Some people will find any way to make a buck. Here's something you don't see every day. There's a guy in the Bahamas who is selling his "mourning acting" services. Really. I also learned that he has a "GoFundMe" page (with zero donations).
Just look at this ridiculousness. His "mourning services" even include "jumping in the grave."
Wow. People will do anything for money. ...especially when it comes to avoiding getting a real job.
Do the air bubbles in coffeee freak you out? As a coffeeholic (for Dunkin' Donuts coffee only) I found this article fascinating. You never know what's going to make people uncomfortable. People who suffer from trypophobia are repulsed by clustered holes/circular shapes and that's what people suffer from who can't drink coffee with air bubbles. To me, coffee is something to be enjoyed, and I couldn't care if there were bubbles in it. My suggestion for people who suffer from that is to get take out in a cup with a lid! That way they can't see any bubbles! - Rob Thanks to our fellow coffeeholic, Jacquie for sharing it.
Do You Have Coffee Bubble Phobia? Scientists Now Know Why
Has something as innocuous as a cluster of coffee bubbles ever given you the heebie-jeebies, even to the point where you might throw up? If so, you're not alone. People who suffer from trypophobia are repulsed by clustered holes/circular shapes. Not sure what that means? Envision the bubbles that float atop your morning coffee, a porous dishcloth or sponge or even air bubbles trapped in an otherwise tasty bite of chocolate.
University of Kent researchers recently uncovered more pieces to the trypophobia puzzle, with findings published in the journal Cognition and Emotion. The longtime school of thought regarding this particular phobia is that trypophobics react to an evolutionary aversion to poisonous animals, some of which feature clusters of circles in their markings. However, the new findings indicate that trypophobics are instead averse to parasitism and infectious disease that often have clusters of round shapes, such as measles, rubella, scarlet fever, smallpox, tics and scabies.
They came to this conclusion by utilizing two groups of participants – 255 trypophobics (recruited from support groups) and 182 without the phobia. Each group was asked to view 16 cluster images, with eight being disease-related and eight of regular objects (like holes drilled in a brick wall). The disease-related images were reported to be unpleasant by both groups, however only the trypophobic group found the non-disease images to be truly cringe-worthy.
"We suggest that aversion to clusters is an evolutionarily prepared response towards a class of stimuli that resemble cues to the presence of parasites and infectious disease. Trypophobia may be an exaggerated and overgeneralised version of this normally adaptive response," they write in the study.
Phobias are often fear-based in response, but the researchers added another component to the study to determine whether this is true for trypophobics. It's already known that disgust is what causes people to steer clear of infection scenarios (think of the last public toilet you used), so it makes sense that the hypothesis of trypophobia as an infection/parasite-averse issue would experience this emotion, rather than fear.
In fact, trypophobic respondents did report feelings of disgust, as well as related impulses, like the feeling that they might vomit. This occurred even when looking at the non-disease images. Many also said they experienced unpleasant sensations, like itchy or crawling skin, when looking at the images. "These findings support the proposal that individuals with trypophobia primarily perceive cluster stimuli as cues to ectoparasites and skin-transmitted pathogens," the researchers note in the study.
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We happened to find this article in the Asheville, NC newspaper online. We are shocked that it didn't
make national news, and didn't even get Twitter recognition from the WH. Why? It was another white male who was planning a terrorist strike with a bomb he was planting in the Asheville airport. - That is, until a dog discovered the bomb and he was caught.
So, while conservatives in the GOP continue to scream that immigrants and people of religions other than christianity are the biggest threats to U.S. citizens, all of these white, christian men who inflict terrorism, like the Las Vegas shooter, and this guy, are ignored. WAKE UP voters. It's not the people from other countries who are the biggest threat. It's USA-born, white men who are out of their minds and hate everyone other than straight, white, christians. It's disturbing.
Here's the story:
Airport bomb suspect wanted 'to fight a war on US soil'
The
man authorities say left an explosive device at Asheville Regional
Airport on Friday morning that contained ammonium nitrate and fuel oil
said he was preparing to "fight a war on U.S. soil," according to a
criminal complaint filed in federal court.
The suspect, Michael Christopher Estes,
had his first appearance in federal court Tuesday morning. He is
charged with attempted malicious use of explosive materials and unlawful
possession of explosive materials in an airport.
He
waived his right to a preliminary hearing, answering several of the
judges questions with a polite, "Yes, sir." Near the end of the
proceeding, Estes, bald and wearing a brown prison jumpsuit, smiled and
shook the hand of his attorney, Fredilyn Sison, an assistant federal
public defender.
The federal judge found that Estes
is indigent and assigned him an attorney for upcoming proceedings.
Sison said that would likely be her.
The criminal
complaint, filed by FBI agent James A. Anderson and read in court,
states that airport police officers found "what appeared to be an
improvised explosive device" early Friday morning outside the airport
terminal.
After
being taken into custody at the Asheville Police Department, Estes
waived his rights and agreed to answer questions, the complaint states.
Estes "admitted that he placed the explosive device at the Asheville
Airport," the complaint states. "He also explained that he bought the
precursor materials at Walmart and Lowe's" in Arden.
"Estes
claimed that he was getting ready to 'fight a war on U.S. soil,' but
also claimed that he did not actually set the alarm clock," the
complaint states.
The
complaint also states that, "Estes described how he created the device
using ammonium nitrate and the Sterno as a fuel source and then rigged
the alarm clock to strike the matches and cause the flame necessary to
trigger the device. Estes admitted to putting the nails in the device as
well."
On Friday, a TSA officer tested the
substance in the device and it was positive for ammonium nitrate, a
"widely used and regulated bulk industrial explosive," the complaint
states. A bomb dog approached the device and "signaled," indicating "the
presence of an explosive material.
"The device at
the airport consisted of a Mason type jar with a lid that was locked
down by an incorporated locking device," the complaint states. "There
were prills -- pellets or solid globules of a substance formed by the
congealing of a liquid during processing -- inside the jar and two
plastic cups containing an unknown liquid substance, believed to be the
fuel source," the complaint states. "There were pieces of cold compress
packs inside the jar."
Once ammonium nitrate forms into prills, it can absorb the fuel oil needed for an explosion, the complaint states.
"The
jar was filled with steel wool that was then wrapped around nails and
one shotgun cartridge," the complaint states, noting that it was a 410
gauge. "There was an alarm clock taped to the outside of the jar. There
was then a grouping of matches taped to the striker arm positioned
between the bells, and the bells were removed."
The clock was set to go off at 6:00.
Video
footage from the airport showed an individual walking onto airport
grounds at 12:39 a.m. on Oct. 6. He was wearing black clothing and a
black cap and carrying a bag.
"Based on a review of
the video, the individual walked near the entrance to the terminal,
went out of sight momentarily, and was then seen departing the area
without the bag," the complaint states.
An airport
maintenance worker said a man had come out of a wooded area across the
street and to the east of the airport. Investigators found a bag in the
woods with Gorilla Tape, consistent with the tape used in the device, as
well as Sterno Firestar Gel, believed to be the likely fuel source for
the explosive device, the complaint states.
There was also a bag containing shotgun shells.
Investigators
went to the Walmart store on Airport Road, where they learned a person
had bought Gorilla tape, Sterno Firestarter Gel, a glass Mason type jar,
matches, cold compress packs, and an alarm clock on Oct. 3. At the
Lowe's store off Airport Road, investigators learned a person had bought
Kobalt gloves that were "very similar to those observed in the tool bag
found in the wooded area."
The backpack bag found
in the woods apparently had been bought at REI in Biltmore Park, and the
buyer used a membership number assigned to Michael C. Estes. Estes
admitted that the bought the backpack at REI, the complaint states.
Officers
arrested Estes, 46, on Airport Road on Saturday, after several people
reported seeing him nearby. His last known address was in Asheville.
No one was injured in the Friday incident. The airport's Terminal Drive and part of a terminal were closed for about two hours.
In
the complaint, investigators noted that the type of device found at the
airport, called "AN/FO" explosives, has been used "in a number of
terrorist-related incidents around the world in the past.
"When
AN/FO comes into contact with a flame or other ignition source it
explodes violently," the complaint states. "Shrapnel or nails or ball
bearings are often items added to the device so as to increase the
devastation inflicted by the explosion."
Estes told investigators he "staged" in the woods near the airport a couple of days before placing the device at the airport.
There's a comic book character that I (Rob) have enjoyed reading for years called "Swamp Thing." It's about Alec Holland, a scientist, working on plants in a research station in the Louisiana Bayou. As a result of an explosion, he is doused with special chemical,, catches fire and jumps in the swamp to extinguish himself. He becomes a living, breathing man of plant-life (who can regenerate).
I love the character, and the film as OKAY. I give it a B-. It kept my interest as a fan of the comics. I know I'm going to get flak for saying this, but I'm not big on Adrienne Barbeau and her performance in this movie.
- Rob
Swamp Thing the movie came out in 1982... so there are no cell phones. :) It was written and directed
by Wes Craven, based on the DC Comics character of the same name
created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.
Here's the official 1 min. 30 second movie trailer:
Wow! I really paid attention when Amazon.com recommended a mystery series that involves dogs. In this case a woman named Maddie and her K-9 in a town in Colorado who has a crush on a veterinarian. What a fantastic series: "Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries" by Margaret Mizushima. I just finished "Stalking Ground" about a woman who is found murdered in the hills of Colorado and the strange connections to her. I can't wait to read the rest in the series. Five out of Five stars! - Rob
ABOUT THE BOOK: When Deputy Ken Brody's sweetheart goes missing in the mountains outside
Timber Creek, Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are called to
search. But it's mid-October and a dark snow storm is brewing over the
high country. And they're already too late. By the time they find her
body, the storm has broken and the snow is coming down hard.
While
Brody hikes down to bring back the forensics team and veterinarian Cole
Walker gathers supplies to protect them from the storm, Mattie and Robo
find themselves alone, guarding the gravesite overnight in the dead of
the early winter. And that's only the first long, dark night in a series
of them, because as their investigation develops, Mattie, Robo, Brody,
and Cole find themselves in the middle of the killer's stalking
ground--where the hunters have just become the hunted.
An effortlessly engrossing read filled with tension, excitement, and heart, Stalking Ground, the second in Margaret Mizushima's lauded debut series, will send a chill down every reader's spine.
We don't get to live theater productions very much but this weekend, we got into the "spirit" of the Halloween season by seeing "The Woman in Black," a stage show about a ghost. Our friends Jim and Richard who lived in Baltimore joined us for the production at the Fells Point Corner Theatre in Baltimore.
THE STORY:The Woman in Black is a 1987 stage play, adapted by Stephen Mallatratt (who died in November 2004 at the age of 57). The play is based on the book of the same name, which was published in 1983 by English author Susan Hill. The Woman in Black was written
in the style of a traditional Gothic novel. The plot concerns a
mysterious spectre that haunts a small English town, heralding the death
of children.
Grayson Owen as Kipps and Sean Coe as the Actor
ROB'S REVIEW: I
sent a note to Grayson Owen, who played one of the 2 leading men (it
was a 2 man show and 1 woman who came in briefly) I told him that we
enjoyed the performance and it was brilliant. Sean Coe, the other
co-lead was also fantastic. Holly Gibbs did a great job in making me
jump out of my seat (twice!). The directing by Patrick Gorirossi was wonderful and it was a
"haunting" show. NOTE:
This is a small theater and cozy. They didn't use a lot of props, and
that didn't sit well with Richard. Tom thought there could have been
more props to make it a bit more realistic but he really enjoyed it. Jim and I loved it. We thought it was great and told them it's all
about "Theater of the Mind."
Fun Fact - "The Woman in Black" is the fourth-longest-running West End show (11,488 performances)
BOTTOM LINE - It's a haunting play, well done by these great actors. Don't mind the lack of props, use your imagination. If you're anywhere near Baltimore, see it before it ends on November 5th. It's perfect for the Halloween mood!
Earlier this month, Matthew Trudel, host of Howard County Podcast Interviewed medium/author Rob Gutro, and Margaret Ehrlich founder of Inspired Ghost Tracking! (Their interview starts around 43 minutes in). We talked about ghosts, how we got into the paranormal, our experiences, the difference between ghosts and spirits, pets, human ghosts and much more!
Don't miss the Horizon Foundation's Open Streets event on October 1st, and get all the details on their ambitious plan to make our county more bikeable and walkable, plus get to know the Howard County Police Musuem and how the institution has evolved overtime, and get ready for Halloween and beyond as we learn more from pets and the afterlife!
It's no surprise that since a certain someone was elected that hate crimes have been on the rise in the U.S. we call it "the Trump Effect." It seems that some hate groups who support him have felt empowered to commit acts of crime and violence against non-white, gay, non-christian people.
Here's the story from the news:
THE RISE OF HATE CRIME IN THE U.S. -"The
number of hate crimes rose across the United States in 2016, marking
the first time in over a decade that the country has experienced
consecutive annual increases in crimes targeting people based on their
race, religion, sexuality, disability or national origin," according to
data collected by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at
California State University, San Bernardino.
Exclusive: New Report Offers Proof Of US Hate Crime Rise In The Trump Era
Data
collected by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at
California State University, San Bernardino, and provided exclusively to
HuffPost, shows hate crimes rose about 5 percent from 2015 to 2016.
The
study, authored by Professor Brian Levin, is seen as a reliable
predictor of official FBI hate crime statistics, released each year in
November. Levin’s 2016 findings amount to the most comprehensive hate
crime data to date for the divisive election year, and back up alarming
anecdotal evidence of emboldened bigotry in America.
According to Levin, the study found “nearly identical” increases in hate crimes across two separate data sets.
The
first data set consists of hate crime numbers reported by law
enforcement agencies in 31 large cities and counties, including the 10
largest cities in the U.S. The study found 2,101 hate crimes in those
cities and counties, a nearly 5 percent rise from the 2,003 hate crimes
in the same places the year before.
Of the nation’s five largest cities, all but Houston experienced double-digit percentage increases, Levin said.
Hate
crimes in Chicago rose 20 percent in 2016, 24 percent in New York City,
15 percent in Los Angeles, and 50 percent in Philadelphia. The city
with the largest increase in hate crimes was Washington, D.C., which saw
a 62 percent rise. But 2016 was notable for the “significant increases” in hate crimes in the period around Election Day itself, he said. “What
is so unusual about 2016 ― with the exception of the Midwest ― and
particularly among the largest jurisdictions with the best data, was a
clear and dramatic spike for the election period that was unlike
anything I can recall in my professional career,” Levin said.
Outside of the new, improved sun porch and Tom's front side design
Tom came up with the design to upgrade our sun porch into a room we can enjoy year round.
This is part 3, the final part. Of course, we started this in June
2017, and it was finally finished in September. The reason it took so
long was that Tom did it on weekends and some weekends over the summer
we rainy. He did have help from our friends Will and Jeremy, too. Tom framed the second wall and installed the second set of windows, and then he and Will framed the front wall with large all-weather windows.
Inside the new, upgraded sun porch
Tom also put in wiring and insulation. It was a huge job. - If you're wondering what I (Rob) did, well, the demolition of the old windows, and then I made
inside painting started
meals. I'm not good at building anything, just destroying things. :) - I spent my time training and walking the dogs and working on my 5th paranormal book.
Paneling installed, ready for painting
But I digress. After all the walls and windows were up, we got the electrical work connected. For the final part, paneling, inside framing and painting the paneling, we hired someone. Enough is enough! :) So, now we've been able to enjoy the room reading the paper on Sunday mornings when it has been in the 50s outside, since this is heated and a full-time part of the house. What do you think?
Tom came up with an
idea to make our sun porch a room we can enjoy year round. This isPart 2: Wall Building! In the last blog we removed the the vinyl windows. Framing the new walls was Tom and Will's (our friend and neighbor) job. It took all day to frame up the first side because they had to allow for a window and a wall heating/air conditioning unit. After the framing, they had to ensure the 2 square windows fit (it did) and that the opening they made on the bottom (rectangular and horizontal) was perfect to slide in the heating/A-C unit (pictured on the floor). It was!
Starting to add plywood
From the outside
NEXT: THE FRONT WINDOWS AND OTHER SIDE
Plywood installed
Weather wrap put on and windows installed
A finished side, complete with windows, heating/AC and 2 Windows!
Franklin and Dolly take a last look at the old vinyl windows
This summer's project is finally done. In June, being the architect he is, Tom came up with an
idea to make our sunporch a room we can enjoy year round. We removed
the vinyl windows and put up walls. This is Part 1: the Demolition! (That's the only thing I'm good at- Rob)
One of the 2 (identical) old sides before demolition
One side of old windows removed!
Tom and Will making the first frame
Tom designed the sun porch in 2009 and we built it with the help of some friends. It was a screened in porch. Years later we had vinyl windows installed and put a ceiling fan in it, but it was still way too hot in the spring and summers and too cold in the fall and winter.
THE NEW DESIGN- Tom's new design called for walls on the two sides and tall all-weather windows on the front side. So, one weekend our friend Will (who can build anything) came over to knock out the vinyl windows and help build 1 of the walls. It was an all day affair.
Recently I finished reading book #3 in the Tarzan series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was the creator and author of many Tarzan novels that inspired films, comic books and more. The book, "The Beasts of Tarzan (#3)" followed in sequence "Tarzan of the Apes (#1)" and "The Return of Tarzan (#2)." Like the others, this was a good book that kept you in suspense. Tarzan, Jane and their son were all kidnapped by different people. Of course, none knew where the other was (and didn't know the others were kidnapped) until they finally all met up back on the African continent. The villain is a Russian man named Rokoff. Tarzan commanded a group of apes and a panther who wound up helping him, and that was pretty cool. I don't know if this book was ever made into a film though... Finally, as a comic book collector (who has read a lot of Tarzan comics when published by both DC Comics and Marvel comics)I thought book cover's illustrationfrom comic industry's famous artist Neal Adams was awesome. - Rob
I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob
There's a comic book character that I (Rob) have enjoyed reading for years called "Swamp Thing." It's about Alec Holland, a scientist, working on plants in a research station in the Louisiana Bayou. As a result of an explosion, he is doused with special chemical,, catches fire and jumps in the swamp to extinguish himself. He becomes a living, breathing man of plant-life (who can regenerate). 
Wow! I really paid attention when Amazon.com recommended a mystery series that involves dogs. In this case a woman named Maddie and her K-9 in a town in Colorado who has a crush on a veterinarian. What a fantastic series: "Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries" by Margaret Mizushima. I just finished "Stalking Ground" about a woman who is found murdered in the hills of Colorado and the strange connections to her. I can't wait to read the rest in the series. 
NOTE:
This is a small theater and cozy. They didn't use a lot of props, and
that didn't sit well with Richard. Tom thought there could have been
more props to make it a bit more realistic but he really enjoyed it. Jim and I loved it. We thought it was great and told them it's all
about "Theater of the Mind." 
Here's the story from the news: 
Recently I finished reading book #3 in the Tarzan series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was the creator and author of many Tarzan novels that inspired films, comic books and more. The book, "The Beasts of Tarzan (#3)" followed in sequence "Tarzan of the Apes (#1)" and "The Return of Tarzan (#2)." 
