Ghosts of Gettysburg

There are tours that you can take at the Gettysburg Battlefield that lead you down trails to battlefields and houses were soldiers died. These tours are called Candlelight Ghost Tours and these areas that they take you to are supposedly haunted by ghosts of soldiers from the war. The most popular sight that is often recorded is the "orbs" of Gettysburg. These spherical balls of light are said to be ghosts and are known to hover across the battlefield. Books have been written about all the stories of hauntings of the battlefield and apparitions and all sorts. I don't really not believe in ghosts, but I don't believe in them fully. I believe that there are ghosts at the battlefield but I don't think that they can appear in front of people, or that people can record them on film. What do you guys think?

New Thing To Fear

In the article we read for class we discussed how it might be time for something new to come into our lives and scare us all to death. I thought about it for a while, and I really could not think of something that would scare us all. Aliens seem like they will stick around for a while, we have made them pretty domestic with E.T. and alien cartoons, and sorts, but we have not gotten that definitive answer that there are no aliens out there. I believe that there are not aliens out in some far away galaxy, I truly believe that we are it. However, I could be proven wrong some day many years from now because no credible scientist has come out and said publicly that there is absolutely no chance aliens can exist, that would be the definitive answer that we all need to put the whole aliens thing to bed. If we do discover there are no aliens, then the something that we all need that is fresh and new to be scared of will be something like aliens. Something far off in a distant world that can swoop down here to Earth in a second and kill us all before we even had a chance to scream help. Something that would take us hundreds of years and massive advancements in technology to discover whether or not they exist. That would be something new and scary!

The Tazmanian Tiger

I read this article online about this creature also called a Thylacine, that apparently has a head like a dog, hindquarters like a hyena, and stripes like a tiger. It is said to be like half tiger and half wolf. The thing that gets my skepticism kicking is that it has a kangaroo pouch that opens backwards. Now I can believe in most of this creature's characteristics because there could have been some cross breading done by someone who has contact with these animals, and there could have been cross breading done in the wild. I would almost believe all of this except for the kangaroo pouch that opens backwards, that just seems ridiculous and impossible. There has been no evidence provided for the existence of this animals, like all cryptids, there are just photos that seem fake and eye witness testimonies. Read the article here http://cryptozoo.monstrous.com/crypto_encyclo.htm#_Toc524971101 and tell me what you guys think.

Loch Ness Monster

I have seen many pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, and I have read and heard several stories concerning the monster. I have never believed in "Nessie", as the monster has become nicknamed, and I don't think I will ever believe in the monster. After watching the movie in class about the Loch Ness Monster, I am even more skeptic than ever before. The movie appeared to be more like Jaws than anything else. Of all the things I have heard of the monster before, I don't think I have come across a boat attack, or the monster eating people like the Great White shark does in Jaws. None of the pictures are conclusive enough for me to believe, nor are the testimonies and stories. There could never be a creature of that size hiding in the Loch Ness, and if there were, I am sure a team of divers would have already discovered it and taken legitimate pictures and would have taken samples. I just can not believe in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster with the evidence that has been provided thus far. It is a great story, and a great tradition, and I hope the story never dies because it is one that I have heard since I was a child.

Werewolves

I just read the article "History of Werewolves" by Allen Varney, and I must say, I found it very interesting. I am a fan of werewolves, I find the stories behind them entertaining, and as a child I was deathly afraid of them. This article did not make me believe in werewolves again, but it was very informative in explaining the different cultural views and dealings with these beasts. The part I most enjoyed about the article was the explanation of Peter Stubbe in Europe. Apparently, Stubbe was found leaving the woods a werewolf just went into after killing some people. Stubbe was tortured and later confessed that he did make a deal with the devil for a belt that turned him into a wolf. Peter Stubbe was then broken on some kind of wheel device, had his flesh pulled off with pincers, and then had his head cut off. After doing all this they then decided to look for the belt, and never found it. Pretty painful way to die, and in my opinion, he died for nothing. Werewolves do not exist because there would be more unexplained, horrifying deaths during full moons, and there would probably be hair samples at the scene of the crime that can be traced to a wolf. More stories would be reported about werewolf sightings. The idea of the existence of these creatures is fun in movies and around Halloween, but as far as their actual physical existence, I doubt it very much. What do you guys think about the big, bad wolf?

Mongolian Death Worm

For class we read an article called "Hunting the Mongolian Death Worm" and we read a blog about a team in search of this so called worm. Both describe this worm as being red in color, spitting acid, and can emit "jolts" of electricity. This is another cryptozoology hunt, and is classified as a cryptid. My last blog states my believe in cryptozoology as not a science, but definitely having its place in this world. Apparently in this exploration they discovered rumors of another species of snake, and possibly a dragon. This is where I feel cryptozoology has its place, when the cryptozoologists go out on these "hunts" they may in fact discover a different species, or a mutated version of an existing species. They may just end up being rumors, but you just never know. My feelings about the Mongolian Death Worm is that there may be a different type of worm we do not know about, but I highly doubt that it is up to five feet in length and spits acid. First off, if it did spit acid, you would find burn markings on the ground. Secondly, if it is five feet in length, well that's a pretty big whole that the worm would create, and I don't think it would be too hard to notice. Finally, emitting electricity? How would a worm conduct electricity? Also, just a thought, but if you really wanted to find something that can produce electricity, wouldn't you just search for abnormal electric waves in the desert? In conclusion, I found the article and blog very interesting and entertaining. I don't believe in the worm, but I feel these guys are doing some kind of good for zoology studies, what if the horned snake really does exist?

Cryptozoology

In response to Ben Roesch's "On the Nature of Cryptozoology" I have to agree with his claim that cryptozoology is not a science, and should never be considered a science. In Roesch's article he states that cryptozoology is not a science because the evidence presented is all testimonial and eye witness, thus making it untestable and unrepeatable. Also, he states that you can not have falsifiability with cryptozoology, which totally goes against the rules of empirical sciences. I agree with all of this, but I do feel the cryptozoology has its place in the world. I don't believe in Bigfoot, I don't believe in aliens or UFO's, and I don't believe in the Lochness monster. I do however, feel that it is a good idea to have people looking for these "creatures" and anything that might "pop" up like this. Why? Well, if Bigfoot comes out of the forest and there is a cryptozoologist ready to study it and bring it in to a zoo or something, that would be more beneficial than nobody waiting for something to happen, and then it does.

Jersey Devil

In response to "The Jersey Devil of the Pine Barrens" in which we read for class, I have to say that this is a serious hoax. First off, anything of this proportion, and anything that looks like a flying dragon, would have been caught or killed by now. Also, with the population growth in New Jersey, I can't really see anything like that being able to hide anywhere, even in the woods, without being noticed and caught. I also cannot believe in a story that has several outakes on it. Many different people have many different views on the origin, the accounts of sightings and attacks, and the features of the Devil. If it was real, then there would only be one or two different stories behind it, in my opion at least. I did really enjoy the article because it is a fun story that is interesting and entertaining. Also, I have noticed that all profesional teams are named after something to do with their state or town that they represent. Milwaukee Brewers are named for all the breweries, Chicago Bulls and Bears because of the stock market, and so on. Now I understand where the NHL team, the New Jersey Devils, derived their name from. Pretty interesting!