Hopi Legend: The Portal Between Worlds

Hopi legend tells that the current earth is the Fourth World to be inhabited by Tawa's creations. The story essentially states that in each previous world, the people, though originally happy, became disobedient and lived contrary to Tawa's plan; they engaged in sexual promiscuity, fought one another and would not live in harmony. Thus, the most obedient were led (usually by Spider Woman) to the next higher world, with physical changes occurring both in the people in the course of their journey, and in the environment of the next world. In some stories, these former worlds were then destroyed along with their wicked inhabitants, whereas in others the good people were simply led away from the chaos which had been created by their actions. (strangely like the theme of Saddam and Gomorrah scenario)

Two main versions exist as to the Hopi's emergence into the present Fourth World. The more prevalent is that Spider Grandmother caused a hollow reed (or bamboo) to grow into the sky, and it emerged in the Fourth World at the sipapu. The people then climbed up the reed into this world, emerging from the sipapu. The location of the sipapu is given as in the Grand Canyon. (take note of that highlighted portion for later)The Hopi believed that they came into this world through a hole in the sky of the world below. That hole lies deep within the depths of the Grand Canyon.

In the chilling book, “Hunt For the Skinwalker” by Colm A. Kelleher, PhD., and George Knapp, researchers studied a ranch in Northeastern Utah that had a huge slew of weird phenomenon going on, everything from strange creatures, weird lights, UFOs, poltergeist activity, dead animals, and some kind of light in which a tunnel opened, allowing creatures to come and go. This ranch, referred to as “Skinwalker” ranch was interestingly in Native American country where skinwalkers were often reported (shape-shifting creatures). On page 145 while two men were doing reconnaissance on the ranch at night, they saw a small yellowish light growing larger and larger. “The dirty yellow expanding light seemed to be positioned just above the ground…`It’s a tunnel, not just a light.’ Mike whispered (as he looked through binoculars). `Jesus Christ.’ Mike said hoarsely. `Something is in the tunnel!’…`Oh my God,’ Mike said suddenly, thoroughly frightened. `There is a black creature climbing out. I see his head.’” At that point, he witnessed a Bigfoot-like creature emerge.

A hollow reed.... A tunnel....

I’m always excited when I find strange similarities in folklore and storytelling that ties things together. We have the Hopi believing man entered from other worlds in a hole in the Grand Canyon. In the cavern within the Grand Canyon, giant mummies were described. Then, at Skinwalker Ranch incident. we have with creatures entering and exiting another dimensional portal described as Bigfoot-looking. Hmmmm

If you want a theory that ties this together, my guess would be that creatures from another world have lived here before and come and go still through portals. They were not only found in the caves in the Grand Canyon as the interestingly advanced civilization, but also still come and go, as in the Skinwalker Ranch incident, and Bigfoot sightings. In fact, some of most reported population along the Appalachian Trail area is some of the most cave-riddled part of the country. Is the reason Bigfoot is so hard to find that he simply is highly intelligent, for all his rough and gruff exterior? And does he know he can come and go as he wishes through these "portals?" Did the Hopi see the same portals that were seen on Skinwalker Ranch and possibly create a legend to explain this phenomenon?

And, are the portals otherworldly or of this one? 

The Empire State Building's Dark History

"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.

The Unexplained Files: Science Channel - Yahoo!

A great new show premieres tonight on Science Channel. "The Unexplained Files"

Here's just the opening episode - wow. This is gonna rock for us paranormal geeks!

Valentich & Texas Blue Dogs: August 28 @ 9PM

Valentich - In one of the great unexplained mysteries of aviation, pilot Fred Valentich and his light aircraft disappeared without a trace from the skies above southern Australia in 1978. His final words, describing his terrifying encounter: "it's above me and it's not an aircraft"; then a mysterious metallic sound. After this moment Valentich and his plane were never seen again. Is this evidence of UFO contact? In a TV first we hear the actual audio of Valentich's final moments.

Texas Blue Dogs - Since 2004 bizarre, hairless, blue-eyed and hunch-backed creatures have invaded Texas, attacking and mutilating livestock. They've been caught on camera and turned up as road kill – and one is even stuffed and mounted. Now there is evidence they are breeding and their population is set to explode. Scientists are mystified, the authorities are in denial. What are they?

The Witching Hour

You roll over in bed and force your eyes open, only to read the blurry red lights of the digital clock “3:15.”

Wikipedia refers to the witching hour this way; “In European folklore, the Witching Hour is the time when supernatural creatures such as witches, demons and ghosts are thought to be at their most powerful, and black magic at its most effective. This hour is typically midnight, and the term may now be used to refer to midnight, or any late hour, even without having the associated superstitious beliefs. The term ‘witching hour’ can also refer to the period from midnight to 3am, while ‘Devil’s Hour’ refers to the time around 3am.” Apparently, the Devil’s Hour is the exact opposite of the time Christ supposedly died at 3 p.m. (I won’t even get into the logic of this for those of us on Mountain Standard Time).

A blogger friend made a mention of how she often wakes up at 3:15 am. How many of you wake up during that 3 am hour? I know people who wake up during that hour and can’t go back to sleep, no matter what they do. I find, more often than not it’s that magical 3 am time when I note the blurry red lights on the clock during the night.

It’s been suggested that this is the time of extreme early morning when more firefighters and police are called. That’s true, but then it takes a whole night of drinking to get into trouble at 3 am. It’s also believed that we might be having access to our God figure in that state of mind in deep theta sleep and in between REM sleep. Others think that it’s the extreme darkness that occurs just before dawn that permits melatonin to adjust and create a sleep state that’s in the process of shifting, a time in which we could awaken. It’s also entirely possible that discomfort after hours in our beds is what jostles us awake at about that magical time (especially middle-agers). Whatever the reasoning, any time you’re under extreme stress, you’re likely to wake right around that 3 am hour and not be able to fall back asleep again. Obviously, our bodies are telling us that some sort of stimuli (earthly or unearthly) is creating a dark-of-night awakening.

If this continually waking at 3 am is putting a damper on your life, there’s some things you can consider to get your rhythms back in order:

You can try to go to bed later than usual.

You can set your alarm for 1 am and then go back to sleep.

You can darken your room completely.

You can cool off the room more so your body temperature can stay down where it needs to be for the brain to induce sleep state (running a noisy fan is a good option—it also masks outside sounds).

Try and turn the clock around so you can’t see it.

You can try having a light snack with carbs before bedtime to feed your brain.

You can consider taking a Benadryl at bedtime.

There are conditions such as depression and anxiety that can cause insomnia, as well as chronic medications that can affect sleep. How does one know if waking at 3 am is spiritually related or physically? Look at the clock.

Have you ever had to get up at 7:30 the next morning and you wake up at 7:28? Yeah, our internal clocks are amazing. If you start waking at 2:37 in the morning, you’re likely to continue to do that so long as that number is in your head. You need to consciously remind yourself “7:30” over and over again as you go to sleep. Set the clock. Look at the alarm time several times to visualize that number. Print it into your brain. If you keep waking up at 3:08 every morning, your internal clock has been reset to anticipate that time on the clock. Ideally, just turning the clock around works great. You wake up, don’t memorize numbers on the clock, problem gone. Give it a try some time.

If you ever awaken during this time with a rush of emotion and don’t understand where it’s coming from, it’s entirely possible that your true self or your higher self are trying to communicate. Should you be gathering communications from “the other side” because you seem receptive in the sleep state, once you awaken that sense of someone being there will dissipate. You are in a new brainwave state and are now no longer a receptive receiver.

Scientists tell us that our circadian rhythms in our bodies tell us when to sleep and when to wake. What if those factors weren’t dictated by body temperature, emotional state, or a noisy neighborhood? What if they were affected by a time when our minds are in the sleep state combined with the thinnest veil between our world and the other(s)?

I admittedly have found the time between midnight to 4 am is prime ghost hunting hours. Not always convenient when you’ve been sitting still for the past four hours already and are feeling the body’s need to hit the sleep state. Perhaps our senses are more acute in that need-to-sleep state. I know that a tiny sound when I’m sleeping can keep me up. A trickle of light will make it impossible to sleep. A sore muscle can feel like agony. Perhaps the combination of our mind running in the deeper sleep state along with sharper senses make us ideal barometers for paranormal activity.

It might be the one time that all humans are, in effect, psychic mediums. 

UPDATE:  LINK Today’s monster geomagnetic storm, and the explosion of solar flares and coronal mass ejections over the past week, have been wreaking havoc on people’s moods, sleeping patterns, and a host of other human health effects. Many people are experiencing disturbances with their circadian rhythms, waking up around 2am and having trouble getting back to sleep. “Solar storms desynchronize our circadian rhythm (biological clock). The pineal gland in our brain is affected by the electromagnetic activity, and [solar storms cause] the gland to produce excess melatonin, the brain’s built in ‘downer’ that helps us sleep. ‘The circadian regulatory system depends on repeated environmental cues to [synchronize] internal clocks,’ says psychiatrist Kelly Posner, Columbia University. ‘Magnetic fields may be one of these environmental cues.’ ”

Paranormal Geeks Radio Tonight

Our first hour of Paranormal Geeks radio is Angie Johnson. Angie does cemetery restoration in Central Illinois. She s also the Illinois Chairperson for some gravestone studies group. If you love cemeteries, this is a must listen episode!

And I will be on the second hour to talk to Jim about all things paranormal.

Incubus/Succubus???

Warning: The content of this post is sexually informative and descriptive.

It’s hard to believe that for a woman who writes erotic horror, I’ve never broached this obvious ghostly subject. I admit to a great deal of enthusiasm about the subject matter. Let’s move on now and learn what these naughty nighttime visitors are by definition.

Wikipedia describes it best: “An incubus (plural incubi) is a demon in male form supposed to lie upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have sexual intercourse with them, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions. Its female counterpart is the succubus. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in order to father a child, as in the legend of Merlin. Some sources indicate that it may be identified by its unnaturally cold penis. Religious tradition holds that repeated intercourse with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, or even death. Medieval legend claims that demons, both male and female, sexually prey on human beings. They generally prey upon the victim when they are sleeping, though it has been reported that females have been attacked while fully lucid. The incubus is sometimes confused with the legendary "Old Hag" syndrome. The Old Hag episode, however, is usually restricted to an unpleasant feeling of great pressure on the chest and not a ghostly sexual encounter.”

As I tackle anything in my ghost hunting, so shall I tackle incubus and succubus. I will throw away any folktales or lore about them. I will simply ask myself,

“Why would sexual arousal during the night be equated with visitation by a demon and is that the only explanation?”

My logical mind wants to delve into the facts about sexual arousal during sleep. Studies have actually shown that women become engorged and aroused just as men get erect during REM sleep. I won’t say how I know it’s true, but I can say with a great enthusiasm that women can have orgasms in their sleep and wake up during it, which causes a great confusion between sleep state and wake state and this physical very real thing happening to their bodies (much like the “hag syndrome” is nothing more than sleep apnea or dreams of having your guts pulled out are only abdominal cramps occurring and your dream state incorporating the sensations into your fantasy state).

Medieval churches had a way of jumping on the hysterical bandwagon with lots of rules for men who ejaculate in their sleep having become “unclean” and having to go through rituals after “polluting” without the intention of procreation. Women, however, were ignored because, well…we don’t have the kind of proof of orgasm men do (tell Meg Ryan that). Women were hardly sexually educated upon marriage or made to be pleased by their men, so for a woman to have an orgasm (probably the first in her lifetime) during sleep was horrifying and shameful. Within that context, we can assume that man took to the church's explanation so they were no longer responsible for sexual feelings without procreation, i.e. "it was the incubus's fault." The church helped to create an incubus and a succubus because only demons can make you feel good. I won’t even get into why their God had to be punishing and their demons pleasurable…

Sleep states usually run the gamut from early in the sleep state when anxiety is expressed in dreams such as the running from something unseen, then a phase of working out problems and troubleshooting your life such as trying to find your way home from an unfamiliar place. Usually in the early morning hours, the sexually aroused state kicks in during REM sleep, hence the morning engorgement or erection and visitation by the “incubus” or “succubus.” You might even notice that if you sleep in on the weekend, you might wake from a very impassioned dream.

I’ve had people approach me after talks about ghost hunting shyly and sometimes boldly asking me,

“Can a spirit have sex with you?” 

Hmm… My answer is always, “there’s no need for a spirit look for sexual pleasure, without a body it provides no satisfaction.” But, inside I’m thinking, “it depends on what you think a spirit is. If it’s something in the dream world, huh, yeah.” That’s the noncorporeal world, but that’s not to say it’s a world of demons and spirits, it’s simply a mind-fabricated and some say soul-fabricated state of being, sort of hallucinogenic.

My regular readers know by now that I’m pretty bawdy and always upfront about such subjects. I certainly couldn’t write erotica if I weren’t a rather earthy person, so hope ya’all aren’t blushing but maybe learning some things that might relieve your consciences or perhaps teach you more about folklore and the time and place in which it gives birth. The incubus and the succubus are only symbols of repression, fear, and symbols to direct and control people. Should you awaken in a rather juicy mood, enjoy that moment between REM and awake state, it rarely occurs with such rewarding chemistry.

There is a set of parasomnias that also includes sex in one's sleep - like sleep walking, but well, um, sleep humping. 

On a side note about this fun subject, a really awesome book “Incubus” was written by Ray Russell and made into a fairly interesting and moody 1981 movie that was missed by most audiences and is one of my classic fav’s for its brooding quality. It could have honestly been a lot better as a movie, but there were no doubt some rating issues with it. I’d love to see someone make an honest stab at remaking it and that’s saying a lot since I usually hate remakes. Another movie dealing with this concept was “The Entity” involving forcible rape of a woman by a ghost in a “supposedly” true story of some fame in the old-time ghost hunting circles. The movie “The Legend of Hell House” also involved some demon sex (consensual, no less). “The Haunting Passion” was a very intriguing romantic ghostly sex made-for-tv movie of 1983 starring Jane Seymour as a lonely housewife in a scary old house. I personally liked it a lot, but I’m crazy for anything with a romantic attitude and it did have a dark and interesting side. You just knew I’d have to direct you to some movies…

Happy sleeping. Happy dreaming. And, really happy awakening…

Mountain Park Ranch Apartments in Ahwatukee - DO NOT RENT THERE!

I moved into the apartment complex because my son was living there and I was going through a divorce. Seemed like a simple move, same neighborhood, someone to help with computer issues nearby and hang out at the pool with.

Then, I started getting really sick. Like a head cold that wouldn't do away, but much much worse. A cough developed that would not go away and my bedroom smelled of mold. It ended up, months ago the hot water heater in the upstairs storage room leaked into my storage room and it rotted through the wall into the bedroom. In fact, when I finally discovered mushrooms growing in the carpet, I called the office. I also saved samples of the spores just in case they didn't clear this black mold out. Everything inside the storage room was covered in black mold. It went through the walls into my apartment and carpet. When this was finally cleared away to their satisfaction, I had to haggle to get them to pay me something for everything I lost in the storage, only a tiny fraction of what it was worth.

Then, another flood in the same storage room ruined everything once again.

Then, a flood in the kitchen when their lines backed up.

The sink water which was always awful measured in the 200s on the zero-water meter. By the time I moved a year later, it measured in the 600s and smelled coming out of the tap.  I bought bottled water. Plumbing in this complex becomes more of a nightmare with each passing year. I can't tell you how many times in the past 3 years they shut the water off for entire days because of problems with their main.

Then, someone started keying up my car in the parking lot. First, it was just writing curse words in the dust, then keying big time including cuss words. I called the cops and told management. They would do nothing. Had to call the cops a second time when the person wasn't just carving chunks out of my paint, but carved curse words in the hood of the car.

Management would do nothing there - the dragon lady who handles the complex is a real pill. I said, "I need a new space." Mind you, I never ever talked to people at the complex, hung out or anything. No one knew me, but someone stalked me and carved up my car every time I went out to use it and parked it again. Dragon lady told me that they couldn't give me a new space. They were all coded specially. I said, "when someone moves out, switch my space with that apartment's." Nope. Pay for the repainting of my car? Nope. I had to park in another parking lot because they have only about 4-6 open parking spaces that are always taken, and I had to walk a huge distance through another complex into my complex, unsure of my safety from the stalker. I packed a tazer.

I was no longer safe in that miserable complex and I moved finally. Thankfully. They offered me no options for protection in what they called a zero-crime complex. The plumbing is miserable there. The way they go about things ass backwards.  The only blessing is the wonderful sweet lady at the front desk who seems terribly fretful that bad things happen to folks and utterly unable to do anything about it.

I highly recommend you do not ever move into that complex. It's a vortex of hell with the dragon lady guarding the entrance.

Bigfoot Tooth?

I picked up this retired sideshow piece, a Bigfoot tooth. I'm skeptical it's possible, but I do love sideshow displays and I do love Bigfoot, so.....

Here's a closer look at it -

Abandoned Cars In Nature

When I was a kid, we had a rusted out abandoned car from the 1940s in the field near our house. This big old behemoth had been pieced out by my brother and his buddies, parts strewn all over the field. I spent one ambitious summer working to figure out how the parts went back in and cleaning up the vines from the interior with fantasies of driving to the beach in California, while listening endlessly to "Beach Boys" songs the entire summer. Cars inspire independence, but like abandoned buildings, when left to the elements, they seem sadly stranded. And nature is not kind.

I didn't know my facial amnesia issue as a kid, but my mother must have thought I was a simple minded child. We would go to the mall and I would lose sight of her and grab the nearest woman's purse that looked like hers. In the 1960s, all purses looked like mom's! The woman would eventually feel me following her, hand on her purse to steer me along. My mother would find me and say, "Sherry, why didn't you just look up?" It wouldn't have mattered. To me, all the women looked the same. I hadn't yet found ways to compensate for lack of facial memory. So, when dad wanted to go to the junkyard - a place I found fascinating - he didn't realize what might happen.

Twelve hours later, several policemen, and an entire junkyard crew later, one of the men working there found me in the backseat of a Cadillac, assuming it was ours and waiting for dad to come and take me home. I was all of 3 years old. I still remember it, though. I was hungry, thirsty and had taken a nap. I had wandered off to look at all the stacks of cool cars and lost him. I still to this day am fascinated with cars. They are like exoskeletons that transport you to cool places in style. And, when left to be neglected, they become fascinatingly sad and elderly appearing.

Imagine finding this car (above) in the woods. What was its story? How did it get there? Was it something nefarious? Stolen and parted out? Abandoned by a honeymooning couple who had to hike back to town only to be eaten by some phantom village monster?

There's nothing like what the elements can do to a car, from heat and sun to rain and snow. The body rusts quickly. The paint fades. The metal frame makes a lengthy stand against the atrophy.

A car like this (above) could be a nice hideout for a raccoon in the rain or a nest for some vipers. Nature will claim it, even though much of it is non biodegradable.

Every summer in the desert, this is how I feel (above). I can very much relate with this abandoned gem. I look at that frame and realize, in its day, it was a real beauty, but the sun has made it age as quickly as a Palm Beach widow.

Creepy Must-See Places and Things!

Flintstones Bedrock Park in Arizona
 264 US Highway 180, Williams, AZ
This darling park in Williams, Arizona found an ideal setting to recreate our beloved Bedrock.



Abandoned Land of Oz park in North Carolina,
Beech Mountain, North Carolina
This now defunct themed-park is atop a mountain and left as a very lonely memory.

Cabazon Dinosaurs just off I-10 in California in Cabazon. You might recall them from a scene in "Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure."

Every since I was a teen driving across country and seeing billboards along the way saying "You must see The Thing!" I wanted to go to Benson, AZ and see this gift shop and roadside attraction.

Exit 322 on I-10 between Benson and Willcox.


How about a museum based on the more odd types of Fossils and ones that might hint at the ancient giants?? If you're going through Texas, go to Mt Blanco Fossil Museum. 

 

How about checking out a Chupacabra on display?  I like where this museum curator is going with this. This is what we really want, not the history we are drilled about, the one everyone's been hiding!

Paranormal Memes

California Lake Monster

 (Lake Elizabeth, Palmdale, CA)

When I was growing up, there was a supposed lake monster on the Chesapeake, named Chessie. Nearly every body of water has its moments where it reveals something confusing that begins the gossip that legends are made of. 

Lake Elizabeth in California has one such story of a lake monster. In fact, reports go all the way back to the early 1800s when a rancher who had a property near the lake. There were many reports of missing animals. Then, a giant winged creature was reported to fly over the property at night. The locals reported the bullets bouncing off its body if they shot at it. Eventually, ranch hands left, the ranch closed down and was abandoned. The next purchaser of the property had his animals go missing too, but he put up a fight, shooting at the beast and hitting it in the nose with his rifle butt. The monster supposedly retreated into the lake. They believed it then headed towards Arizona.  It was described as having bat wings, the neck of a giraffe, the head of a bulldog, six legs, and a wingspan of 50 feet and smelled horribly.  Reminds me of another creature - 

 

(Jersey Devil - above)

Interestingly, In April 1890 the Tombstone Epitaph (and/or possibly another) newspaper reported that 2 men had shot and killed a Thunderbird. Many people claimed that a picture accompanied the article which showed the gigantic bird with a wingspan of anywhere from 20 to 160 feet (recollections are vague) in front of a group of men. An exhaustive search by the Epitaph, authorities on old west photography and several different magazines over the years have failed to come up with the photo, but that hasn't stopped people from claiming that they saw it.

The creature has been described as having bat wings, the neck of a giraffe, the head of a bulldog, six legs, a length of at least fifty feet, and emit a horrible nauseating stench. - See more at: http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=37#sthash.Ddx9TudD.dpuf

The creature has been described as having bat wings, the neck of a giraffe, the head of a bulldog, six legs, a length of at least fifty feet, and emit a horrible nauseating stench. - See more at: http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=37#sthash.Ddx9TudD.dpuf

The creature has been described as having bat wings, the neck of a giraffe, the head of a bulldog, six legs, a length of at least fifty feet, and emit a horrible nauseating stench. - See more at: http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=37#sthash.Ddx9TudD.dpuf

Patty the Bigfoot Bare

Can We Create a Zombie?

Come on, haven't you ever wondered if it's scientifically feasible?

In some magic-based practices, the process of making a zombie is taken as fact. With the right mix of ingredients, a person can ingest the concoction and go into a kind of stasis (think SciFi long-distance space travel). The body’s systems would shut down to almost a halt, maintaining just enough to keep and element of life present (yeah, like a glowing pilot light on a gas heater). There is no doubt this is possible. Every time we undergo anesthesia for a surgery, we are quieting down conscious brain function, but maintaining autonomic function so our hearts still beat and we still breathe. With anesthesia comes a dulling of pain senses and the creation of amnesia when it is over. Of course, this wouldn't make for a real zombie, just a dead-looking person. The zombie would supposedly occur when you reanimate the person. In the case of anesthesia or even primitive mixes of powders, it wouldn't make a zombie, it would make an awake person after deep sleep.

These logistics aside, the problem with creating a zombie is the basic knowledge that when you shut down body functions to the degree that breathing is not detectable, then not enough blood is reaching the brain. Even if you reanimate a person by say CPR means, if the person has been without oxygen for enough a period of time, the brain functions will not reengage. You will have anoxic brain injury (from lack of oxygen) and a vegetative state.

Saying you reanimate a person’s body, in order for them to be a walking eating threat, they would have to have some of the brain functions in order to still move about. The concept of a zombie being directed by its master to do tasks is absolutely impossible. It would be like telling a person in coma to sit up on the edge of the bed. So, in the case of this type of “zombie” they would not be able to perform the functions of wandering the streets. They would also be mortal and able to be killed.

So, let’s conceive of some situations in which a zombie-type creature could be created. It would take a few elements. There would need to be severe retardation of brain function to the point that the person is perhaps at the mental level of a 2-year-old and therefore understanding of commands, but not understanding of whether these commands are fair or unfair, right or wrong. In order to get this unfortunate person to eat flesh, it would take a condition of pica. Pica is a condition in which a person craves things to eat that are not eatable, such as clay, metal, soil, and the like. Along with perhaps an ongoing iron-deficiency anemia, this lame-minded host could potentially be talked into cannibalism. In this case, at best, you’d get a docile child-like person who could be talked into eating flesh but would not have the natural tendencies to go out and seek flesh to eat. They would also be mortal and easily killed.

Other considerations: There is a disease called Kuru. It attacks the brain in a sort of mad cow disease type of way. It was found in New Guinea to be caused by cannibalism and the eating of the brains of those infected. This disease kills usually within 12 months and is also called the “shaking” disease or the “laughing” disease because it causes uncontrollable shaking and outbursts of laughter. That would make for a much different zombie, as this one would walk and talk, but also shake and laugh uncontrollably. Probably not that threatening. They would also be mortal and able to be killed, but would die on their own within several months in an agonizing manner.

The true zombies of pop folklore are an interesting concept, but the reanimation of flesh would also include an anoxic body that would not be able to have a brain function to move about, think, desire to eat, or any other features we’ve come to know.

Just because zombies can’t physiologically exist in the manner shown in movies presently, there are other aspects of medicine upcoming in the field right now that could change the present impossibility. Doctors are working on a kind of patient stasis that would keep their body functions on the lowest level of existence until they can come up with cures for what ails them. This is different than “putting a head on ice” cryogenics. Still, these two forms of putting people in stasis and then reanimating them could very well create conditions we aren’t aware of. Certain parts of the brain could feasibly be revived while others die off creating an imbalance in behaviors and tendencies. This might be like a football head injury can make someone suddenly very angry when they were kind before. Still, this would be a mortal condition and able to be destroyed.

Ultimately, the only true flesh-eating, killing, ruthless, nearly indestructible zombie you could ever invent would involve some very savvy Japanese engineers. It would have to be robotic. This could be programmed in many ways and the thought is actually a bit more chilling than flesh and blood, shoot `em in the head zombies.

Whether zombies exist in the future or not, the concept of a person dead but walking, alive but soulless is one that continues to fascinate and repel.

North Carolina's Vampire Beast?

When animals show up dead in unusual ways, their blood drained from them, one has to wonder - what is going on? This happened back in the 1950s in the southern portion of North Carolina, but it appears - it's back!

In the 1950s, it was dogs being found dead, drained of their blood and residents attributed it to a beast that -had the body of a bear and the head of a cat.

The story in the 50s got a lot of attention and hunters came rushing to the state to try to bag the beast. When the killings petered out, everyone forgot the legends over the decades until 2003 when suddenly horses and dogs were dying. In fact, the horses were found dead, puncture wounds in the neck, and drained of blood according to a local vet.

The woman whose horses were killed reported her dog was also killed and as she held it's dying body she saw something that looked like a bear with a cat's head rush off into the woods.

It came to be known as the Beast of Bladenboro

A farmer named Luther Davis shot a small bobcat and some wanted to claim he'd caught the beast, while others believed it was just too small to be the beast.

People came forth claiming a German Shepherd mutt, cougar, wolverine, wild dog, and mad panther were the culprit.

Although people still occasionally report sightings or animal attacks, the majority seem to believe it's a wild cat of some sort.

It always amazes me that folks in rural areas would misidentify a creature. The descriptions are pretty specific about the odd features of this tormenter. One thing is for certain, there had to be a breeding population for these things to still be making a show in the area. This would leave one to assume the obvious - an explainable creature.

The Funny Side of Bigfoot

Is Bigfoot like the Klopeks? Remember the movie "The Burbs" when the neighbors were suspicious of the new people on the block because they kept to themselves and didn't mix? Do we fill in Bigfoot with lots of mystique because he's the antisocial neighbor? Are we suspicious because of his very cryptid nature? Hmmmm



Bigfoot isn't always gravely serious. According to some video makers, he's quite the humorist -

And, if you let me speak for him, he has a few things to say -

THANKS FOR THE STUFF! by Bigfoot

 

Missing a shovel? Wonder what happened to the kids shoes left at the sand pit in the backyard? Care what became of the ice cooler that fell off the top of your station wagon as you raced down the rural highway? 

Hey, thanks for the stuff. 

Some of it can be useful. Some of it, we're still not sure what to do with, like this - 

 Or this -

and we have had animated discussions about this one-

My brothers think they know what they are, but I have my own theories. 

The first one is obviously the skins of the humans they have slain. When I see these hanging outside an abode, I don't mess with them. 

That round floating object is a false friend. I have seen the young ones pulling them on strings and my theory is that these lonely tykes are pulling a make believe friend along.

The last thing has had me baffled for a good long time. It's clear, thin, delicate but strong. One of my brothers says it is the skin of a human-made snake, some kind of engineered killer reptile. My other brother is certain it's a teardrop of a god. I have my own theory and it's really quite obvious; it's a nut sack. I carry all my acorns in it.

If I could put in a request, I'd ask humans to leave more things like this behind - 

Or this -

and most definitely this ...

Just remember what happens if you tease us with the jerky. I think my baby brother showed what'll happen...

Halloween Cocktail Recipes

Alien Brain Hemorrhage Cocktail

Twilight's Kiss of a Vampire Martini

1 ½ oz. Chilled Vodka 1 ½ oz. Champagne ¾ oz. Black Raspberry Liqueur Sugar Red food coloring Wax vampire teeth (Optional) START: Rim martini glasses with sugar dipped in red food color. You can also drop in a set of wax vampire teeth for a real surprise. Pour vodka and half of black raspberry liqueur in a martini glass. Top with champagne and pour the remaining black raspberry liqueur over the back of a spoon to make it float.

Bleeding Heart Martini

 

2 oz dry vermouth, 8 oz gin, ice cubes, 4 pickled baby beets with cocktail skewer.  START: Chill 4 martini glasses in freezer or fill with ice water and let sit until frosty, about 5 minutes (pour out water). Add vermouth in even amounts. Swirl to coat glasses. Then, pour out. Add gin to a shaker and fill with ice, shake vigorously until cold. Divide among chilled glasses. Garnish with skewered pickled beet.

Black Lagoon Cocktail

 

4 oz vodka, 2 oz rosemary-lemon syrup (2 lemons - the peels only, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 c sugar, 2 c. water boiled and then cooled) , 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, licorice ice cubes (4 c. water, 2 T. anise seeds, 2-4 drops black food coloring - boil water and seeds and then cool for 30 minutes, add coloring and make into ice cubes). START:  Combine Vodka, syrup, and juice in a cocktail shaker, stir to combine. Add seltzer, and divide between two glasses filled with licorice ice cubes. 

Eyeball Highballs

 

14 medium radishes, 7 pimiento-stuffed olives, halved crosswise, 16 oz gin or vodka, 1 oz vermouth. START:  Trim stem and root ends of radish. Use a paring knife to scrape red skin from radish, leaving just enough to give a veiny appearance. With a small melon baller, cut a hole in radish, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Fit an olive half, cut-side facing out, into hole. Place radish in ice-cube tray. Repeat with remaining radishes. Fill tray with water; freeze.  Mix vodka or gin with vermouth; stir with ice. Divide eyeball ice cubes among four glasses. Strain martini; pour into glasses, and serve.

Shrunken Heads in Cider

2 c. lemon juice

2 T. coarse salt

8 large Granny Smith apples

32 whole cloves

2 gallons apple cider

2 (12 oz) cans frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

2 c. spiced rum

Heat oven to 250. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.  In a bowl mix lemon juice and salt - set aside.  Peel apples. Cut in half through stem. Remove seeds and core. Using a sharp knife, carve face on the rounded side of the apple half. Place these in lemon/salt mix for one minute, now put on paper towel. Place face side up on baking sheet. Let dry in 250 oven for about 90 minutes. Remove and place cloves in eye sockets. Combine apple cider, lemonade and rum. Float heads on top in bowl.