An Amazing Letter of "Thanksgiving" - About One of my Pet Readings

 On the weekends, I continue to give medium readings for pets on the other side. I charge a small fee and do my readings by email. I've been doing this for years, but it always touches me when a pet parent reaches out with a thank you and confirmations. On Nov. 6th, a day after connecting with a beautiful black cat, I received this wonderful email from his mom, and this is why I do what I do. I thought it appropriate to share on Thanksgiving. Here's the note;

Rob,

You have changed my life, Thank You. 

My outlook - since I listened to you speak on Unsolved Mysteries (many times over) and As I Live and Grieve podcasts - has evolved tremendously. Your shared experience has allowed me to see another side of this world I knew existed but never experienced myself. 

My grief has been so deep for my NXXX  that I never thought I could navigate it on my own. You have been my compass in my time of despair, for that I am forever grateful for the connection you provided for us.

I didn't know what to expect from a Pet Psychic, but you are much more than that- you are a Healer. You have allowed my heart to "cross over" the grief bridge that I was standing in front of. I'm forever grateful to you and look forward to any and all podcasts/books/talks you will be involved in from here on out. 

My heart is at peace and my soul is at rest. Thank you for your healing and bless you on all of your journeys in this life and the beyond. I hope to meet you someday and have the pleasure of telling you face-to-face how much I respect your work. 

Take Care, Stay Well ,

CXXXX (& NXXX )

Today is TOM's Birthday!!!

 This day before Thanksgiving is a special day, because it's my hubby, Tom's Birthday!  We've been together for 17 years so it's always a challenge to figure out how to celebrate. We celebrated my 60th on a 2 day trip to Maine last month, but Tom is more likely wanting Mexican food and a margarita. Today you'll learn a bit about Tom! 

   Tom is an amazing architect, for those who don't know. He's worked on Airplane hangars, government buildings, clean rooms, government structures, and some houses  - including ours. He's passionate about gardening - we have an amazing back yard thanks to him. 

(Photo: Tom in England, 2012)

Tom loves anything related to England. He's an amateur historian of sorts on the Tudor Period of England, and he worked with our friends Anne Marie and Simon Clarke of Across the Pond vacations to put together 2 amazing trips to England and Tudor History back in 2012 and 2013- which became the basis of my best-selling book "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation." Tom was also my "Ghost Writer"  -pun intended, who verified and helped write the historic parts of that book! 

We've both worked with Dog rescues since 2009, although that's slowed down- but we adopted our little Dachshund/Terrier Cody  (PHOTO: Cody, Right)  in April 2022, so we're still training him with his issues.  

We also both belong to the  Inspired Ghost Tracking paranormal group and we participate in paranormal investigations.  

Tom also helped edit my book "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking" that went on to achieve Best-seller status on Amazon, too- so he's a great editor! (Photo: Rob's book, Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking, on Amazon)

You won't meet anyone more organized and compulsive about cleaning -He's taught me how to be more organized in the house. He's also taught me to be more aware of making things more uniform and neat. 

He also takes a trash bag on dog walks and picks up litter around the neighborhood!  

So next time you see Tom, you know how cool he really is. Happy birthday, husband of mine!
Love, Rob

 

Comic Book Vampire Worth Reading About: Morbius: Marvel-Verse TPB

 As a comic book collector for decades, I love reading the comics from the 1970s and 1980s, because I grew up with them.  A couple of months ago, I blogged about the Marvel Comics Film called "Morbius" - the living vampire. (Click here to read the review)  - Today's blog is about a Marvel Comics trade paperback collection of the earliest Morbius stories in comics.

"Marvel-verse: Morbius" is a great collection for anyone who doesn't know who the character is-  he's Michael Morbius, a nobel prize winning scientist who has a rare health condition and experiments on himself- which turns him into a living (not undead) vampire. - The collection features 5 stories, The first two are a 2-parter from Classic issues of the "Amazing Spiderman" where the character was introduced- GREAT stories! 

The second storyline is from Marvel Team up where The Thing/Ben Grimm from the Fantastic Four teams up with Morbius to fight a villain. Also enjoyable. - The last 2 stories didn't do anything for me, but the first two made it worthwhile! 

Discovery: See the face of an 18th century 'vampire' buried in Connecticut

Although we're three weeks beyond Halloween, vampires are still "buried" in our subconscious (see what I did there?)- so here's a story about a man who was thought to be a vampire and unburied recently!

A side-by-side comparison of a facial reconstruction of a "vampire" and his skull. Using DNA extracted from a skull, a forensic artist created a facial reconstruction of a man believed to be a vampire from the 18th century. (Image credit: Parabon Nanolabs, Virginia Commonwealth University)

See the face of an 18th century 'vampire' buried in Connecticut 

By Jennifer Nalewicki Science Live

Using DNA evidence, forensic scientists created a facial reconstruction of a "vampire" who lived during the 18th century.

In the late 18th century, a man was buried in Griswold, Connecticut, with his femur bones arranged in a criss-cross manner — a placement indicating that locals thought he was a vampire. However, little else was known about him. More than 200 years later, DNA evidence is revealing what he may have looked like. (And yes, he was genetically human.)

After performing DNA analyses, forensic scientists from a Virginia-based DNA technology company named Parabon NanoLabs, and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces Medical Examiner System based in Delaware, concluded that at the time of death, the deceased male (known as JB55) was about 55 years old and suffered from tuberculosis. Using 3D facial reconstruction software, a forensic artist determined that JB55 likely had fair skin, brown or hazel eyes, brown or black hair and some freckles, according to a statement.

Based on the positioning of the legs and skull in the grave, researchers suspect that at some point the body was disinterred and reburied, a practice often associated with the belief that someone was a vampire. Historically, some people once thought that those who died of tuberculosis were actually vampires, according to the statement.

"The remains were found with the femur bones removed and crossed over the chest," Ellen Greytak, director of bioinformatics at Parabon NanoLabs and the technical lead for the organization’s Snapshot Advanced DNA Analysis division, told Live Science. "This way they wouldn't be able to walk around and attack the living."

To perform the analyses, forensic scientists began by extracting DNA from the man's skeletal remains. However, working with bones that were more than two centuries old proved challenging.

"The technology doesn't work well with bones, especially if those bones are historical," Greytak said. "When bones become old, they break down and fragment over time. Also, when remains have been sitting in the environment for hundreds of years, the DNA from the environment from things like bacteria and fungi also end up in the sample. We wanted to show that we could still extract DNA from difficult historical samples."

An 18th-century burial of a farmer, his femur bones placed in the shape of an X. A common practice was to bury suspected vampires with their legs crossed so that way they couldn't rise from the dead.

In traditional genome sequencing, researchers strive to sequence each piece of the human genome 30 times, which is known as "30X coverage." In the case of the decomposed remains of JB55, the sequencing only yielded about 2.5X coverage.

To supplement this, researchers extracted DNA from an individual buried nearby who was believed to be a relative of JB55. Those samples yielded even poorer coverage: approximately 0.68X. We did determine that they were third-degree relatives, or first cousins," Greytak said.

Archaeologists originally unearthed the supposed vampire's remains in 1990. In 2019, forensic scientists extracted his DNA and ran it through an online genealogical database, determining that JB55 was actually a man named John Barber, a poor farmer who likely died of tuberculosis. The nickname JB55 was based on the epitaph spelled out on his coffin in brass tacks, denoting his initials and age at death.

This week, researchers will unveil their new findings, including the facial reconstruction, at the International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI)(opens in new tab) conference, held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C.

NEXT: A Comic Book Vampire Worth Reading About

LISTEN LATE NIGHT Monday, Nov 21st/Tues Nov 22 3am-5am- Rob on COAST TO COAST AM Show about his books!

 **BIG INTERVIEW!!** Live- Late Night Mon Nov 21/Early Tues. Nov 22/ from 3am to 5am ET- I will be a guest on COAST TO COAST AM with George Noory- talking about #Pets and the #Afterlife, Ghosts on a #Medium's Vacation and Hauntings with Inspired #Ghost Tracking!! 

Click HERE TO FIND IT ON YOUR LOCAL AM RADIO STATION  across the USA!  : https://www.coasttocoastam.com/stations/

 

Idiot of the Week: Clarence Thomas for Impeding a Criminal Testimony

This week's Idiot is on the Supreme Court. He's married to Ginny Thomas, who helped organize and BUS people to the January 6, 2020 Insurrection at the Capitol. T Justice Clarence Thomas is the IDIOT of the week because he's using his authority to block SC Congressman Lindsey Graham from testifying in the Georgia Election Scam, -where Graham called the state officials to BEG them to manufacture votes to make Donald Trump win the election (falsely). It's time for Justice Thomas to STEP DOWN and resign. He's using his power to protect Criminals. Here's the story:

 

CLARENCE THOMAS BLOCKS LINDSEY GRAHAM TESTIMONY IN GEORGIA PROBE

Associated Press, Oct. 25, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday temporarily blocked Sen. Lindsey Graham’s testimony to a special grand jury investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in the state. The Supreme Court now will consider Graham's request for a lengthier halt to his involvement in the criminal probe.

Thomas’ order is intended to prevent Fani Willis, Fulton County district attorney, from compelling Graham to testify while the Supreme Court weighs the senator’s request for a lengthier halt to the proceedings.

Willis has a deadline Thursday to tell the high court why Graham should have to answer the grand jury’s questions. Lower courts have ruled that his testimony can take place.

Thomas acted on his own, as the justice who handles emergency appeals from Georgia.

ANOTHER STUPID THING- On June 24th, Justice Clarence Thomas got something he’s sought his entire adult life: recognition. Writing in support of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Thomas recommended that the Court, as a next move, strike down a half century’s worth of “demonstrably erroneous” precedents establishing the right to contraception, the right to same-sex sexual conduct, and the right to same-sex marriage. 

For More Stupidity from him, read the New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-self-fulfilling-prophecies-of-clarence-thomas 

Woman Rescues Abandoned Dog Waiting In The Rain

 Today's hero is the result of a villain, who dumped their dog with trash in the pouring rain. Fortunately, the hero, Angela Simmons of South Carolina, saw the dog, rescued the dog and brought the dog into a rescue to find a good home. Here's her story.

Woman Spots An Abandoned Dog Waiting In The Rain For His Family To Return 

 By Maeve Dunigan, the DodoPublished on 10/28/2022 

Driving through the rainy streets of South Carolina, Angela Simmons spotted a sad face staring at her, barely visible through the raindrops on her foggy car window. It was the face Simmons had been searching for.

Earlier that day, residents of a nearby trailer park had contacted Simmons about a friendly dog tied near a couch by the side of the road. Simmons knew she had to help.

As she approached the dog, Simmons saw that his paws and nose were irritated from spending so much time outside without proper care. Nevertheless, it was clear that despite his circumstances, the pup had lots of love to give.

With help from Auction For A Kaws, the dog, later named Murphy, was placed in a foster home, where he soon became acclimated to the pleasures of having a family.

“Once he entered foster care, he proved to be the biggest love bug,” an Action For A Kaws staff member told The Dodo.

Murphy was finally enjoying all his favorite activities — snuggling in warm blankets, riding in the car, going for walks and lying in the sun.Everyone that met Murphy was amazed by his sunny disposition and his love for all living things. “He loves other dogs and is very intelligent,” the staff member said. “He is very eager to learn and has amazing manners.”

Murphy is currently on a house trial with a potential family. The sweet dog, who once spent his days alone on a ratty couch watching the cars go by, will soon have the permanent love and community he’s always deserved.

You Need to Know: Same-sex marriage faces Senate test with GOP votes uncertain

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade and wiped out abortion protections, Justice Clarence Thomas (married to Ginnie Thomas who helped organize the insurrection on the Capitol) - told the press "Gay Marriage is Next to be eliminated."    Democrats in Congress are trying to protect this LGBTQ right, and pass a law to protect existing marriages.  

WHAT THIS MEANS: The Law keeps EXISTING Gay marriages legal in ALL 50 states and territories. Sadly, the only way Democrats can get a few Republicans onboard is to say it "protects existing marriages." It doesn't make gay marriage the law of the country. 

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COURT OVERTURNS GAY MARRIAGE?  If the Supreme Court overturns the gay marriage right, it goes back to the states again, sadly, and this law wouldn't override the bigoted states, so LGBTQ residents in the  Southern U.S. would likely lose the right to marry in their state. 

KEEP IN MIND: Most Republicans refuse to vote for it. If you are vote Republican and  you have LGBTQ friends and family, you are supporting a party that wants to kill their rights to a Marriage like yours, that offers legal protections and benefits. That's just cruel. Think about it. 

Here's the story from Associated Press  

Same-sex marriage faces Senate test with GOP votes uncertain

AP  Nov. 16, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down the prospect of divided government in the next Congress, Senate Democrats are moving forward with legislation this week to protect same sex and interracial marriages. It’s a vote that’s “as personal as it gets,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

Schumer is holding a test vote on the bill Wednesday, betting that at least 10 Republicans will vote with all 50 Democrats to move forward with the legislation to ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are legally recognized nationwide. The bill has gained steady momentum since the Supreme Court’s June decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion. An opinion at that time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could also come under threat.

If the Senate votes to move forward with the legislation, a final vote could come as soon as this week, or by the end of the month, while Democrats still control the House. Republicans are on the verge of winning the House majority and would be unlikely to take up the issue next year.

A Great Paranormal Novel: Haunting of Ashburn House

 I recently read my third novel by Australian fiction writer Darcy Coates, and she knows how to pen good paranormal fiction. "The Haunting of Ashburn House" was another great novel that keeps the reader in suspense about who is haunting an old house, bequeathed to a young woman from a great aunt she never met. The author keeps you on edge with the crazy  paranormal happenings, and as you read the book you can picture "living" or being stuck in this dark, gloomy mansion because of poor finances. You'll want to read it quickly to find out exactly who is haunting Alison (the young woman) and her cat - and who is helping!

About the book:   

People whisper rumors about a family murdered at Ashburn House. They say its old owner, Edith, went mad in the building, and that restless ghosts walk the halls at night.

When Adrienne arrives on the gothic house’s doorstep, all she has is a suitcase, twenty dollars, and her pet cat. She doesn't know why her estranged Aunt Edith bequeathed Ashburn to her, but it's a lifeline she can't afford to refuse.

Adrienne doesn't believe in ghosts, but it’s hard to rationalize what she sees. Strange messages have been etched into the wallpaper. Furniture moves when she leaves the room. And a grave hidden in the forest hints at a terrible, unforgivable secret.

Something twisted and evil lives in her house, and Adrienne must race to unravel the decades-old mystery… before she becomes Ashburn’s latest victim.

Discovery! 1,600-year-old mosaic of Hercules and Neptune's 40 mistresses unearthed in war-torn Syria

Wow! What a cool find- A large mosaic of Hercules and Neptune- two Roman gods, was found in Syria. Here's the amazing story from Live Science: 

(Photo: Syrian officials said the mosaic is the most important archaeological discovery since the conflict began 11 years ago.Omar Sanadiki/AP)

1,600-year-old mosaic of Hercules and Neptune's 40 mistresses unearthed in war-torn Syria

By Laura Geggel Live Science

Archaeologists in Syria have discovered a stunning mosaic featuring depictions of the Trojan War, Hercules and Neptune dating to the fourth century A.D.

Archaeologists in war-torn Syria have unearthed a stunning mosaic from the Roman era that features events from the Trojan War, the chiseled muscles of the Roman demigod Hercules and the powerful ancient Roman god Neptune alongside 40 of his mistresses.

The General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, a Syrian government agency, discovered the 65.5-foot-long by 20-foot-wide (20 by 6 meters) mural in Rastan, a town in central Syria near Homs, a key battleground during the Syrian revolution, agency representatives announced on Wednesday (Oct. 12), according to the Associated Press. 

The agency uncovered the well-preserved mural — painstakingly made in ancient times with colorful stones that each measured just 0.5 by 0.5 inches (1.2 by 1.2 centimeters) across — in a building that was held by civil war rebels until 2018, when Syrian government forces took the town, according to the BBC.. The ancient ruins under the building are still undergoing excavation.

(Photo: Artisans used colorful, small stones to craft the fourth century A.D. mosaic found in Syria. Photographed on Oct. 12, 2022. (Image credit: Photo by Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images))

Artisans used colorful, small stones to craft the fourth century A.D. mosaic found in Syria. Photographed on Oct. 12, 2022. (Image credit: Photo by Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images)

"We can't identify the type of the building, whether it's a public bathhouse or something else, because we have not finished excavating yet," Humam Saad, the associate director of excavation and archaeological research at the directorate, told the AP.

The mural is a rare find that is "rich in details," and is easily the most important archaeological find in the country since the civil war started in 2011 during the Arab Spring, Saad added.

The mural dates to the fourth century A.D., after the Western Roman Empire split from the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire). Businessmen from Lebanon's Nabu Museum had originally purchased the building, and then donated it to the Syrian state, the AP reported.

The mural includes depictions of the Trojan War, a legendary war fought between the Greeks and Trojans in ancient Troy (modern-day Turkey), as described in the epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey," by Homer.

The mural also shows Hercules (known as Heracles to the Greeks) slaying Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazon warriors, after he went to retrieve her belt as the ninth of his 12 labors.

Discovery! Exact burial spot of St. Nicholas, inspiration for Santa Claus, discovered in Turkish church

 With the Christsmas season coming, this latest discovery happened last month, but I'm sharing this month as it's more appropriate. I added some subtitles to make it easier to read and find the highlights. 

(Photo: The sarcophagus of Saint Nicholas is located in a church named after the saint in the down of Demre, Turkey. The saint's bones were stolen centuries ago, but the sarcophagus survived. New research has pinpointed the exact burial spot where St. Nick was originally interred. (Image credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images))

Exact burial spot of St. Nicholas, inspiration for Santa Claus, discovered in Turkish church

By Kristina Killgrove BBC News Oct 19, 2022

Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered the exact place where St. Nicholas, the saint behind Santa Claus, was buried in a fourth century church.

Archaeologists in southern Turkey have just uncovered the original burial place of Father Christmas himself, formally known as St. Nicholas, but whose modern nicknames of Santa Claus, Saint Nick and Kris Kringle are known by children the world over.

While researchers already knew that the saint's body was buried in the fourth century A.D. church in Turkey's Antalya province, the holy man's remains were stolen around 700 years after he died, so the specific spot where he was originally interred was a mystery.

Now, clues gathered during a new excavation of this church, including the eccesiastical building's similarity to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the placement of a fresco depicting Jesus, hint at exactly where St. Nick's body was likely laid to rest.

Located on Turkey's southern coast, the modern town of Demre boasts the Church of St. Nicholas, built in A.D. 520 on top of an older church where the Christian saint served as bishop in the fourth century A.D. Then known as Myra, the small town was a popular Christian pilgrimage spot following St. Nicholas' death and burial there in A.D. 343.

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT NICHOLAS

Very little is known about Nicholas's life, but legends abound — he is said to have rescued three girls from prostitution, to have chopped down a demon-possessed tree, to have resurrected three murdered children who were pickled in brine, and to have gotten into a fist-fight during the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, according to Britannica. And, of course, Nicholas was said to have frequently given away his inherited wealth anonymously to the poor, eventually leading to the legend of St. Nick as Santa Claus.

A STOLEN CORPSE

Unfortunately, in A.D. 1087, "some wise and illustrious men of Bari [Italy]… discussed together how they might take away from the city of Myra… the body of the most blessed confessor of Christ, Nicholas," according to a contemporaneous manuscript translated from Latin by late medievalist Charles W. Jones. Their plan was to "break open the floor of the church and carry away the holy corpse." The group succeeded, carting off most of the skeletal remains of St. Nicholas, and leaving just a few bones and a broken sarcophagus in Myra.

FOUND

In spite of this desecration, the church of St. Nicholas in Demre itself has survived for more than a millennium, with archaeological excavation beginning at the end of the 20th century. Through this work, researchers discovered the foundations of the earliest church, covered by many feet of sand and silt. Last week, Osman Eravşar, chairman of the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, announced the discovery of the location of St. Nicholas's tomb at the base of a fresco of Jesus.

In an interview with the Turkish news organization DHA (Demirören Haber Ajansı), Eravşar noted that the current excavations have revealed "the floor on which St. Nicholas's feet stepped" from the original church. "This is an extremely important discovery, the first find from that period," DHA's English coverage(opens in new tab) quoted Eravşar as saying.

FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/santa-saint-nicholas-burial-turkey?utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D

ARCHAEOLOGY: Skeletons: Remains of 240 people under Wales' Haverfordwest store

 It's always amazing to read the number of archaeological finds that happen throughout the United Kingdom on a weekly basis. Today's blog is about a discovery of skeletons that date back to at least the medieval period.  Here's the story from BBC News.

(Photo: Some skulls have been found with injuries consistent with having been in battle, according to the experts. Credit BBC) 

Skeletons: Remains of 240 people under Haverfordwest store in Wales 

BBC NEWS, Oct. 12, 2022 By Aled Scourfield

Some remains have been found with head injuries, possibly caused by a battle involving arrows or musket balls

The remains of more than 240 people, including children, have been unearthed by archaeologists working on the remnants of a medieval priory found beneath a former department store.

The "hugely significant" discovery was made under the old Ocky White building in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Archaeologists believe the ruins are from St Saviour's Priory, founded by a Dominican order of monks in about 1256. One expert said it offered a "window into medieval Haverfordwest". 

Some skulls have been found with injuries consistent with having been in battle, according to the experts Site supervisor Andrew Shobbrook, from Dyfed Archaeological Trust, described the priory as a significant complex of buildings with dormitories, scriptoriums - rooms devoted to writing and manuscripts - stables and a hospital.

"It's quite a prestigious place to be buried. You have a range of people, from the wealthy to general townsfolk," he said. It is believed that the graveyard could have been used until the early 18th Century.

All the bones will be analysed by a specialist before being reburied on consecrated ground nearby.

(Photo: Archaeologists believe the ruins are from a 13th Century priory, including a hospital. Credit BBC) 

Some of the remains have been found with head injuries, consistent with having been in battle, and the wounds could have been caused by arrows or musket balls, according to Mr Shobbrook.

One theory is that the victims could date from an attack led by Owain Glyndŵr, who was the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales.

It was a joint assault by Welsh and French forces, who had united to battle English occupation of Wales. "We know that the town was besieged in 1405 by Owain Glyndŵr and they could be victims of that conflict," said Mr Shobbrook. The remains and other finds, including tiles, are being stored at a nearby disused shop after being cleaned and dried.

(Photo: Hundreds of remains and artefacts have been unearthed. Credit: BBC News) 

Archaeologists Andrew Shobbrook and Gaby Lester say the finds are significant. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would involved in something so big," said archaeologist Gaby Lester. "The site is showing itself to be massive part of the history of Haverfordwest and Pembrokeshire."

The site is being redeveloped to become a food emporium, bar and rooftop terrace.