Movies related to the Hollow Earth Theory

 

I was thinking earlier about something that I was once told by a conspiracy theory nut. The guy was obviously a proponent of the "Hollow Earth Theory" and whatnot, but he did bring up a valid point during his rant. First of all, if you have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention things like the "mysterious inner world" or the "hollow Earth theory," you may need to first read up about it, here: perpendicularity.org/blog/2012/07/10/hollow-earth-or-mysterious-inner-world/

It is somewhat of a fascinating subject to say the least, albeit the concept mostly thrives within the minds of sci-fi aficionados, uh, for the most part. At any feign rate of facts or fantastical notions of fictional storytelling, the concept still remains. The conspiracy nut mentioned that he found it to be very unusual that there were very few movies and books available to the public that surrounded the hollow earth/inner world theory because it wasn't allowed. Well, come to think of it, there really are very few movies that were made (for some strange reason) that related to a world inside of this planet. I don't know about the books, though, since I'm not really into reading fictional tales, etc.

Anyway, I do own one of the few movies that related to this. It was called "At The Earth's Core." I have read before that this particular film was intended as a loose adaptation of "Journey to the Center of the Earth," by Jules Verne, although that is neither here nor there. The movie (the one I'm talking about) involved several not-so-friendly creatures and a bunch of scantily clad prehistoric-looking people along with telepathic pterodactyls that inhabited the center of Earth, and much more. It was a colorful adventure for its time and I'd recommend it for any sci-fi buff that enjoys watching old films. If you know of any other cool books or movies that relate to this subject, feel free to share; cheers!

Shopping Link via Amazon: Click Here for the DVD "At the Earth's Core" 

 

Image Credit: www.sci-fimovieposters.co.uk/movie-posters-a/at-the-earths-core-authentic-british-quad-film-movie-poster.htm [URL is no longer valid]

Related Post:
http://myths-legends-folklore.blogspot.com/2015/01/bermuda-triangle-atlantis-aliens-or.html

---End of Post "Movies related to the Hollow Earth Theory"

Did the Greada Treaty really happen?

No conspiracy theorist or member of the "tin-foil hat club" should go without knowing about this... LOL!  This is not really a subject that I'm going to elaborate upon, since a lot of folks have never even heard of the Greada Treaty... 

Did this treaty ever really happen? Well, for the ones that don't know, the Greada Treaty involves President Dwight Eisenhower's 1954 Meeting with Extraterrestrials. There was supposedly a deal worked out between the little Grays and the humanoids in power. A peaceful trade of technology for the right to abduct and experiment on a limited amount of humans (cows, too?), was one of the first tidbits that I gathered from all the material. There were other alien races involved, as well, and some were even trying to warn us that the Grays were up to no good. The Grays/Greys were not trustworthy and abused their privileges of abductions, etc.

Hell, I'm not even done reading about this yet albeit I first found some resources that covered this alien-based subject a few years ago. The paper I'm about to link to, describes the First Contact and many of the details, circumstantial and testimonial evidence, the possibility of a Full Disclosure in the future, and so on. I'm only linking to this because I know that some of the otherworldly aficionados out there really love this type of stuff.

To read the elaborate version, go here: www.abidemiracles.com/56789.htm

Image Credit: Bing Image Search using the 'free to use & share' function.

---End of Post "Did the Greada Treaty really happen?"

Related Link: 
http://random-twaddle.blogspot.com/2015/03/was-bob-lazar-one-of-greatest-ufo-frauds.html

Random conspiracy theories:
* http://myths-legends-folklore.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-is-up-with-nibiru-planet-x.html
* http://myths-legends-folklore.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-haarp-conspiracy-theory.html
* http://random-twaddle.blogspot.com/2015/03/chemtrails-vs-contrails.html

The Art of Lucid Dreaming

In this case, the title of this post can cover two different aspects of lucid dreaming. When I say "the art of," I mean the skill acquired by experience or study. However, there really is a lot of cool artwork that is also associated with lucid dreaming, so it is a win-win title for this post; ha!

I thought about this topic the other day, when somebody mentioned LD on a recent post of mine about out-of-body experiences on another website.  Even though that particular comment didn't actually relate to the subject at hand, it did fall under the same genre of consciousness/sub-conscious. In a thumbnail, lucid dreaming is simply defined as dreaming while being fully aware that you are dreaming. In that sense, you can control your dreams and really experience some fantastic adventures all while in a state of sleep. Some critics and skeptics may argue that you are not actually sleeping and you're in a state of wakefulness, but how would they know?

When I was a kid, I used to do this on occasions without even knowing there was some guru-filled niche called "lucid dreaming." I used to just say as a child, "Man, it is so cool when you can control your dreams. You got to keep trying to remember you are dreaming and if you figure it out during the process, you can really do some wicked shit." LOL! Yeah, "controlling your dreams" doesn't sound as phenomenal as "lucid dreaming," but whatever.

I have seen many books that were being sold over this subject and now the Internet is littered with loads of lucid dreaming how-to advice. As an adult, I must admit, I couldn't care less about this type of dreaming as I'm more concerned about if I'm going to actually get some sleep, period! At any sub-conscious rate, if you need some how-to advice, I'll go find a resource online. Ha! Here is one that claims to have 18 steps: www.wikihow.com/Lucid-Dream

Anyway, if anybody has any helpful advice for the ones that may be interested in this subject, feel free to share. In the mean time, I think I'll just stick with daydreaming... ZZZ...

Image Credit: Bing Image Search using the 'free to share & use' function.

---End of Post "The Art of Lucid Dreaming"

Combat Pesticides with Organic Tea

Well, before I say anything else, this is sort of a continuation-post from my previous entry entitled "Pesticides in Coffee and Tea," found here: http://health-fitness-guru.blogspot.com/2014/12/pesticides-in-coffee-and-tea.html

Since the numerous processes involved with coffee before it ever hits your cup basically removes most worries you could possibly have about pesticides (and almost anything else), tea leaves are definitely in the spotlight. As mentioned in the link above, some of these people spray the tea leaves like crazy, never wash them, and bag 'em up for your delight - poison and all! Cheers! Ha! Anyway, after finding out the major brands like Lipton and Celestial Seasonings are currently 2 of the worst (most toxic) when it comes to poisonous pesticides, I finally decided to shop elsewhere. If you don't believe me, check out the recent studies and the links that explain such things in the post I mentioned a few moments ago or do your own research online.

Depicted above, are my chosen brands for Green Tea and Chamomile Tea. Yes, they claim to be organic and by what I can tell/taste, they definitely seem to be more pure than what I was drinking before. Those particular teas are the smoothest, most natural-tasting teas I have had in quite a while. The last time I had tea that was so smooth and refreshing, was when I tried some expensive brand of White Tea, in the past. Anyway, I'm not naive, and many companies that claim to be "organic" are just a couple hairs away from being poisonous. However, for a few more nickles and dimes, I'll take my chances with those teas (definitely the green tea from China) that were grown in fields that at least claim to not use any pesticides, etc.

The brand name of the green tea I'm currently drinking is "Uncle Lee's Tea" and the chamomile is from an expensive brand called "Traditional Medicinals." Drink what you want, but when it comes to tea, after all that crazy crap I've learned lately, Lipton and Celestial Seasonings will never enter any cup of mine again - at least not intentionally; ha! Thank God they don't put pesticides in beer! Or do they? LOL!

Shopping Link: "Search Amazon for Organic Teas"

Image Credit: My own photo of the products in question.

---End of Post "Combat Pesticides with Organic Tea"

Scrapple from Pork Scraps and Trimmings

While browsing through the food section on another website the other day, I stumbled upon a chunk of what appeared to be an unidentified meat-like substance. They called it "scrapple," but the name itself still didn't clear up the mystery of its origin nor did it state that it was or wasn't made out of dog meat; ha-ha! Anyway, not that it looked very appealing, I was a little bit interested in finding out what this "entree" was.

Well, come to find out it is made from pork trimmings and scraps. The scrapple is basically a mishmash of pork scraps combined with spices, cornmeal and flour. This mushy block of trimmings, breading, and seasoning is then formed into a loaf of some sorts. It is not a very solid loaf of meat or whatever, but it is together enough to be sliced and fried.

Now, when I say trimmings and pork scraps, I'm not talking about premium cuts here! Scrapple is typically made from hog heads, livers, hearts, and other miscellaneous parts that you normally wouldn't want to eat; yikes! Anyway, I've read enough about this crap today. If you would like to learn more, go here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple

It was entertaining to read other people on the Internet trying to describe Scrapple. For example, one person was like: "It is a bunch of pig junk with brains and stuff all mixed together to form a less solid Spam." LOL! Hey, I've got an even better description of Scrapple that I found online... The person basically said that Scrapple is all the crap that wasn't good enough to make it into the hot dogs, bologna, cat food, and dog food. Yeah, I'm real hungry now; thanks!

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons - Link is already provided within the post.

---End of Post "Scrapple from Pork Scraps and Trimmings"

Mystery Meat: Pick Your Poison!

Well, I gathered several images from the Public Domain and Wikimedia Commons so I could combine them into the one shown here. This depiction portrays an excellent gallery of what many people often refer to as "mystery meat." Yes folks, it is time to pick your poison! LOL!

Shown above is the following: Vienna Sausages, Bologna, Hot Dogs, Potted Meat, Miscellaneous Sausage, Spam, Salisbury Steak, Hamburger Meat ground from the mystery tubes, and the Chicken Nuggets from McDonald's. What a combo! Ha-ha!

Anyway, when it comes to picking your poison, some of you may be like "I never eat any of that crap!" If so, good for you, but some of these can actually be good. For example, fresh ground beef can make excellent burgers if it comes from identifiable beef trimmings. Some of the "tube meat" that comes in premixed is debatable. I used to work as a butcher many years ago, and I've seen a huge difference between the two albeit they sell under the same name.

Now, moving right along into McDonald's mystery nuggets... Not all chicken nuggets are created equal! McDonald's has a really bad reputation for the fillers and crazy ingredients they use in their nuggets. However, you can easily find some real chicken nuggets that are actually made from 100% chicken and breading, but it's best to make your own, just as you'd deep fry your own chicken strips, etc.

Going back up to the top, what in the hell is in Vienna Sausages? I've seen these come out of the can in multiple colors before, and I try to stay away from this bizarre "meat." Bologna and Hot Dogs are usually a bunch of mechanically separated beef, chicken, pork, and turkey, but they vary from brand to brand. I like the all-beef versions, but I try to limit my consumption of this tasty garbage, oops, I mean mystery meat. Back in the day, going by what I've heard, hot dogs used to be made with much higher quality. What happened? Okay, well, the last hot dog I ate that tasted like real meat was an Angus Beef one.

Potted meat is something that I've only ate a few times in my entire life. I'm just not a fan of eating stomachs/tripe and minced mystery meat from a nasty little can. Miscellaneous sausage and regular sage/seasoned sausage is sort of like hamburger meat. I've made real sausage before from actual pork trimmings and identifiable seasonings, and it was wonderful. However, some of the miscellaneous sausage is suspect for the mystery meat department, to say the least.

Spam is also debatable. Some folks consider it to be composed of mystery products while others say it is mostly pork shoulder meat, fat and salt. Uh, it looks sort of mysterious, so I'll leave it at that albeit some people treat it as a delicacy for some weird reason; yikes!

The other one shown here is Salisbury Steak. You will often find this one in frozen food dinners. I must admit, I actually think Salisbury steaks taste pretty good, but when I read the ingredients, I'm like "holy cow!" Just what all is in this piece meat? Why are there so many strange ingredients listed and so many mechanically separated animals in there? It must be all the onion seasoning and breading within a Salisbury steak that makes it so good? LOL!

At any mysterious meat-eating rate, if you had to pick your poison from this list, which one is your favorite? I hope I haven't converted too many people to vegetarianism after reading this post; ha!

Image Credits: The images I used were in the Public Domain and from Wikimedia Commons.

---End of Post "Mystery Meat: Pick Your Poison!"

Interplanetary Travel: Secret Journey to Planet Serpo

Now this is not a book you commonly see on the shelf! This suppose to be based on a true story, although some critics that were supposedly "in the know" actually said that the Serpo project did happen, but this book does include a lot of incorrect information. However, this amazing documentation has had awesome reviews thus far and it has been said before that no ufologist's library is complete without the "Secret Journey to Planet Serpo."

Without going into too much detail, this story involves a top-secret mission/U.S. government program that consisted of 12 people who traveled 39 light years away and landed on planet Serpo. They stayed there for 13 years. Some died during the mission, and some died years later, after they returned back to this planet. The last survivor died several years ago.

The content of this interplanetary travel book is based on the diary of the expedition's commander and the debriefing of the Serpo team. It describes the ongoing relationship the government has had with certain extraterrestrials, which they claim began way back in July 16, 1965 albeit many of us have heard of much earlier dates. I'm not sure what they mean by that date, unless that was the start of this particular mission/interplanetary movement. Instead of assuming that everything from this book is true, which is never a good assumption, it might be better to read a more honest assessment (3 page article) of this situation, found here: www.ufoconspiracy.com/reports/doty-rick-serpo.pdf

This 304-page book definitely sounds like an excellent read, nonetheless. I've seen the digital version as low as 10 bucks and the softcover book listed at 18 dollars. There suppose to be 3,000+ pages of information hidden somewhere, in which this 300+ page book stemmed from. Who knows what information is truly being withheld and who knows what vault those 3,000 pages of documents may be hiding in. Regardless of fact or fiction, this sounds like an awesome book that provides all the primary subjects an alien aficionado would want. Outside of the interplanetary travel and extraterrestrial communications, I have read from various sources that, strangely enough, the laws of physics doesn't quite work the same on planet Serpo as it does here in our Solar System, and that their (the aliens involved with this particular project) study of chemistry and physics is nothing like ours.

Shopping Link:  "The Secret Book of Interplanetary Travel via Amazon"

Image Credit: Fair Use - Book Cover - Amazon.com - This image can be found on various websites & catalogs.

---End of Post "Interplanetary Travel: Secret Journey to Planet Serpo"

Free Radicals vs. Exercise

This is actually a fairly old subject, but on occasions some people like to dig this type of stuff up and use it to their advantage. In this case, it goes back to the "exercise is bad for you" campaign. It boils down to the fact that your body produces more free radicals during bouts of extreme exertion and moderate to strenuous forms of exercise. Free radicals are everywhere and your body, under normal circumstances, will produce enough antioxidants to combat such things. A lot of the nutrients you obtain from your food, especially fruits and vegetables, will also help give your body what it needs to protect its cells from free radical damage.

This ain't rocket science, and exercise is still very good for your body and overall sense of well-being. Unless you are over-training and eating poorly or constantly performing marathon races, etc., I doubt if this would be very much of a concern for the vast majority. I got reminded of this the other day while watching some health guru (link to my health blog; ha!) on television that was acting like exercise is just so harmful to the body. I suppose you could compare it to a high-performance engine burning a lot of gas, having carbon deposits, and so on, but being active is one of the biggest things you can do for your health. This subject gets blown out of proportion when people generalize the term 'exercise' with these medical statements. First of all, people that are taking part in high-performance events usually don't fuel their body with Twinkies and doughnuts, either. Like a high-performance motor, a high-quality fuel needs to be added.

Take lactic acid, for example. Many times when you either do something repetitively different or exercise extra hard, you will find some muscle soreness due to a lactic acid build-up in the strained areas. Simply taking extra vitamin C beforehand will help reduce that effect, and I've even tested this myself to see if the scientific data was accurate. Anyway, back to the subject, a lot of folks would probably either say "what are free radicals?" or "Exercise? Eew!" LOL!

So the next time you find yourself smoking crack (or whatever), eating processed foods, loads of basic table sugar, and tubs of trans fat, remember to not hate upon the free radicals caused by exercise. I think it'll be alright...

Related Link to further your reading:
* www.examiner.com/article/free-radicals-and-exercise-are-we-doing-more-harm-than-good-by-working-out [link is no longer active]

Image Credit: My own photo of a book I purchased a few years ago.

---End of Post "Free Radicals vs. Exercise "

Alien Implants without the Microchips

Yeah, this sucks. I was hoping to find all of my answers online tonight, but I was disappointed with this thing y'all call the World Wide Web. Well, it must not be too "wide" because it seems that they don't keep any records online or have any accessible data files that shows how many humanoids around here that have been installed with the experimental alien microchip that suppose to enhance the cognitive function 5 fold or maybe even 10 times. Good grief, this spaceship I'm on doesn't have all of the information either, like our mothership would, but that's another story.

At any "E.T. Phone Home" rate, I did find another supplemental subject that was somewhat related, which was about alien implants. Hey, that is nowhere near the quality of the alien microchips I was originally talking about, but we'll just go with that one tonight. These tracking devices do way more than track your coordinates, as they are primarily there to monitor certain bodily functions (including the subconscious mind) during brief moments of excitability (that triggers such relays) and they are made of what you'd call extraterrestrial alloys and whatnot. In fact, some of the ones that have been removed from certain bi-peds here, have been tested before from other humans at a world-class laboratory. They reported back that they were made of a rare material that has only been discovered from a few rare meteorites and another one that had unknown elements that were not available on Earth. LOL! Gee, ya think?

Hey, maybe they got hit in the neck with a speck of a meteorite and mistaken it for an alien implant? No, not so fast... The last video I seen, they pulled a triangular-shaped alien implant out of the person's neck. Yeah, it all looked real to me, but so does a lot of things involving conspiracy and controversy; ha! But I'm not allowed to speak matter-of-factly, so let's move on. Anyway, if you are interested in this subject, watch the last video on this page that was entitled "Alien Implant Removal Surgery," found here: alien-ufo-research.com/alien-implants/

Do I think that alien implants are possible? Uh, duh! Actually, alien implants are fairly primitive, which is why I was more curious about the alien microchips that alter humanoid cognitive function. Let's be real... Even the Homo sapiens tag certain creatures for tracking purposes and, really, they tag their own people any chance they get. The alien implants are not even that interesting, unless you are one of those that don't believe in extraterrestrial lifeforms.

Related Link: "Green Reptilian Aliens - Physical Characteristics"
www.perpendicularity.org/green-reptilian-aliens.html

Image Credit: Bing Image Search using the 'free to use & share' function.

---End of Post "Alien Implants without the Microchips"


Related Link: "Did the Greada Treaty really happen?"

The Ghost Meter: EMF Sensor

Now this isn't really my thing, but the subject of ghosts is often interesting and intriguing in its own right. This isn't just a hobby for commoners with fantastical imaginations, either, as even people with somewhat notable scientific titles have been researching and conducting experiments in certain "haunted" areas for many years. The paranormal experiments usually involve some high-tech equipment, recording devices, EMF sensors and whatnot.

The Ghost Meter found on this post, looks more like a cute version of something that could be used for various spooky experiments. The reviews vary but, if anything, it can at least find electrical wiring behind walls or detect high readings from power outlets; ha-ha! But seriously, if you are a hardcore ghost tracker, you may want to spend a bit more money and buy a more expensive, high-tech EMF sensor. The one shown here is under 40 dollars, and once the batteries are drained a little bit, the accuracy will most likely go way down.

Anyway, this particular ghost meter claims to be a bargain and that it can outperform many of the more pricey models. It has been calibrated to ignore the extremely subtle EMF emissions surrounding the human body, but it is suppose to be sensitive enough to detect the EMF energy fluctuations that are commonly found at notoriously haunted locations. It has all the primary functions of what you'd expect from a quality EMF meter, plus you get the little label on it that says "Ghost Meter." Is this just another sales gimmick or is it a true ghostly deal? LOL!

I started to include a picture of a book entitled "The Ghost Hunter's Field Guide," which is over 400 pages long and provides information and locations for over 1,000 places that are supposedly haunted in the U.S. If you combine the EMF sensor (along with a bit more gear/equipment) and that Ghost Hunter's book, you are sure to have some interesting road trips, depending on how much free time you have on your hands. ...Boo!

Shopping Link: "Click Here for EMF Sensors via Amazon"

Image Credit: Fair Use - Product Image - Amazon.com

---End of Post "The Ghost Meter: EMF Sensor"

Microbial Life on Saturn's moon Titan?

I started to go with the title "Who cares if there is microbial life on Titan?," but I didn't want to sound too negative; ha! Anyway, Titan is the largest of Saturn's many moons. What makes Titan unique, is that it is the only moon in our Solar System that has an atmosphere. It is not a good place for life as we know it, since the surface temperature is known to only warm up to -290 degrees Fahrenheit! Dang, I thought zero degrees was cold here on Earth... Yikes!

So what is all the hoopla and ballyhoo about? Well, Titan's atmosphere is rich in some chemicals that are part of the equation that formulates life on Earth, but that isn't saying a whole hell of a lot. They say that this particular moon has the materials needed for the formation of living cells, yet the debate still rages on whether or not Titan could support life. That is where I lose interest, as wondering if some tiny speck on some distant moon or planet could possibly have a few batches of bacteria running loose or a small gathering of microbial life beneath the surface, doesn't interest me in the slightest. Who cares, right?

Other moons that have been mulled over, when concerning the possibility of microbial life via geothermal means, underground lakes, etc., are a couple of Jupiter's moons called Europa and Io. Anyway, unless they spot a couple space monkeys or some weird creatures running around, I couldn't care less! LOL!

Image Credit: It is in the Public Domain because it was solely created by NASA.

---End of Post "Microbial Life on Saturn's moon Titan?"

Io: Crazy Volcanic Moon of Jupiter

When I say "Io," I'm not talking about the character in Greek mythology, nor am I talking about its various roles in science fiction flicks and literature. I'm talking about the crazy volcanic moon of Jupiter. First of all, Jupiter has many moons. The last count I heard was 67 moons around Jupiter, but Io is in the group called the Galilean moons, which is the giant planet's 4 largest satellites/moons.

What makes Io different, is that it is the most geologically active object in the Solar System. It is one crazed, volcanic hell with over 400 active volcanoes in an area slightly bigger than our own Moon! Speaking of that, Io is the 4th largest moon in our solar system while our Moon is the 5th largest.

Why is Io so angry? Well, it spins around Jupiter really fast and, like our Moon, it has a locked orbit with the same side always facing the planet. Each trip Io takes around Jupiter, it is tormented by the tidal pull of Jupiter's extreme gravity. The surface of Io will bulge forward when close to Jupiter, then settle back down as it gets further away. This causes a lot of friction and great heat from the movement of Io's rock/metal interior structure. This, in turn, powers these insane volcanoes that spew wildly into the air on a regular basis. Would you like to visit Io? LOL!

Image Credit: Is in the Public Domain because it was solely created by NASA.

---End of Post "Io: Crazy Volcanic Moon of Jupiter "

Quantum Hypnotic Regression Therapy

I think this may be properly called, uh, uh, I don't know what it is properly called! Some folks just simply call it "past life regression" and many others refer to it as "quantum healing hypnosis therapy." However, on another website, I had a guy comment with a somewhat unrelated remark on an article about zero point energy by saying that he is going to go get some "quantum hypnotic regression therapy" for three days and that he will most likely write about the experience.

This is cool and, if this stuff really works, it would be interesting to hear about his results! I know, I know... This expensive therapy sounds about as outlandish and fraudulent as "quantum jumping," but just relax. Unless you are the one wasting the money on it, why hate upon the experience? Whether you are seeking answers about your current life, past life, future lives, your extraterrestrial lives, parallel lives or another existence from a different dimension, this overpriced quantum hypnotic regression therapy (or whatever you call it) may be just for you! On a side note, I think they also suppose to deal with some type of physical healing, as well.

Since I'm an ET from another world, the concept of reincarnation is about as mundane as what these Earth people call gossip. What I find the most hilarious about all of this, though, is that so many Homo sapiens from this lovely blue water planet often feel the need to slap a 'quantum' label on so many things, just for the authoritative effect and/or scientific acceptance. I think some people can say anything after the word 'quantum' and gain an audience with the utmost attention. Hey, look at my quantum verbiage from this quantified bubble of quantitative diction. See what I mean? LOL!

At any quantifiable rate, let's expand our consciousness into broader horizons of discovery that involves only one limit known to man . . . Your wallet! Ha-ha! Okay, well, I hope that I have conveyed the point that I was originally trying to make. Don't get me wrong, I think this type of junk is noteworthy to some degree, but I'm not going to be paying people loads of cash to help me discover my own life/lives. Good grief, I thought that was what taxes were for!

---End of Post "Quantum Hypnotic Regression Therapy"

Drop it like it's Planet Venus!

The title for this post has spawned from the chorus of a silly Snoop Doggy Dog song. The shortened version is as follows:
"When the pimp's in the crib ma, drop it like it's hot; drop it like it's hot. When the pigs try to get at ya, park it like it's hot; park it like it's hot." LOL! Okay, that's enough of those vacuous lyrics for now, but the point is, Venus is really freakin' hot!

Even though it is the 2nd planet from the Sun, it is the hottest planet in our Solar System, reaching temps of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit! If you were on the surface, you couldn't even see the sun due to that crazy, extremely thick atmosphere. If you were holding a book in your hand, it would catch on fire... If you'd like a quintessential version of the "greenhouse effect," planet Venus would be your woman. Ha! I placed a gender on it because of the old adage: "Women are from Venus; men are from Mars."

Anyway, this place will provide you with a nice drizzle of sulfuric acid and lots of muggy air filled with carbon dioxide. Does this sound like a cool place to visit? No, I didn't think so. To top it off, it is extremely violent and turbulent with lots of lightning strikes and loud thunder, sort of like how some women get while on their period; ha! Anyway, it is no vacation spot nor would it be a good place to take a shore leave if you were on a Star Trek episode and needed a break.

Image Credit: It is in the Public Domain because it was solely created by NASA.

---End of Post "Drop it like it's Planet Venus!"

Bachelor's Grove Haunted Cemetery

Original Post Date: October 23, 2013

 It is that time of year where everything haunted or ghoulish seems to fit right into place. Haunted houses, plantations, or the not-so-common spooky caves, you name it, and we have most likely heard about it all before. One of the other nefarious sites for this woo-woo genre, is wicked cemeteries. I was just doing a quick web search on this a few minutes ago and was trying to find out what the most haunted cemetery was. I did not find a definite answer, but Bachelor's Grove Cemetery was the one I kept running across on multiple lists.

Bachelor's Grove Cemetery has had loads of eerie sightings and the reports peaked in the 1970s and '80s. The haunted phenomenon ranges from orbs and ghost figures to phantom vehicles. I've even read about some ghostly house/farmhouse that supposedly appears and then sort of hovers around then disappears when you get closer. The farmhouse illusion is generally reported in a different spot each time. On some "top 10 most haunted cemeteries" website, I also read about multiple figures emerging throughout the cemetery dressed in monk-style robes. The last one I heard about involved some female ghost setting on a tombstone while wearing an outdated dress. In the '90s witnesses also reported seeing a black dog at the cemetery's entrance, but like the floating house and all the other stuff, it disappeared once they got closer.

One cool thing about Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, is that people claim to see this spooky stuff not only at night, but also during the day. Researchers have also reported electronic voice phenomenon in the area. Some ghost experts state that this is really the place to go, if you want to see a real-life ghost or fake-real ghost or however I'm suppose to say it; ha! The cemetery is no longer in use, is abandoned, and located in section 8 of Bremen Township, Cook County, Illinois.

Image Credit: Infrared photograph via en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor%27s_Grove_Cemetery

Related Posts:
http://myths-legends-folklore.blogspot.com/2011/04/share-your-supernatural-occult-ghost.html

http://myths-legends-folklore.blogspot.com/2015/01/haunted-bell-witch-cave.html

---End of Post "Bachelor's Grove Haunted Cemetery"

Frozen Hell: Jupiter's Great Red Spot

Have you ever heard of the expression 'when Hell freezes over'? Well, no other planetary place in our Solar System represents a hellish storm like Jupiter's Great Red Spot and despite the red spot's furious appearance, it averages a temperature of -160 Celsius! Wow!

Jupiter is, of course, the 5th planet in our star system and is the first of the gas planets. It is by far the largest planet, as you could combine the size of all the other planets in our Solar System and Jupiter would still be twice as big. 99% of Jupiter is made up of hydrogen and helium and it does have a rocky core about the size of Earth. Another cool factoid about Jupiter, is that it revolves on its axis super fast, and it has the shortest day in our Solar System.

Anyway, the Great Red Spot has confused astronomers since they first witnessed it, more than 300 years ago. It is an ongoing, massive storm and a crazy vortex that never seems to end. It defies what we know, and we really have no idea why this storm never dies. They say it should have stopped a long time ago, but it hasn't. While they are constantly trying to figure out why this frozen hell and tempestuously turbulent Red Spot never dies, we'll just go back to my previous notion of how Jupiter was somewhat close to becoming a star upon its birth, if it would have gained a bit more mass, as stated here:
http://random-twaddle.blogspot.com/2015/03/what-if-jupiter-would-have-turned-into.html

Image Credit: It is in the public domain because it was solely created by NASA.

---End of Post "Frozen Hell: Jupiter's Great Red Spot"

What if Jupiter would have turned into a Star?

Yeah, at first this question might seem odd, but it's sort of cool (or hot) to temporarily ponder over. Right off the bat, one may ask: "Could Jupiter have become a star?" Well, that's just it. It didn't! Ha! However, if you have studied about the formation of our Solar System, we could have been closer than one would think......

Jupiter is obviously the largest planet in our Solar System albeit the Sun is still 1,000 times larger. They are both made up of mostly hydrogen. The size differential is what ultimately led to separate paths of their formation and development. I have read before, several years ago, that if Jupiter would have had 100 times the amount of matter (rough estimation via crazed calculations) it currently has, that the core would have been hot enough to start a thermonuclear reaction - which is the same type of explosive energy that powers our Sun, for example. The same would apply for other stars, too.

Anyway, if that would have happened, our Solar System would have been quite different, to say the least. Would we have been basking in some supplementary heat & sunshine or would all hell have broke loose? Regardless of these fantastical notions, Jupiter wasn't big enough for this to happen, so who cares, right? LOL!

Semi-related Post:
http://random-twaddle.blogspot.com/2015/03/io-crazy-volcanic-moon-of-jupiter.html

Image Credit: This file is in the public domain because it was solely created by NASA.

---End of Post "What if Jupiter would have turned into a Star?"

LED Technology will eventually replace Incandescent Light Bulbs

Original Post Date: December 11, 2013

This tech-related subject has been nothing but boisterous chatter over the last few years in the U.S. Some parts of the world have already banned incandescent light bulbs and others have had partial bans. Of course, some primitive areas are still using even cruder methods for lighting, but that is not what this short post is about. I'm the oddball here, evidently, because I still like the fluorescent light technology that has been around for many decades. I really liked it when they started making those swirly fluorescent bulbs several years ago, but many folks didn't feel the same way.

People mainly complain about fluorescent lights because they don't work very well in extreme cold temperatures, they are not generally made for dimmer switches, and they contain mercury, etc. I've never made a habit of breaking mine and the inside of my home is not normally below freezing, so I haven't had any problems with mine. On the other hand, you have the hardcore incandescent light bulb enthusiasts. I have literally seen people hoarding these when they first thought they were going to be banned in the U.S. Well, that ban was lifted and/or delayed a while back, but the time for the end of incandescent lights is approaching.

LED technology seems to be the direction we are heading towards. They are expensive, but save loads of electricity and are much better for the planet. I didn't like the original models nor did I like the type of light they emitted, but things are slowly improving, going by what I read the other day.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_incandescent_light_bulbs

---End of Post "LED Technology will eventually replace Incandescent Light Bulbs"

Conflicts with Continental Drift

Well, I just wasted several minutes of my life watching a few YouTube videos while reading lots of comments during the process. Man probably never thought that they would ever live in a time period where certain people would gather together online and argue about the continental drift. How can anybody have conflicts and/or arguments about pieces of land bumping around and changing shape and location? Well, that one is simple. We will always have people out there that has supposedly "figured it all out." LOL!

I remember being in Kindergarten class while looking at a globe one day and thinking "those land thingies would almost fit together like a puzzle." Yeah, I was 5 years old! At any conflicting rate, new technology along with additional ideas (even a conspiracy theory made it into this subject) and whatnot, has turned some seemingly meaningless topic into a full-fledged debate that has soared to new heights.

The link I'm about to provide, is to a YouTube video that has nearly 50,000 comments! It is about a conspiracy theory/balloon theory that the earth is actually growing. They explain why Pangaea happened and portrays the planet as expanding into grounds no scientist dares to speak about. If you'd like to watch this mini-flick and to read the hilarious commentary, go here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJfBSc6e7QQ

The next video is called "Plate Tectonics in Action," and they tried to demonstrate the pre-Pangaea period (as if anybody was there; ha!) by using various types of modern technology. Their video ends up making the land look like a bunch of non-stop bumper cars on hot grease. You can find this video, here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm5giPd5Uro

The next video I watched, tried to show how the Earth will look 100 million years from now. It is too stupid to link to, even for entertainment purposes. I'll just let you dream up any scenario you desire, as it will probably be more accurate than the video I just watched.

The point is: Uh, there is no point to any of this, which is the point. Humans have so many other things that are more important to argue about, and some of these continental drift aficionados may need to either get a life or perhaps find the location where their brain has possibly drifted to. LOL!

Image Credit: A screenshot from one of the YouTube videos mentioned in this post.

---End of Post "Conflicts with Continental Drift"

Chemtrails vs. Contrails

After making a post last night (on another website) about some of the more annoying conspiracy theories out there, I had an epiphany! LOL! Okay, I really didn't, but I did refresh myself with the fact that conspiracy theories are not only fun to listen to, fun to write about, but also fun to, uh, make fun of! Ha! Yes, I know, this is not all a laughing matter and some of these conspiracy theories may have some truth to them and whatnot, but that is neither here nor there.

Today, I wasted a significant portion of my life reading about the "chemtrail conspiracy theory." My gawd! Somebody please hose down the Internet with some common sense! I know that some people really believe in their theories and are all about "saving humanity" and whatnot, but I'm here to say that this particular "theory" doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Actually, if it is true, this one should be easy to prove, but yet it has never been proven in the slightest. ...Just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo from conspiracy websites and fake people trying to testify (yes, I seen some of those clowns, as well) with no real data to back anything up other than hearsay, etc. First of all, if you are pretending to be a scientist online, at least type like you have an education beyond 6th grade; ha-ha!

Anyway, contrails have been around since the dawn of aviation. Contrails are short for "condensation trails" while chemtrails are short for "chemical trails." The conspiracy theory basically says that we are being sprayed with poisons from high altitudes in part of a conspiracy to depopulate the planet and that these biological and chemical "spray downs" are also used for solar radiation management, psychological manipulation, to alter the weather, to spread rare flu viruses, and so on and so forth. They are often linked to brain diseases, respiratory illnesses and other health problems that I don't care to waste time on mentioning.

One of the big questions often involve "why do some planes leaves cloud-like trails and others do not?" The main reasons involve different engines (newer vs. older models, for example) and different altitudes. Since contrails are condensation trails, it involves a few factors that I'm not going to bother elaborating about here. If you're interested in such things, this web page does a decent job explaining it: contrailscience.com/why-do-some-planes-leave-long-trails-but-others-dont/

Since this post can easily become rather long, I'll just make a few closing comments and drop down a few resource links. If anything else needs to be discussed, it can happen in the comment field below or perhaps in your own head. Whichever you decide, makes me no difference as I think, after seriously wasting loads of time reading both sides of the story, that the chemtrail conspiracy theory is utterly ridiculous. Are the people in charge of such conspiracies really that stupid? Maybe they have been poisoned by other clouds that originated from their sphincter? Hey, let's drop massive amounts of poisons from high up to kill the people down below while we hide in our bunkers for decades. Yeah, that sounds like a real smart plan. Do they not plan on living here, too? Also, if they have been doing this for the last 15-20 years or whatever the theory states, do they not realize that the population is still continuing to increase? Have they selected the wrong poisons? Idiots...

Besides, if you want to poison society, there are so many easier methods available instead of starting from thousands and thousands of feet in the air or whatever. If this theory is true, however, they are the dumbest poisoners I have ever seen or heard about, in my entire life. Now, if you want to refer to chemtrails as being acts of crop dusting, skywriting, cloud seeding, or spreading flame retardants and water down for forest fires (as depicted above), then by all means, these type of chemtrails definitely exist; ha!

Additional Resources to further your reading:
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory
* http://hubpages.com/education/NASA-Scientist-Admits-Chemtrails-Are-Real
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3AChemtrail_conspiracy_theory/Archive_1

Related Posts: http://myths-legends-folklore.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-haarp-conspiracy-theory.html

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons - Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_firefighting

---End of Post "Chemtrails vs. Contrails"

USDA Prime, Choice, Select Grade, and Certified Angus Beef

Well, to some folks out there (especially the meat gurus), this is a very interesting subject. The grades of beef set by the USDA are there to help distinguish between the highest quality all the way down to the poorest bovine known to man. Whether you are munching down on a succulent Certified Angus beef Rib-Eye steak, chowing on a choice grade New York Strip, devouring a cheap select Club steak or pondering over the other lower standard cuts of meat like Standard and Commercial grades that are found at certain thrifty food markets or the Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades that may be found in some of your processed foods or cheap hamburger patties, this topic may arouse your interest.

At any rate, instead of me rambling about each grade of beef set by the USDA, I'll mainly provide some resource links. I currently work as a butcher and, when it comes to beef, I mainly cut Certified Angus Beef. Which is kinda cool because it is the only meat market around here that offers it within miles and miles. The shop/store must first spend thousands of dollars to get licensed to even sell the Certified Angus, and when you do get licensed, nobody can sell the stuff within a certain radius of your store. Pretty neat, eh?

The 8 primary grades of meat set by the USDA are as follows: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. Where's the one I mostly work with? Well, according to these standards, Certified Angus Beef is a cut above the rest. Read more about that, here: http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/cuts/grades.aspx

Read more about the other grades, here:

* blog.fooducate.com/2009/08/28/which-beef-is-best-usda-choice-or-usda-select/

Now, am I buying into all of this hoopla & ballyhoo from the USDA? Of course not; ha! Sure, the Prime and Certified Angus has more marbling and fat, juice, and sometimes flavor, but how did they get that way? Were they force-fed corn toward the end of their fat cow life? What if I like leaner cuts of meat from a lower grade and actually know how to cook a steak? LOL! What if a healthier steak from a farm-raised and grass-fed cow that hasn't been injected with antibiotics and growth hormones but has less marbling, is much leaner, and tastes way better, doesn't pass the USDA's test? Ha-ha! You see what I mean?

Plus, doesn't Japan suppose to have the best, most fattiest beef on the planet? I don't know much about Kobe beef or Wagyu, but just saying...

Here is an excellent starting (menu) page that covers various subject like this: culinaryskills2.wikispaces.com/

The bottom line: Before you sell out and spend a lot more money for extra fatty beef from overly fed young cows, you may want to do your homework first. Is this seemingly interesting subject overrated or what? Speaking of that, what's for dinner?

Image Credit: Fair Use - The logo image is being used solely for non-commercial reasons and is also found on millions of meat packages, magazines, and websites online. In fact, you can buy these stickers online; ha!

---End of Post "USDA Prime, Choice, Select Grade, and Certified Angus Beef"

Will parapsychology eventually become more accepted?

Well, I was going to write about some age-old paranormal topics featuring telekinesis and/or psychokinesis today, but decided to do a quick post about parapsychology, instead. Most people classify parapsychology as a pseudoscience, since it involves the study of paranormal and psychic phenomena. On the other hand, the followers of this level of education would rather call it "science of the paranormal." With that being said, it was interesting to search for real schools that actually consider this to be worthy of study. I couldn't find very many universities (I seen 3 listed) in the U.S. that offer paranormal studies, and there is no degrees in the United States available in parapsychology, going by what I read albeit I didn't look or search very hard.

If for some bizarre reason you are seeking such things, just perform an online search using some keywords similar to "What Schools Offer a Degree in Parapsychology?" or "Who Teaches Parapsychology?" and so on. There is an online course (it isn't free) for the boogy-boogy fanatics out there, located here: theschoolofparapsychology.org

Anyway, after reading more about this anomalous topic, it makes me wonder if it will slowly start becoming more accepted as time marches on. Think about it... A booming population equals more people and anytime you have more humans involved, there is bound to be additional paranormal - whether it's actually real or mostly make-believe baloney, it doesn't matter. Many of the subjects that parapsychology delves into is quite interesting, to say the least. Stuff like: psychokinesis, telepathy, remote viewing, clairvoyance, near-death experiences (NDEs), out-of-body experiences, ESP, reincarnation and loads of other paranormal and supernatural subjects. Hey, they may also use Ghost Meters as well... Boo!

---End of Post "Will parapsychology eventually become more accepted?"

Who first discovered popcorn?

This query was intended to have an easy answer, you know, like the Native American Indians, but apparently there are a lot of myths involved when concerning who first discovered popcorn. Most sources on the Internet will say that the variety of corn that is known for its popcorn properties (obviously, not all corn pops) originated in Mexico where it was cultivated by the Native Americans. However, Wikipedia states: "The legend that English settlers, who came to America in the 16th and 17th centuries, learned about popcorn from American Indians has been proven to be a myth." They say that there is no proof that the American Indians were the first to discover it and that evidence of popcorn from 3600 B.C. was found in New Mexico, but even older (4700 B.C.) evidence was found in Peru. You can read more about that, here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn

Here is another related link: www.whodiscoveredit.com/who-discovered-popcorn.html

Anyway, I don't really know, but it seems to me that whoever enjoyed eating a wide variety of corn probably first discovered popcorn by simply cooking it over a fire. I can see it now... A bunch of people gathered over a campfire roasting some new variety of corn they found growing wild, and all of a sudden . . . Pop! Then, a few more pops happen and it is now raining popcorn all around the campfire. Then, three brave souls go over and boldly eat this amazing fluffy creation for the first time. "Yum-yum," says the first discoverer of this ancient snack. "Popping corn from the heavens," says the 2nd person. The 3rd person says "corn pops?" while sounding like a confused jackass during his initial examination of the popped product. Then the crowd stands back and declares that it shall be called "popcorn" as they all rush in like madmen to devour the remaining bits of popcorn. LOL!

Image Credit: It is in the Public Domain and is not under copyright protection.

---End of Post "Who first discovered popcorn?"

Could Panspermia cause Diseases on Earth instead of Life?

Ha! This should be enough fuel to light a fire under anybody that is prone to conspiracy theories and far-fetched notions. LOL! Panspermia is just one of the many creation theories that involves life originating elsewhere in the cosmos and traveling to Earth via comets, meteors, etc. Flying rocks with the building blocks of life, is their main theory. I suppose it really got amped up in the late '60s when they found some extraterrestrial amino acids in a meteor that fell to the ground in Australia, but who knows...

Anyway, I'm not getting into this theory because it really doesn't matter. You can rain all the rocks down on a planet you want that has microbial life on it and nothing will happen unless the conditions are meant to be and/or able to host life to begin with. Blah! But, for the ones that enjoy this type of mystery and conspiracy: Could some of the diseases on Earth be from such Panspermia activities?

I rarely ever quote anything, but I must for this post. This is a quote from Wikipedia: "Hoyle and Wickramasinghe have speculated that several outbreaks of illnesses on Earth are of extraterrestrial origins, including the 1918 flu pandemic, and certain outbreaks of polio and mad cow disease. For the 1918 flu pandemic they hypothesized that cometary dust brought the virus to Earth simultaneously at multiple locations—a view almost universally dismissed by experts on this pandemic. Hoyle also hypothesized that AIDS came from outer space." Ha-ha! Is that nuts or what? But what if??? So, do you think this is possible and/or have you ever even thought about it before?

Image Credit: This is my own photo of my very own extraterrestrial rock from outer space. Seriously... Ahh, you guys wouldn't believe me anyway. Ha!

---End of Post "Could Panspermia cause Diseases on Earth instead of Life?"

Raining Diamonds on Planet Uranus and Neptune

This is actually a fairly old subject, although many people still have never heard of this. I know they have published stuff about this way back in 1999, maybe even before, but I also recently read a newer version, as well. Then again, it is not that uncommon to run across regurgitated verbiage online, so maybe it was just another spun article; ha!

Anyway, many people don't take too kindly to this subject. I mean, when I go up to somebody and say: "It is raining diamonds on Uranus!" They look at me like I'm crazy and generally say something odd like, "I don't have money coming out of my backside; you're nuts!" and walk off. Some people are just weird, but that is besides the point.

This easy-to-understand concept is simply based on the fact that high amounts of methane can turn into diamonds when it encounters extremely high pressures and temperatures, sort of like the ones found inside Neptune and Planet Uranus. It would be coming down on these planets sort of like hail does on this one, going by what I have read. Has anyone been down there and seen it for their selves? No, but if we ever find a way to get our greedy mitts on these rocks, you can bet the price of diamonds will plummet here on Earth due to supply & demand. I wouldn't plan on it anytime soon, though, as they haven't even found an effective way to mine asteroids for resources without it costing way more than what it is worth, but all of that could change in due time.

Well, I just thought this was a semi-interesting topic, and figured I'd share this with the community here. I would write more about this peculiar subject, but my fingertips are currently sore from all of my random & rigorous writing endeavors that has permeated various areas of cyber-space.

Image Credit: www.zimbio.com

---End of Post "Raining Diamonds on Planet Uranus and Neptune"

How Greenland got its Name

I was reading a post a few days ago that was talking about this. They were like, "How did Greenland get its name? It should have been called Iceland instead." Ha-ha! Yeah, it does seem odd that it was called Greenland, but those Vikings were not very good at naming things, evidently. They once called a colony they established around Canada during the year 1000 or thereabouts, "Vinland" even though it was not a good place to grow grapes, for example. Sure, the weather was different then, but let's move forward.

There are several myths and ideas for how Greenland got its name, but the most common one I'm aware of is the one I'm about to quickly tell you. Some folks think it was out of mere propaganda. Eric the Red was a Viking with a bad reputation. He was a criminal of some sorts and a lot of folks didn't like him, to say the least. At the time, the area known today as Greenland, was fairly rich in game, fish, etc. It was definitely a warmer period for this region in the year 982 or whenever the hell it was. Hoping to attract more settlers, he named it Greenland. After a couple hundred years pass, the damn area grew colder and colder and the glaciers spread like wildfire! Okay, wildfire is a bad choice of wording, but I'm leaving it anyway; ha!

Now look at the place! It is anything but green and it is basically a frozen island. It is funny how that worked out, eh?

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland

---End of Post "How Greenland got its Name"

Who can truly claim Antarctica?

In a way, nobody can claim Antarctica. In another way, everybody can claim this frozen continent. In actuality, nobody owns Antarctica albeit 7 nations do somewhat have their mitts on certain regions while staking claims to certain portions of these great ice sheets. The 7 nations trying to get a piece of the arctic pie, is the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Norway, and France. Good grief, France is involved? Are they looking for frozen pastries or something? LOL! Just joking, of course.

I do like this quote, however: "Neither the United States nor the Soviet Union, prime players on the southern stage, claims Antarctic territory nor honors the claims of others; however, both consider the continent politically important." You can read the elaborate version, here: www.globalclassroom.org/antarct9.html

At any frigid rate, the place is not like some populated area or anything of the like. Outside of the fish, birds, whales and seals that live on Antarctica, it is mostly ground for scientific experiments. Do you remember Lake Vostok? If not, I once wrote about that awesome, mysterious place, here: perpendicularity.org/blog/2013/03/03/lake-vostok-mystery-the-center-of-antarctica/

I have heard about secret bunkers and extraterrestrial activity in Antarctica, as well, but what would any story be like without those 2 primary components of mystery? Maybe the ice will quit melting and shifting and re-freezing in the wrong areas, or else we'll endure another polar shift via planetary weight displacement. Let's hope not! Dang, I'm way off subject here. Oh, the bottom line is, this is one continent that hasn't been claimed or dominated as of yet. Ain't that cool?

Image Credit: This file is in the public domain because it was solely created by NASA.

---End of Post "Who can truly claim Antarctica?"

Cooking with Yardlong (Snake) Beans

First of all, I'm not exactly sure what to call these freaky beans. Some people simply call them yardlong beans while others may refer to this legume as asparagus beans, snake beans, long-podded cowpeas, Chinese long beans, and so on.
Actually, they are not really a yard long, but they are really long green beans nonetheless! When I first seen them, I thought of little garter snakes; ha! A friend of mine that owns a grocery store gave me a few the other day, since some guy offered him a bunch of them for free (just a small sample for cooking purposes in hopes to sell in bundles, I'm assuming).
At any rate, I cut them into normal-sized pieces and cooked them just like I would fresh-picked green beans. So, what is the big deal? Nothing, really. They are good, like green beans, so I guess what makes them so interesting is the way they grow and the size they are. You can read more about that, here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigna_unguiculata_subsp._sesquipedalis

Image Credit: My own photo.

---End of Post "Cooking with Yardlong (Snake) Beans"

Life Sequence of the Stars

Well, this is a subject that really has no impact on our current lives, but yet some folks still like to know these things. When it comes to the life sequence of the stars, it really depends on the size of the glowing celestial body we are talking about. Unlike what some people may think, the larger stars actually have a more turbulent & shorter life when compared to a smaller, slower burning star like the one in our Solar System - in which we call the Sun.

Instead of giving some long, drawn-out science lesson, I'll cut to the chase and get right down to the pertinent matters at hand. The illustration I used for this post sums it up in a nutshell, although one must forgive the crudeness of my model because it comes via the MS Paint program; ha! Low-mass to intermediate-mass stars have a much longer life on the main sequence. They burn for a very long time (much longer than high-mass stars) before they turn into a red giant. From that particular end-stage (red giant) of their life, they simply end up turning into a situation involving what we'd call a planetary nebula and, without all the excess science, a white dwarf.

The high-mass stars turn into a red giant much quicker, then, due to their enormous mass, go into a stage called the red supergiant. This is where a supernova forms. The ones with this size, after becoming a supernova, ultimately turn into a neutron star. The stars that are even bigger than those, in which have a relatively gigantic amount of mass, go from a supernova into a black hole. Some people still claim that black holes don't exist, but let's not get ridiculous here.

After clicking the image to enlarge, you will see that I skipped all of the steps during the main sequence. Basically, it would show the same star being basically at the same size for a lengthy amount of time. Instead of wasting time trying to illustrate the differences between the main sequence from small stars to large, I figured that you would understand the fact that the bigger and hotter stars burn out much quicker than the smaller, cooler stars. It is the outcome/end result of the star in question, that is the most interesting, in my opinion.

I realize that after writing this little string of verbiage, that I probably should have elaborated about what a supernova is along with a neutron star, not to mention a black hole. LOL! I'm assuming that many of you couldn't care less about any of this, but I still may do a post about the other stuff, to fill in the blanks, later on. For the ones that already know about the various types of life sequences that are involved with stars of different sizes, you are merely stuck with my illustration to laugh at. Either way, thanks for reading...

Image Credit: My own photo.

---End of Post "Life Sequence of the Stars"

The first true automobile?

Well, the question concerning who created or designed the first automobile is a bit complicated and debatable. Many people and/or historians disagree. With there being an estimated 100,000 patents that lead to the automobiles as we know them to be, many argue over what represents the first "true" automobile.

To simplify the matter, we won't even consider Leonardo da Vinci's self-propelled wagon in the 15th century, albeit this contraption was way ahead of its time. However, if we do credit the first steam-powered vehicle, as shown above, then it goes to the French engineer Nicolas Cugnot. It was built in 1769 and it could reach blazing speeds of slightly over 2 mph. LOL! Hey, that is still speed of some sort and it was definitely a break-through for its time period. Anyway, it was a 3-wheeled vehicle that was used to haul artillery and could hold 4 passengers for a short ride-time of 15 minutes before having to rest during the "powering back up" process.

Yeah, with that being said, one could easily understand why many folks did not considered it to be the first true automobile. Several years later, in 1804/1805, Oliver Evans claimed to have built the first self-powered amphibious vehicle (one that could go on land and in water), but the evidence was poor and no technical drawings of the device survived. Oliver's own descriptions seemed exaggerated and contradictory along with the motor being too weak to do what he claimed this vehicle could do.

This is why some historians just credit the Germans Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler for building the first practical cars with internal-combustion engines, back in 1885. Improvements quickly followed from there, and now we have gas-guzzlers everywhere; ha!

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons - Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_automobile

---End of Post "The first true automobile?"

Grand Canyon Skywalk

Wow! What a sight! I stumbled across this subject last night, while browsing the web and thought I'd learn a bit more about it. Anyway, the Grand Canyon Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped bridge in Arizona, on the edge of one of the massive cliffs via the Grand Canyon. This area is becoming a popular tourist attraction for very obvious reasons. Personally, I don't think I'd want to get on it nor look down, but I've never been very fond of being high in the air. I mean, I won't even get on a plane, for example.

The width of this impressive Skywalk is 65 feet. When measuring from the canyon wall, the length is 70 feet. Going by what I have read, the Grand Canyon Skywalk's foundation can support an 8.0 earthquake within 50 miles of its location. The cost of this magnificent structure was about 31 million dollars! Yeah, they better be getting some tourist money in return! I've heard that they also have plans of building around this site, adding stuff like a gift shop, museum, restaurants, a movie theater and so on. Good grief, I couldn't imagine trying to eat while looking down the Grand Canyon. Well, if they served me enough beer I might, but still...

There is some controversy involved with this Skywalk, though, as some say it is disturbing sacred ground, while others think it is a defacement of a national treasure. However, many support this structure because it brings in a decent source of income from tourists and many of us need money, right? At any elevated rate, I thought I'd share this with y'all. I think a tree house is about as adventurous as I'd go, if it involves heights; ha!

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_Skywalk

---End of Post "Grand Canyon Skywalk"

Power Windows vs. Roll-Up

Original Post Date:  December 14, 2013

 

I guess I'm an oddball about this subject because I've never liked vehicles with power windows. Yeah, I know, I'm screwed because almost every car/truck/SUV has them now. I should probably rephrase my first sentence, as I actually like power windows when they work, but I don't like the repair costs and the aggravation that often comes with 'em! I miss the old-fashioned roll-up windows!

I think every vehicle that I have ever owned, has had at least some type of problem that involved power windows. Either one side doesn't work, it hangs up, gets off track or only works periodically, the motors burns up, etc. Back when vehicles used to always have the roll-up windows installed, I never heard of such mechanical debacles! Well, I say that not by experience, since I've never owned one that had manual windows, but I've known a few people that did.

What is the deal anyway? Oh, don't answer that. I understand that most people enjoy the convenience of not having to exert their self any more than they have to. A lot of the humanoids like automatic doors, too. In public, I also like automatic doors because that is one less nasty door knob to touch. But still, when it comes to my own vehicle, I have no problem rolling up or down, the freakin' window. The sad part is, it would probably cost more to get that installed, but I don't really know.

Anyway, I'm just jovial "as all get out" right now because I'm going to have to put a few inches of plastic on my car window later, because the dang thing will only go up 85% of the way! If I get mad, I may just break the whole window out and get an all-metal interior installed. Wait a minute, it is winter time right now. Cancel that last notion! LOL!

Image Credit: Bing Image Search using the 'free to use & share' function. [Modified by MS Paint]

---End of Post "Power Windows vs. Roll-Up"

Hardtack - Sea Biscuit

Last night I was about to cook supper, but after looking at some of the food still left in the fridge, I decided against it. Then, I made a few remarks about how we could just do like the wild west days and go heat a pot of beans over a fire and maybe chew on some old jerky meat and a dried chunk of bread instead; ha-ha! Then, I said: "Or, we can just survive through the night by eating hardtacks, like the ancient sailors used to do." Ha! I wasn't thinking when I said that because when you say "hardtack," a lot of people may not know what you mean nowadays.

...Going back several hundred years, hardtacks were commonly used for long sea voyages and military campaigns. It wasn't perishable like most foods and it was basically a super-hard cracker. Some of the alternative names for the hardtack: sea biscuit, pilot bread, ship's biscuit, cabin bread, molar breakers, and tooth dullers. LOL!

At any rate, I decided to warm up some hot wings to go with the leftovers last night, but obviously things could have been much worse if all we had were hardtacks to chomp on. If you'd rather read about the history and the modern use of the hardtack, go here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardtack

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Source link is provided above.

---End of Post "Hardtack - Sea Biscuit"

Do they make bicycle-based generators?

I've wondered about this before, but I rarely give it much thought anymore. I think the last time I got reminded of this concept, except for today, was when I last watched the sci-fi flick "Soylent Green." Many of you may not be aware of that movie, since it is fairly old. In a thumbnail, it involved a collapsed society and a government that resorted to feeding the people with something they called Soylent Green. This green stuff was composed of dead humans, albeit there has got to be better ways to recycle dead bodies. Anyway, when some of the people found out about this, all hell broke loose and Charlton Heston was on the move, as usual - with or without his famous empty laugh, it doesn't matter. Anyway, there was some old guy on there that played his father in that film, and during the movie it showed him on a bicycle-based generator setup. Basically, the lights started getting dim in the house and he would pedal away to generate the electricity needed to power the primary electrical devices like light bulbs, etc.

Anyway, the concept is rather simple. Sort of like a rat in a cage turning a wheel to generate electricity, but I think it would be really neat if they sold bicycle-based generators in a rampant fashion. A lot of the people would get some much needed exercise along with feeling more like they are earning their keep by generating some free electricity that is driven by human input/effort. I mean, even if it only amounts to powering a few light bulbs, would it not be cool to exercise and produce electricity for your home all at the same time? I think that notion would not only be enough to motivate the ones that are on the fence of laziness, but would also motivate the ones that are on the verge of buying an exercise bike or treadmill, for example. Anyway, it was just a thought... I'd market this product and/or promote it, if it was in my inventory, just saying...

Image Credit: Bing Image Search using the 'free to use & share' function.

---End of Post "Do they make bicycle-based generators?"

Are Twins more likely to have ESP or a 6th Sense?

This is an interesting subject that I recently stumbled upon the other day while watching some old shows from Unsolved Mysteries. This particular episode was about a few studies that involved two separate sets of twins that had some very peculiar things happen to them. The amazing personality similarities (even though they were from two totally different environments) and shared bouts of pain from one set and the apparent psychic abilities (6th sense and/or ESP) another set of twins had, were both remarkable.

As for the 'shared pain' concept: For example, if one twin was at a dentist office and had a tooth drilled, the other twin might suddenly get a sharp pain in their tooth. If one suffered from a muscle injury, the other would suddenly have a simultaneous twinge in the same area, and so on.

I went online to see if I could find more information about the subject and it seems that there have been numerous cases of this, including some that had their life saved because of it. Now, one could say that ESP (extrasensory perception) can happen to anybody, and that it's just a coincidence that certain twins possess this ability, but are they more likely to have a 6th sense? Normally I would write in more detail about an interesting subject like this, but since I have never studied this before, I'll just drop down some related links, in a moment.

If I had to make my conjecture, I would definitely say that twins are more likely to have special telepathic and psychic abilities, especially since they were born together. But unlike a lot of cases involving ESP, their 6th sense seems to primarily involve each other and not anybody else. Hmm...

Related Links to further your reading:
* www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/25/do-twins-have-a-sixth-sen_n_178896.html [link is no longer active]
* answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090314103718AAWRKlR
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrasensory_perception

---End of Post "Are Twins more likely to have ESP or a 6th Sense?"

Was Bob Lazar one of the greatest UFO frauds?

This guy could have possibly been one of the best and/or greatest UFO frauds for his time, in my opinion. I think I first heard about him when I was a young kid, while watching the show Unsolved Mysteries. Anyway, this character always had a calm disposition and seemed somewhat believable to the common public. In fact, I wanted to totally believe him but a lot of things just didn't seem to add up. For one, if he was really threatened by the "top-secret people" when he originally started telling a few others, the guy wouldn't have his face plastered all over the place, for starters. Now, several years later, you can find many YouTube videos of him giving more speeches about this UFO subject, and he is currently still alive and well, by what I have read. It also doesn't make sense that he can't prove that anybody knows him from the University he supposedly got his PhD from, and so on.

Ha! I still remember buying the UFO model kit several years ago that was inspired by his so-called knowledge of the flying saucer designs, which I have depicted here, for this post. Anyway...

Bob Lazar claimed to have worked in 1988 and 1989 as a physicist at S4, that is allegedly located at Papoose Lake southwest of the top-secret Area 51, which is near Groom Dry Lake, Nevada. According to Bob Lazar, S4 serves as a hidden military location for the study and research of extraterrestrial spacecraft using reverse engineering methods. I don't deny nor discredit any claims such as those, but was this really one of the guys involved or was he a complete fraud? B. Lazar says he saw 9 different flying saucers there that has previously been operated by ET Space Monkeys (more or less) and has provided detailed info about this subject along with bits & pieces of tidbits explaining some of the propulsion system features and other technical details of a disc-shaped vehicle he called the sport model.

If you are more interested about this topic, just go to YouTube and do a quick search for Bob Lazar.
If you need a quick summary, go here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar
If you'd like to hear why some folks think he was one of the greatest UFO frauds, go here: www.alienscientist.com/boblazar.html

Image Credit: Is already provided in the link above.

---End of Post "Was Bob Lazar one of the greatest UFO frauds?"

Semi-related Blog Post:  http://perpendicularity.org/blog/2013/03/04/will-humans-ever-colonize-outer-space/