Author: MOTW Admin

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Do you take this corpse…

By greyloch from Washington, DC, area, U.S.A. (The Corpse Bride) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
In Tim Burton’s film, Corpse Bride, Victor Van Dort finds himself unwittingly married to a woman who has been dead for years. Weird fantasy stuff, eh? Not necessarily. The practice of marrying the dead is quite real and more common than you might think.

Called posthumous marriage, the practice of marrying the deceased is legal in France, with similar customs in India, Sudan and China. In France, the custom dates back to World War I, where a few women were married by proxy to soldiers who had died a few weeks earlier. The living party must be able to demonstrate that there was clear intention for the couple to be married. The Guardian reports a posthumous wedding in France as late as 2009.

It’s not just women. The Daily Mail reports the wedding of Thai TV producer, Chadil Deffy, who married his girlfriend, killed in a car accident.

These stories are touching and heart-wrenching all at once. Such a ceremony could provide closure to someone who has been left behind, completing an important part of life that would otherwise have been left unfinished. Of course, it might go deeper. In my travels I had a fascinating conversation with a widow who told me she was still in regular contact with her husband’s spirit who stayed around her house and continued to participate in her life.

Posthumous marriage is not recognized in the United States, though there are cases where people have tried it anyway. Kirsten Smolensky examines Rights of the Dead in the Hofstra Law Review.

Have you been to a strange wedding? Share it with us.

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You can see our museum, but then we have to kill you.

When visiting Austin, you must come by the Museum of the Weird to experience first-hand some of the strangest artifacts on earth. When we visit Washington DC, we’re going to go see the International Spy Museum.

This amazing place houses a collection of items and stories of espionage around the world and from the beginning of recorded history. See the stories of famous men and women considered above suspicion—and doubly effective as spies. A Spy’s Eye View of the Civil War is a gallery to highlight the significant role espionage played during the War Between the States. They even provide Interactive Spy Experiences, where you get to see first hand what it’s like to be a spy.

Would you be interested in interactive experiences through the Museum of the Weird? What kind?

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What is that in the sky?!

Imagine driving down the road and you see this up ahead.

640px-Saucer_cloud_over_Campbell_Mesa,_AZ
By Brady Smith; Coconino National Forest [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
You might feel that we were being invaded, but what you see is an unusual formation called a “lenticular cloud.” These clouds form in situations where some sort of large object (like a mountain or a building) disturbs the air flow and creates an eddie of air. When the conditions are right, clouds form in these eddies and take on a bizarre saucer shape that looks like something from the film, Independence Day.

These weird clouds may account for some UFO reports. Here are some more amazing examples.

512px-Lenticular_clouds_and_Mount_Hotaka_from_Mount_Otensho_1994-06-25
Lenticular clouds and Mount Hotaka from Mount Otensho 1994-06-25
By Alpsdake (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
New-Mexico-Lenticular
By Brandy Jenkins [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
Lenticular Clouds over Cagliari
Lenticular Clouds over Cagliari
By fdecomite [CC BY 2.0]
 Of course, not all reports can be explained by clouds. Soon we’ll examine some of the more detailed reports and the organization that constantly tracks and investigates them.

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AC vs DC: the Battle’s Not Over

You’ve probably heard about the epic battle between inventors, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla about how electricity would be delivered to the masses. If not, this video will catch you up.

As the video shows, Edison’s campaign was pretty grim. He was convinced that AC power was unsafe and publicly electrocuted a number of animals, including an aging elephant, to prove it. AC had advantages for cheaply delivering power over long distances, so it ultimately won out…or did it.

In this article, Will Tesla Batteries Force Home Wiring to go Low Voltage?, innovations in battery technologies developed by Tesla Motors may force homes and appliances to rewire for DC to be more efficient. The irony of this is staggering. A company inspired by and named for Nikola Tesla may reverse a long-standing convention and get us closer to Edison’s original vision for power distribution.

It makes one wonder if their battle may continue wherever they may be, if they might look at what their creations have wrought and continue to keep score.

You might also be interested in Edison’s device for contacting the dead. We’ll be examining this in more detail soon.

 

 

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Bizarre medicine

patient_in_a_cage
Punishment? No! Cure! This cage was a 1909 treatment for Arteriosclerosis. Click the picture for the article in a 1909 science magazine.

There may be a reason why what doctors do is called “practice.” While medicine has become a more rigorous science over time, the history of medicine is filled with things that would have you swear that people were just making things up.

The picture shows a man in a cage. It’s not some sort of medieval torture, it’s a device that was designed to treat Arteriosclerosis. The cage is attached to some electrical equipment that would make Victor Von Frankenstein proud.

Of course, while we laugh at some of these crazy medical practices of the past, we may not be much better today. In the far future will people look with horror on how we used radiation and chemicals to battle disease? Will what we see as the most sophisticated and compassionate medical techniques look like poking holes in people’s skulls with a rock to let out the bad spirits?

Here’s a video featuring 10 of the most bizarre medical practices in history.

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Loyalty cards for drug dealers

Split photo showing drugs being exchanged and close-ups of French loyalty cards
Example of a French loyalty card for drugs

So, you go into your favorite sandwich shop and they punch your card with each purchase as you work your way toward a free sandwich. You go to your grocery store, and you use a card for members-only discounts. Why can’t a marijuana dealer be like that? Well, in Marsaille, France, it seems that they are.

This article in La Provence (French. English translation by Google) describes how drug dealers in Marseille are trying to give their customers a break and reward them with special discounts for regular customers. Just like your sandwich card they give you a stamp for each purchase. Fill the card up and you qualify for special discounts.

Dealing drugs is illegal in Marsaille, as it is in many places. Yet it seems to be lucrative enough that people not only continue to deal, but engage in marketing programs as well. How weird is that?

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Are you experienced?

Are you a fan of paranormal reality shows? If you are, it may feel like the world is filled with psychics who are flooded with feelings and visions surrounded by observers who would put Sherlock Holmes to shame. I know that some people watching these programs become very frustrated with their own explorations. Real paranormal experiences don’t usually happen like they look on TV. They can be more subtle, and certainly a lot less frequent than you would think.

You might take comfort in this blog entry by Kelly Roncace, Paranormal Corner: Intimate experience at Eastern State Penitentiary. She admits that, while an active investigator, she has rarely “felt” any kind of a connection on an investigation. It has happened, but it’s been obscure.

This is very honest and, I think, very important for everyone interested in paranormal investigation to hear. There are spectacular psychic experiences, but there are also many other kinds of subtle feelings and connections that are discarded because they’re not what’s expected and many are trained to ignore such things because they’re not “real.” Just because you’re not flooded with visions and voices doesn’t mean that you’re not connecting with anything. Not everyone experiences the same things in the same ways. Not everyone has the same intensity. Sometimes it grows, sometimes it will always be a whisper.

My own experience, and that of every psychic and medium I’ve interviewed, suggest that the important thing is to keep trying to be open. Record your successes, even when they feel tiny. Share with others who may be able to help you make sense of what’s happening. Experiment with different techniques. Be patient and persistent.

If something does happen for you, share it with us.

Here’s a snippet of video from Kelly’s investigation. You can see more footage from other investigators on YouTube.

 

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Most interesting ways to die

Every state in the U.S. has it’s own claim to fame. Iowa has the lowest divorce rate and Maine has the least violent crime. Idaho is a cheap place to buy groceries. Arizona prides itself on being the sunniest state.  Rhode Island had the lowest energy consumption per capita while Texas has the most wind energy.

Of course, none of them talk about what’s really important. What are their most distinctive ways to die? The biggest killers in the United States are still heart disease and cancer. But it seems that some more unusual causes of death are actually much more typical in certain states compared with the nation as a whole. Tuberculosis in Texas? Plane and boat accidents are problems in Alaska and Idaho! Legal intervention, deaths caused by law enforcement officers, excluding legal executions, seem to be the most distinctive cause of death in New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon.

Remember, these are just statistical anomalies. It doesn’t mean that people are falling over from the flu in Wyoming. But, if you’re looking for just the right way to steer people away from an ugly political discussion, these facts may be the perfect icebreaker. You’ll thank me later.

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Gator:1, Pickup: 0

A man is driving his truck through some high grass and comes across an alligator. Of course, you’re going to take out your phone and film this. Then you might play a little chicken with the gator, trying to get him to move along. Then…

 

Wow! I guess they don’t make them like they used to! The steel bumper on my Grandaddy’s old Chevy pickup would have been more of a match for this thing. I wonder if having video of you taunting an alligator into going Godzilla on you affects the insurance claim.

If you have video of a strange animal encounter, send it to us!

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How would you like your steak? Vesuvius or Mt. St. Helens?

With summer upon us it’s time to break out the grill for some tasty steaks (or veggies). Of course, if you’re a science student at Syracuse University  you might take things a little further.

When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava has a temperatures from 700 to 1,200 °C (1,292 to 2,192 °F). Since most oven broilers top out at about 575°F, lava would be pretty efficient.

The goal of the steak project was to demonstrate that lava is something to be respected but not feared.

Of course, if you are the traditional charcoal-type with your grilling, here is video of George Goble from 1995 in an experiment at Purdue University to find the fastest way to light a BBQ. His solution? He poured 3 gallons of liquid oxygen over a grill with 60 pounds of coal and a lighted cigarette.

Don’t forget to invite all of us as the Museum of the Weird to your next BBQ. We’re sure to have something to liven things up!