The Introverted Detective

 Mindfulness, does it harm your faith or help your faith? Let's dive into that. First of all, I have found that much like my blog on horror and Christianity (found in my archives) there are so many opinions out there. We first need a basic definition of Mindfulness. Our English dictionary says it is (1)being aware and conscious of something, or (2) a mental state achieved by being aware of the present moment while accepting all emotions, feelings, and bodily sensations. The second definition is considered a therapy technique. Put simply, you clear the noise from your mind and completely relax yourself while completely focusing on the present moment.  The Positive By itself, it does not sound like it can contradict your Christian faith. In fact, understanding yourself can help you learn better and live a better life. Does it really sound all that bad? In this chaotic year we've all had, I'd say the basic practice of staying in the present and sitting to clear your head for a...

So, Bigfoot. Is he real? Today we find out what we do know about this mysterious seven-foot Chewbacca.  If you thought this legend was only where you live, you were wrong. It is all over the place under all kinds of names. Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Witigo, Wendigo, Rugaru......etc. He apparently has magical powers or is a messenger of warning, according to various Native American tribes. 1800 and 1900 settlers would find huge footprints and there are even some grainy photos of our hairy friend. The real question is this; is there any proof? Whole organizations study Bigfoot's legend.  Our modern concept of Bigfoot can be traced to a news story in the  Humboldt Times  in 1958. A report of large footprints was run in the paper just because it might be a fun story. To Andrew Genzoli's surprise, the article had traction that continues even today. Writers picked it up and included it in novels and fiction. You can thank Genzoli for all those Bigfoot documentaries you watched wh...

 Queen Hatshepsut, a Pharoah almost erased from history by her stepson, was one of the most successful and prosperous leaders Egypt ever had. Most of us have heard of Cleopatra, but let's dive into the story of Hatshepsut.  Before we go into what nearly destroyed her memory in Egyptian history, here is a brief introduction to her success and how she got into the position of Pharoah. Keep in mind, Pharaohs were "gods" and once you got the throne you couldn't be voted out. She was the 6th Pharoah of the 18th dynasty and ruled from 1479 to 1458 BC. Evidence of her reign as most successful woman Pharoah was found around 1927, when a pit of all her artifacts, most of them destroyed and broken, was found. She was the widowed queen of her half-brother Thutmose II, and when he died she was named regent ruler until her stepson (most likely a harem child) would be of age to rule.            T his is the point in the story where she gets a bad name...

 If you are anything like me you know next to nothing about what noises your car should and shouldn't be making, or what warning lights mean. While a picture is worth a thousand words, this post should clarify what the car warning lights actually mean.  First of all, let's put them in priority order. The most important lights are at the top of the list.  Oil pressure  - It looks like a genie's lamp dripping. Something is wrong with the car's oil pressure system. You are running low on oil or it isn't pumping correctly. This is not something to ignore.  Engine Temperature - The image to picture is a thermometer with waves below it. Your engine overheated. You may need coolant. This is urgent and should be addressed immediately.  Antilock Brake System - In case anyone thought a light with the letters ABS was Airbag Safety System (I did, so no shame at all if you have), it is not. If it comes on for a few seconds and disappears all is well. If it stays on you ...

Pregnant and single? Today's society may not be as harsh on you as it was before. If you thought single parenting was hard, let's look at how things could be worse. A "fallen woman" was, put in simplest terms, one that had sex outside of marriage and didn't fit into domestic society. It is an archaic term that we no longer use - and for good reason. Whether it was rape, consensual sex, prostitution, or being sold for sex, it didn't matter if they were pregnant outside of marriage. What you have to understand is that women were seen as falling away from God if they were being referred to as fallen women. "Fallen men" is a term that has never existed because only women were held to sexual purity. Women, especially in Victorian era, were held to a maidenly status until marriage, then were held to a standard of being a home-body. The status of women is important here. Way back before women were allowed into the workforce like they are today you could not...

 We all know how Jurassic Park ends. Death, blood, dinosaurs loose in the world where they shouldn't be.....etc. But is it possible to do it? Can you actually, with genetics, bring back an extinct species?  Jurassic Park and Jurassic World books and movies claim that mosquitos that drank the blood of animals got stuck on tree sap and that is where they get their DNA. They also claim they filled in DNA gaps with frog and other animals' DNA. Now that we know the claims, let's see if cinema and literature told the scientific truth. DNA in blood Starting at the beginning, let's see what science says about DNA and blood. For starters, Amber doesn't preserve soft tissue, and therefore they have no blood to harvest for DNA. Aside from that fact, there are bugs with blood in them that were found, just never in amber. Surprisingly, it's not all that ridiculous that blood residue would be found from the time of dinosaurs in a mosquito. Neanderthal and Mammoth DNA are t...

 Vivid dreams are interesting experiences. Shall we dive into the mystery? Lucid dreams are defined as when you know you are dreaming. You are in between rest and awake. Sometimes you can do what you want with the plot of the dream, even change it to something else. In the case of nightmares, it may help, but experts say to flow with the dream. Nightmares are not just for children, by the way, so don't feel shamed if you have intense nightmares or night terrors.  Whether the dream you vivid-dreamed was fun (and you wanted to go back), or you never want to see it ever again (and a thousand years would be too early to dream it up again) is a bit of a dice roll. We dream 2 hours a night, 4-6 times a night. Most people don't remember their dreams. If you remember them often, like me, and return to settings periodically, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.  There are two stages of sleep, REM (rapid eye movement) and nonREM. REM dreams are more vivid usuall...