Cargo Cults and us.

Lately I've been fascinated with Cargo Cults. During WWII, American and British military established airfields on Pacific islands where primitive natives tribes lived. The tribes had no knowledge of manufacturing and saw these wondrous giant birds that landed on their island and delivered gifts of food and technology. When the war ended, the troops left and so did the gifts. Years later, anthropologist discovered that some of these tribes had built elaborate airfields out of bamboo and coconuts to entice the gods back again. You can still see these bamboo control towers and hangers today.

I often wonder if we as Americans live in a sort of Cargo Cult. That what is happening around us is more sophisticated than we can understand. And that we assume certain things are true just by observation and perception. In fact, all of it is an intentional misinterpretation of reality.

 More on Cargo Cults - John Frum

Beware of Science

I've always been very suspicious of scientists. They don't seem quite right and their theories aren't based on common sense. I now have convincing proof that they are in fact warlocks and witches who happen to like soft-jazz.

Weird, Dynamic, Fantasitc

Genius party from Aksel on Vimeo.

Yvette Vickers in the new Mummy Dearest.

Pic from Mail Online

Okay I know the title is a bit morbid and disrespectful but I just couldn't help myself. According to Us Magazine, cult actress and Playmate, Yvette Vickers mummified body was found April 27th in her California home.

A neighbor, Susan Savage, discovered her body in an upstairs room of her home; the mummified state of her corpse suggested she could have been dead for close to a year, police said. - Us Magazine.

According to IMDB, Vickers played a starring role is such cult-horror classics as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and  Attack of the Giant Leeches. She was also July 1959's Playboy Playmate of the Month.

Savage remembered her neighbor, saying: "She kept to herself, had friends and seemed like a very independent spirit. To the end she still got cards and letters from all over the world requesting photos and still wanting to be her friend." Savage said Vickers' neighbors felt terrible. "We've all been crying about this. Nobody should be left alone like that." - Us Magazine.  - Us Magazine.

Vickers was 82 years old.

Jimi Heselden, Owner Of Segway Inc., Dies In Segway Accident

What ?!?!? Sometimes I wonder if I'm really awake. Where's that coffee?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Now for a bit of the Strange ..

I've always been attracted to strange and weird stories. I watched a lot of the Twilight Zone and Tales from the Dark Side. Although I don't believe in ghosts, demons, angels, UFO's or the human face on Mars, I like reading speculative science stories.

A few years ago I purchased a book called, "Cryptozoology, A to Z", by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark. It is a fairly thorough account of the major mystery animal stories of the last century. Of course it covers the holy Trinity of Crypto - Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster and Abominable Snowman - but there are tons of other really cool mysterious creatures and monsters that I had no idea existed.

One of my favorites is the Teh-Lma ("That There Little Thing"). The book describes the creatures as ".. the smallest of the several kinds of Yetis reported from the Himalayas. These animals are generally said to be three feet to four and a half feet tall, with hunched shoulders and a sharply pointed head that slopes back from the forehead. They are covered with thick reddish-gray hair."

The book goes on to say these creatures inhabit the jungles regions of Nepal. Now to me this creature has a striking resemblance to another small, hairy humanoid from the planet-moon of Endor. Come on is this not the Ewok of Star Wars fame? Think about it? - Ewoks are little Wookies and Wookies are just thinner, better smelling Yeti's. What exactly did George Lucas know about these creatures - the Teh-Lma? Even the name, "Ewok" is derived from the Miwok, an Indigenous tribe inhabiting the Redwood Forest or North America. I think George Lucas knows a whole lot more about the Yeti and Bigfoot. I'm on to something don't you think?

The Beast of Gevaudan is believed to be the first written account of a werewolf. The creature terrorized south-central France in the 1760's leaving the body parts of many men, women and children. The book describes the creature as, "'much higher than a wolf, low before, and his feet armed with talons. His hair is reddish, his head large and the muzzle of it is shaped like that of a greyhound; his ears are small and straight; his breast is wide and grey; his back streaked with black; his large mouth is provided with sharp teeth.'"

According to the author, the creature could not be killed with knife, lance or bullet and that eventually, King Louis XV had to send a cavalry of soldiers to take care of the situation. Finally the beast was killed by a silver bullet.

What I like about the book is that it goes on to speculate on other theories from an escaped hyena to the coverup of a serial killer.

Cryptozoology A to Z also covers the investigators and scientists involved in the field. One interesting person is Tom Slick, a Texas oil millionaire who convinced his friend Jimmy Stewart to help him steal the Pangboche Hand from monks in Nepal. The Pangboche Hand was thought to be the severed appendage of an Abominable Snowman.

 If you like this kind of stuff, Cryptozoology A to Z is a must have book. It gives you a great overview on all kinds of creepy, strange and mysterious creatures. Also, this is a great book to put on your coffee table. No matter how snobbish the guest, everyone picks it up and looks through it. It is a great conversation starter.

Cryptozoologoy A to Z