It had been weeks since the accident, but it still felt fresh in my heart. As a collective, my boyfriend, his family, and myself had gone up to the high lake in honor of one of the last few glorious days of summer. It was so warm and bright. His parents had brought several outdoor cooking appliances to make a meal of hamburgers and hotdogs. We feasted. We laughed. The middle of the afternoon had brought a heavy wave of heat though. The air was so full of humidity and high temperatures that we could not resist one last swim in the chilly lake waters. We rented a small boat from the nearby marina and took turns climbing up the ladder and jumping off the back in attempt to splash anyone nearby. The fun could not last forever though. The sun started to set, and Shawn wanted to go for one more jump, one last dip. I climbed back onto the boat in attempt to coerce him back to shore with me. He did not listen. Continue Reading
While everyone knows about the Loch Ness Monster, not as many know about a similar mythical creature that apparently lives within Okanagan Lake in Canada. The Ogopogo, from many accounts, resembles the Loch Ness Monster, leading many crypto-zoologists to theorize that the two creatures may be of the same species. One interesting link between the two creatures is that they both lie along the same latitude and resemble each other greatly. Continue Reading
You are driving down Archer Avenue in the small suburb of Justice, Illinois just a few miles southwest of Chicago. It is late at night and you are ready to get home and go to sleep. You pass the Willowbrook Ballroom and begin to grow excited because you know you are almost home. Suddenly you see a beautiful young girl wearing a long white dress on the side of the road. Concerned for the young girl because it is so late you stop to see if there is anything wrong. She simply asks for a ride and you oblige and she gets in the back seat. Continue Reading
I truly believe that some celebrities are plagues upon this Earth. I feel sleazy just writing about them, but they truly do seem to be a plague that cannot be cured. In this day and age hard news gets trumped on CNN and BBC News so we can keep up with Lindsay Lohan or see where David and Victoria Beckham are shopping. Though I give props to Victoria for dropping her maiden name Spice, and traditionally taking her husband’s name. Many claim that some celebrities are such attention hounds that they refuse to go away even after death. Continue Reading
The idea of someone simply bursting into flames is a relatively old one. Stories abound about people who could control fire or merely act as a human spark for the radical element. Technically known as spontaneous human combustion (or SHC), it is the burning of a live human body without any external ignition source. Incidents of spontaneous human combustion from around the globe over the past three hundred years total over 200 in number. However, most of these occurrences were not thoroughly or scientifically processed properly and many of the claims are based totally on oral testimonies or hearsay alone which makes people outside of the supernatural belief realm doubt spontaneous human combustion exists at all. Diverging in the other direction though, some scientists believe that spontaneous human combustion might be the only credible paranormal happening once the appropriate investigation has been conducted on enough of these incidents. Continue Reading
Dinosaurs dominated Earth’s landscape for over 160 million years. By comparison mammals have only been prominent for 20 millions years and modern humans only appear on the world scene 200,000 years ago. 65 million years ago dinosaurs disappeared due to a combination of natural disasters and disease that resulted in starvation, but they all could not have just vanished could they? Some should have survived. According to many legends large dinosaurs still exist. Most of the legends are from remote, virtually unexplored areas of the world. Are these stories of prehistoric beasts just stories or are they rooted in fact? Before this question can be answered let’s explore a handful of these legends. Continue Reading
One of the most common questions asked between newly dating couples is if the other person is a “cat person” or a “dog person.” This seemingly mundane inquiry is supposed to provide adequate assessment for the nature of the individual since he or she tends to like the animal which resembles his or her habits the most. Many like to think of “cat people” as those in the minority since dogs tend to be thought of as man’s best friend in Western society, but cats actually have a regal and long standing tie to humanity all on their own. Even though dogs tend to be steady in their role as side by side companions of mankind, cats have been through a roller coaster of ups and downs with some cultures idolizing them as gods or the height of the presence of the mystical and magical on the earthly plane to being very negative omens or animal embodiment of demons and evil spirits. The fact that cats are still around and still part of many individualized belief systems and folklore shows that they are truly strong animals that can outlast any negative press and a history of being hated only to rise above all that to remain special in the hearts of humans. The magic of cats spans the ages though, and these mystical felines have been the foundation of several different branches of the supernatural realm over the eons. Continue Reading
The idea of a remote island often brings up images of palm trees, coronas, and relaxation. Paradoxically, an island can also be terrifying. You are surrounded by water on all sides and can feel cut off from modern society. Sometimes things so terrifying can occur on remote islands that it seems the energy of these events linger and transform these island paradises to island horrors. Continue Reading
Trying to find a reliable way to predict the future has been around since the beginning of civilization. Humans have always been fascinated by the “what if” factor that determines the time to come. Countless techniques and instruments were invented to divine the future, but some times it came to a point where the only people who were said to predict the future on a regular basis were considered to be “special.” These special people occasionally were trained professionals as in the case of shamans and priests of particular religious sects and cults who had been taught to see into the future by wise elders in their exclusive position, trained as a life time vocation skill. Sometimes these people with visions of the future were just born that way as though it were an inherited genetic mutation or gifted with the skill through divine assistance. Either way, these people had a tendancy to stand out of the general public and were constantly sought after by the rich rulers and even the poverty stricken commoners. Several of these gifted few from the past are still remembered today, particularly those of the last century who showcased their gifts on the world stage. Here are some of the most famous Seers, Psychics, and Oracles of history. Continue Reading
