Obscure Magazine

FALL 2018

The Haunted House Edition

TAROT — PG. 6 | EARTHBOUND WANDERERS — PG. 26 | THE LEGEND OF BLACK BEARD PG. 34

An Obscure Staff Art Director Assistant Art Director Advisor Digital Lead

Writers and Designers

Erynn M. Affeldt Mary Carson Wells Terence Oliver Xiaoke Ji

Irene Zhou Lauren V. Wilkinson Zita Voros Tyler Trocinski Thomas Squire Jr. Katelyn Mottesheard Lydia McInnes Joy I. Lackey Haley Hodges Sally Dillon Asia Chou Anna Bradsher Samantha Beltran Jason Armond

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A Letter from the Editor Welcome to the first edition of Obscure, a quarterly magazine designed especially for those who revel in weird, spooky and unknown. Our mission is to bring conspiracy theories, ghost stories, cryptids, and legends to both the avid thrill seekers and the mildly curious. Dedicated to exploring the new and highlighting the legends, I invite you to join the electrifying journey that lies within every mystery. So whether you are new to curiosities or yourself a curator of the creepy, relax and enjoy our collection of all that is Obscure.

Erynn M. Affeldt Art Director

HOW THE COVER WAS MADE Check out how our spooky haunted house cover was made.

Scan the QR code or visit https://tinyurl.com/ybjv3hph   |  3

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Tarot - A Brief Journey into the Occult Irene Zhou

Nation Insane Erynn M. Affeldt

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Mythical Mysteries Thomas Squire Jr. SCP Unclassified Xiaoke Ji

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Crystals and Other

Healing Powers Lauren V. Wilkinson

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Chapel Hill’s Secret Society Anna Bradsher

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Navigating the Lucid Landscape Mary Carson Wells

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Stranger Things Samanatha Beltran

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Earthbound Wanderers Asia Chou

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To Kill the Dragon of Chaos Xiaoke Ji

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The Legend of Blackbeard Haley Hodges

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Into the Vortex Page 38 Sally Dillon Witch Zita Voros

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UFO Tyler Trocinski

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Haunted Biltmore Lydia McInnes

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Trick or Treat?

Joy I. Lackey

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Doomsday Preppers Lydia McInnes

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Holy Toast Page 56 Jason Armond Game Fallacies Katelyn Mottesheard

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O e h rney Into t u o J f rie B A Story and Design by Irene Zhou

History Contrary to popular belief, Tarot cards did not lead to the development of traditional playing cards. According to Tarot historian Tom Tadfor Little, traditional playing cards originated in 1375 in Europe, and Tarot cards weren’t mentioned until 1440. In a letter, the Duke of Milan requested decks of “triumph” cards, which were differentiated from playing cards, to be used at a special event. These cards had the four regular suits (diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades) as well as 22 additional cards that did not belong to any suit. The additional 22 cards were used in 1530 to develop a game called “tarocchi,” which is Italian for the French word “tarot.” In 1781, occult followers discovered Tarot cards and saw the pictures on the card as having more meaning than just regular playing cards. This eventually led to the Tarot cards we know today.

What Are They?

The traditional Tarot deck is comprised of 78 unique cards called Arcana cards. The 22 Major Arcana cards represent karmic and spiritual lessons, while the 56 Minor Arcana cards represent the daily roadblocks we face in our lives. The Minor Arcana is further comprised of 16 different personality characteristics we may choose to express, as well as 40 numbered cards that represent various situations we may experience. ■

A Nation Insane THE 7 MOST TWISTED INSANE ASYLUMS IN THE U.S.

he history of insane asylums in the United States is short but gruesome. Asylums began making their first appearances in the late 1700s. By the mid 1800s they were commonplace. Typically, individuals were sent to asylums by their loved ones for things such as mental illness, depression and criminally aggressive behavior. Less common reasons for admittance were hysteria, emotional grief tied to the loss of a loved one, alcoholism and masturbation. While most asylums started out as respectable care facilities, nearly all of them were overpopulated and understaffed by the early 1900s. There were hundreds of asylums opened across the country, but here are the seven most notable.

T

Story and Design by Erynn M. Affeldt

Rockhaven Sanitarium Est. 1923

Sparkling with stars throughout its history, Rockhaven Sanitarium was home to many famous individuals.

Psychotic stars from the 1920s all the way through the turn of the century found sanctuary from the limelight of Hollywood at the sanitarium.

The Ridges Est. 1868

The Ridges, formerly known as “Athens Lunatic Asylum,” was most famous for practicing lobotomies. A predominant number of patients were women with “puerperal condition” - a postpartum infection, and civil war veterans with PTSD. The Ridges had a for-profit farm on the property on which they forced patients to work.

Blackwell’s Island Est. 1941

Blackwell’s Island was once home to both a penitentiary and lunatic asylum which suffered from overcrowding, patient abuse and favoritism. The city attempted to clean up the reputation of the institution by naming it “Welfare Island.” Under pressure of surrounding communities, the inmates were relocated to Rikers Island. Welfare Island then became Roosevelt Island, as it’s known today.

Letchworth

Fernard State School

This asylum was built with the intention of “segregating” the feeble-minded and epileptic of society. It however was known for something more unusual, the first live-virus polio vaccine was tested on an 8-year-old male patient. When the patient did not show adverse symptoms or side-effects, the vaccine was tested on 19 additional patients.

With a history of a warden obsessed with eugenics, illegal radiation testing and sexual abuse, Fernard State School is known as the “poster child” of haunted asylums. Many of the patients that the warden deemed inferior were of sound mind, just poor and unwanted.

Patients were bribed with extra portions of food, trips to baseball games and parties to participate in the grotesque experiments conducted. The establishment was not closed until 2007.

Est. 1911

Est. 1818

Danvers Lunatic Asylum Est. 1874

Byberry Mental Hospital Est. 1906

Built to house 450 patients, the doors opened in 1878 to the criminally insane. When originally established, the asylum was praised for its humane treatment of patients, refusing to employ restraining mechanisms, lobotomies and straight jackets. However, towards the 1930s, patient numbers swelled to over 2,000, while the staff numbers remained the same. It was then that rumors of lobotomies, “restraining garments” and shock-therapy grew. It has been said that conditions were so bad, patients would die and not be discovered for days, rotting in forgotten corners of the asylum. According the annual report submitted in 1939, the building had become overwhelmingly dilapidated and the “generating equipment [was] aged and may fail at any time in its function…” Staff were continuously overwhelmed with an influx of patients. Patients were shipped off to other facilities as the building crumbled. By 1989, the building was officially shutdown. In 2008, the building was renovated into a luxury apartment complex and according to review sites, the complex receives unending complaints from its tenants.

With a tumultuous history, Byberry Mental Hospital was known for its inhumane conditions. Patients were abused and living quarters were over crowded. Some patients were locked in restraints and others confined in “lodges” - filthy, bed-less, bare rooms. Prior to the mental hospital’s closing, it was reported that patients were sleeping in the halls that were running with sewage. ■ | 9

Mythical Creatures Story and Design by Thomas Squire Jr.

Big Foot Leprechaun

Alien

First seen: 1947 Location: Washington Alien’s most favorable habitat is Mars. It is assumed that some form of life exists wherever there is water.

Jupiter and Saturn are front runners for alien life due to the presence of water.

First seen: 1811 Location: Canada Big Foot is described differently in various cultures. According to AIMS (Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings), there are more than 12 different types of Bigfoot.

First seen: 1989 Location: Ireland Leprechauns are considered fairies. At first glance, they do not resemble a typical fairy.

Their mischief and small stature are traits that put them in this group.

Dracula

Loch ness Monster

First seen: 1933 Location: Scotland A large search for the monster was conducted in 1987. Expensive camera & sonar technology was used within this search. Only vague data were found.

First seen: 1970 Location: Transylvania Vampire legends may have been based on Vlad of Walachia, also known as Vlad the Impaler.

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SCP Unclassified Story and Design by Xiaoke Ji

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CRYSTAL S

and Their Healing Powers

Story and Design by Lauren Wilkinson So, what’s the deal with crystals? Why are people so into them? What’s their purpose?

Crystals’ popularity began in the 1970s during the New Age movement, but there has been a recent resurgence in people using them to heal, ward off negative energy, protect or explore a new technique of worship and spirituality.

Crystals are said to date back to Ancient Egypt and were bestowed upon prominent tombs.

In Ancient Greece, crystals were used to protect soldiers before they went into battle.

Nowadays, though, celebrities like Adele and Miranda Kerr use them to get through daily stress.

Crystals tend to have two kinds of healing properties, metaphysical and physical.

Metaphysical qualities are those that can affect your overall mood, spirit and mind, while physical properties directly affect your body and mental state. Each mineral has a general purpose for those that use them.

Some Crystals and Their Meanings Rose Quartz - Physical: Improves blood circulation & heart health - Metaphysical: Generates love and harmony Citrine - Physical: Stimulates metabolism and aids one’s digestive system - Metaphysical: Generates financial wealth and success Black Obsidian - Physical: Eases emotional stress and anxiety - Metaphysical: Provides retrospect & understanding of one’s weaknesses 14 |

Clear Quartz - Physical: Stimulates the immune and circulatory systems - Metaphysical: Positivity Aventurine - Physical: Provides a balance between mental, physical and emotional systems - Metaphysical: Brings luck and new opportunities Amethyst - Physical: Benefits the nervous system, balances hormones and helps insomnia - Metaphysical: Brings earthly dreams to life

Other Meanings and Superstitions Even though crystal types like black obsidian and clear quartz are some of the more common types that people own, there are many others that are a little more obscure.

Selenite, for example, is known as the master crystal that doesn’t have to be cleansed, it is used, instead, for cleansing and recharging other crystals beyond itself. Another example is Moonstone, which is known as the stabilizer stone because of its ability to ward off materialism. It was the stone of the gods and goddesses in ancient India and has several significant physical healing properties like aiding the pituitary gland, preventing obesity and promoting menstrual health for women.

It’s no secret that people who tend to be skeptical may think that crystals are just another placebo effect.

However, crystals have been around since the beginning of time. They hold a great amount of information about what they have been exposed to, and, according to Colleen McCann, an expert shaman (healer and energy medicine practitioner), crystals are the most orderly structure that exists in nature. They emit frequencies that our naked eye cannot see, and if you’re going through a tough time, maybe obtaining crystals of your own could make a difference in your energy and lifestyle. ■

How to Cleanse Your Crystals Cleansing your crystals frequently is very important. If they live on an altar, once a month is frequent enough. However, if you wear them or keep them on your body, then they should be cleaned once a week. It’s also suggested that no else handle your crystals, otherwise they will need a deep cleanse to realign with your energy. Here are some ways to cleanse your crystals: Leave your crystals out in the moonlight to absorb some lunar energy to cleanse them for at least 24 hours.

Soak them in salt water because salt purifies negative energy and vibrations.

Bury your crystals in the dirt for a week so that the earth can recharge their energies and realign their vibration.

Pass them through burning sage or another smoke of your choice.

Story and Design by Anna Bradsher

Chapel Hill’s Secret Society T

he Order of Gimghoul is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s most well-known secret society. Nearly every student has heard the folklore surrounding Gimghoul. Many students set off on a journey to lay eyes on the society’s castle at least once during their four years.

The order was founded in 1889 by UNC-CH students Edward Wray Martin, William W. Davies, Shepard Bryan, Andrew Henry Patterson, and Robert Worth Bingham. These young men decided to create a secret society based on the legend of Peter Dromgoole. At first the society’s name was the Order of Dromgoole, but was later changed to the Order of Gimghoul.

Peter Dromgoole was said to have been a UNCCH student who had fallen in love with a girl by the name of Ms. Franny. Unfortunately, he was not the only one to have fallen in love with her.

Peter Dromgoole and the other young man who was vying for the love of Ms. Franny decided to duel to settle the rivalry. Dromgoole was not quick enough to draw his pistol and was shot by his rival. His blood is said to still stain the rock in Battle Park beneath which he was buried.

This legend, along with most of its kind, has been disproven by some. The university’s library archives claim that Dromgoole was a student who applied to the school in 1833.

After failing his entrance exams, he wrote a

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note to his family that he would be leaving for Europe and never returning again.

Some people think the story was actually based on Dromgoole’s uncle, George Dromgoole, a congressman from Virginia and a UNC alumnus, who participated in a duel with an innkeeper on the banks of the Roanoke River four years after Peter Dromgoole went missing.

In his book Dromgoole: Twice Murdered, E.T. Malone claims that Peter Dromgoole left UNC-CH and joined the army under the name of his former roommate. Malone writes that Dromgoole was later killed in Florida at an Army camp.

UNC-CH. The five founders created the society “in accord with midnight and graves and weirdness.” As the years went by, the organization shaped their ideals around Arthurian knighthood and chivalry.

In 1915, a land company offered to buy a piece of land containing Battle Park from the university. The Order of Gimghoul was displeased with this as it was the possible location where Peter Dromgoole was buried. The order decided to buy the land instead by each pitching in $50 for a counter-offer. They won the bid and gave one third of the land back to the university, sold one third to residential developers, and built their new lodge on the rest.

...in accord with midnight and graves and weirdness Peter Dromgoole’s duel and murder may not have actually taken place, but the story still serves as the basis for the formation of the Order of Gimghoul and Gimghoul Castle.

The Order of Gimghoul is a secret, invitation-only society for male students, juniors or above and male faculty at 18 |

In 1924, plans were drafted for Gimghoul Castle by Nathaniel Cortlandt Curtis, New Orleans architect and Gimghoul alumnus.

The castle was completed in 1926. Three main Gimghoul alumni helped maintain the castle until it was declared a historic district in 1993.

Thomas F. Hickerson, professor of civil engineering and applied mathematics at the university and a Gimghoul alumnus, acted as custodian, advisor, and primary contact for the

order until his death in 1967.

Charlie Shaffer and Professor of English Lyman A. Cotten, Jr., succeeded Dr. Hickerson in these duties. George Watts Hill, Sr., another alumnus and trustee of the order contributed large amounts of his own money to the order, until his death in 1993.

“The Order of Gimghoul is still an active secret society” The property is still owned by the Gimghoul Corporation and leased out yearly to the order.

The entire property is private and off limits to the public.

The Order of Gimghoul is still an active secret society.

The university’s archives have records from the Order of Gimghoul that include correspondence, minutes of meetings, financial records, constitutions and bylaws, guest and membership lists, descriptions of rituals, newspaper articles about the order, photographs, and museum items. These records contain pieces from both the Active Order and the past members of the order. Any records that are more than fifty years old can be viewed by the public in Wilson Library.

All records from the last fifty years can only be viewed by former or active members of the Order of Gimghoul. ■

CITE

Innovate Carolina is Carolina’s network to put important ideas to work. Sometimes those ideas are challenging. In fact, we hope so. We hope the norm is unbalanced, that disease fears for its survival and new theories of the universe speak loudly.

This is what we do at Carolina. Search for the truth. Find ways to collaborate on the greatest problems facing our world today. Through Innovate Carolina’s many resources let’s make sure that if you have one of these disruptive, unfriendly-to-the-status-quo ideas, that you have the tools to make it happen.

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START A BUSINESS

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FUND AN IDEA GROW YOUR NETWORK INNOVATE.UNC.EDU

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N a v i g a t i n g t he

LUcid Landscape Story and Design by Mary Carson Wells

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Y

ou’re flying across the sky at light speed, the world below you a blur, when you decide it might be fun to stop by Iceland for some sightseeing. Of course this could never really happen. Or could it?

Lucid dreaming refers to dreams in which a person can tell that they’re dreaming, and thus have autonomy over what they do within that dream. In some cases, a dreamer can have the ability to completely control where they are, who they’re with, and what they do. But what is the science behind this bizarre phenomenon and how does one learn how to lucid dream?

From the 1960s through 1980s, lucid dreaming was a hot topic within the realm of psychology. When Generation X was born, research and interest gradually lost momentum. Today, we view lucid dreaming as the stuff of sci-fi flicks, the subject for movies such as The Matrix or Inception. However, psychologist Stephen Laberge would beg to differ. Laberge began studying the science of lucid dreaming at Stanford University in the early 70s. Through various trial and error processes, Laberge was able to develop techniques that one could use to experiment with lucid dreaming, such as Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming, or MILD technique for short.

More recently, lucid dreaming studies have focused on whether or not certain people are more likely to be able to lucid dream than others. The study, which was conducted in late 2014, showed that subjects more likely to lucid dream have a higher gray matter volume in the frontal cortex of the brain than others. This means people with high lucidity had higher levels of metacognitive skills such as self-awareness and ability to self-reflect. ■ So what do you think? Are you self-aware enough to try out the MILD technique and attempt lucid dreaming?

MILD Technique for Lucid Dreaming

1. Dream Recall This step is all about building lucidity. The best way to practice dream recall is to keep a dream journal beside your bed and jot down any dream you remember as soon as you wake up.

2. Reality Checks

This is how you will be able to tell you’re in a dream. Throughout the day, check your “reality” by doing something like holding your breath.

3. Lucid Affirmations Although it may seem silly, lucid affirmations might help your brain get ready for a lucid dream experience. Try repeating mantras like “Tonight, I will lucid dream,” before you sleep.

4. Visualizing Dreams

It’s just how it sounds; before you sleep, picture your dream scape in its most vivid details.

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Story and Design by Samantha Beltran

Was Stranger Things inspired by true events?

It’s possible. This electrifying Netflix Original drama premiered in July 2016, captivating audiences with its supernatural science fiction. The series, set in 1983, depicts a small town in Hawkins, Indiana, and how it unravels after the disappearance of 12-yearold Will Byers. Will’s friends go in search of him, and instead of finding their companion, they encounter a new dimension unlocked by an extraordinary little girl known as Eleven.

In the series’ world of demogorgans and psychic powers, it’s no wonder why fans are curious about the connections the show has to real life occurrences. After information was released that Stranger Things was originally titled “Montauk,” fans theorized that Stranger Things was only a mere reflection of the mysterious events that took place in 1983 Montauk, New York.

In the 1980s, there were rumors about government involvement in a series of psychological warfare experiments in Long Island: The Montauk Project. In the 1982 book The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time, Preston B. Nichols steps forward, after recovering repressed memories, as having been a subject in the experiments.

Soon thereafter, others followed Nichols, in remembering and claiming their involvement as project subjects.

Recorded memories of the experiments bear an uncanny resemblance to the experiments in the Stranger Things series.

Nichols recounts that the project’s subjects were often children, who were abducted from their home by scientists and brainwashed to obey commands and participate in psychic experiments.

The tale only gets stranger.

In one terrifying experiment, a child freed a monster from his subconscious into the real world. The experiment’s transmitter portrayed a hairy interdimensional monster that destroyed everything in its path. The base’s underground tunnel complex was rumored to be home to these creatures known as “Reptoids.” Eventually, the monsters, combined with increasing town suspicion, led to the demise of the project in 1983.

This all sounds a little too familiar. It’s no doubt that this engrossing series was inspired by The Montauk Project. Yet, it begs the question: could this all be true? We will definitely be tuning in to Stranger Things season 3, set to be released in early 2019, to keep an eye out for more evidence. ■ | 25

eARTHBOUND

WANDeReRS Story and Design by Asia Chou

Ghost stories have endured in america for centuries, and nearly every state has its own building with a chilling history.

Who are the spirits that lurk in these places and why are they still here?

A

ccording to a 2013 Huffington Post and YouGov poll, 45 percent of Americans believe in ghosts. 18 percent, as reported by Pew Research Center, claimed to have been in the presence of one.

The concept of ghosts stems from the idea that the body and the spirit are two distinct entities, and that when we die, we separate from our physical bodies. Legends involving the spirits of famous individuals returning from the dead have been an integral part of folklore since the ancient times. Usually these stories centered on those who had died mysterious, unnatural or sudden deaths.

In the mid-1800s, a movement called spiritualism, which encouraged the living to contact the dead

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in the spirit world, flourished and attracted more than eight million followers in the United States and Europe by 1897. This was a time of technological revolution, and many spiritualists saw technology and magic as being one and the same as they often used new inventions for supernatural purposes.

Although the widespread movement of spiritualism has long died out, our fascination with the spirit world persists to this day. We still see the classic ghost story in fiction and film, and the ghost tour remains a popular attraction in cities all throughout the United States. Still, others have sought out their own experiences, which at times left them with more questions than they started with.

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West Virginia Penitentiary Moundsville, West Virginia

LaLaurie Mansion New Orleans, Louisiana

LaLaurie’s slaves

Winchester Mystery House San Jose, California

Prison of Pain

Home of the Dead

The year 1834 marked one of the most gruesome discoveries in New Orleans history. A raging fire at socialite Madame Delphine LaLaurie’s mansion led to the uncovering of a torture chamber in her attic that housed seven slaves wearing spiked iron collars.

In the kitchen was a chained 70-year-old black woman who later divulged that she set fire to the kitchen to escape LaLaurie’s brutal torment.

The West Virginia Penitentiary was notorious for its history as a violent correctional facility for criminals throughout the late 18th century to 1995. The prisoners lived in cramped conditions and often suffered inhumane treatment at the hands of prison officials.

Many were hanged or killed on the electric chair. Others were murdered during quarrels with fellow prisoners that quickly grew violent.

San Jose’s eccentric Winchester House is named after Sarah Winchester, a widow who inherited the grand fortune her family had made from the rifle business in the late 19th century. Urban legend has it that she moved out west to California to build the house because a medium told her she needed to in order to appease all the souls killed with Winchester rifles, or be haunted the rest of her life.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TODAY:

WHAT IT’S LIKE TODAY:

WHAT IT’S LIKE TODAY:

Legend has it that the screams of her victims can still be heard in the mansion.

Visitors on tour have said that the restless spirits of prisoners still lurk behind bars.

After 38 years of amateur construction, the house became a maze of doors, stairs and windows.

Neighbors have reported seeing the slaves’ spirits wander around the yard.

People have claimed that they could hear or see the ghosts.

The third floor, where the servants lived, is the creepiest part of the home.

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The Stanley (estes Park) Hotel Estes Park, Colorado

Lizzie Borden House Fall River, Massachusetts

The Amityville Horror House Amityville (Long Island), New York

The Shining Stanley

House of Horrors

BORDEN AX MURDERS

The Stanley Hotel, located in Estes Park, Colorado, is well known for being the setting of horror writer Stephen King’s bestselling novel, “The Shining.” In his novel, King references room 217, which is hailed as the most haunted room in the entire hotel. In 1911, a housekeeper was electrocuted by lightning during a storm in that room, which led to an increase in paranormal activity there.

On November 13, 1974, at 3:15 a.m., 23-year-old Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and four siblings with a .35 Marlin rifle while they were sleeping in the Amityville estate. The Lutzes, who moved in after, claimed that the spirits of the family tormented them by causing violent chaos in the home, creating strange odors and slime, and causing people to levitate while sleeping.

On August 4, 1842, a relatively inconspicious Fall River home was the site of a grisly ax murder. A little before noon, officials found the disfigured bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden, both of whom had been hacked to death. After weeks of investigation, officials started suspecting Lizzie Borden, their 33-year-old daughter, but she was eventually proclaimed innocent on trial.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TODAY:

WHAT IT’S LIKE TODAY:

WHAT IT’S LIKE TODAY:

Freelan O. Stanley, the hotel’s constructor, is rumored to be still roaming the hotel.

Although the Lutzes passed a lie detector test, skeptics claim they invented their stories.

The house is now a bed and breakfast for brave souls who dare to spend a night there.

His wife Fiora is also sometimes found tinkling the ivories on the piano.

The house was sold for $605,000 in February 2017.

Guests can sleep in the room where Abby Borden was murdered.

PHOTO CREDITS (in order): “The LaLaurie Mansion” by Reading Tom, “West Virginia Penitentiary -- Moundsville, W. Va.” by Boston Public Library, “Winchester Mystery House” by Gregg O’Connell, “Stanley Hotel [Estes Park, CO]” by sean hobson, “Amityville Horror House” by -murdoc (Maybe trading), and “Lizzie Borden House” by Jim McIntosh / all used under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped and desaturated from original

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To Kill the

Dragon of Chaos Story and Design by Xiaoke Ji

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Tiber F.M. Falzett is a visiting lecturer in Scottish Gaelic Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This article is based on a conversation with Falzett about Indo-European legends and the Dragon-slayer narrative.

D

ragon-slayer is one of these deep narratives that’s built into the human psyche of protecting your people from external harm, and the external harm is the monster, the dragon, the beast that’s coming in and threatening your existence.

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D

ragons. It’s curious how they were born. Dragons are creatures of the mythological world: a prehistory world where the magnificent and the uncanny existed.

The dragon in the myth is darker than its image today. Bloodthirsty and merciless, the dragon is a horrifying monster. Yet, by might or by luck, human warriors were always able to kill it.

In the story of Saint George and the Dragon, the venom-spewing dragon fed on human sacrifices, and the princess was chosen as the next offering.

Saint George then miraculously tamed and slayed the dragon, restoring the kingdom to peace. In another story, the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill slayed the fire-breathing dragon-man Aillen and became the defender of Ireland and the Gaelic speaking world.

The warriors look different, but they all serve the same goal: to save the community and their loved ones from external harm. The slaying of a dragon is a common narrative created by the oppressed: powerful external forces have come and hurt us, so we’re hoping that someday, the hero will come to the aid of our community and help restore a sense of peace and belonging. By the same token, people believed in the myths because these stories spoke to their own world view. Think about winter.

It’s the darker time of year where things stopped growing; the crops were brought in from the field and animals were brought back into their pens. And you started to reflect on your own mortality.

What is my place in this grander scheme of things?

And this was the traditional season for sitting down and telling stories. You had longer nights that you could spend together in a house by the fire, talking about legends tied to the path to the past. In Gaelic cosmology, the beginning is in the death, and winter is both the birth and the death of the year. In this dark time, a mythological monster arose: the Old Hag. During the harvest, two sheaves of grain were brought in. The first sheaf of grain was called the maiden, and the last sheaf was the Old Hag. These sheaves were reminders of the mortality and of the life cycles: the start of the year is seen as a young girl, and the end of the year was seen as a old lady and the idea of death.

So you lit fires to burn the Old Hag,

to burn the old year, and the new year rose from the ashes. Burning the last sheaf of grain was a vivid image of mortality. We had taken in all the crops.

We ask the question: will this be enough to get through the winter? Is the sun ever gonna come back?

When we burned the Old Hag, we were dealing with our doubts and fears about life and death. Sometimes that was the monster we needed to defeat. We were trying to fight off death, but death is inevitable. So we tried to face it in ways that we could make sense out of it. When we lit the fires, we were burning the monster, we were burning the dragon, we were burning the Old Hag, we were burning death to bring life back again.

And the cycle of life began again after the winter solstice. We started to see the days getting longer again, and some of the farm animals started giving birth to the next generation. And the cycle repeated. In a sense, we live on because of the memory of the stories that’s being passed on.

We must ask the question: why does the hero slay the monster, the serpent, or the dragon?

The dragon symbolizes chaos in the largest sense, and killing the dragon represents the ultimate victory of cosmic truth and order over chaos.

So we slay the dragon. So we burn the old hag. It’s making order out of Chaos. Its’ the reaffirmation of life. ■

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The history behind one of the most infamous pirates to prowl the Atlantic Story and Design by Haley E. Hodges

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Behind the Smoke Smoke, burning embers, heavy footsteps, raging wild eyes, and a coal black bearded face that barked orders; surrender or face the wrath of the guns of the Queen Anne’s Revenge and the cutlass of the Atlantic’s most fearsome pirate. This was the image of Blackbeard, or Edward Teach, who roamed the coast of the Atlantic southeast, and the Caribbean Islands from 1716-1718.

Edward Teach (or Thatch) was not the cruelest, richest, or most successful pirate during the golden age of piracy from 16501720. However, he was the most fearsome and memorable, his image recognizable to anyone in the 18th century, and even today.

Intimidation and image were just as critical to being a successful pirate as guns, cannons, or cutlasses. Blackbeard could create the image of a wild devil wreathed in smoke by entwining lit pieces of cloth in his hat

and beard, striking fear into the sailors who faced him. By showing mercy to those who surrendered and horribly mutilating those that opposed him, Blackbeard could successfully loot a ship without much resistance.

Blackbeard’s image was not the only thing surrounding his infamy. He had the reputation of being extremely strong and skilled in battle and possessing strategic prowess.

In May of 1718, he held the port of Charleston, South Carolina hostage, setting up a barricade and plundering every ship that came in or out of the South’s busiest harbor. He also held several high-profile officials ransom during this blockade, demanding chests of medicines in exchange for the men’s lives.

This strategy proved successful after only a few days, and Blackbeard left Charleston with his plunder without taking a single life.

"If a man plays the fool, then it's only fools he'll persuade.

But appear to be the Devil,

and all men will submit."

-Blackbeard

(Edward Thatch) Assassins Creed IV Black Flag

Dancing with the Devil Blackbeard’s reign of terror came to an end on November 22nd, 1718, when Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the British Royal Navy flushed Blackbeard from his hideout on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.

Blackbeard and the crew of the Queen Anne’s Revenge fought fiercely, but they were outnumbered. Blackbeard sustained 20 sword

lacerations and five bullet wounds before he was defeated and beheaded. As a message to other pirates, Maynard hung Blackbeard’s head from the bow of the ship, tossing his body into the Pamlico Sound, where it is said it swam around the length of the ship three times before sinking beneath the waves.

Dead Men Tell No Tales After Blackbeard’s death, Teach’s Hole on Ocracoke Island has become the host for stories about the infamous pirate’s lingering spirit.

Many people have reported seeing a light floating beneath the waves of the sound. This light is thought to be Blackbeard’s body and spirit, roaming along the sea floor, searching for his missing head.

Others say that on nights when the sea is stormy and the wind and waves lash and wail around the coast, there is an unnatural howling that comes from the cove where Blackbeard stayed. Those who have heard it say it sounds like a guttural human voice shrieking out “Where is my head?!”

Into The

VORTEX WHEN PHYSICS GET TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IT BECOMES A ROADSIDE ATTRACTION

esign Story and D

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n

lo

by Sally Dil

H

ere’s the scene — You are driving along the highway on your way home from a trip to the mountains. All of a sudden, you come across a large, somewhat kitsch sign that reads “Mystery Spot — Next Left”. You keep driving.

However, after several minutes, you impulsively decide to turn back around. Curiosity has gotten the better of you. After all, why were there a bunch of signs pointing to check out this dilapidated building called a mystery spot? The parking lot is pretty full, so you decide it can’t be completely crazy.

You park your car and buy a ticket to explore this odd spot that sits right off a highway exit. A tour guide appears, an enthusiastic boy who couldn’t be more than 20 years old, and he leads you to the door of a tilted cabin. A little while ago you were on your way to cozy, familiar home, but now you are about to enter into the strange, into the unknown...into the vortex.

Gravitational vortices, also known as gravitational mystery spots, or simply, mystery spots, are anomalies of nature where the laws of physics don’t seem to apply. Even Sir Issac Newton would be scratching his head at why, in these spots, people can stand at 45-degree angles, brooms can stand up straight, balls can roll uphill and water flows upwards. Gravitational vortices are often found near interstates or tourist-heavy areas.

Usually the visitor can witness other oddities at these spots, such as body-shrinking and growing tricks or wall-walking. At Mystery Hill in Blowing Rock, NC, you can see water running out of a faucet with no pipe.

While mystery spots tend to be a tourist attraction unique to America, there are places around the world that report to have the presence of a gravitational vortex. For example, some ancient Mayan ruins are said to contain vortices because, as an

I really enjoy getting the opportunity to share something this unique that most people have never experienced. expert for vortexhunter.com explains, ruins were often built on energy points.

One of the premier mystery spots in the U.S. is Oregon Vortex near Gold Hill, Oregon. It has been observed by many scientists and seems to be “the most disturbed” vortex according to roadsideamerica.com. Like many mystery spots, the building that houses this vortex resembles a dilapidated shack. There are a various number of explanations for what causes the Oregon Vortex which range from a giant magnetic underground device to the presence of high velocity soft electrons.

If you want to check out the craziness yourself, there is most likely a vortex in your own home state. Everywhere from Gravity Hill in Anchorage, Alaska to Spook Hill in Lake Wales, Florida offers the chance to tilt at impossible angles or roll a tennis ball uphill. There are other effects of vortices worth mentioning. Besides the immediate physical effect of stepping into these dizzying rooms, visitors have reported intense emotions, visions, or healing. Matthew Underwood, who is a thirdgeneration owner of the previously mentioned Mystery Hill in Blowing Rock, says “the stories abound from a cure for headaches to curing debilitating back pain. We have not been able to put any science behind these claims but it is always fun to hear them.”

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Mystery spots started out as a response to people being on the road more in the 1940’s. The car was transforming into a means of entertainment, with Sunday drives which were leisure car trips taken before the busy week. Decades later, and these same mystery spots have become an important part of roadside America.

Mystery spots are fun for the entire family and keep a piece of nostalgia alive, however, there are always skeptics. Naysayers of mystery spots claim they are simply optical illusions to lighten tourists’ wallets. The explanation often boils down to that the fact vortices are built in houses on a tilt, but once in the house it looks like you’re on flat ground when in fact you are on a slant. To further confuse your senses, there is no reference for a true horizon line.

Despite the rhetoric, what is the point, or the fun, of being a skeptic? Gravitational vortices are still amusing stops tucked into corners of America that provide family fun as well as a way to experience altered gravity without taking that billion-dollar rocket to outer space.

Matthew Underwood echoes this sentiment: “I really enjoy getting the opportunity to share something this unique that most people have never experienced.” So whether you side with the cold-hard science or are a believer in the weirder happenings of this world, it won’t change the fact that when you find yourself in a vortex, you won’t be the same as when you first stepped in. ■ | 41

GALORE BY ELI WHITE

GALORE: A NEW CONCEPT STORE CELEBRATING THE OBJECTS YOU LOVE THROUGH ART AND ARTISTRY 149 EAST FRANKLIN STREET 2ND FLOOR GALORESTORE.COM

witch

Story and Design by Zita Voros

W

hile the idea of a witch is renowned, the history is lesser known.

Stemming from the theosophical conflict of good and evil, the image of the witch was created to represent women who were mentally and sexually liberated in societies that considered them to be the weaker sex, and therefore more susceptible to the devil’s influence. Women during this time would use

herbal salves and teas to cure ailments.

Deadly nightshade, henbane, and mandrake became staples of demonic influence. Ingestion would lead to LSDlike hallucinations and out-of-body experiences that were explained as the feeling of flying, often prepared with broomstick-looking tools known as whisks.

And so, the modern image of the witch flying on a broomstick was born. ■ | 43

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Unidentified Flying Objects

The possibility of life beyond Earth became one of the world’s most controversial phenomenoms in 1952.

Story and Design by Tyler Trocinski

A

re we alone? Unfortunately, neither of the answers feel satisfactory. To be alone in this vast universe is a lonely prospect. On the other hand, if we’re not alone and there is something more powerful out there, that too is terrifying.

The question whether there’s life on other planets is hotly debated across the globe. Thousands of inexplicable UFO sightings and occurrences have led many to believe that aliens exist among us.

Cynics continually try to explain away these events, while eyewitnesses couldn’t be more certain of what they’ve seen. The most notorious sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, continually give backing to the claim that aliens may very well be real.

UFO hysteria began in 1952, when in the early morning of July 20, 1952, Captain Casey Pierman was taking off at Washington National Airport. A bright light skimmed the horizon and disappeared. He did not think much of it until he was airborne and an air traffic controller told him two or three

unidentified flying objects were spotted on radar traveling at high speed. Captain Pierman followed them over West Virginia where he saw as many as seven bluish-white lights that looked “like falling stars without tails,” according to a newspaper report.

The sighting of whatever-they-were garnered headlines around the world. Captain Pierman’s 68-year-old daughter, Faith McClory, said in an interview last month that her father became something of a celebrity as reports like his in the summer of 1952 fueled fear of a space alien invasion. It was a second sighting a week later, though, that caused the wave of hysteria that forced the government to speak out. Albert Chop, a spokesman with the Pentagon whose job was to answer questions about UFOs, said he was awakened by a call on the evening of July 26 about objects spotted on radar at Washington National Airport.

The Air Force dispatched jet fighters from New Castle, Del., to intercept the flying objects. But every time one of the jets | 45

closed in, they disappeared. When the jets backed off, they reappeared. “These things hung around all night long,” Mr. Chop added.

The next day, almost every major newspaper wrote about the U.F.O.s. “‘Objects’ Outstrip Jets Over Capital,” was the headline in The Times.

...every time one of the jets closed in, they disappeared.

When the jets backed off, they reappeared.

The Air Force held a press conference on July 29, 1952, to discuss the recent sightings of unidentified flying objects over Washington.

“People didn’t know what to think of it,” said Rob Swiatek, a U.F.O. researcher and scientist, in a recent interview. “They were very disturbed.”

Public panic was a problem for the Air Force, which feared a diversion of resources during the Cold War. “The Air Force and the Central Intelligence Agency became worried that the Soviet Union would take advantage of the situation and launch an attack on the United States,” Mr. Rodeghier said. Worse, no one 46 |

could explain the phenomenon to President Truman. One theory promoted by the Air Force was that a layer of hot air in the sky called a temperature inversion caused radar to mistake a weather event for flying objects. “Nobody had any answers,” Mr. Chop said. “That’s why General Samford had the press conference.”

On July 29, 1952, Maj. Gen. John Samford, the director of Air Force intelligence overseeing the inquiry, held a news conference at the Pentagon to reassure the public. He dismissed the Washington sightings as a temperature anomaly.

Still, the general public conceded that not all the details could be explained by natural causes.

Finally the government conducted a mass media education campaign to “reduce the current gullibility of the public and consequently their susceptibility to clever hostile propaganda,” but the campaign did not work — U.F.O.s have persisted as a fixture in pop culture. Besides, the government’s explanation was not that convincing anyway.

Ms. McClory, Captain Pierman’s daughter, said her father did not believe that the bluishwhite lights he saw were weather-related.

“I don’t want to use the words ‘cover up,’” she said, of her father’s view. “But it was very clear.

He saw it. Everything was seen on radar.” ■

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The Haunted Halls of Biltmore Estate Over a century after the owner of the most elaborate house in North America died in his home, visitors of the Biltmore Estate can still feel his presence Story and Design by Lydia McInnes

G Estate is one of the most famous

eorge Washington Vanderbilt’s Biltmore

houses in America. Built over a six-year period from 1889 to 1895 in the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this 250room French Renaissance style château was and remains the of the largest projects in residential architecture. It is the largest privately owned house in the United States, with over 178,926 square feet of floor space and 135,280 square feet of living area.

Built at the height of the “Gilded Age” in the 1890s, Biltmore was designed by New York architect Richard Morris Hunt in the Châteauesque style with steep roofs, massive turrets and incredible ornamentation.

Operating for over 30 years as a private residence, the Biltmore House was opened to the public in the 1930s by Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil, George Vanderbilt’s daughter and only child. It became a tourist destination during the Great Depression in the hopes that the great house would generate revenue for the town of Asheville. Drawing in close to 1.5 million visitors each year, the history of Biltmore Estate is as fascinating and intricate as its elaborate architecture. While there are any number of tours one can take around the Estate and its grounds, one of the more interesting - and less publicized - is the Biltmore Village Mystery Tour, the highlight of which is a detailed history of reported ghost sightings in and around the Biltmore Village area.

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Vanderbilt died in his home in 1914, but many say his spirit still lingers in Biltmore’s library

The main library (above), home to close to 22,000 books, is where most visitors reported hearing Vanderbilt talking to his wife, Edith, after he died. Other guests reported ghostly splashes and voices echoing in the indoor pool (right).

Part of the larger Haunted Asheville series of ghost tours, this tour focuses on the longdead residents of Biltmore Village. Although not affiliated directly with the Estate, this tour and others like to tout George Vanderbilt’s connection to his precious mansion, and, in particular, it’s incredible library - a connection that may have even persisted beyond the grave.

Vanderbilt died in his home in 1914 of complications following an appendectomy, but workers and visitors reported feeling his presence and hearing him talk with his wife, 50 |

Edith, in their library well after he died. After Edith died in 1958 and the Estate passed to her daughter and grandchildren, reports of ghostly voices in the library intensified, as Edith joined her first love and husband.

The Biltmore House is also home to a giant, 70,00 gallon pool that had underwater lights and heating at a time when most people still lit homes with oil lamps. Despite this impressive architectural and mechanical feat, the Vanderbilt’s lacked the proper drainage and filtration system so the pool

often sat stagnant and hot. As guests visited they often became overwhelmed by the heat of the room and the pool, resulting in reports of disembodied voices and ghostly splashing coming from the clogged pipes.

While these are only some of the more famous ghostly encounters, there are others involving fallen hunters on the Biltmore property and exhausted workers that have lingered long after the quitting bell rang. Whether or not Biltmore is actually haunted is a matter of debate for its visitors, but in a house this big there’s bound to be at least one skeleton hiding in one of the Biltmore’s many closets. ■ | 51

52 |

Story and Design by Joy I. Lackey

In the beginning It’s October 31st, darkness colors the crisp fall air as trick or treaters fill neighborhood streets chanting: “Trick or treat, trick or treat.

Give me something good to eat. If you don’t, I won’t be sad. I’ll just make you wish you had!”

Today, Halloween is a mischievous day filled with fun activities and tasty treats. But centuries ago, this day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter— a time often associated with death and ghostly tricks. Celts believed that on this night, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred.

To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would leave their homes wearing On All Hallows Eve, it was believed that ghosts came back and haunted the earth. masks resembling roaming spirits. In order to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from trying to enter.

Originally, this holiday began with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. During this festival people would gather around bonfires in their ceremonial costumes in order to ward off malicious spirits and offer sacrifices that secured the prosperity of their crops and lives during the brutal winter.

NeW TRaditioNs By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of these 400 years of reign, two festivals of Roman origin— Feralia and Pomona, commemorating the dead and apples — were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain beginning the evolution of the holiday.

In the Americas, the first celebrations included “play parties,” public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share As the world expanded across new continents, European and American Indian customs meshed, creating a distinct version of Halloween. stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance, sing and make mischief. However, by the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere.

In the second half of the nineteenth-century, America was flooded with new immigrants.

These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing a famine, had traditions that were borrowed and popularized, where they would dress up in costumes, go house to house and ask for food or money. This practice eventually created the “trick-or-treat” tradition.

And just like that, after centuries of evolution, All Hallows Eves’ mystic and ghastly beginning has transformed into a Halloween filled with sweets, jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings and carefully planned costumes. But beware!

Traditions may change but the dead still lurk. ■ | 53

Anatomy of a

Doomsday Prepper’s House

Story and Design by Lydia McInnes

Preparing for the apocalypse isn’t easy. Whether it’s determining the right food to stock up on, how much building supplies to keep on hand, or what tools can be used as makeshift weapons, there’s all kinds of resources available to you. There are all kinds of guide books, blogs, news sites and TV shows dedicated to the life of a doomsday prepper.

While many think of preppers as eccentric neighbors (at best) or paranoid loners (at worst), there’s something fascinating about their perpetually moribund lifestyle, something that intrigues even the most blasé observer. In an attempt to demystify their ways and shed some light on their preparation practices, we have put together an overview of some of the most important items to keep in a prepper’s stash.

Not every prepper has these items and there are still many more items preppers do have that aren’t listed here. But if you’ve ever considered investing in the prepper lifestyle, this is a great starting shopping list, with more detailed guides available doomsdayprep.com.

SAfe Ham Radio

Easily contact friends and other survivors with an amateur radio.

Stored Water

For gold, silver and other material valuables when paper money is no longer an acceptable currency.

Non-Perishables Canned foods last long and can be easily stored in a pantry. Freeze-dried foods are also ideal.

Gun Cabinet Building Supplies

Lumber, cement, PVC pipes, barbed wire and chains are all essential when it comes to building makeshift defenses. Buy in bulk from your local hardware store.

Solar Panels

Storing and using the energy of the sun to generate electricity, solar panels may not be useful for a nuclear winter apocalypse, but are sure to be a source of power for any other end-of-world scenario.

STocked Med Cabinet

Alcohol and hydrogen peroxides are the must-haves for a med cabinet, but anything like bandages, face masks, latex gloves, shampoos and soaps are also good to stock up on.

Proper Attire

Lined jackets for winter and light, wicking fabric layers for summer months.

Rain Barrel and Garden w/ Seeds

Rain barrels are good for collecting and storing water, but anything taken from a rain barrel needs to be properly filtered or boiled before consuming. Seed types will vary depending on the region, but it’s usually a good idea to store up to two years worth of extra seeds.

This way you’ll have a store ready before your plants start producing their own seeds.

Hiding Spots

Look for good places to hide money, valuables and other weapons because you never when you might need access to a hidden stash.

Solar Lantern

Anything powered by the sun is a safe bet for light, but have extra batteries, oil lamps, a woodfired stove and a spare generator if you have it.

Grill and Tool Rack Tools are essential for building and repair but some, like hammers, chainsaws, and rakes, can be converted to weapons if needed.

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56 |

HOLY

TOAST

YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK TWICE BEFORE TAKING A BITE OUT OF YOUR BREAKFAST. JESUS MIGHT BE SPEAKING TO YOU IN YOUR TOAST. Story and Design by Jason Armond any people find stories about Jesus and other apparitions that have appeared in a piece of toast as merely amusing, while others see it as a sign of hope or a blessing sent from a divine power. Such apparitions have garnered their owner’s fame as well as large payouts. In 2004, Diane Duyser, a Florida woman, sold her prized grilled cheese sandwich that resembled the Virgin Mary for $28,000 on eBay. Duyser is not alone in profiting from apparitions appearing in food.

Over the past few decades, a large number of people have come forward with a wide variety of food items that have recognizable apparitions in them.

M

Donna Lee of Point Place found Jesus in a pierogi and sold it on

eBay for $1775.00. Rosalie Lawson of St. Petersburg, Florida, found the image of what resembles Christ in a sour cream and onion potato chip.

Dan and Sarah Bell of Dallas, Texas found Jesus in a bag of Cheetos.

Fred Whan of Ontario, Canada found Christ in a fish stick. People have reported apparitions in tortillas, bagels, fruit and many other items.

Individuals around the world for centuries have looked for patterns and meanings in all aspects of life. When people find manifestations in pieces of toast or a bag of potato chips, it should not come as a surprise. We should all celebrate the joy, hope, and even the financial gain that comes from a piece of burnt toast. ■ | 57

GAME FALLACIES Do Brain Games Really Make Us Smarter?

Story and Design by Katelyn Mottesheard

Many people hold misconceptions around brain games, like crossword puzzles and trivia questions, and you could be one of them. These assumptions are not supported by research. Most people believe trivia and mind games improve their brain’s cognition and memory, but in reality, they only help

speed up your ability to find words. Some crossword puzzle diehards believe their puzzle becomes cursed once another person works on it without permission. Are you up to the test to stretch your mind by determining which statements are myth or fact and completing this crossword puzzle on your own?

Myth or Fact

The following statements are based upon popular beliefs. We hold preconceived ideas about these topics as true although we do not know the orgin of the information. How well can you separate myth from fact?

RIP

1. More people are alive today than have died throughout history.

2. Bulls become angry at the color red.

Myth/Fact

Myth/Fact

3. Humans use only 10 percent of their brain.

Myth/Fact

4. Goldfish can learn and remember basic survival Myth/Fact skills for up to three months.

5. Only about five percent of the colonial population wore wigs.

Myth/Fact

11. Teotinhuacan 12. Machu Picchu 13. Cusco DOWN 1. Sedona 2. Chile 5. Stonehenge 6. Derinkuyu 7. Easter Island 9. Pyramids of Giza

Crossword

ACROSS 3. Region of Mars where a face is seen 4. A series of large ancient geoglyphs in a Peruvian desert (2 words) 8. The national park where the Mojave and the Colorado deserts come together (2 words) 10. City where Area 51 is located 11. Links the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Pyramid of the Sun 12. An Incan citadel built in the 15th century in the Andes Mountains (2 words) 13. Once the capital of the Inca Empire

Cities, countries, and tourist spots across the globe have all been associated with aliens.

Either people believe they have seen aliens at these places or believe these places were created by aliens. Solve the puzzle to discover places aliens have supposedly been.

1 2 3

DOWN 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

11

1. City in Arizona surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls, and pine forests 2. Long, narrow country on South America’s western edge 5. A prehistoric stone circle 6. An ancient multi-level underground Turkish city 7. Contains monumental statues of carved human figures with oversize heads (2 words) 9. Iconic ancient Egyptian royal tombs (3 words)

12

13

Answers: Myth or Fact - 1. Myth 2. Myth 3. Myth 4. Fact 5. Fact

Crossword - ACROSS 3. Cydonia 4. Nazca Lines 8. Joshua Tree 10. Rachel

VEST

Innovate Carolina is Carolina’s network to put important ideas to work. We’re investing in creating more spaces, more connections and more resources for innovation and entrepreurship throughout the campus. If you have an idea, UNC can help you bring it to life. We are here to be a catalyst for your imagination and a support system for your ingenuity. Students, alums, faculty, staff and community members are all part of our expanding ecosystem and we want you to join the noise-makers, disrupters, social change agents, visonaries and futurists.

ARE YOU

GOT AN IDEA?

FIND RESOURCES

GET FUNDING GROW YOUR NETWORK INNOVATE.UNC.EDU

?

Venture

into the dark

Check out the digital Obscure Scan the QR code or visit https://tinyurl.com/y7jw792f

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