Well, it was inevitable. Anyone who writes about the weird stuff that happens in this world has to, at some point, tackle two topics: Bigfoot, and the Bermuda Triangle. Not that the two are in anyway related; rather, they’re both arguably the most popular paranormal subjects out there. Usually I try to find more exotic fare for the blog, but when a friend mentioned the Bermuda Triangle in conjunction with something called the Hutchinson Effect, I decided I’d dive in since it was a two-fer.
The Bermuda Triangle is such a facet of pop culture at this point that I won’t spend a ton of time describing it. It is described as a big slice of ocean (between half a million and 1.5 million square miles) that forms, big shock here, a triangle, with the vertices centered in Bermuda, Miami, and San Juan. The Triangle is alleged to be the site of strange phenomena: metallic fogs, strange magnetic disturbances, freak storms, and unexplained lights in the sky. Believers claim that the Triangle swallows ships and planes whole, leaving not a trace for befuddled rescuers to recover.
Believers posit various reasons for the phenomena. Perhaps Atlantis sank beneath the waves under the Triangle, or there’s an alien colony on the sea floor abducting people for nefarious purposes. Since those of us who don’t regularly sport tinfoil hats can easily discount those two, let’s move on to a third, more entertaining option: the Hutchinson Effect.
Known was the H-Effect, it was allegedly discovered by an eccentric inventor named John Hutchinson, who was monkeying around with the various electronic gizmos that he packed his apartment with over the years when, lo and behold, something (it’s never said what) whacked him in the shoulder! Turns out whatever it was had started levitating due to…something. Something that can also cause unlike materials (metal and wood, for example) to meld together, metals to melt without heat, and other strange phenomena, including metallic fogs similar to those allegedly reported above the Bermuda Triangle.. The best explanation that supporters can come up with for the alleged effect is that scalar waves tap into zero point energy, thus producing the phenomena observed. How exactly that happens, they have no explanation.
Ah, Scientology, the pseudo-religion/cult built on a premise straight out of science fiction. It’s mind boggling to think that Scientology has as large a following as it does, and even more upsetting that celebrities continue to endorse its ideals.
This infographic, courtesy of Visual.ly gives the low-down on Scientology – from it’s strange beginnings through to its ongoing legal battles.
SILVER SPRING, Md., March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Mysterious shadows. Screams in the night. A hair-raising sense that something is watching. Stories of the unknown capture our imagination and curiosity in Destination America’s new series MONSTERS AND MYSTERIES IN AMERICA, premiering Sunday, March 24 at 10 PM E/P. From all across the country emerge tales of close encounters with legendary creatures, from horrific monsters and ancient spirits to alien sightings and unexplained paranormal phenomena. Thirty percent of Americans believe that a beast such as Bigfoot is living in our forests*; in a quaint Montana town, reports of an elusive lake serpent have persisted every year since 1889; last year, UFO sightings were reported in 36 of 50 states in one week alone.** Featuring first-person accounts with everyday people who believe they have come face to face with real-life folktale fiends, MONSTERS AND MYSTERIES IN AMERICA travels our country’s untamed wilderness to tell of its storied past.
“Each legend in MONSTERS AND MYSTERIES IN AMERICA, including those of Sheepsquatch, Batsquatch, Skunk Ape, and Mothman, may have been passed down from generation to generation but these aren’t your average scout master’s campfire tales,” said Marc Etkind, SVP of Content Strategy for Destination America. “Local legends are a product of their environment and no country is a better muse for this kind of fear than America, with its dense forests, desert wasteland, and hundreds of miles of uninhabitable wilderness where any evil could hide.”
Each episode focuses on a different American region and features stories of people who claim to have encountered creatures of local legend. The first two episode includes:
Appalachia premieres Sunday, March 24 at 10 PM E/P
Sheepsquatch (Breckenridge County, KY) – The border between southwest Virginia and West Virginia is an area shrouded in mystery and folklore, but few mysteries are more unusual and intriguing than that of the Appalachian white beast known to the locals as Sheepsquatch. Dakota Cheeks and his best friend Ricky Joyce become prey to the legendary white beast during a weekend hunting trip.
UFO/Little Green Men (Kelly and Hopkinsville, KY) – One quiet summer evening in 1955, the Sutton family farm is invaded by unexpected visitors. The family is hardly prepared for what they encounter – a small, green creature with glowing yellow eyes, about 3.5 feet tall with pointed ears and long arms raised high in the air. And he’s not alone. At first, the family is captivated by this transcendental moment… but evil quickly takes over.
Mothman (Point Pleasant, WV) – An innocent drive down a country road turns into a nightmare for Faye LaPort and her siblings as they come face to face with the legendary Mothman. Sightings of the Mothman began in 1966 and continued for more than a year, electrifying and baffling the entire region of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Although the hype has died down since then, the sightings have not.
Up until a couple of weeks ago I use to believe that most conspiracy theorists were just a bit nutty, and perhaps hostile online towards skeptics and people who debunked conspiracy theories, but were relatively harmless, except for those who are violently mentally disturbed (example: Jared Lee Loughner), and that at the most were more likely to alienate themselves from friends and family then anything else, and thus do more harm to themselves then to others.
I no longer believe this.
The reason I no longer believe this is because of the massive amount of illegal harassment being done by conspiracy theorists towards the parents of the children who died in the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, and towards the heros who’s efforts helped saved the lives of many more children.
While the claims made by conspiracy theorists that the attack was staged, or didn’t even occur in the first place, wasn’t something that fellow skeptics and debunkers like myself were not expecting (in fact, due to the predictability of conspiracy theorists we would have been more surprised if these claims were not made at all) what did surprise us was the sheer amount of slander and harassment (bordering on outright stalking) that has begun to occur.
Because of the actions of some conspiracy theorists in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre I feel that I have been forced to re-examine my view of conspiracy theorists and their behavior, and that view is even more negative then it once was.
It appears that over the last few years as more and more conspiracy theories get debunked, the hostility of conspiracy theorists who continue to hold on to the beliefs continues to rise.
You’ve seen the insane video of Tom Cruise blasting Scientologists with his truth beams:
Tom Cruise Scientology_420
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You’ve heard the rumors. But now, you’ll get the full story. Over at the New York Post, Maureen Callahan has a fascinating article about journalist Lawrence Wright’s new book about Scientology, called Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. There is a lot about Cruise in the book, partly because he’s Scientology’s most famous acolyte and partly because he is apparently the second-in-command of the church.
He wasn’t just a movie star. He was a transformational leader in a church that claims 8 million members globally, a religious figure with true moral authority and the power to save the planet. Cruise came to believe he had special powers, that he was more equipped to helping a woman suffering postpartum depression than the medical establishment, that addicts would be better off consulting him than in rehab.
[Scientology head David] Miscavige encouraged Cruise’s grandiosity. Marty Rathbun said that Miscavige told Cruise that they were among a select group of chosen ones, “big beings” who were destined to meet up with LRH on a planet called “Target Two.”
Cruise used his celebrity to lobby Bill Clinton and ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair in pursuit of tax breaks for the church, which ex-members say has at least $1 billion in holdings.
Cruise was elated yet distracted by more earthly concerns. He was openly complaining about his lack of a girlfriend, and so once again Miscavige tasked church members with solving this problem. Cruise himself held auditions at the Celebrity Centre, under the guise of casting for his next “Mission: Impossible” film. On his list: Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Kate Bosworth, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Garner, whom he found the most compelling.
Also on his list: Katie Holmes. Researchers on the search for Cruise’s next wife had come across a profile of Holmes, in which she spoke of a childhood crush on him.
Their first date was arranged in April 2005. Cruise took her for a night flight over LA in a helicopter stocked with take-out sushi – his typical, over-the-top, getting-to-know-you approach. Two weeks later, Holmes had moved in with him and cut off all contact with her friends and representatives. She was shadowed everywhere. In April 2006, Holmes gave birth to a daughter, Suri, and in November of that year, she and Cruise married . . .
For his part, Cruise believes his true aim in life is to convert all nonbelievers into the church, which, according to Scientology, will result in Earth’s salvation. “Look,” he said, “I wish the world was a different place. I’d like to go on vacation, and go and romp and play, you know what I mean? But I can’t. Because I know. I know. I have to do something about it. You can sit here and wish it was different, but there’s that moment where you go, ‘You know, I have to do something. Don’t I?’
Apparently Cruise’s special powers don’t extend to meeting women, since (at least according to Wright’s book), the Church of Scientology arranged all his marriages for him. Read the full article over at The New York Post.
I once had a naive childlike notion that the probability of a zombie outbreak was minuscule, even impossible. As time goes by (and scientists continue to develop super viruses just-cos-they-can), the likelihood of this potential global disaster seems more and more possible; unlikely perhaps, but still possible.
Literature and film have taught us that chances of survival in a zombie outbreak are slim, but if you manage to have time to get prepared, your likelihood of lasting a while increases. As I wear glasses, I began to wonder if wearing glasses could provide any benefits to surviving this sort of apocalypse. You will be pleased to know that it turns out glasses can actually up your chances of avoiding being eaten by zombies. After all, glasses can do much more than just help correct our vision.
In a survival situation, glasses can be a valuable asset. You just need a little creativity and forethought and you’re good to go. So let’s think this through: could glasses actually help you fight off zombies?
Yes! Let’s take a look at the top 10 ways you might use glasses to help increase your chances of survival in the midst of a zombie apocalypse:
10 - Amulet
Think Good Thoughts? If you’re getting desperate, do as the ancient peoples did and use glass to help ward off evil spirits. The Ancient Egyptians used to wear a glass eye around their neck for magical protection against evil. Obviously this one doesn’t come highly recommended, especially not on its own. Most zombies probably won’t be bothered by a trinket around your neck since they would rather be eating your neck!
9 - Fire Fire!
Make a fire! Prescription lenses can be used just like magnifying glasses, combined with sunlight, to create a fire. To do this you will need a convex lens (found in prescription glasses for farsightedness). Glass lenses are ideal here. Plastic lenses are less effective as they don’t have a central focal point so the light is dispersed. Grab some tinder, something that will ignite quickly, and hold the lance about a foot in the air, concentrating on one spot until it starts to smolder. Then simply blow gently on the flame and begin adding kindling and more, blowing gently to help bring the fire to life.
8 - Body Armor
Get those shields up! If you can get your hands on more than one pair of glasses and a hot fire, you can melt down the glass to create either a shield or some kind of glass body armor to help prevent bites (I always wondered why people in zombie films don’t invest in creating some kind of protective clothing to help prevent the likelihood of getting bitten and infected, perhaps they could use that stuff scientists use when diving with sharks?). At any rate, surely glass could help you create some form of bite-preventative protection!
7 - Reflector
Alert the troops! Another thing you’ll need to do in a survival situation is find some way of alerting potential authorities or rescuers as to your location. Whether it’s a passing helicopter or a car that might just give you a lift and free you from becoming some ex-someone’s lunch, you’ll need to get their attention. Using a lens to reflect the sun can come in handy. Be careful with this though as it might also draw more zombies to you!
6 - Alarm System
Be warned! Glasses might also make a good alarm system to help you know the zombies are getting too close for comfort. If you have enough pairs of glasses or just some glass lying around (which in an apocalypse let’s face it there will be some around), throw the glasses and spare glass around your dwelling, or wherever you’re squatting at the time, evenly (without gaps) and when you hear the crunching of glasses, get ready to run, hide, or use some weapons to fight!
This list is about the 10 best and most scary monsters. Universal studios has, since the 1920s, produced numerous creatures, monsters and phantoms. Not only amazing monsters, but also some pretty awesome performances from actors such as Boris Karloff, Bela Logusi, Claude Rains, Lon Chaney and his son. Not only is this list focused on appearance, but also performance.
10 – It Came from Outer Space – 1953
Monster: Aliens; One-eyed creature.
It came from outer space is an original sci-fi 3D film, the creature attacking the people of Earth is really frightening with its big scary eye – and that eye is huge! I think it’s a really underrated film, and should be praised more like Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The movie centers around the author and amateur astronomer John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and his woman Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) as they witness a meteorite crash-land near Sand Rock, Arizona. Putnam is quick to believe that it’s a space craft that has landed on Earth, but Fields is skeptical about it.
Putnam is proven right when a number of local people start to disappear and act strangely. He wants to reach a peaceful solution, so he goes into a mine which he hopes will lead him to the buried spacecraft and its occupants. It ends up that the aliens are benign beings whose space craft crashed because of a malfunction; they planned to stay until the parts on the ship were replaced. They temporarily took control of a few humans since they looked so different from them. In a way, you could say that they feared us more, than we did them.
The Phantom of the Opera (1943) is known for its amazing music and beautiful colors, but there is also looming an evilness, or is it evil? Isn’t it just love gone bad? This story is Universal’s version of the Phantom and the idea of the acid has spawned many versions like this. Claudin isn’t a monster, but just madly in love.
The story tells us about an old lonely violinist, Erique Claudin (Claude Rains). Claudin has been playing in the Paris Opera for twenty years, but soon finds himself fired due to a lack of motion in his left hand. Claudin is broke; he is so in love with the voice of Christine Dubois (Susanna Foster) that he has used all his money on paying lessons for her, so she can become the greatest singer of all!
With no money to pay for her lessons and being kicked out of his small apartment, Claudin is forced to sell his lifework – a concerto. Unfortunately the author is an old angry man who doesn’t like newcomers. Frustrated, Claudin searches for his lifework at the office, but he can’t find it! He starts to shake in anger when he hears his concerto being played in the next room. A misunderstanding leads Claudin to strangle the author, whose wife throws acid in his face. Disfigured, Claudin escapes in the sewers and catacombs of Paris. He is now transformed into the Phantom, stalking and killing out of madness and love mixed together – helping Christine and killing anyone who tries to stop him or her voice from being great.
Everyone knows Frankenstein’s bride; she’s beauty mixed with elegance and ugliness. She’s one of the 8 Legendary Universal Monsters, and an all-time original. This list is nothing without The Bride of Frankenstein.
The story continues right after the original Frankenstein’s ending, the monster (Boris Karloff) has survived the burning and crumbling windmill and is very lonely. He isn’t evil, just misunderstood, and he misses love. Henry Frankenstein (the doctor that created the monster) survived the kidnapping too, and now meets his old professor Dr. Septimus Pretorius, the two of them plan in madness to create a bride of Frankenstein.
A storm rages as final preparations are made to bring the Bride to life. Her bandage-wrapped body is raised through the roof. Lightning strikes a kite, sending electricity through the Bride. Henry and Pretorius lower her and realize their success. “She’s alive! Alive!” Henry screams. The excited Monster sees his mate (Elsa Lanchester) and reaches out to her, asking, “Friend?” The Bride, screaming, rejects him. “She hate me! Like others,” the Monster cries. Angered, the Monster rampages the lab and finally tells Henry and Elizabeth, “Yes! Go! You live!” To Pretorius and the Bride he says, “You stay. We belong dead.” As Henry and Elizabeth escapes the monster sheds a tear while pulling a lever making the castle and lab collapse.
7 – The Mummy – 1932
Monster: Imhotep; ancient priest.
The Mummy is a cult classic and also one of the 8 Universal Monsters. its story has been retold in other forms from time to time, but nothing comes near this exiting ancient story about the evil Egyptian priest Imhotep. The Mummy has spanned many semi-sequels – The Mummy’s Hand, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, and The Mummy’s Curse. Though these doesn’t center around Imhotep, but Kharis.
An Ancient Egyptian priest called Imhotep (Boris Karloff) is revived when an archaeological expedition led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) finds Imhotep’s mummy. Despite the warning from his friend Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan), Sir Joseph’s assistant reads an ancient life-giving spell that brings Imhotep back to live. Imhotep escapes from the archaeologists, taking the Scroll of Thoth, and prowls Cairo seeking the reincarnation of the soul of his ancient lover, Princess Ankh-es-en-amon.
Ten years pass and Imhotep returns in human form, now under the name Ardath Bey. He contacts Sir Joseph’s son and says that he knows were Ankh-es-en-amon’s tomb is. After a lot of digging, they finally find her grave; the mummy and treasures are given to the Cairo National Museum. Imhotep was once mummified alive for attempting to resurrect her and – upon finding Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann), a woman bearing a striking resemblance to the Princess – attempts to kill her with the intention of mummifying her corpse, bringing it back to life using the ancient scroll, and making her his bride. In the end the scroll that keeps Imhotep alive is burned, due to Helen remembering her past and praying to the goddess Isis, making Imhotep crumble to a skeleton.
6 – The Invisible Man – 1933
Monster: Griffin; Mad scientist.
This film is just awesome! It has action, explosions, a mad scientist, and the idea of being invisible! The film was made in the ’30s and it’s just amazing that the technology at that time could make a man invisible. And we must not forget the very amusing acting of Claude Rains; his voice will tear your soul apart.
The film opens in a blizzard, where we see this mysterious man with bandages covering his face and body and his eyes obscured by dark goggles. He takes a room at an inn in the English village of Iping, and tells the owners, with his crumbling voice, that he wants to be left alone. The Invisible Man has also spanned many interesting sequels – The Invisible Man Returns, The Invisible Woman, Invisible Agent, and The Invisible Man’s Revenge. All these films has some of the greatest special effects of the ’30s.
We later find out that the mystery man is Griffin (Claude Rains) a mad scientist who has created a drug that makes you invisible! The film continues with the people of Iping discovering him, forcing him to torment and kill anyone who tries to stop him, which in the end makes him a complete madman. He is hunted down like Frankenstein and shot in the snow. We then see his dead body regaining visibility again.
Back in 1955, the late Morris K. Jessup’s book, The Case for the UFO, was published. It was a book that delved deeply into two key issues: (a) the theoretical power-source of UFOs, and (b) the utilization of the universal gravitational field as a form of energy. Not long after the publication of the book, Jessup became the recipient of a series of extremely strange missives from a certain Carlos Miquel Allende, of Pennsylvania. In his correspondence, Allende commented on Jessup’s theories, and gave details of an alleged secret experiment conducted by the U.S. Navy in the Philadelphia Naval Yard in October 1943. Thus was born the highly controversial saga of what has become known as the Philadelphia Experiment.
According to Allende’s incredible tale, during the experiment a warship was rendered optically invisible and teleported to – and then back from – Norfolk, Virginia in a few minutes, the incredible feat supposedly having supposedly been accomplished by applying Albert Einstein’s never-completed Unified Field theory. Allende elaborated that the ship used in the experiment was the DE 173 USS Eldridge; and, moreover, that he, Allende, had actually witnessed one of the attempts to render both the ship and its crew invisible from his position out at sea on-board a steamer called the SS Andrew Furuseth.
If Allende was telling the truth, then the Navy had not only begun to grasp the nature of invisibility, but it had also stumbled upon the secret of teleportation of the type demonstrated – decades later, in fictional, on-screen format – in Star Trek and The Fly. On these very matters, Allende made the disturbing claim that not only did the experiment render many of the crew-members as mad as hatters, but some, he said, even vanished – literally – from the ship while the test was at its height, never to be seen again. Others reportedly suffered horrific and agonizing deaths.
Of course, as students of this very weird affair will know, the tale of Allende and the vanishing ship (or non-vanishing ship, depending on your perspective!) has been denounced as much as it has been championed. But, few are aware of the U.S. Navy’s official stance on the matter. Many assume – quite incorrectly – that the Navy’s position is that nothing whatsoever occurred at all. But their assumptions are wrong.
Contrary to what you might think, the Navy does believe the story has a basis in fact – albeit of a far more down to earth nature.
Here we go – yet another magical bracelet claiming to improve balance, energy, and performance. This time you get to pay $100 for a black piece of cloth with a small chip inside. From the Shuzi website:
Shuzi (pronounced shoo-zee ) utilizes a proprietary chip from the United States, which is programmed to resonate with your cells’ natural frequencies and causes your blood cells to separate thereby creating a better blood flow which can lead to more oxygen through out the body.
“Resonate with natural frequencies” – they can’t even be bothered to make up their own ridiculous pseudoscientific technobabble. Improving blood flow by separating blood cells is also an old scam. We have evolved very robust mechanisms to ensure optimal delivery of oxygen to our tissues. There is no simple way to “improve” this in a healthy person. These mechanisms may not be adequate in someone with advanced disease affecting the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems, neither is a little wrist band going to have any effect in such serious conditions.
The company claims that their product improves balance. Why would increased oxygen delivery improve balance specifically? It might have something to do with the fact that the balance demonstration is an old scam – a parlor trick to convince the unwary that something real is going on.
My favorite part of websites selling blatant nonsense is the tab “how it works.” You know this is going to be fun. In addition to the above claim, they write:
No battery/energy source is required. Many people ask us how this is possible.
Here is our official explanation:
It is a well known fact in the scientific community that ALL atoms are in a constant state of motion. This includes physical object atoms, such as the atoms that make up a desk or chair. More specifically, every atom in a physical object is known to “vibrate” or oscillate back and forth.
Logically, utilizing e=mc2 every atom has mass and the speed of light (c) is a constant, therefore there must be energy in every atom. Through our proprietary programming process, our chip emits sub-atomic energies powered by an atom’s inherent energy. Coincidentally, this energy stimulates the separation of blood cells in the wearer’s body which can help increase blood cell circulation. While the scale of vibration is considerably smaller for nano-vibrational technology, it is inherently the same in definition, to any other object that vibrates.
They quote Einstein and E=mc2 – it’s so sciencey. Yes, all atoms vibrate and have energy (unless they are at absolute zero). That’s called heat. None of this explains how their chip, or anything, can emit “subatomic energies” (what energy, exactly, is that?), and how this energy is transferred to the blood of the wearer. How is a computer chip “programmed” to do this? Are they saying that the energy of atoms responds to the programming inside a computer chip?
The physiology makes as little sense as the physics here.
Over the years there have been a lot of television shows that promotes things that are either non-sense, or just bizarre (I myself even admit that I loved these types of shows) and even today these shows seems to be more popular then ever.
Not only has the amount of these shows seemed to have increased, the amount of topics these shows are based on has also increased as well. Everything from conspiracy theories to psychics are now covered on these shows, and not just ghosts and UFOs anymore.
Here are what I consider to be the ten biggest TV shows that promote non-sense:
This show examines mysteries and conspiracy theories that in a way have become a part of American folklore. What makes this show unique from other shows that examine conspiracy theories is that after the investigation is over, Meltzer will sometimes comes to the real, or at least a logical conclusion.
This profiles people who are getting prepared for some sort of doomsday event, which they are not only certain will happen, but they are usually certain what type of disaster it will be (some even almost seem to be happily anticipating that it will occur). While some of the people on this show do appear to be some what rational, there are others that appear to need some sort of mental health treatment for their paranoia.
8. Finding Bigfoot – Animal Planet
This show follows a group of bigfoot hunters, and their attempts to find the legendary creature. The bigfoot hunters use multiple tools, such as night-vision technology and FLIR cameras, in their attempts to find bigfoot. In fact they do just about everything to find bigfoot… and still can’t find him.
This reality show follows demonologist John Zaffis as he travels around the country, investigating allegedly haunted homes and buildings in which the haunting may be being caused by a certain object, or objects, within the property. After Zaffis has “determined” what object is causing the haunting activity, he then usually removes object (which is usually pretty nice looking and expensive) at the owner’s request, and puts it into his own private museum.
6. Chasing UFOs – National Geographic
This show profiles three people, one skeptic, one believer, and one not quite sure what to believe, as they travel the world investigating claims of UFO sitings, and trying to capture UFOs on video. Basically this show is not much more than your typical UFO hunting TV show that fails to prove that aliens are visiting the Earth. 5. The Dead Files – Travel Channel
Featuring psychic medium Amy Allan, and former NYPD homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi, this show features the two conducting two “independent” investigations, first with Allan going through a walkthrough of an alleged haunted site (after her husband Matt goes through the place prior to her arrival to remove any objects that might “influence” her). During this time it is shown that DiSchiavi is interviewing people who have had paranormal experiences at the location of the investigation. The two then meet up and share the information they got. By all appearances this show seems to be nothing more then an attempt to prove that psychic powers are real.
*Woo-woo (or just plain woo) refers to ideas considered irrational or based on extremely flimsy evidence or that appeal to mysterious occult forces or powers. Concerned with emotions, mysticism, or spiritualism; other than rational or scientific; mysterious; new agey. A person who has mystical or new age beliefs.
Holy crap. Sometimes i come across stuff so … so … um … how shall i say this gently? … so STUPID i have a hard time writing about it because i’m laughing so hard.
According to the website www.thebigom.org, “The world’s biggest ever mass sound healing event is happening at wembley arena” on 12/12/12.
Right off the bat you can tell just by the date of the event this is going to be magical: 12/12/12. As woo-woo decrees: if numbers look special they are special. The date 12/12/12 looks very special, doesn’t it? Like when you’re digital clock says 11:11 or 12:34 – again, very special.
The website goes on to say:
«December 2012 is being looked upon as the time of a significant spiritual shift in the collective consciousness of the planet into this new Golden Age. That’s why 12,000 people will be assembling in Wembley Arena on 12.12.12 to experience The Big Om mass sound healing event – an event with the power at a quantum level to shift the vibration of the planet – which will be live-streamed around the world.
«The Big Om is a five hour shamanic journey lead by metaphysical guru and sound healer Barefoot Doctor, starring Basement Jaxx plus introducing some of today’s leading electronic dance music acts/DJ’s plus a variety of gurus talking over the beats, in an Ibiza-Super-Club style setting, all building to The Big Om – 12,000 people chanting the biggest Om in history, miked and fed back through the system, filtered, phased, gated, sub-bass added, electronic pulse beneath, the beat building, lights swirling over the crowd, and creating a sensation the crowd feels in its knickers, leading to a collective sound-light orgasm that makes the earth move.»
Oh boy! A sound-light orgasm that makes the earth move! WOW! Wait. What? What is a sound-light orgasm? Never mind, don’t be a buzz kill … OooooooooM.
Here is their promotional video. I just watched it and i already feel enlightened and special.
What exactly is “sound healing”? According to WorldSoundHealing.org, sound healing “is the intentional use of sound to create an environment which becomes a catalyst for healing in the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual aspects of our being.”
Yeah. Okay. Whatever.
WorldSoundHealing.org continues, “The intentional use of sound adds power to the conduit, whether it is through the use of an instrument or voice. By surrendering to the highest good, we ourselves become that conduit, or instrument, for peace, for healing, change, or growth.”
So what are we Om-ing about at this event? They don’t say explicitly. But given the prominent display of the Mayan calendar apocalypse theory staring back at me from the top of their web page, i can only speculate this colossal waste of Om will be about averting the December 21, 2012 apocalypse.
Though the organizers of this non-event probably want to avoid guarantees and specifics because of legal liabilities, i can predict – with 100%, absolute certainty: One thing WON’T happen and two things WILL happen:
WON’T HAPPEN: The apocalypse.
WILL HAPPEN: Somebody will make a lot of money.
With the average ticket costing $80 (USD) and approximately 12,500 seats in Wembley Arena, somebody is raking in a cool $1,000,000 (USD) … and that doesn’t include what they’ll make on VIP seating packages, sponsorship deals, refreshments and sales of other promotional items before, during and after the event.
WILL HAPPEN: (After the apocalypse doesn’t happen) woo-woo practitioners everywhere will claim success for preventing a cataclysmic event.
It’s a well worn formula used in the new age, hocus pocus world of good vibrations:
1. Perpetuate something doomy and gloomy, like the end of the world. (End of the world prophecies work beautifully.)
2. Promote something new-agey as a solution, pitching your event with sophisticated-sounding, high-end woo-woo talk like this:
“On 12/12/12 at 12:12:12 AM – 12,000 enlightened souls will gather enmasse to attune to, invoke, transform and align with the pure and loving energies of our collective consciousness – and to act as a conduit for peace, healing, change and growth. By attuning ourselves to the inherently transformative powers and energies of the universal “know” we amplify and “anchor” the Earth, and the consciousness of others, by shifting the vibration of the planet at the quantum level and effecting positive changes.” (I made all that up. Pretty good, eh?)
3. When the doom and gloom fails to materialze (as expected) boast of your success!!!!!
See how this scam works? Take money out of the pockets of the gullible who give you credit for promising nothing and doing absolutely nothing.
Think about it, why are the promoters of this woo-woo fest charging people money to attend? If they really believe their own crap, they have exactly 9 days to spend their money before the apocalypse. I ought to attend this thing and ask for a refund on 12/22/12.
Conspiracists are also known for pulling this same stunt. They may predict the government will begin rounding up citizens and placing them in FEMA camps, telling us “this is going to start in the next 90 days!!!” On the 91st day when nothing has changed the conspiracists claim it was because they “got the word out”, “educated the sheeple” or “exposed the ruling elite.”
If i told you the sun won’t rise tomorrow unless you stand on your head in a bowl of chili, and you stand on your head in a bowl of chili, do you credit your head and the chili for allowing the sun to rise?
Is there something on Mars they don’t want us to see, or is it just a big old red desert, as we’re led to believe?
Last week the latest in tip-top technology NASA have soldered together landed on the red planet safely in the latest bid to provide us earthlings with information from our neighbors. Yet, only moments after the Curiosity rover landed, the conspiracy world went abuzz once more with stories about the Martian landscape. Our intrepid robot explorer seemed to photograph a massive crash or explosion in the distance, sparking rumors that it was an alien craft that Curiosity had caught crashing into the Martian surface. But engineers were soon out with their pens and rulers and supercomputers trying to explain what the photographs had shown. And they came back with this explanation; the ‘explosion’ captured by Curiosity was actually its landing device, or ‘Sky Crane’ which helped to lower the rover into the Mars atmosphere, which had severed itself from Curiosity and purposely crash landed, some 2,000 feet away, in the distance, thus causing this pyramid shape of soil and debris flung into the air by the craft. The fact that gravity is 38% less of that on Earth was the reason that Curiosity managed to capture the event. Yet many scientists still claim that it was statistically impossible for the rover to capture its own crash landing. And so more doubt has been cast over what is really going down on the Martian surface, hmmm…
Of course, this isn’t the first theory that Mars was or is inhabited by some extraterrestrial beings. The theories go way back, and involve a whole plethora of dubious yet somewhat enthralling research and imagery, mainly thanks to our recent ‘human’ presence on the red planet. Of course this ‘research’ goes from being in the ‘hmm, that’s kind of interesting’ variety to the, ‘wow that person should be in a padded cell’, end of things. The classic example is the face on Mars in the Cydonia region of the planet as snapped by the Viking 1 Orbiter back in 1976, which has sparked many a debate surrounding the idea that our neighbor Mars was once inhabited. And then the monumentally less impressive ‘skull’ which was just laying about the surface, and not to mention the dead storm trooper that somehow strayed from his pals, a deserter of the Empire, perhaps. My personal favourite though, is what has been dubbed the Mars mermaid, or the ‘Woman of Mars’. What is more than likely an oddly weathered rock formation does look creepily like a woman pointing to something, but to what!? Sadly no follow up pictures were ever snapped, so we’re left wondering.
Today (August 7, 2012) marks the 84th birthday of the one and only James Randi, the man loved (some might say worshipped) by skeptics the world round and squarely hated by just about everyone who claims to have a paranormal power of some kind.
Randi, a magician by trade, set up the James Randi Education Foundation in 1996, an organization that offers a whopping one million dollar prize to anyone who can demonstrate their extra-human powers under watchful scientific eyes. This challenge has never been bested and remains the bane of psychics, spoon benders, healers, and even ghost hunters.
Sure, Randi might not be well liked by those claiming superpowers, but his contributions to the field of paranormal research are valuable and necessary, even if those contributions consist of saying “no” more times than we care to tally. In a forest of extraordinary claims, it’s nice to know there’s someone pulling weeds.
It seemed fitting that today, on his birthday, we should look at one of the very few instances that James Randi was presented with an incredible feat.. and instead of shaking his head and uttering that word he’s so familiar with, widened his eyes and said “yes”.
The Man Who Stared at Notes
Dr. Arthur Lintgen, a physician from Pennsylvania, is a man who claims a seemingly extraordinary, if somewhat less than useful, talent. He doesn’t read minds, tell the future, or talk to the dead, but can he can tell you what songs are on a vinyl record just by staring at it, and no, he doesn’t need the label. Lintgen claims he only became aware of his strange ability when challenged at a party in the 70′s, and found, to his surprise, that he could correctly identify records just by looking at the grooves.
The classic borders of the Bermuda Triangle are from Bermuda to Miami, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Most of the mysterious disasters have occurred in its southern region from the Florida straits into the Bahamas. Well over a hundred sea and aircraft have vanished or been destroyed in the area, taking with them over a thousand men, women, and children, and no one yet knows why.
#10 – Plain Old Human Error
Because it isn’t exactly a dramatic revelation, human error makes only 10th place (they get more interesting). In terms of probability, those who have no interest in the supernatural — or as yet misunderstood science — will usually stop with all the ships and planes wrecking in the Triangle as a result solely of human error.
Humans make a lot of them. Even the most well trained, seasoned pilot’s concentration can momentarily lapse, and that is sometimes all it takes for disaster.
The Earth is the third planet from the sun. It’s a round sphere that’s filled with magma and molten iron, and is around 4.5 billion years old.
As some of you might also know, this hasn’t always been accepted. In fact, for some people, it still isn’t accepted.
While for many of the following alternative Earth theories, most of you have probably heard of a few, but there might be a few that you haven’t heard of.
So here now are the seven alternative Earth theories:
7. Hollow Earth
One of the oldest and most common alternative Earth theories, this theory is based on the belief that the Earth is hollow, and is actually only about a thousand miles thick (although the thickness varies). Another usual belief within the Hollow Earth theory is that the interior is also full of air and possibly life forms, maybe even intelligent life. It’s also usually believed that at the exact center of the Earth is a small sun which provides both heat and light for the interior, and would explain the heat the scientist find from inside the Earth, and it’s also believed that interior sun would also provide enough gravity for the surface, or that the mass of the Earth itself would be enough to produce one gee force worth of gravity.
This theory isn’t even close to being possible.
If the Earth actually had a sun inside it, it would kill anything on the surface due to the huge amounts of radiation and heat it would produce, and a few hundred miles of dirt and rock would not be enough to shield the surface from the radiation that a planet would get from a star that’s that close. Of course you wouldn’t have to worry about radiation in the first place, because the gravity a sun can produce, even one small enough to fit inside a planet, would cause a planet to implode if one was inside a world. Even without the inner sun, the mass of the Earth would not be enough to produce the gravity that keeps us on the surface, and the centrifugal forces would throw everything that wasn’t secured to bedrock off the surface.
6. Multi-Sphere Hollow Earth
In 1692, English scientist Edmond Halley proposed the idea that the Earth was not only hollow, but had several hollow spheres inside it as well, with one inside the next. Sometimes at the center is a small, solid planetoid, sometimes it’s a small sun.
The problems with this theory is the same with the hollow Earth theory, but also the spheres would have to be rotating insync with each. If one sphere was either rotating even a little bit slower, or a little bit faster, the spheres would collide with each other, and destroy the planet.
Thanks to the movies, there are a lot of weapons that most people think are great for killing zombies, but in reality, they really aren’t that useful for killing zombies at all.
So now, here is a list of five weapons that people think are great for fighting zombies with, but really are not:
5. Shotgun
While most people believe that the shotgun is the best gun to use against a horde of zombies, in reality, it actually isn’t.
A shotgun might be effective at close range, but at a distance, or if you’re using bird shot, it isn’t that effective.
Shotguns have a more limited range then rifles, plus, shot scatters, so if a friend is a middle of a zombie horde, you could hit them and either kill them, or cause them to get eaten. Also, because of the scattering effect of shotgun shot, you might not even hit the brain or brain stem of a zombie. Then of course there’s bird shot, which might not even be effective at all against a zombie.
4. Axe
A lot of people might think that an axe is a good weapon to use against a zombie, but because the best way to kill a zombie with an axe is either with an over head swing, or a side swing to the head, it might not be the most effective melee weapon you can use.
Beside the fact that you could easily injure yourself if you miss hitting a zombie with an axe, you could also get your axe stuck in a zombie’s head, costing precious seconds, and if you’re battling a zombie horde, you may not have that much time. Also, because you have to swing an axe, you can leave yourself open to attack.
Posted by The Locke via The Soap Box
On a previous blog post I wrote about Ancient Alien theorists believe that not only have aliens visited us in the past, but that they also believe that information that would prove this to be true is being covered up.
Besides the fact that you really couldn’t cover up something, the stories that are told by ancient peoples you really can’t take at face value and say that it’s entirely true.
Ancient alien theorists tend take myths way to literally, and that ancient humans were basically trying to best make sense of what they saw, and in a sense, this is true. The problem is that ancient alien theorist believe that these myths are maybe only two or three hundred years older then when they were first written down. In reality these myths are probably several thousands of years older then when they were first written down. The simple matter of fact is that we have no idea just how old these myths really are. Even if those myths were only a couple of hundred years old before they were written down, it still doesn’t mean that the details didn’t get messed up along the way.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which usually deals with environmental matters like tsunamis and hurricanes, recently took the strange step of posting a statement on their website denying that mermaids exist.
Tractor beams — which allow spaceships to pick up and shift objects without physically touching them — have long been a staple of science fiction.
Previous attempts to build them have relied on inducing electric or magnetic charges, using heat to create air pressure differences, and even attempting to manipulate gravity. However, a physicist has proposed and intriguing new possibility — one that uses nothing but light.