The late Charles Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) seemed to start out life enjoying science immensely - or at least his early interest as a naturalist probably brought him to examine many things within the viewpoint of science. At some point, however, Charles Fort became very critical of the hard sciences, saying that most science and scientists relegate those things that science has trouble classifying and explaining into a non-category of 'damned' things. In other words, science and scientists often choose to discount or 'damn' things that do not have a simple or scientifically-based explanation.
Deeming an object or phenomena as 'damned' or untrue, false or unimportant just because someone or an academic discipline choose(s) not to pursue classification or explanations of an object or phenomena was inherently wrong and irresponsible in the mind of Charles Fort. Consequently, Fort turned from naturalist-science to naturalist and researcher of all objects and phenomena routinely discounted and 'damned' by the hard sciences. Essentially, we can say that Fort studied in the field of 'science of the damned.' Perhaps better stated, Fort examined "damned by science" topics, phenomena and items, and dedicated his energies and lifetime to these studies.
Here's an interesting radio show broadcast where the topic of discussion is the late Charles Fort. This is just one part of the "Charles Fort" topic on the Coast To Coast AM Radio Show - but is enough to provide you with examples of Fortean ideas and to gain some tidbits on the late Mr. Fort:
I'm sure you've been able to take note of my excessive use of the word "damned" in this post. I've used the word a lot because it is in the title of, perhaps, one of the world's most eye opening books about strange creatures and phenomena that science tends to treat as ridiculous, unreal and forgettable. The book is Charles Fort's "Book Of The Damned." Even if Fort has not been able to explain the existence of certain phenomena and items, with his Book Of The Damned, he clearly makes it known that unexplained things and happenings ARE PART OF OUR WORLD, whether science appreciates these things and events or not.
To view an online version of Fort's Book of the Damned:
Hypertext Version of Charles Hoy Fort's Book Of The Damned
Please enjoy Mr. Fort's wit and more than a few tongue-in-cheek comments Mr. Fort makes in his text. His frustration with 'the authority of science' is clearly discernible in his book.
If you'd like a PDF version of "Book of the Damned" for absolutely free, please see the left-hand sidebar for a free download. Also in the left-hand sidebar, Charles Fort's "New Lands" in PDF format. Just right-click and download for free and you'll stay on this page while being able to download in a new window.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Hub Challenge: Final Girl Series
I've completed only about a third of my hub challenge hubs for the month of March but I'm still working on articles. I managed to get the "Final Girl" series completed. The Final Girl Series is a series all on "Final Girl" archetypes from the movies. Featured are 4 Final Girls and also, surprisingly, a Final GUY character that fits right in to the characteristics and attributes that female final girl personas exude.
In this series, I've dealt with the Final Girls from the movies Psycho (Lila Crane), Nightmare On Elm Street - the original first film (Nancy Thompson), Scream (Sidney Prescott), Hostel (final guy - Paxton - no last name), and Hostel II (Beth - no last name).
Just to reiterate on what a Final Girl is:
The Final Girl, particularly in horror films, slasher films, and some types of thriller genre films, is a character that represents "the last one standing" who confronts a killer or the main threat in a horror/slasher/thriller storyline. Our final girl is usually a sole survivor. Almost always a female, this character is resourceful, sexually pure or unavailable, curious and brave. All of these qualities help her defeat the killer/threat or escape from the killer/threat.
She/he usually will have some shared history with the killer/threat, even if this history is shown on film with the killer/threat being aware of our final girl while the final girl is unaware of the killer/threat. Often in the latter case, the killer/threat enforces this history through stalking the final girl character, whether she/he is aware of this or not.
Often, this tactic of forcing a history to be present between final girl and threat is the bridging information which makes the killer's actions 'make sense' and also identifies who our final girl is. You see - the killer/threat will almost always balk at killing the final girl at some point just BECAUSE of the history the killer/threat is sharing with the final girl. The final girl may become the ONLY persona in the killer's viewpoint who seems human. Sometimes the killer/threat starts to perceive of the familiarity between killer and final girl as proof that the final girl will be an easy target...which ends up being an error of judgment, thus, the main reason why the final girl is able to survive...she/he usually outwits the killer/threat with a surprise tactic of her/his own.
Here are the links for the articles in the Final Girl Series:
Final Girl Series: Lila II Final Girl Series: Nancy II Final Girl Series: Sid II Final Girl Series: Final Guy "Paxton" II Final Girl Series: Beth
ALTERNATE LINKS:
Final Girl: Lila II Final Girl: Nancy II Final Girl: Sid II Final Girl: Final Guy "Paxton" II Final Girl: Beth
For more information on the Final Girl trope/archetype in general, see:
Article: "Final Girl" and an alternate link: Final Girl (featuring information on the Halloween movie final girl)
Additional series articles I've completed in the March 2010 Hub Challenge will be posted on the blog soon. I've managed to complete 3 other series, so I just need a chance to arrange some links and alternative links.
Enjoy the Final Girls Series!
In this series, I've dealt with the Final Girls from the movies Psycho (Lila Crane), Nightmare On Elm Street - the original first film (Nancy Thompson), Scream (Sidney Prescott), Hostel (final guy - Paxton - no last name), and Hostel II (Beth - no last name).
Just to reiterate on what a Final Girl is:
The Final Girl, particularly in horror films, slasher films, and some types of thriller genre films, is a character that represents "the last one standing" who confronts a killer or the main threat in a horror/slasher/thriller storyline. Our final girl is usually a sole survivor. Almost always a female, this character is resourceful, sexually pure or unavailable, curious and brave. All of these qualities help her defeat the killer/threat or escape from the killer/threat.
She/he usually will have some shared history with the killer/threat, even if this history is shown on film with the killer/threat being aware of our final girl while the final girl is unaware of the killer/threat. Often in the latter case, the killer/threat enforces this history through stalking the final girl character, whether she/he is aware of this or not.
Often, this tactic of forcing a history to be present between final girl and threat is the bridging information which makes the killer's actions 'make sense' and also identifies who our final girl is. You see - the killer/threat will almost always balk at killing the final girl at some point just BECAUSE of the history the killer/threat is sharing with the final girl. The final girl may become the ONLY persona in the killer's viewpoint who seems human. Sometimes the killer/threat starts to perceive of the familiarity between killer and final girl as proof that the final girl will be an easy target...which ends up being an error of judgment, thus, the main reason why the final girl is able to survive...she/he usually outwits the killer/threat with a surprise tactic of her/his own.
Here are the links for the articles in the Final Girl Series:
Final Girl Series: Lila II Final Girl Series: Nancy II Final Girl Series: Sid II Final Girl Series: Final Guy "Paxton" II Final Girl Series: Beth
ALTERNATE LINKS:
Final Girl: Lila II Final Girl: Nancy II Final Girl: Sid II Final Girl: Final Guy "Paxton" II Final Girl: Beth
For more information on the Final Girl trope/archetype in general, see:
Article: "Final Girl" and an alternate link: Final Girl (featuring information on the Halloween movie final girl)
Additional series articles I've completed in the March 2010 Hub Challenge will be posted on the blog soon. I've managed to complete 3 other series, so I just need a chance to arrange some links and alternative links.
Enjoy the Final Girls Series!
Friday, March 5, 2010
March 2010 Hub Challenge
I started my personal Hubpages Hub Challenge already, on March 1st 2010. I intend on publishing at least 60 articles or Hubs at the Hub Pages website, from March 1-31.
To date, I've published 6 hubs, so I'm feelin' pretty good about the start and pace of the writing-on-demand style. Luckily, I set up a bit of a time and writing schedule for the month of March, and I'm right on schedule, with a plan to never get more than 2 published hubs behind schedule. Two (2) published article hubs per day should see me through the month of March with 60 hubs by end-Month.
The weekend is approaching, which gives me more time for writing, and time to 'catch up' since I am 2 articles behind schedule (but not behind in research and drafts!) with 6 hubs published. It's almost 2am Friday morning, so technically, I haven't had my full day yet, for publishing to a total of 10 hubs.
My hubs so far include a start on my "Final Girl" series, naming movie "final girl" personas Lila Crane from Psycho, Nancy Thompson from Nightmare on Elm Street, Sidney Prescott from Scream, and a FINAL GUY! Paxton, from the gore-slash-horror movie, "Hostel."
I've also begun my "Archetypes" series, and have 2 hubs published so far: "About Archetypes" and "Archetypes: Willing and Unwilling Hero."
Here's the full list so far:
Mythbuster Hub Challenges - (1) Final Girl: Lila - (2) Final Girl: Nancy - (3) Final Girl: Sid - (4) About Archetypes (General info) - (5) Archetypes: Willing and Unwilling Hero - (6) Final Guy: Paxton
Any suggestions for archetype personas or final girl characters will be considered. If you have a favourite final girl or archetype character you'd like me to research and write about, drop me a line!
I've planned a hub series on "Shadow People" as well, but that one is scheduled to be published a litter later in the month.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Mini Urban Legend: Ants in the Brain
In July 2009, an urban legend was circulated online through emails, and this urban legend contained a warning about ants in the brain.
Apparently, around this time, a little boy who was enjoying some sweets but happened to be eating his snacks close to naptime. His tiredness outweighed his love for the sweets and he fell asleep with the sugar-treats on him. As he lay napping, sugar still melting in his saliva and with his candy in reach, ants detected the sweet treats and started to crawl around him to get their fair share of sugar. Some of the ants crawled inside the sleeping toddler and many crawled right inside his ears.
The boy awakened after his short rest but several hours later, his ears began to itch a bit and he complained that his face felt itchy.
He was taken to a doctor but the doctor couldn't find a reason for the itchy discomfort the little boy was complaining about. The doctor decided to take an x-ray of the boy and when the results were examined, the doctor was horrified!
What the doctor saw in the x-ray was a group of live ants in the boy's skull. Apparently, the doctor couldn't operate right away because the ants were alive and moving around.
Needless to say, without the doctor being able to perform surgery, the little boy died.
This story was circulated with urgent warnings for people not to have food items in bedrooms or near places where they sleep - whether these be sweet treats or anything else. The sender of the story urged parents to never let their kids eat sweet items just prior to sleep times, for fear that ants would be attracted to the sweets.
All in all, a very creepy little tale, don't you think?
Can you pick out the obvious signs that it is an urban legend?
Apparently, around this time, a little boy who was enjoying some sweets but happened to be eating his snacks close to naptime. His tiredness outweighed his love for the sweets and he fell asleep with the sugar-treats on him. As he lay napping, sugar still melting in his saliva and with his candy in reach, ants detected the sweet treats and started to crawl around him to get their fair share of sugar. Some of the ants crawled inside the sleeping toddler and many crawled right inside his ears.
The boy awakened after his short rest but several hours later, his ears began to itch a bit and he complained that his face felt itchy.
He was taken to a doctor but the doctor couldn't find a reason for the itchy discomfort the little boy was complaining about. The doctor decided to take an x-ray of the boy and when the results were examined, the doctor was horrified!
What the doctor saw in the x-ray was a group of live ants in the boy's skull. Apparently, the doctor couldn't operate right away because the ants were alive and moving around.
Needless to say, without the doctor being able to perform surgery, the little boy died.
This story was circulated with urgent warnings for people not to have food items in bedrooms or near places where they sleep - whether these be sweet treats or anything else. The sender of the story urged parents to never let their kids eat sweet items just prior to sleep times, for fear that ants would be attracted to the sweets.
All in all, a very creepy little tale, don't you think?
Can you pick out the obvious signs that it is an urban legend?
Buggy Creepy Germs
People have a natural and very strong aversion to almost all creeping and crawling life forms, from mice and other small rodents to smaller organisms like insects. The idea of bugs on or near a person is sufficient to freak most people out. Naturally, this means there are plenty of totally gross, disturbing tales about insects on, near or even IN people. Add the fact that we call germs and sicknesses by the name of 'bugs' (the flu bug) in our common, everyday language and it becomes a near paradox, this connection-aversion with people and bugs.
Perhaps it is because WE KNOW that sometimes smaller organisms can invade our larger bodies (resulting in great or fatal damage) that we fear bugs so much in general. Almost everyone is perfectly aware that organisms invisible to the naked eye have wiped out entire populations before during the course of history. Smallpox (has killed millions upon millions of people), The Spanish Flu (killed up to 100 million in a space of around two years, 1918 and 1919), The Black Death (1340-1771, killed an estimated 75 million), Malaria (still kills about 2 million each year) and AIDS (has killed an estimated 25 million since we learned what this disease was around 1981) have all been sicknesses that decimated astounding numbers of people and also spread uncontrollably across the landscape.
Most of us know that at least one of the terrible diseases named above is carried by one of the most common insects in the world - the mosquito. These insects - mosquitoes - have been the cause of and are still often the cause of transmission of the germs that cause Malaria. Actually, the disease is carried and transmitted through a particular type of mosquito, the female Anopheles mosquito - but to the naked eye, how is one to identify the Malaria carrying female Anopheles mosquito in order to protect oneself, anyway?
From all this, it is quite apparent that the human body can be considered quite fragile when pitted against an insect large enough to see but which carries a smaller 'bug' that can infect and cause death.
No wonder folklore, mythology and even modern urban legends are filled with creepy bug stories... Bugs are almost universally feared. Bugs are also universally more powerful than the human body, under the right circumstances.
Next post: An Urban Legend about BUGS!
Perhaps it is because WE KNOW that sometimes smaller organisms can invade our larger bodies (resulting in great or fatal damage) that we fear bugs so much in general. Almost everyone is perfectly aware that organisms invisible to the naked eye have wiped out entire populations before during the course of history. Smallpox (has killed millions upon millions of people), The Spanish Flu (killed up to 100 million in a space of around two years, 1918 and 1919), The Black Death (1340-1771, killed an estimated 75 million), Malaria (still kills about 2 million each year) and AIDS (has killed an estimated 25 million since we learned what this disease was around 1981) have all been sicknesses that decimated astounding numbers of people and also spread uncontrollably across the landscape.
Most of us know that at least one of the terrible diseases named above is carried by one of the most common insects in the world - the mosquito. These insects - mosquitoes - have been the cause of and are still often the cause of transmission of the germs that cause Malaria. Actually, the disease is carried and transmitted through a particular type of mosquito, the female Anopheles mosquito - but to the naked eye, how is one to identify the Malaria carrying female Anopheles mosquito in order to protect oneself, anyway?
From all this, it is quite apparent that the human body can be considered quite fragile when pitted against an insect large enough to see but which carries a smaller 'bug' that can infect and cause death.
No wonder folklore, mythology and even modern urban legends are filled with creepy bug stories... Bugs are almost universally feared. Bugs are also universally more powerful than the human body, under the right circumstances.
Next post: An Urban Legend about BUGS!
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