
Lionel Ray Green is a horror and fantasy writer, an award-winning newspaper journalist, and a U.S. Army gulf war veteran living in Alabama. His short stories have appeared in more than two dozen anthologies, magazines, and ezines, including The Best of Iron Faerie Publishing 2019; America’s Emerging Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers: Deep South; and Alabama’s Emerging Writers. His short story “Scarecrow Road” won the WriterWriter 2018 International Halloween Themed Writing Competition, All Hallows’ Prose. Drop by https://lionelraygreen.com/ and say hello. |