Ghost Stories

Found this article on The New York Times website. It talks about a Swiss neuorscientist who claims to have the answer to explain away the supernatural. He pretty much states that it may be all in our minds. Here is an excerpt: So when scientists wrote in a recent issue of the journal Nature that they could induce phantom effects — the sensation of being haunted by a shadowy figure — by stimulating the brain with electricity, it made perfect neurological sense. One could even argue that the existence of such sensations explains away the so-called supernatural. In fact, as The Times reported, the researchers promptly concluded that ghosts are mere “bodily delusions,” electrical misfirings and nothing more. Click here to read the rest of the article. If you have time, stop by my new renter, YouTube Karaoke .

Allow me to start with the answers to yesterday's questions: 1. Some say that if you take a lava rock as a souvenir, you will have streak of bad luck. Of course, there are different versions of this story. 2. The Hawaiian Goddess Pele is said to live in the volcano Mt. Kilauea. 3. Some believe that the lost city of Atlantis was destroyed and buried due to a volcano eruption. 4. The word 'volcano' comes from the little island of Vulcano in the Mediterranean Sea off Sicily. 5. Earthquakes and volcano eruptions were also considered as giants wandering the earth. Vulcan, The Roman God of Fire Vulcan, the Roman God of Fire, was considered the blacksmith of the gods. Volcan was Hephaistos - the Greek god of fire and craftsmanship, named Vulcan by the Romans. He was said to have made weapons and tools for the other gods in his workshop at Olympus. Volcanoes have frequently been identified with Vulcan and other mythological figures. Poets attributed the smoke from volcanoes as to b...

I'm back! I hope I was missed. Scooter McGavin's time is up and I'm looking for a new renter. I thought I would test your knowledge on volcano folklore. So, here is a quiz to find out what you know. Answers and more volcano folklore will be posted tomorrow. 1. What is the folklore on taking lava rocks as souvenirs? 2. What is the home of the Hawaiian Goddess Pele? 3. What famous ancient city was said to be completely destroyed by a volcano eruption? 4. Where does the word "Volcano" come from? 5. What mythical creature was associated with earthquakes and volcano eruptions?

This going to be my last post until after Christmas. If I haven't told you by now, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Stay safe! I promised you all some more Christmas tradition origins and today I'm going to deliver. How many of you know that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created as a promotional gimmick by Montgomery Wards? In 1939, the Chicago-based company asked one of their copywriters Robert L. May to come up with a Christmas story that they could give away to their shoppers. May used the tale of The Ugly Duckling as well as his own past as inspiration for the character and Rudolph was born. Many people believe that Halloween is the day to fear the dead but winter solstice was considered a vulnerable time as well. The fabric drawn between our world and the world of malicious spirits becoming rent, allowing the harmful ones to slip through to perhaps claim a victim or two. It became custom to hold a loud, cheery celebration at that time, in hope tha...

The position of my new renter has been filled by Scooter McGavin from Scooter McGavin's 9th Green . If you want the latest news about TV, music, politics and sports, check out his site. Yesterday's post dealt with the Winter TV Schedule. I hate that some of my favorite programs, among others, have decided to split the season up. I'd rather see it in it's entirety rather than watch half of it followed by on going re-runs then the rest of it months later. Some winter programs have their good points. The 3rd season of Beauty and the Geek. I love the concept of this show but I sort of wish they would a switch, you know guys as the "beauties" and the girls as geeks. I wonder how that would work out. Next on the post train is Hip Hop music and why it may be dead. I've never been a huge fan of hip hop, some songs I like while others I don't. So, I'm not the authoritative figure on why it is dead or not. Scooter's post goes more into detail about the ...

The Tom Jackson Online week is over and I'm looking for a new renter. It only costs 30 credits and you usually get at least 20 clicks. Will make my choice tomorrow morning.