Leeds Point

Throughout my college experience here at Stockton, many people have taken an adventure to the well known location known as Leeds Point. I, myself, have some freaky experiences there that I will explain later.  The question at hand here is what is the history behind Leeds Point?  Many people claim that Leeds Point is the birthplace of the Jersey Devil. There is a house that I have seen next to the opening of Leeds Point with iron bars surrounding its driveway.  People have claimed that that is the location as to where the thirteenth child of the Leeds family was born.  The birth is said to have happened in the 18^th century.  The most common legend that is told is of a woman named Deborah Leeds giving birth to twelve children.  She was not pleased to find out that she was pregnant with a thirteenth child.  While going into labor, the mother was having difficulty and was experiencing large amounts of pain.  She screamed out “May the Devil take this one!”  At this point the baby emerged from her body.  The baby was said to have the head of a horse, wings of a bat, legs of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. 

After the birth, some interpretations explain that the Jersey Devil was said to have killed the midwife, and letting out a high pitched scream.  It then took off through the chimney and escaped. Other variations of the story say that the creature killed the whole family. Leeds Point is on the outskirts of Smithville, and you can see Atlantic City from afar. 

I have been to this location many times.  I was always told as a freshmen about an old eye-less lady walking her dog around 2-3 o’clock in the morning; who does not react to cars.  Some people have also claimed that their electronics would not work, and some claimed to see the Jersey Devil themselves.  There are not many houses in this area and at the end of the road you can see the bay which over sees Atlantic City. 

One night I was with a group of friends.  There were four of us in a car and we were kidding around and saying how we should walk off into the woods.  One of the girls in the car was nervous so she stayed behind.  After about thirty minutes she called us on one of our cell phones.  We were trying to hear her, but it sounded like she had the radio volume up too high.  And then we heard her scream.  The three of us sprinted back to the car to find her sitting there upset.  She said she heard a noise and we left.  On the car ride home we asked her why she had the radio up so high and that we could not hear her on the phone.  She denies to this day ever turning the radio on or screaming. 

Another night, I was with a few different friends and we were talking about the myth of the old lady.  It was around 3 o’clock in the morning and we started driving back.  Out of nowhere we saw the old lady with a huge black dog. I assumed that this was the old eye-less lady.   She did not turn her head to look at the lights of the car and the dog was just sitting on its hind legs.  We got a little freaked out and drove by her.  But then, we got curious and about a minute later we turned around to get a better look at her.  She was nowhere to be seen.  This experience was enough to shake me up, and I have gone back a few more times around the same time but have never seen this old lady ever again. 

There are plenty of probable reasons for the things that I have seen at Leeds Point.  However, I still enjoy going to Leeds Point for a good thrill, and to watch the stars.  One conclusion thought however, be careful, and I have found that when using a flash light, it creeps you out more.  You are better off letting your eyes get used to the dark so you can see more clearly.  

http://www.thecabinet.com/darkdestinations/location.php?sub_id=dark_destinations&location_id=leeds_point_new_jersey

http://www.jerseyhistory.org/legend_jerseydevil.html

Tired after Turkey?

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. It is one of the only holidays that you are allowed to break that diet, and to feast upon all types / sorts of food, including the infamous turkey. For everyone across the country, after eating such a huge meal, you unbutton those pants or loosen that belt, because you are that full and cannot possibly eat any more turkey.

After the feast, it is NOT uncommon for people (mainly children) to take a power nap before desert. For adults, usually after clean up, every one gathers around the living room, just to relax and enjoy conversations or watch the "big game" that is on TV.

Information on the turkey... Turkey produces not only a great meal, but it also produces a very specific (natural) chemical called TRYPTOPHAN. Tryptophan does a number of things for a person such as: regulate your appetite and elevate your mood. However, it's well-known for its role in the production of nervous system messengers, especially those related to relaxation, restfulness, and sleep.

People who have a sleep disorder such as insomnia, you probably take some sort of sleeping pills to help you get to sleep. If you look at sleeping pills, tryptophan is an active ingredient. It can put you in a relaxed state and eventually put you to sleep.

Turkey, however, is not the only animal that contains a high amount of this chemical. To name of a few are... Chicken, calf liver, soy beans, tuna, salmon and shrimp. But there seems to be something with turkey that just puts people to sleep.

The assumptions and what people claim is that after eating a huge thanksgiving dinner you are tired and want to nap because of this natural chemical. Which is why people will gather around and relax on couches, or take a quick power nap. We can all relate to these instances after this meal. Just like every year, the same thing happens. After I eat I go to the couch and just want to watch TV, not even thinking about that warm, baked, homemade apple and pumpkin pie!

The facts and truth: Detective turkey is on the case.

In sleeping pills, you can get 100% of the pill as just tryptophan. I could not find an exact percentage that are in common every day supplements, but I did find some articles that said you can buy straight tryptophan. In a whole turkey, there is about 118% tryptophan, which makes it one of the healthiest foods riched in this chemical. However, what normal person can eat an entire turkey anyway, unless it is a very small one. With that said, how much of this chemical are you really taking in?


So my question for you? Do you think the reason why you are tired after a thanksgiving meal is because of this chemical?

After consulting with "Detective Turkey," the answer is NO: the chemical is not the main reason why you become tired, relaxed, and have the urge to nap. Think about it, at thanksgiving, how much turkey do you really eat? Certainly not 100% of the turkey. You may have a small fraction of it. Remember you are also eating stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, bread, etc... Since you are also eating a TON of other things, it is not uncommon for you to feel so exhausted. Turkey may have a small fraction into making you feel tired, but just eating so much can do the same thing.

Have you ever been to a buffet? You can stuff your face and get the same tired feeling. You go into a "food coma." After most huge meals you eat, you just feel tired. People forget about those times, and just associate the large amount of turkey and sleep. These food comas happen because your body is taking more energy than usual to break down all that food that you just ate, which is why you have no energy. Your insides need to do more work. So while tryptophan has a minor role in making you feel tired...in reality it is because you are taking in more than your body is used to.


Brian Kopf

Shangai Tunnels

Let’s start with some information.  The Shanghai Tunnels in Portland, Oregon are said to be one of the most haunted places in America.  The tunnels originally began as an area for bars, and restaurants to contain their supplies for convenient access.  Eventually people began using these tunnels for other activities, and that is how they became the Shanghai Tunnels.

Shanghaiing was an illegal practice where men would be kidnapped and sold as slaves to captains of boats to work on the boats.  There were many women who had also been forced into prostitution, and would get the men into the tunnels.  The men would be drugged, and pulled through a trap door in the establishment, tortured and sent to be sold.  Other men that would be sold were men looking to score with the women, and once in the bed, they would be tied and gagged and sometimes even left there to die. 

Many implications during this time, was that Shanghaiing was NOT considered illegal.  Nearly two thousand people lost their lives while this practice was popular.  The women who were forced into prostitution, if they became pregnant they would also be murdered.  Essentially, no one was safe from the men and the women of the Shanghai Tunnels, and because of that this area has unusual phenomenon, spirits still lingering and much more paranormal activity. 

Some theories in the tunnels include many stories of ghosts and spirits.  One main story is of a woman named Nina. Nina haunts the area that is just below the “Old Town Pizza".  Locals state that this particular woman was once a known prostitute in the area and was sedated by drugs and then thrown down the area of the shaft of the elevator.  It is believed that the fall resulted in her death.  Many claim that they are able to smell her perfume, and that she is known to tug on the clothing of individuals who pass through the Shanghai Tunnels. Many have even claimed to have seen the apparition of Nina.

In order to come to some conclusions travelers are now able to take tours of the Shanghai Tunnels.  You would be able to see a “deadfall” trapdoor, holding cells, beds, and more.  Some of the restaurants are still open to the public as well, right above where many people lost their lives.

http://www.shanghaitunnels.info/
http://www.haunted-places-to-go.com/shanghai-tunnels.html

-Jenny Robertson

Nibiru cataclysm

The Nibiru cataclysm is a supposed disastrous encounter between the Earth and a large planetary object (either a collision or a near-miss) which certain groups believe will take place in the early 21st century. Believers in this doomsday event usually refer to this object as Planet X or Nibiru.

 Info:

The idea of the Nibiru encounter originated with Nancy Lieder, a Wisconsin woman who claims that as a girl she was contacted by gray extraterrestrials called Zetas, who implanted a communications device in her brain. In 1995, she founded the website ZetaTalk to disseminate her ideas. Lieder described Planet X as roughly four times the size of the Earth, and said that its closest approach would occur on May 27, 2003, resulting in the Earth's rotation ceasing for exactly 5.9 terrestrial days. This would be followed by the Earth's pole destabilising in a pole shift (a physical pole shift, with the Earth's pole physically moving, rather than a geomagnetic reversal) caused by magnetic attraction between the Earth's core and the magnetism of the passing planet. This in turn would disrupt the Earth's magnetic core and lead to subsequent displacement of the Earth's crust. After the 2003 date passed without incident, Lieder said that it was merely a "White Lie ... to fool the establishment," and said that to disclose the true date would give those in power enough time to declare martial law and trap people in cities during the shift, leading to their deaths.Many Internet sites continue to proclaim that Lieder's object is en route to Earth, often citing its arrival date as December, 2012. The question at issue now is whether or not this planet exists and/or would be able to effect earth in such a way as Lieder describes.

Concepts:
Astronomers reject the idea of Nibiru, and have made efforts to inform the public that there is no threat to Earth in 2012.They point out that such an object so close to Earth would be easily visible to the naked eye, as Jupiter and Saturn are both visible to the naked eye, and are dimmer than Nibiru would be at their distances. A planet such as Nibiru would create noticeable effects in the orbits of the outer planets. Some counter this by claiming that the object has been concealed behind the Sun for several years, though this would be geometrically impossible. Astronomer Mike Brown notes that if this object's orbit were as described, it would only have lasted in the Solar System for a million years or so before Jupiter expelled it, and that there is no way another object's magnetic field could have such an effect on Earth.Lieder's assertions that the approach of Nibiru would cause the Earth's rotation to stop or its axis to shift violate the laws of physics.
In a 2009 interview with the Discovery Channel, Mike Brown noted that, while it is not impossible that the Sun has a distant planetary companion, such an object would have to be lying very far from the observed regions of the Solar System to have no gravitational effect on the other planets. A Mars-sized object could lie undetected at 300 AU (10 times the distance of Neptune); a Jupiter-sized object at 30,000 AU. To travel 1000 AU in two years, an object would need to be moving at 2400 km/s – faster than the galactic escape velocity. At that speed, any object would be shot out of the Solar System, and then out of the Milky Way galaxy into intergalactic space.
Point of view: In lieu of the overwhelming amount of astonomic evidence proported i don't believe that there is any planet out there on a collision course with earth that impact in 2012. Modern technology would have exposed such a threat if it were anywhere close enough to our solar system.

Destination Truth: Mexico - Island of the Dolls

Information:Popular television show Destination Truth, decided to take an adventure to the ancient canals south of Mexico city that supposedly is home to an island of reportedly haunted dolls. The previous caretaker of the island allegedly strung up the dolls in an attempt to ward off evil spirits of a young girl who allegedly drowned there.  

The claims that the natives have about the island is that the dolls themselves have taken on the girl's evil spirit and have been seen whispering to themselves and summoning those whose passing by to come to them. The caretaker of the island, Don Julian, was recently found dead in the visiting canal where the girl also drowned and now his spirit is said to also haunt the island. 

Natives assumptions about the island vary, however, anyone who visits the island must bring a doll as an offering. The doll's spirit are said to connect with one another. Josh and the rest of the Destination Truth crew place their offering of a doll and a candy bar near the water's edge in the episode. In the episode several minutes later the "spirits" are said to take the bait and something causes a mysterious ripple in the water. Throughout their adventures to the island Josh and his team find high reading on EMF detectors, definite voices answering questions, figures of a person;s body, and the unexpected eyes of a doll opening. 


According to the Destination Truth team their experiences on the island indicate a strong point of view that the island indeed does hold paranormal activity. Concrete evidence such as the voice recordings, imagery picked up on the thermal camera and Mike's eerie encounter all point to signs of paranormal activity on the mysterious haunted doll island. 


The  question at issue is if the island is truly haunted by paranormal activity of the young girl who is said to have drowned and lurks the island with her negative evil spirit? The video below shows Josh and his unusual and startling experience with one of the dolls on the island. 


Check out the video!
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/destination-truth-island-of-the-dolls-lusca-watch-the-full/ae898d6aac33a3632096ae898d6aac33a3632096-1532041233806

Past Lives

Have you ever wondered if you ever had past lives? How about what it was like back in the 1700s or during WW1? What if you were an Indian walking on the Trail of Tears or an Irishman going through the Potato Famish? My point of view is that I personally believe in past lives and reincarnation and have always wondered what and who I was before I was born in 1991. I thought maybe I was an Indian learning pottery and cooking dinner for the tribe or maybe I was commoner in England. Maybe I experienced the Black Death or was one of the Pharaohs servants. The question at issue is do people have past lives or do they just wish that they were in a specific time period so that they could experience what those people experienced?

Some facts are that certain religions believe in past lives or reincarnation. The religions are mainly Hinduism and Buddhism. Although Christianity, Islam and Judaism do not believe in it, individuals in that sect may believe in it. Reincarnation is a Latin word meaning "entering the flesh again". There are different meanings for the type of reincarnation depending on the certain religion a person practices. Reincarnation goes back to the Iron Age (1200 BCE) where it was mentioned.

There are researchers who try and find scientific facts and proof that someone has indeed had past lives. There is a method called Past Life Regression which is a technique that uses hypnosis to recall the memories of a patient. Many people believe this technique to be fantasies of the person or delusions. During this session, the patient would be asked several questions that would bring the past life to the surface and events that happened during that lifetime.

Children are very perceptible to past lives. Many children will tell people who they were and what they experienced in there past lives. An example of a child having these memories was from a kid named James Leininger who from the ages of 2 through 6, he would recall memories of a WWII fighter pilot who got shot down while flying during the war. He knew details about the plane and the fighter pilot, James Huston Jr. James is now 8 years old and doesn't have those memories anymore. His parents didn't believe in reincarnation but now they are true believers after their son experienced the memories.

My inferences and conclusion is that even though I don't know if the past life regression test works or not, I still believe in past lives. I think everyone has a past life and maybe even more. I'm not religious so it has nothing to do with my religion but more so my beliefs. I would love to find out what my past life was and the stories of the children recalling the memories of their past lives assures me that we all have them because I would believe a kid more then if an adult were to say it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1aBip9ge48

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2232830#.T2-sCzGCrQg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_life_regression

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation

http://www.skepdic.com/reincarn.html

Esso Watches (Blog post 3)

As you can see there are many different colors to pick your Esso Watch from. My purpose is to investigate the claims made by the producers of this Esso bracelet. Assumptions being made by people who buy this bracelet are that first of all that it works, and that it will help them lead healthier and more active lives. The producers of this bracelet claim that it will help with balance, concentration, coordination, and even fatigue. Some important information that must be assessed is most importantly, what makes this product work? This bracelet claims to use negation ions in order to balance out the positive protons that are shoved into our lives throughout our day. These positive ions throw us off because now we have pressure against our blood flow, and this is why we must have more negative ions. We’re in luck because the Esso watches happen to be made from negative ions made from silicone! This will actually release the pressure that’s on our blood flow and help us to concentrate, balance, and coordinate.

                My point of view is that this product definitely doesn’t work. Your body obviously has its own mechanism for balancing out all this excess of “positive protons” or I’m sure the “pressure building on our blood flow” would have some pretty serious effects. I personally don’t believe any of this positive proton bologna, but people who aren’t wearing these bracelets seem to be dealing with their positive protons pretty well if it is true. There are other cool videos on the website (I’ll post below) that demonstrate some balance tests of before and after people wearing these bracelets. I’m going to post the video that explains all the other cool claims they make.

Websites: http://essowatches.com/