Protect Your Blog: Blogger Won't!

If you ever go into your STATS button and see Traffic Sources, you will see a lot of Google sources, cool and good and for you. The ones that are not Google--do not click on them. They may have goofy names, sound like awesome sites that are sending you traffic, have weird numbers and names. DO NOT CLICK ON THEM. I know you are curious why that channel is bringing you traffic, but once you go onto their site, they can now link their site with yours. Many of these are Russian and overseas sites and they will do things like take your blog's name and use it, use your blog list, use your posts and your images.

PROTECT YOURSELF - BLOGGER WILL NOT. They allowed these referral sites a backdoor.

UK Rocks Zombies!

Recently, the UK hosted a very cool event where people were allowed to experience a zombie apocalypse inside an abandoned mall.

Now, this newest event promises to be even more over the top as a 2-hour live action experience. The survival begins in a nuclear bunker. Those participating run into scientists, soldiers and zombies.

Here's more:

During the zombie game, which is suitable for those aged 16 or above, groups of up to six people will be led around the Cold War bunker by a soldier clad in combat fatigues and armed with an assault rifle and a handgun.

Other actors will play scientists wearing white bio-suits and gas masks or the infected, who will be covered with fake blood and bear horrific wounds.

Shots will be fired and tough decisions will need to be made as the group battles for survival in a scenario similar to the zombie blockbuster 28 Days Later.

The first game will take place at the bunker, off Ongar Road, between 6 and 8pm on Sunday, May 6.
Two further run-throughs will then take place between 8 and 10pm and from 10pm until midnight that same evening.

It is ultimately hoped that the event will become a weekly fixture.

Tickets here. 

Mother's Day Zombie Cards!

Yes, you can find your Mother's Day card for your zombie mom at Julie and I's CafePress shop for the zombie housewives. All women know what it is to be a zombie housewife, so let them know you get their plight.

My Mother's Douche Bag

Yeah, this post is sounding kinda creepy, huh? Not really. It’s about weird things we use for ghost hunting tools. Even creepier? Keep reading...

When I was a kid we would open the family bathroom medicine cabinet and there it was…unavoidably out of place amongst the bottles of mercurochrome and salves. Mom’s 1950s era douche bag, propped up, flopping a bit like a calf’s bladder, drew attention. I remember as a kid pondering it. The images in my mind were intriguing. Was it used for unplugging the sink? Perhaps to clean out ear wax? No one spoke of it. We pretended it…wasn’t there.

One time as a little kid who inhabited the tiny end bedroom, the truly disturbing room with the ice cold closet year-round and something that sounded like it was breathing raspy within, I decided it was time to do something about this ghost. I pondered what to do for someone who was having trouble breathing. I understood how they felt, nearly everyone around me smoked.

Then, one brilliant day while in the bathroom reaching for the St. Joseph’s aspirin, I saw it. I picked it up this time and examined the line and the bag. It reminded me of those Ambu masks on TV medical shows that helped aid breathing.

So, I brought it with me to my room and left it in the closet for the night just to see if the poor ghost might be able to resuscitate his poor breathing. I forgot the douche bag was in there. I never used the closet because it was cold and felt so nasty. I kept my clothing sprawled on the radiator.

But, I was in the bathroom one day and realized the douche bag wasn’t there. Oops!

I put it back in the medicine cabinet and lived with the rattling breather in the closet for another year until I could switch bedrooms.

Since that time, I have incorporated some strange items into ghost hunting, using a belly dancing scarf and windchimes as early warning devices to make noise. I’ve used a tap light for communication and powder for signs of a presence.

You know my last few ghost hunts were not too productive. Perhaps we need to pull out the old school tools. Can't you just see J&G holding up a Summer's Eve container and doing a little commercial and then proceeding to set it down on a chair and carry on a conversation with it like a KII meter... Hell, ratings may go up!

Scariest Places

Scary places come in so many shapes and sizes from the interior of a coffin ...

 

 To an entire forest in Japan where people commit suicide, referred to as the "Suicide Forest." 

Some of the scariest places are very dark like caves ...

to basements...

There are places infreqently visited like attics ...

or abandoned buildings ...

Sometimes, it's the things that happened in that location that are scary...

 

and sometimes it's what we know is going on there now...

What places scare you the most?

Horror Movies Summer 2012

June 22: "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"


June 8: "Prometheus"


May 11: "Dark Shadows"


May 25: "Men in Black 3"


August 17: "ParaNorman"

Scariest Birds: Crows

"Kaw"

We erect scarecrows to frighten the loud and destructive birds from our crops.

At Halloween time, we put fake crows out to scare the little ones.

They can inspire art with their stark and grim presence.

...and inspire chilling movies like "The Birds"

I use them for an homage to "The Birds" in my apartment.


Crows can be taught to talk.

Kevin Peter Hall: "Harry" of the Hendersons

Kevin Peter Hall, the 7'2" actor who played Harry from "Harry and the Hendersons," the monster in "The Monster in the Closet," and the original "Predator" died at the very young age of 35 of pneumonia, a complication of contracting HIV from a blood transfusion in the early 1990s. This talented man was tragically lost to us much too soon, but his work and the nuisances with which he played this parts will forever endear him to us as a serious actor.

Get rid of Ask.Com and Blekko

Jeez, I don't know about you, but I have had a time going online looking for how to rid yourself of creepy ask.com and blekko search bars that show up. I have Firefox and google home page. To the right of the address bar either ask.com or blekko would appear at the little search bar. Just to the left of where it says "Blekko" or "ask.com" there is a drop down arrow. Click on it and remove them from there with the delete option. It's like picking off ticks after a walk in the woods--those crappy little add-ons!

Ghost Adventures Drinking Game

"Smokin' in the Boys Room" by Motley Crue

Vince Neil from Motley Crue and pro poker player Jamie Gold join Zak and the boyz in the penthouse suite at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, in search of Frank Sinatra's spirit.


Frank Sinatra "For Once in My Life"

So, not sure just what they are about on this episode, but it looks pretty desperate, bringing in a rock star to help them in Vegas to contact one of the Rat Pack. Please, don't let it be that GA is jumping the shark already.

Tonight's drinking game:
1. Stay home.
2. Have a sip for every "bro," "dude," "man," every time Zak thinks he's been touched by a ghost, and every time Aaron's mouth drops open in surprise.

The drink? Well, in honor of Frank, I'd say a martini!

Urban Exploration Tips

 

I love urban exploration, the exploring of and photographing of abandoned sites.

Finding abandoned sites is the first obstacle. The best locations are rural towns that have folded under, either from industry moving out or mines closing. Most smaller towns have a periphery of industrial areas or farm areas that also possess a fair deal of abandoned sites.

There are so many safety tips that cannot be overlooked:

Carry mask filters. These places are filled with powdery debris and asbestos and it's best to be prepared. As fun as this passtime is, it's not worth leaving a site with permanent lung damage. Gloves, strong boots, flashlights and batteries, first aid kits, water, cell phone, and even a tazer or pepper spray are basics.

If a site has "no trespassing signs" some folks will ignore them. I do not. I will be arrested if found on the site. Without that posting and holding a camera, I can be forgiven and sent away. With some of the lenses on the market nowadays, there is not reason to go into a no trespassing site when you can film it from afar and legally.

Remember that indigents, troublemakers and wildlife could be inhabiting the building. Either make some serious noise or toss rocks at the building to get anyone/anything inside to come outside. It's always better to meet them outside than inside. 

Pairing people up to watch out and photograph inside is a good plan. Two people outside seeing who might be approaching and two inside photographing and watching each other's safety, works well. Remember, floors and stairs and upstairs floors are all questionable. Do not assume everything is walk-able. For goodness sake, be sure your tetanus vaccine is up to date.

If you use the tab up above for Photos/Urbex, you will find lots of posts about urban exploration photography. My advice to you is to keep proportions in mind to enhance tall heights and make them every taller, or wide widths even more wide. Utilize lighting and darkness. Utilize plant life taking over and crackled and peeled textures. Use broken mirrors and glass windows to reflect things. Tell a story with a photo--not by showing an entire room or building, but only a part of it to represent the entire theme. 

Enjoy the hobby of urban exploration and try and stop for a moment and just appreciate the history and life that once was held within those walls. At one time in its history, it was a refuge and a place of memories. If you look hard enough, you might just capture some of those memories.

Here's Julie and I's book on urban exploration with psychic reads. We are hoping to put this into print form very soon -

"The Raven"

"The Raven" with John Cusack: When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's works, a young Baltimore detective joins forces with Poe to stop him from making his stories a reality.

My Son's Band!

My son is drummer in a most awesome band called Rough Tough Dynamite. They are about to release their EP and I understand something horror related that I will leave you wonder about until the near future. Their music is exactly what I like and these guys are multi-talented and a load of fun. How refreshing!

Grant Wilson's Replacement?

So, Grant Wilson is done with his regular run on "Ghost Hunters" tv show.

Now, the big question is; who will replace him?

Grant seems to be caught in a polarizing position, which is extraordinary for someone so unassuming and kind. There was a lot of doubt about the authenticity of ghost evidence and his part in potential fakes. In the long run, the show is purely entertainment and not research. We cannot take it quite so seriously other than to share some times with people we might find interesting in situations we might never get to explore ourselves.

They did not provide much of the "people we might find interesting" except the first season. After that, everyone became pasteurized, boring, dull, and safe.

Here's who I do NOT want in the empty sidekick position:

Wrestlers, Syfy celebs, housewives, and others who want to whore it up and get press, including Meatloaf, whom I seriously think they'd consider because of their desperate marketing ploys. I do not want to see any of the present team in the position--as a collective, there's not one ballsy, sassy, or seriously skeptical or seasoned intelligent person on the team who could handle that position without boring us to death.

Here's some I WOULD CONSIDER:

David Rountree - electrical engineer, EVP expert, and totally awesome paranormal technology  (has a book of that name that is excellent) expert. This is not pseudoscience. This guy is brilliant.

Josh Gates - I'd just give it to him for sheer charm and intelligent skepticism. Syfy could consider him a two-fer awhile he's also doing "Destination Truth."

If you're going to do a celeb, I'd say Betty White. She would say it like is and make them shape up and quit being big babies. I'd love to see a more mature woman with a lot of sass and brass and good horse sense go in there and make them come to life and shake up the order of things.

I'm not sure I see the show lasting. The other options for it really are to take it on the road more and have rotating guest-hunters, but for a team who makes an investigator work with them for a year before becoming an official team member, it seems kind of two-faced.

Perhaps GH should consider evolving into something else. I'd rather see them go to experts, interview them about new things in the field, go and test drive instruments with them in cool places and further the field rather than the same old routine/same old hunts. I would come back and watch it in a heartbeat if they did that!

Highway 666: The Devil's Highway

 

US 491, formerly US 666, passes through each of the 4-corner states; AZ, NM, CO, UT area.  Although the number came about by usual highway number methods, many were frightened by the "sign of the beast" number 666. Tales began to circulate about it being the Devil's Highway and a higher than usual amount of deaths occurring there. Statistically it was found to be a little behind most US highways. And, as something is always forbidden, people were stealing the signs right and left. Renumbering the highway was in order. 

At the dedication of the new highway name, George Blue Horse, a Navajo medicine man, performed a ceremony to remove the curse from the highway. In the Navajo language he stated, "The road itself never ends. It goes on generation to generation. The new number is a good one. The new road will be a medicine."

Radar Tracked UFO Event

Because of the major importance of the 1980 UFO landings in Rendlesham Forest near the RAF / USA joint bases of Bentwaters and Woodbridge, another important, well documented UFO sighting at Bentwaters is often overlooked.

Observations of unidentified objects by USAF and RAF personnel, extending over 5 hours, and involving ground-radar, airborne-radar, ground visual and airborne-visual sightings of high-speed unconventionally maneuvering objects in the vicinity of two RAF stations at night make this case a true "unexplained.". It is Case 2 in the Condon Report and is there conceded to be unexplained.

On the night of August 13-14, 1956, radar operators at two military bases in the east of England repeatedly tracked single and multiple objects which displayed high speed, as well as rapid changes of speed and direction. Two jet interceptors were sent up, and were able to see and track them in a brief series of maneuvers. According to official U.S. Air Force reports, the sightings could not be explained by radar malfunction or by unusual weather.

Learn more here.

Scary Basements

I had a friend when I was growing up. She had a suburban modern basement. It was completely lined with concrete and ready for a pool table, even had some happy windows.

Not the one I grew up with.

Our basement was worse than any dungeon in a castle. A lot of folks grew up with these kind of basements. You know the ones; where mushrooms could grow and damp permafrost earth meets with walls made of stone and concrete and horse hair and chickenwire. Oh the horrors!

Basements seem to hold the most unease of any part of a home. Attics can be crowded and hot, but basements are cold, damp, and kind of tomb-like. The one I grew up with had rickety wooden ancient steps that bowed and creaked and were perpetually cold. On the right side was a wall but on the left side an opening to a crawlspace that contained hard packed earth and hibernating black snakes underneath the kitchen which was an added on room. That dark void would stare me down. Anything could be in there, even Pennywise (above).

At the bottom of the stairs was another set of stairs that led up to the flip open root cellar doors. To the right, a creaky old door that led into the heart of the chilly beast. The floors were concrete and uneven, a sump pump nearby was used after rains to empty out the ankle high water. Cobbled together benches made up my father's work area where all kinds of big angry tools sat and waited to work on some other thing that had broken down in the over 200-year-old house.

Supports held up the center of the room. Mother taught art and stored many of her paintings in this miserable place. Few of the survived the climate.

The canned foods were kept in the far corner of the basement. Sure enough, every day it was my task to go retrieve the goods. The race through the musty smelling basement to gather the foods and race back upstairs before whatever seemed to be lurking chased me was a fast sprint. I always felt like I just barely missed getting caught each time as I swung the door shut and entered the sunlit kitchen.

As a ghost hunter, I find it rare that anyone with a basement does not complain about it. Of course, they are often the holding place for all unwanted items and the place where wiring and plumbing and radiators and the like are stored. They lack lighting and a sense of the outdoors. They are damp and musty. They feel as if they have few exit options. They are tomb-like. All of these reasons unsettle people.

Is there, however, a reason we should be scared of basements?

Other than a hypersensitivity to mold or EMF coming off of exposed wiring, there's no higher incidence of haunting activity in basements. This is more than likely because (if you follow popular explanations for hauntings) people are not likely to die there or particularly miss that spot so much they have to haunt it.

Even though there may be no legitimate reason to fear a basement, we still will. Their very characteristics make it impossible to ever be truly comfortable.

Empire State Building's Dark Past

"He is much better off without me … I wouldn’t make a good wife for anybody". (suicide note, woman above)

The Empire State Building is personally my favorite building in America, the most beloved to me; more so than the White House, Washington Monument or any other significantly recognizable structure. At 102 stories and 1,454 feet tall it is seriously impressive. My first time to the observation deck, all I could think about was whether a penny would kill someone. I was terrified one might fall out of my pockets, so I stood back (even though it’s not possibly for one to spill out a pocket to the crowd below). Movies like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “King Kong” romanticized this beautiful art deco styled edifice even more. It possesses what I consider to be the observation deck for America.

The next thing one thinks of up where the winds are howling is how freaking far down it is and what kind of state of mind people would have to be in to choose that way to die. Not only are they serious about dying, but in a symbolic way, liberating themselves as they fly for the first and last time.

Strange facts about the building: It was built with a mooring for blimps, but later nixed the idea as it was too unsafe (duh). In 1945, a small plane crashed into the 79th floor. The people on the plane were all killed. The building has colored light displays they show off during different holidays.

Suicide: More than 30 people have jumped to their death from the Empire State Building.

Most beautiful fall: 1947: 23-year-old Evelyn McHale jumped and landed on a United Nations Limousine (photo above) Andy Warhohl used the visual later for a piece of art entitled “Suicide.” This was just after the building opened and 5 more tried to jump within a 3-week period.

Most botched attempt: On December 2, 1979, Elvita Adams jumped from the 86th floor, only to be blown back onto the 85th floor and left with a broken hip.

Most surprising: 2007: A lawyer on the 69th floor was interviewing a client, then got up, opened the window and jumped.

Most recent: 2010: 21-year-old male Yale student jumped.

They ain’t just jumping: On February 24, 1997, a Palestinian gunman shot seven people on the observation deck, killing one, then fatally wounding himself.

Penny Myth: If you drop a penny off the Empire State Building, will it actually kill someone below? Nope! Busted on “Mythbusters.” Terminal velocity means that force exerted by air keeps the speed constant.

I remember being in the Empire State Building when they were still erecting the Twin Towers. I went back later once the towers were done and they made the Empire State Building seem like a dwarf and yet I never wanted to visit those sleek sharp-angled buildings for a better view. The Empire State Building always has had my heart and always will. It has made it into the list of American icons and a symbol of our fast growth in the 20th Century.

Fact or Faked: Paranaormal Files Tonight

 

Tonight, a mystery over Bodega Bay, California and a ghost supposedly captured on a thermal camera in New Jersey.

MK Davis Talks Bigfoot Videos Tonight

If, like me, you are intrigued by all things Bigfoot, you have surely come across recent videos released and explained by MK Davis. I've been curious what he has to say about these compelling videos. They have my complete attention and I find myself getting goosebumps just watching them. He's on tonight on the radio to talk about it at Inspired by "Bigfoot!" at 8 pm EST.

You will hear me referring to these videos often and I might even start sharing them with you to open up an intelligent and excited conversation about Bigfoot's existence and the social and scientific implications.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

(my favorite Sci-Fi movie of all time, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” starring James Mason).

The 1864 science fiction Novel by Jules Verne entitled “Journey to the Center of the Earth” was an amazingly fanciful notion for the mid 19th century. This tale described an explorer and his team descending into a crater in Iceland to find an under-earth world with giant prehistoric mushrooms, an ape-man, an ocean, and the lost city of Atlantis. As preposterous as it sounds, most people who watch the movie or read the book can’t help but wonder for a few moments, “what if?”

Today, there are people who do more than say “what if?” they are actually believers in the “Hollow Earth” Theory. This states that the Earth contains within it another world that exists in parallel with ours with its own evolutionary process.

It’s one thing to knock around a fantastic theory, but true believers are so enthusiastic that there is a proposed North Pole Inner Earth Expedition. There is only one ship left that can make this journey, and it retires in 2012. The science is real. The story is more than 5,000 years old. The legend says that at a certain place above the Arctic Circle, there exists an oceanic depression or an entrance into the Earth. It's a place where the legend claims sea level isn't level anymore. The discovery that the earth is hollow would forever shatter our long-held beliefs about how planets are formed. More importantly, however, discovering life beneath the earth's crust could potentially provide us with new tools that would allow life on the surface to regain environmental balance, harmony, and possibly even peace. These prospects make the North Pole Inner Earth Expedition the greatest expedition in the history of the world.

Others who follow the Hollow Earth Theory theorize that UFO sightings actually occur from Hollow Earth civilizations that send their craft through the ocean floor to inspect the Outer Earth.

There aren’t just “quacks” believing in this theory. Edmund Halley (the famous astronomer for which the Halley’s comet was named) enjoyed studying the earth’s magnetic field. He couldn’t account for how the fields changed and came up with a theory that the Earth was hollow and a second sphere was inside of it, and another one until there were four spheres inside each other. He believed there was life within and a source of luminance, as well. He also believed the aurora borealis (“Northern Lights”) were caused by gas escaping from the thin crust at the poles.



Science has come a long way in explaining the makeup of the Earth. We can rest knowing that there is neither another sun nor another planet within our own planet. There are, however, extraordinary cave systems, a majority of which have never been fully explained, new fissures where the Earth’s crust has opened during seismic activity, and extraordinarily deep crevices in the ocean’s floor. Any of these could contain life that we haven’t encountered before. The concept that a civilization could evolve there and forge metals into space ships is admittedly unrealistic.

It’s essential that we accept some constrictions of our world that are unavoidable, things like the force of gravity, the need for oxygen, the general solidity of the Earth, but that doesn’t necessarily negate extraordinary theories. It’s entirely possible that, once we accept a solid earth, we can search for those other constraints that have not yet been discovered; the unseen things that may control our world without our conscious knowledge. String theorists are a fine example of researchers who understand the facts of our world and yet seek to find out what created those facts, what controls those facts, what can influence or possibly change those facts.

Just because the Hollow Earth Theory holds no scientific weight, it’s a fine example of man asking “what if?” and that is when we make our most exciting discoveries that then forever change the constraints of our physical world, such as “the world is flat” to “the world is round.” When our world was flat, we assumed we could drop off of it and so our ability to travel was limited. When the world became round, we had to explain gravity and triangulation and loads of other things that explained the now round world. That is where we are in science right now. We are in a “world is flat” place and seeking a “world is round” viewpoint so that we can make the truly amazing discoveries still be found that might include time travel, wormholes, teleportation, UFOs, and Hollow Earth.

Theoretical physicists have my complete and utter devotion and admiration. They are the rock stars of exciting discoveries.

The Moth Diaries

Rebecca is suspicious of Ernessa, the new arrival at her boarding school. But is Rebecca just jealous of Ernessa's bond with Lucie, or does the new girl truly possess a dark secret?

May 17th

UK's Bigfoot Equivalent?

Also known as Am Fear Liath Mòr, the Big Grey Man of the Cairngorms has been rarely reported in the UK, but intriguingly endearing in legend. Somewhat like the USA's Bigfoot or Indonesia's Orang Pendek, this "creature" is said to be man-like and (Wikipedia) haunts the summit and passes of Ben Macdui, the highest peak of the Cairngorms and the second highest peak in Britain. It has been described as an extremely tall figure covered with short hair, or as an unseen presence that causes uneasy feelings in people who climb the mountain. Evidence of the existence of this creature is limited to various sightings and a few photographs of unusual footprints.

In the Matt Lamy book 100 Strangest Unexplained Mysteries, Lamy notes a sighting in the early 1990s in which three men caught sight of a bipedal creature with an eerie, inhuman face in a forest near Aberdeen. Several weeks later, whilst driving through the area at night, the creature appeared again and ran alongside their car even at speeds of 45 miles per hour, seemingly trying to enter the vehicle.

I find this to be spine-tingling and unsettling.

Sex and the Single Ghost Hunter: Internet Affairs

It starts out as noticing someone's profile pic or the witty things they comment on FB or perhaps on a blog or forum.

Now, there's intrigue.

Next? Recognition. One of the two parties speaks directly to the other. Laughter ensues. Banter goes back and forth.

Were you ever this dashing and suave? Were you ever this flirty and sassy?

Fantasies begin.

After all, would you be trolling the internet late at night if you were happy in your relationship and tumbling in the sheets with someone who finds you sassy or dashing?


You know those tickling feelings when you went to school and knew that you might make eye contact across the room with the focus of your obsession? You find yourself getting giddy at the sight of your crush's name on the screen. Someone who hears you. Totally gets you. Thinks you're awesome.

The funny thing about the Internet is that at home we go inside, lock the door, turn on the TV and computer and shut off the world. The masses of people we could be connecting with, we must do so virtually and it's so freaking easy! So much easier than knocking on a neighbor's door and asking for some tea.

It's so damn easy to reveal so much and to share so much. Pretty soon, people are calling each other cyberwives and cyberhusbands, plotting coming together in real life, taking naughty shots in the privacy of their bathrooms, and even leaving spouses for each other.

It's MUCH more prevalent than anyone knows. In fact, if your spouse spends evenings on the computer and is up late on it while you go to bed, be nervous. Be VERY nervous. No matter how much he looks to be a gamer, they are socially interacting. It is impossible not to.

I'm single. I end up on the end of married men's fantasies. I know men who married childhood sweethearts, never looked at another woman, never got a speeding ticket, who could not resistant a small conversation that led into a longing that was overwhelming because they missed out on casting the line and reeling in the fish part of life. They have found a safe way to experience single-dom without technically physically cheating.

It sounds grim, but I see it sometimes as a way to work social skills. You never feel more sexy than when you know others want you. You come to your relationship from a sense of power. Most women I know are self conscious about their bodies and how they look compared to the Barbie generation, but when they go online, men contact them like mad. They realize that they are a whole package. They act that out with their men, coming to bed feeling like a siren.

Ultimately, if no one is taking anyone for granted, that cyber flirting can really amp up a relationship. But, remember, if a partner is left too long alone, they will look for a source of loving and if they aren't getting it from you, there are 100 others online waiting in the wings.

I suppose the lesson in all of this is, turn off the computers and play with, flirt with, and surprise and bond with the source of your daily loving. It's fine to have a virtual fan club, but as a single gal, I can tell you that I still go to bed alone every night through some hot tears.
.
Nothing beats the real thing.

Julie and I On Radio Show Tonight!

Tonight, Julie and I will be on Francy and Friends radio show at 8 pm.  Don't miss it. I suspect we are going to have fun!

Letter From Bigfoot To Humans

**This is a re-posting of a post from last November** Dear hunters, researchers, weekend campers, and television producers;

This is a letter from the target of your obsession, Sasquatch. Not "Squatch;" Sas-quatch!

Please let me enlighten you a bit about my kind and the many misconceptions floating around the world of conjecture and rumor:

1. I am not 500 pounds. I might be closer to it in the salmon season, but in general, I run about 420-450.

2. I am not an ape. I do not beat my chest. I do not sway and swing my long arms. I do not ride on my knuckles. Don't listen to Charlton Heston, I am not a damn dirty ape!



3. The Patterson-Gimlin "Patty," creature? I do not claim any relation, but given that she was filmed back in 1967, I wouldn't mind hearing from her daughter, especially if she has similarly bodacious jugs.

4. The wood knocking theory? (sorry, had to take a moment to wipe my tears of laughter) I'm just messing with you. It's so easy to baffle and confuse humans.

5. The trap cameras? I-see-you! Hanging shiny CDs and windchimes, ape stink and other such ridiculousness is not going to attract me. You want me to come near your cameras? Leave an Arby's beef and cheddar and don't chintz. I want precisely 5 packets of Arby-Q sauce. Nothing less will do if you want a photo!

6. I do not climb trees. Would you take a 420-pound human and have him shimmy up a tree? Do you know a tree that holds him? I have my dignity. I do not race up a tree to hide nor would I let my babies sleep in a tree. What kind of parent do you think I am?

7. I do readily admit that my feet are big and I'll let you come to your own conclusions about that....

8. Now, these teams on TV who think they know what I am and how I work, they are grossly misinformed. Those calls you scream into the woods? Let me translate that, you're screaming "I eat bear shit." Now, if that's true, I can hook you up with some good stuff, but otherwise you might be more circumspect of what you're announcing to the Sasquatch population.

Oh, and if you think you'll capture and train me, just remember this--I'll make your lives miserable--

Dismembered Finger Pen

So, what does a lonely horror geek do on a Friday night? Make a dismembered finger pen! Julie and I are making these to use at book signings for our book "Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse" (I swear it hits the stores VERY SOON--much delay at the printers to make the full-color book look super awesome). Enjoy the insane process below -

Scarefest & KillerCon

September 28th to 30th this year is the Scarefest event. A HUGE event held in Lexington, KY for fans of horror.

Josh Gates (Destination Truth), Aaron Goodwin (Ghost Adventures), Ghost Hunters International Team, and Chip Coffey are just a few of the paranormal guests. In the horror realm, there are guests such as Malcolm MacDowell, actors from "The Walking Dead," the Candyman, and Dee Wallace.

Midnight movies, haunted attractions, artisans and more give the total horror effect.

It has you thinking about plans for late September, huh? But, wait, there's another event -

KillerCon arrives September 20-23rd in Las Vegas at the Stratosphere Hotel. This is a convention for horror writers. It has workshops on how to better edit your work and proper grammar usage, and pitch sessions with reps from the publishing companies. Oh, and, of course, some of the top writers in the industry.

Okay, September planning may commence now....

Real Zombies?

Bigfoot: Do My Genes Make My Butt Look Human?

(This is a republication of a November 1, 2011 post)

There's a lot of hoopla surrounding Dr. Melba Ketchum's results from the Bigfoot Genome Project. Even though everyone associated with the study of samples submitted are sworn to secrecy, much has leaked out. But, like any other endeavor to shut people's traps, we really don't know how accurate any of the leaks are.

Let's just look at the rumors that are circulating and their implications:

I am not going to make this an intellectual discussion with a lot of big words. Even though I'm in the medical field, I find that kind of talk drivel. Basically, the first rumor comes down to this--many have hinted that BF's mama was 100% human, but daddy might have been more primitive. Honestly, that sounds like most of the humans I know.

So, would this make Bigfoot a human? Well, let's look at some slight shift in human DNA and the changes that can result. Let's take albinism and Down Syndrome. A little shift in DNA and voila! These variables in our DNA make it possible to have a huge variety of humans, with vastly different looks and capabilities. Of course, all variables of humans are still human.

But what makes us all human?

Does the 100% blood of a human mother lineage make BF a human or does the half that is from more primitive man make him ape? If a person has a genetic disorder that creates severe global developmental delay, does that make him not human because he cannot communicate or understand? Does BF, because he has no language we understand and lives in a primitive existence, be a human only with developmental delay? Would raising him amongst us show a level of intelligence that astounds us or could that bit of ape genes make him only as trainable as a chimp? Remember ape genes are 98% similar to ours, but that 2% makes a huge difference in language, intelligence and walking upright.

If this rumor were true, it may be a relief to realize that BF is not all beast, but then it also opens a new can of worms that none of us are prepared for. We might have a feral cousin in the woods who has been surviving on his own, but he might be that missing relative that would explain much of our own process of arriving as homo sapiens. This creature, walking erect for quite some time, has had the same free hands we had to fashion tools and be intelligent. Perhaps the very reason he has not been caught as of yet is that he is very cognizant of himself as a thinking, living, breathing, spiritual and physical being and also understand the "others" (man).

My problem with his concept is simply that, though it might be possible for a primitive man to mate with a modern human, the result should be like a liger (lion/tiger) or a better example is the mule which is bred from a female horse and a male donkey. These creatures are able to breed, but the offspring are sterile. In other words, the gene roulette wheel stops with the liger and the mule.

The other rumor is that all the samples tested were 100% human! What the hell does that mean? Well, without knowing the basis on which samples were taken, it means humans contaminated the samples or...it means BF is purely a feral human. However, even in humans that tiny genetic difference can change appearances drastically. How? Well, let's look at a genetic condition that could create an unusual appearance.



Hypertrichosis, a condition of overgrowth of hair all over the body is passed down through a family line. What if Bigfoot is a result of inbreeding amongst very rural families or tribes in Early American who have managed to have, generation to generation, hidden their ways like the Amish, inbred to the point of carrying on pituitary growth disorders and hypertrichosis? Could the reason some people see what looks like wild people and others see what looks like apes be different members of isolated families?

Here's where it gets even hairy (pun intended). How is it that places as isolated geographically as Australia and as vast as China, Russia and the United States have Bigfoot-like sightings with slight differences in appearance that might relate to breeding in isolated regions? This makes the case for an actual creature and not a band of wild rednecks.

Around and around this puzzle goes and where it stops--no one knows until we have a BF in the flesh and blood to examine. The other option is that, if it is true that some twisted hunter shot a BF and its baby (rumor) and got a sample from those and submitted them and they came out human, we can all baffle even more over the mystery that is BF. Otherwise, hair, blood, and other stray samples can easily be from humans in the woods. Unless you pluck a hair from BF or shoot a hole in his cute furry butt, you're not going to be able to get a true sense of him genetically because everything else could be our own blasted leavings in the woods. And, should a sample of DNA come up with mutations, we can't take those as a baseline for BF because if you were to sample someone with Trisomy 13, they would not represent baseline for typical human genes. In this case, we would have to herd up a helluva lot of BF's to find out what his standard genes look like and given that my entire lifetime they've been looking for the fella and not capturing him, I'm thinking in our lifetimes we won't know just what exactly a BF is genetically or in classification with any certainty.

Haunted Dolls From Doll Island For Sale?

50s Vintage Baby Doll Kathy and Clothes - 34.99 Bids Begin

Doll Glorya $35.00 Bids Begin

 

Reborn Vampire Baby $45 Bids Begin

So, these dolls are on ebay and the question is -- how did they get permission to take dolls from the island and sell them???

Well if you're feeling like a haunted doll that has a story to tell is just what you need in your home - go for it! Admittedly, if they were the real thing, I'd totally want one, but there's really no way to verify it.

Learning To Lucid Dream

Hey, you doing anything the first week of July? There's a lucid dreaming seminar that sounds pretty damn cool.  It's being held in San Diego June 30 to July 8th.

Here's how they describe it: Using the most effective techniques and technology, derived from Tibetan dream yoga and Western science, Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. and team will present instructions on methods of developing the mental skills that foster lucidity and on directing consciousness within both dreaming and waking states towards fulfillment of personal goals. During this workshop, you will also have an opportunity to use the NovaDreamer2, and, if you wish, participate in ongoing research on a natural substance that, according to recent studies, has been shown to stimulate lucidity and mindfulness.

Here's a testimonial: “This has never, ever, ever happened to me before. My immersion in a group of people actually interested in lucid dreams was a miracle. Aside from my wife, I have never met a person who cares about dreams, or who wouldn’t look for my Bellevue ID bracelet if I started discussing them. Not only did you show me a side of humanity that I had forgotten existed, you proved that that facet of the soul is a real pipeline for creativity, imagination, and love. That, and I can finally abandon the lonely, ‘am I just insane?’ feeling that crept in whenever I wondered if I was the only lucid dreamer I would ever know. Bless you all for reopening for me a spirited world of exploration and excitement on which I had nearly slammed a very heavy ethereal door.” — Peter L. (Kalani, Feb ’02)

When you think of vacations, think outside the box. Sometimes, it's not just lying on a beach, but learning a skill you can take home. I know someone who might do this seminar and if he does, I will have him report back his experience.

Is California THE Bigfoot State?

What assumptions can we make about BF based on the top 5 states they are reportedly sighted in?

Top 5 most Bigfoot sighting States (BFRO reports) & Average Yearly Temp/rainfall
1. Washington (48.3 degrees F, 27.66 inches)
2. California (59.4 degrees F, 17.28 inches)
3. Oregon (48.4 degrees F, 37.39 inches)
4. Ohio (50.7 degrees F, 37.77 inches)
5. Florida (70.7 degrees F, 49.91 inches)

Top 5 Agricultural States
1. California
2. Iowa
3. Texas
4. Nebraska
5. Illinois

Top 5 States for Biodiversity
1. California 
2 Texas
3 Arizona
4 New Mexico
5 Alabama

Top 5 Fishing States
1. Florida
2. Alaska
3. California
4. North Carolina
5. Michigan

Top 5 States by Area/Size
1. Alaska
2. Texas
3. California
4. Montana
5. New Mexico

Other things to look for: Streams, cave systems, states with the most family/small farms, most rural states, and highest forestation states.

Of course, being ever practical, I also look at the most BFRO reports of BF and realize that some states are more populated, so more chances of people taking their weekends to the woods and running into them. There are also more states willing to talk about it and more rural states that take a more protective stance on talking about BF.

Some elements will always be necessary for survival like fresh water, fish, berries, mushrooms and, being a hugely agricultural country, our produce being grown in our own yards and farms. Obviously, BF is not the big stupid hairy guy we thought. He did, after all, manage to stay mostly hidden regardless of our efforts to rush into the woods banging pots, hollering, knocking on trees and bringing film crews in tow.

Cursed: Dead Child Actors

Jonathan Brandis (1976-2003) "It." Died by hanging.

Jonathan had so much potential. You see him in "It" and he was Richard Thomas as a kid.

River Phoenix (1970-1993) "Stand By Me" Drug overdose.

River should have been nominated for "Stand By Me." Such raw talent, not pasteurized by over-training.

Dominique Dunne (1959-1982) Murder

Dominique was amazing in "Poltergeist" and I saw so much potential for her to be able to portray a wide range of characters with lots of hidden depths.

Heather O'Rourke (1975-1988) Bowel obstruction

Who didn't love Heather in "Poltergeist?" She was the embodiment of innocence and vulnerability.

Corey Haim (1971-2010) Pneumonia

Corey was a total blast in so many things he did. I adored him in "Lucas" and I laughed so hard in "Lost Boys."