Category: About Network
In the spring, snakes begin to appear.
Image © Getty Images
Snakes are one of those critters that most people have a love/hate relationship with. However, whether you think they're cool or they give you the heebie-jeebies, snakes tend to appear in abundance once the weather warms up in some areas of the country. In many cultures, serpent mythology is strongly tied to the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Learn more about these magical and mystical creatures here: Serpent Magic and Folklore.
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Ostara Countdown: Serpent Magic originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 06:37:00.
This Saturday, March 13, marks the 13th anniversary of the famous Phoenix Lights case. The case is still considered by Ufologists as one of the best arguments for the existence of UFOs. Debunkers are still asserting that the objects seen and photographed over the Arizona city were nothing more than military flares.
After all of this time has passed by, I thought it might be interesting to see how our readers feel about the case today. Were the large, V-shaped objects witnessed and photographed by the masses just flares, or was this truly a visit from another galaxy? Weigh in, and tell us what you think.
The Phoenix Lights - The Real Deal? originally appeared on About.com UFOs / Aliens on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 01:04:37.
Photo: Living in Peru
Some interesting links I've found this week:
- Nasca: Spirits in the Sand -- They have been explained as roads, irrigation plans, images to be appreciated from hot-air balloons, and landing strips for alien spacecraft. Since 1997, however, a Peruvian-German research collaboration has been examining the meaning of the strange designs.
- Learn Psychic Abilities -- This guide offers an introduction to the different ways you can practice and improve upon your psychic abilities, covering several different techniques.
- Bigfoot and Its Many Faces -- This video presents an assortment of different Bigfoot type creatures and other primates that are mistaken for a sasquatch, plus a short clip from a 2009 search which included bows, structures and huts.
- All New Links
THE LATEST LINKS: Nasca Lines, Psychic Abilities, Faces of Bigfoot originally appeared on About.com Paranormal Phenomena on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 21:58:04.
And the smears keep on coming! The following began circulating earlier this week via email:
FW: stimulus jobs...
Some have said that the stimulus hasn't saved any jobs, but here is a case where at least one job was saved.
According to an unnamed source, Oregon State University Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis was considering firing their basketball coach, Craig Robinson, after an 8-11 start (2-5 in the Pac 10 conference).
When word of this reached Washington , Undersecretary of Education Martha Kanter was dispatched to Corvallis with $17 million in stimulus money for the university. The source now says that Craig Robinson's job is safe for this year.
For the record, Coach Robinson just happens to be Michelle Obama's Brother.
Can you pick out the one true statement above? Read more...
Rumor: Michelle Obama's Brother Kept OSU Coaching Job Thanks to Stimulus Bribe originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 13:46:37.
Are colored eggs Pagan or Christian?
Image © Getty Images
While there's a lot of discussion in the Pagan community about where the idea of coloring eggs actually came from, in scholarly circles things seem pretty clear. Despite the image of our pre-Christian European ancestors frolicking on an egg hunt in the forest -- and one well-known Wiccan author's tale about a frisky rabbit and the goddess Eostre -- it looks like in Europe, colored eggs didn't come along until after Christianity moved in. However, in Persia, eggs have been painted for thousands of years as part of the spring celebration of No Ruz, which is the Zoroastrian new year. Learn more about the origins of the Easter egg, and then color your own Ostara eggs with natural dyes!
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Ostara Countdown: Are Easter Eggs Pagan? originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 06:40:29.
This past week, I saw an unusually large number of sightings from California. I have selected four of them for your review this week. Our first one is from a man who saw a strange light formation through his binoculars. Our second report comes from two witnesses who saw something strange while watching planes take off from an airport.
Our next report is from a woman who was startled when she saw a bright light come from the sky outside her window. A motorist files our last report. He saw a small, silver object while crossing the Richmond / San Rafael bridge.
See all of the details of these reports at href="http://ufos.about.com/od/sightingreports2010/a/sightings031110.htm"> UFO Sighting Reports, 03-11-10, and comment as you wish. Don't forget to keep your eyes on the skies.
UFO Sighting Reports originally appeared on About.com UFOs / Aliens on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 03:44:51.
There's an ongoing debate about the powers and realities of the Ouija board. Essentially, there are three basic positions:
• It is inherently dangerous, can open portals to evil entities and should never be used.
• It is only dangerous if used with evil intent, but can be a useful tool for spirit mediumship if used properly and with good intent.
• It is inherently harmless and has no real powers of mediumship for good or evil; its effects, if any, are only psychological in nature.
Readers Respond: Is the Ouija board a harmless toy or dangerous portal?
The Ouija Debate originally appeared on About.com Paranormal Phenomena on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 21:00:04.
For those of you who dig archaeology as much as I do, there's a nifty find from the island of Crete. Last summer's excavation of a tomb at Orthi Petra has revealed, according to experts, the tomb of a high priestess of Zeus and three acolytes. Archaeologist Nicholas Stampolidis and his team date the graves to 2,700 years ago. Eti Bonn-Muller of Archaeology magazines says "People then may have considered them sorceresses, or intermediaries with the gods." What's really interesting, to me at least, is that these four women all appear to be related, and seem to be related to other women whose remains have been found at the site in graves spanning two centuries or more. This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "family tradition."
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Priestess' Tomb Unearthed in Crete originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 16:25:03.
A selection of yesterday's headlines from the right-wing blogosphere:
"Now Obama Wants to Ban Sport Fishing."
"Obama Administration to Ban U.S. Citizens Fishing."
"White House Ignores Public Input, Proceeds to Limit U.S. Citizens' Fishing Access."
"Obama to Ban Fishing? What Next?"
What next, indeed. Here's what really happened:
Last month, per announced schedule, an Obama administration task force charged with developing a comprehensive plan for managing U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems stopped taking public input so it could prepare its final report.
In an op-ed piece published yesterday, ESPNOutdoors.com columnist Robert Montgomery characterized that development as follows: "The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters" (emphasis added).
Apocalyptic doomsaying ensued.
The trouble is, while it's true that the plan could impose restrictions on commercial or recreational fishing in some places, there have been no specific proposals to do so to date, and not a shred of evidence that the plan might include an outright "ban" on fishing (see the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force's interim report, released last September).
The real thrust of Montgomery's column is that sport fishermen need to speak up for their rights before the plan is adopted to ensure no such thing happens. Fair enough. In the meantime, we can do without any more works of fiction on the order of "Obama to Propose Ban on Sport Fishing."
Update:
• ESPNOutdoors.com Editor Admits 'Errors,' Says Column Wasn't 'Properly Balanced'
Read more about it:
• Public Input Period for Federal Fishery Strategy Has Ended
• Fishermen's Fear: Public's 'Right to Fish' Shifting Under Obama?
• ESPN Scaremongering: Obama to Ban Fishing?
• The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force
Rumor: Obama Bans Sport Fishing in America originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 15:46:06.
Early spring blooms are associated
with rebirth
Image © Patti Wigington 2009
Ostara is the season of rebirth and new life, and in many cultures, a god or goddess is associated with these aspects. In fact, while the story of the resurrection is typically connected with Christianity, other deities such as Mithras and Attis are also tied to the theme of death followed by rebirth. Here are a few of the deities connected with the spring equinox: Deities of Ostara.
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Ostara Countdown: Deities of the Season originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 06:28:16.
Several of our readers have sent me a link to a really interesting compilation video on Youtube, created by DanielofDoria. The video contains some of the very best films of 2009 as far as UFOs and other strange sky events are related.
Some of the anomalies shown include a triangle over the Kremlin, a spiral cloud over Russia, UFOs over Columbia, multiple objects over Peru, more multiple objects over South America, the strange cloud formation over Romania, unknown objects over Chile, a triangle-shaped object over Russia, a strange vortex over China, and more.
Check it out at First
Contact, 2009, and be sure to comment as you wish.
The Best on Video for 2009 originally appeared on About.com UFOs / Aliens on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 01:00:35.
Illustration: Robert Simon/The Telegram
Top story: Police claim accurate psychic is the real deal
Plus:
• Newfoundland fishermen snag sea monster in nets
• Sheldrake and Wiseman clash over parapsychology experiments
• Coleman dubs new sighting Bigfoot "Leeds Loki"
• Flying humanoid reported in California
• No longer spooked by ghostly goings-on
• Japanese World War II ship shelled pterosaur caves
• "Something haunted my house"
• More about the Greten Family poltergeist
• Night in haunted house for charity
• Virgin Mary icon "crying tears of oil" in France
... more Paranormal News
PARANORMAL NEWS: Psychic Detective, Sea Monster, Flying Humanoid originally appeared on About.com Paranormal Phenomena on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 22:56:55.
Forwarded emails warn of a new security vulnerability in Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003 systems consisting of a pop-up window directing users to press the F1 key, which sends them to a website that downloads malicious software.
The warnings are accurate, confirms Microsoft, though as yet there have been no reports of actual attacks attempting to exploit this vulnerability.
F1 Key Virus originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 18:06:16.
Thanks to Rowan for tipping me off to this one. A group of seven Muslim men who stopped to pray in a Henderson, Nevada, parking lot back in December have filed a complaint against the local police. According to reports, a resident called the police to say "seven Middle Eastern males were acting suspiciously by a gray minivan with California license plates." The caller also reported several of the men "were kissing the ground." Shortly afterwards, law enforcement officials showed up to question the men.
If you watch the cell phone video -- which is a bit grainy and blurry -- you can hear the officer saying that police were called because "someone saw you doing your prayers, and they were kind of weirded out by that." The officer makes reference to "indicents in the past," and says, "based on events that have happened around the world... can you fault people who don't understand things for being concerned?" You can also hear one of the Muslim men questioning whether or not just being Muslim is just cause for a police stop. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, has filed a formal complaint with the Henderson Police Department for what they believe to be an unlawful stop.
So, here's the big question -- IS it okay for police to question someone just because people think their behavior is a bit weird? What happens if I'm hosting circle in my back yard, and my neighbors peek over the fence to see a half dozen folks in robes, holding athames, and chanting around an altar? Can my local deputy pay a call just because it's odd behavior by suburban standards? Or is it only a problem if I'm a Muslim, rather than a Pagan? Definitely something worth thinking about.
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Complaint Filed in NV Prayer Stop originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 11:21:14.
Since the January earthquake that struck Haiti, leveling buildings and killing thousands, there has been an emerging battle between Christian groups and the country's many practitioners of Vodoun, or Voodoo. Last month, Vodoun high priest Max Beauvoir accused missionary groups of discriminating against those who practiced his religion, saying, "The evangelicals are in control and they take everything for themselves." He claimed that opponents of Vodoun have deliberately prevented medical assistance and food relief from reaching some of the more remote areas of the country.
In the past few weeks, things have gone from bad to worse, as Christian evangelical groups place the blame for the quake on the sinfulness of Haiti's Vodoun followers. Willer Jassaint, a houngan, or high priest, told reporters, "They say we're the ones who caused the earthquake. But we know ourselves that we didn't cause the quake, because it was a natural catastrophe."
On February 23, things got completely out of control when a group of Protestant evangelicals threw rocks at people holding a Vodoun ceremony. Max Beauvoir has encouraged his people to respond to such acts with aggression, although at this point it doesn't look as though there have been additional violent conflicts. Still, folks in Haiti have it bad enough right now, what with there being no real infrastructure to speak of, a lack of resources, and a crumbling socioeconomic strata. Add to this some violent dissention between religious groups, and you've got the makings of a civil war in an already damaged country.
Meanwhile, the houngans continue to plan ceremonies, so they can lay the dead to rest. They say they "owe the spirits of the dead that release... and they owe themselves that show of defiance."
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Christianity vs Vodoun in Haiti's Streets originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:21:18.