Ouija Board Origin and My Experience With One

There is a magical board that his the capability to speak to the dead and answer any question you ask it, this board is known as the Ouija Board. The board is commonly sold in almost any toy store and has been the midnight entertainment on spooky nights for thousands of children, but is this board really a toy? The Ouija Board's origin dates back to 1886 when a news paper called the New York Daily Tribune wrote about a strange board with letters used in Ohio. The paper stated that the board was used so that spirits could communicate with the living. The popularity that game this board led three men in 1890 to make things board even bigger. Elijah Bond, Charles Kennard, and William H.A. Maupin decided to make this board into a toy for everyone to use. They purchased a patent on this Ouija Board meaning "yes" and sold it for $1.50. From there the board modernize and turned into the many games and even movies we have about the board today.

Many people doubt the validity of the boards power to speak with the spirits, but there are some believers as well. Most people say that one of the people playing with them is making it move, or some other reason. I actually have had my own experience with the board which made me somewhat a believer. I was playing with 4 of my friends in a dark room and night with the candles on to "welcome" the spirits. We all put our fingers on it and nothing happened for 5 minutes, but then finally the board started to move. I swore that it was not me moving it and it did not look like my other friends were moving it either. The board moved around to different letters spelling a story about a man named Tom who lived down the street who died in a car crash. Tom told us he was just looking for his wife the whole time and could not "pass on" until he did. Tom answered yes or no questions for us multiple times and it seemed pretty believable. I can't say that I believe in ghosts, but unless my friends were lying to me, I can't explain how that happened.

Its not just myself who have had these similar experiences, there are thousands of people who post experiences like mine on the internet everyday. There is not much proof to their stories, but having an experience like I did I can relate to these people's posts.

When thinking about the elements of thoughts with the Ouija Board there isn't much to think about, it is fairly cut and dry. There is no proof or facts supporting it, its not backed by science. It is mainly just assumptions and believing what you see, Ouija Boards fake or not don't have any negative notions or implications either.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-strange-and-mysterious-history-of-the-ouija-board-5860627/?no-ist

http://mentalfloss.com/article/12952/brief-history-ouija-board

http://ouijaboardtales.blogspot.com/

Garcina Cambogia

Kirt Zorzi

Site Post 3

4-21-15

Garcina Cambogia 

There is a dietary supplement that has been trending in recent time. The supplement is a plant called Garcina Cambogia that is also referred to as Garcinia gummi-gutta a pumpkin shape colored green. It is native to Asian culture and is used in many asian Dishes for flavors. The extract from the plant  Hydroxicitric Acid is the active ingredient and what causes the weight loss in subjects.

This is Related to Pusedoscience because there is a lot of hype though social media, radio commercials, and TV ads. It gets consumers eager to buy and try it because they associate it with a magic pill, and will no longer have the need to exercise or watch what they eat. They think purchasing this product will solve all their problems. 

When in reality this is not the case, in fact in the article there were multiple tests done on lab rats and on human subjects as well. While the chemical worked on the rats fairly well, this was not the same for humans. Of all the various tests that were done the results were all very inconsistent, and in some cases the placebo group lost more weight then the test group. This chemical making its way in the media to me is bad, because even with evidence, its surfaced to be a quick fix magic pill, and people who are health concise may see this supplement on the shelfs and quit their healthy lifestyles for a magic pill.

The Ghost of SIx Flags

Because I work at Six flags and have an interest in the paranormal, I did my research about a certain event that happened in the park.  On May 11, 1984, eight teenage visitors were trapped and killed in the Haunted castle attraction that was burned to the ground. Six Flags as a company was investigated and found not guilty.

There was also another story about an employee dying from Rolling Thunder back in 1981.  A guest and her boyfriend were sitting down where they felt another presence sitting down next to them, wearing 80's style clothing. 

As an employee, I do feel a little creeped out when I walk out at night, as I walk by where the Haunted Castle was located prior to the fire.  I have also heard many noises walking at night, but those could always be animals.  All of the people I work with feel just as creeped out as me when they walk by the same area.  

http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=1826

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Castle_%28Six_Flags_Great_Adventure%29

Detox Foot-Baths

Get rid of all the bad toxins in your body with this one easy product, the Detox foot-bath! Detox foot baths are a commonly used practice in detox and rehab clinics around the world and they literally do nothing. People spend tons of money on these ‘magical’ foot baths that have no scientific evidence or proof to them at all.

Detox footbath is another topic brought up in a class I have had before and we have gone over before extensively. A Detox footbath is essentially a bath where an electrically current is passed in order to draw the “toxins” from your body. Your toxins will change the water color depending on how many toxins are taken out. Its actually just a simple science experiment that can be done, but still is used by many physicians and clinics.

The main point of detox is to make the body’s pH more alkaline and separate the good and bad ions from your body through your feet. Apparently an alkaline body is crucial to a person’s health and not having one can cause more diseases to happen.

What really happens when you put your feet into this electrical current though? The real chemical process that is happening when the color changes is from the electrolytic corrosion of the metal electrodes in the water. The water can contain some iron, nickel, and even copper, which would contribute to the color. The amount of salt and the pH of the water can greatly change the colors that would result as well. These colors are supposed to be the bad “toxins” leaving the body when its just a simple science experiment.

The implications and complications that can come from something like this is what happens with all scam medical products, people will actually think they are being helped. Sick people will spend lots of money on these products to cleanse themselves when its really doing nothing and in turn making them worse.

http://www.pacificcollege.edu/acupuncture-massage-news/articles/1304-the-ionic-foot-detox-fact-or-myth.html

http://www.chem1.com/CQ/FootBathBunk.html

http://wellnessmama.com/25539/diy-detox-foot-soak/

Hollow Earth Theory

In October 2002, a man named Dallas Thompson appeared on a radio show. Thompson claimed to have been in a car accident where he had a near death experience that revealed secrets of the Earth. One of these "secrets" was that the Earth was hollow and that there was an opening in the North Pole. Thompson reported that there are cavern systems and caves that traverse the whole mantle. He also said due to the special atmosphere in the hole, living creatures were protected from pollutants and harmful rays, and that there were herds of mammoth and ancient tribes down there. The members of these tribes lived to be around 1,700 years old. When asked how he knew this information, Thompson replied "I just do." He wrote a book and planned a trip to the North Pole to find the opening to the hollow earth. News of his trip traveled and he gained many followers.

A few months after his appearance on the radio show, Thompson mysteriously disappeared. On Thompson's website speculations were made about what happened to him. One person wrote “Maybe there is something someone did not want him to find," and another "it is quite a mystery. Maybe he’s there?” However, it is most likely that Thompson is in hiding. Parts of his book "Cosmic Manuscript" were plagiarized word for word from other materials. When law suits were made, Thompson disappeared.

This is the website that I found this information on.

Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle is a section of the northern Atlantic Ocean, where many planes and ships have been reported to have gone missing in mysterious ways. The name come from the triangle shape formed by Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Florida. People have reported paranormal or extraterrestrial events in the area of the triangle, but studies have shown that many of these events have been inaccurately reported. The US Navy does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle claims that it does not exist. 

The concept of the Bermuda Triangle first emerged in the 1950's as an explanation for the disappearance of any planes and ships, including the disappearance of 5 US Navy bombers. Since then there have been a number of incidents cited to the Bermuda Triangle, but none have yet to be proven to be cause by supernatural forces.

Superfood Myth

Because of the somewhat recent push for a healthier lifestyle and quick weight loss trends, the term "superfood" is being thrown around a lot. Foods like kale, beets, quinoa, and salmon have all been deemed "superfoods." What makes a certain food a superfood is basically the amount of a specific nutrient or vitamin found in that food. There have been claims though that if we eat all of these foods all of the time, we can pretty much live forever at our optimum health. Obviously, that is not true. Some of these foods have been suggested to prevent certain cancers, too, but there is no evidence that supports these claims. There have been few studies done on rats who only eat a specific food, and then their health is measured. These studies are unrealistic though because no person's diet is going to consist of only one food. Overall, it is great that these healthy foods are getting recognition since we all could use more of them in our diets, however suggesting that they are "super" could lead to false assumptions.

An element of thought here would be the implications and consequences of superfoods. Some people may think that if they consume these foods, that means they could still drink or smoke or not exercise just because these foods will counteract any negative effect the rest of their habits have on their bodies. These foods are simply just healthy foods that do not get enough recognition. By calling them "superfoods," people may start to think they have "super" effects. Obviously the key to a healthy lifestyle is eating healthy, exercising, and abstaining from bad habits like smoking. No one food is going to prevent cancer, and by making claims that suggest that may not be the best way to get people to eat healthier.

http://summertomato.com/the-myth-of-superfoods/

Roswell

In July 1947, a rancher discovered weird debris in his sheep pasture outside of Roswell, New Mexico and this sparked an ongoing UFO controversy. Locals believed that this debris was remnants of a flying saucer, and the government was just trying to cover it up by saying the pieces were from a weather balloon. The debris was described as looking like pieces of tin foil, but if someone were to crumple it up, it would unfold itself and show no signs of creases. It was obviously unlike anything anyone has seen before, so when the government denied the possibility of extraterrestrial products by saying it was from a simple weather balloon, everyone automatically assumed they were trying to cover it up. Fifty years later, it was released that this debris was from a highly classified project called "Project Mogul." The government was testing new balloons that were developed after World War II to possibly pick up sound waves high in the Earth's atmosphere to eavesdrop on possible nuclear plans by the Soviet Union. Even though this was released, people still hold onto the UFO story today and frequently visit the crash site and Roswell's museums.

An element of thought here would be that everyone, even local officials, assumed that the debris was related to extraterrestrial activity just because it was something no one had ever seen before. Since the project was so classified, the local air force base did not even know it was going on, which led to more UFO assumptions. Apparently, the government even threatened locals who witnessed the debris to never speak of this, and so people just thought it was because the government did not want a nationwide frenzy after finding out the aliens really do exist. Years later, we now know that it was simply just because they did not want word getting back to the Soviet Union that they were developing eavesdropping equipment.

http://www.history.com/topics/roswell

Since when are black cats a sign of bad luck?  It wasn't until the 1500s in England that black cats were a token of bad luck.  During this time in England everyone started believing in witchcraft. In scotland during this time they believed in a fairy that presented itself as a giant black cat that would steal the souls of dead bodies before the Gods could claim them.  There was a wide belief that witches could shapshift themselves into cats and this is why:   "a father and son, traveling home late one night, saw a black cat cross their path.  The son threw a stone at the creature, fearing it was a witch’s familiar, and the stone hit the cat in the left leg.  The injured animal gave forth an unholy shriek and fled under the stoop of a house belonging to a woman long suspected of being a witch.  The next morning, the father and son met the old woman at the local marketplace and saw that she was limping on her left leg.  From that day, the people in that town were sure that the woman was an evil witch that prowled their town at night in the shape of a black cat, looking to do mischief against anyone who crossed her."   
Black cats were not always viewed as bad luck.  In ancient Egypt cats were so highly regarded, thought to bring prosperity and protection, some cats would receive the same mummification process as humans after their death!  Today, some cultures in Japan, Scotland and England (where the superstition started) don't associate black cats with bad luck anymore.  So why do we still believe in this silly superstition?

Brick Midget House For Sale

Newspaper Ad stating : 

"For Sale: Charming cozy ranch style brick cottage in Brick, NJ, located on a spacious lot near the water. One bedroom, one bath, dine-in kitchen, living room with working brick fireplace, and an outdoor pool. Note: Perspective buyers should not exceed three and a half feet in height." 

The owners purchased the land back in 2000, they discovered this small scale house in their backyard. And yes, this house is fully funcitoning just on a smaller scale. Sadly the tiny house that sits in their backyard has been know to the local town as a place to steal from and break windows. Due to this, the owners never let their grandchildren play in the house. Despite the fact that it was built by the previous owners in the 60's for their grandchildren to play in.

http://weirdnj.com/stories/the-brick-midget-house-of-brick/

Q Ray Bracelet

Going back to our discussion on the Q Ray bracelet, I remember my mom buying one of those to help with her arthritis pain. She claimed that her joints felt instantly better after wearing the bracelet, and she used it for several years. Q Ray claimed that their bracelets helped consumers relieve pain, restore their energy, improve muscle flexibility, and performance. These claims of course were based off of testimonials that sold the bracelet as a "super human" device. My mom believed in these claims as well, thus she purchased the bracelet.

By using the elements of thought to examine my mother's decision process in buying a Q Ray bracelet, I found a few things: my mom assumed that the Q Ray claims were true and did not look at the information and concepts that she was receiving.

As we discussed in class, the Q Ray bracelet was not backed by scientific evidence, but rather testimonials and personal experiences. These cannot be challenged by science and do not provide reputable information. My mom also did not clarify any concepts. The concept behind the bracelet was to cure ailments, but my mom did not further question this concept, nor did she think about possible problems with this claim. When clarifying your concepts, it is always important to question more about the idea and have it fully explain to you. Question whether, or not this idea is logical, or if it is hurting others. All reasoning is shaped by concepts and ideas so it is important to question their validity.

Area 51

For decades, a U.S. military installation located roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Las Vegas had been one of the worst-kept secrets on the planet. Area 51, as it's commonly known to UFOconspiracy theorists and aviation buffs who piece together the details of classified military spy plane prototypes, is a place whose existence the U.S. government long refused even to acknowledge.

But in August 2013, the shroud over Area 51 finally lifted, at least a bit. Jeffrey T. Richelson, a researcher at the Washington, D.C.-based National Security Archive, a nonprofit think tank, obtained declassified documents about the development and use of the U-2 and OXCART surveillance aircraft in the 1950s and 1960s. The documents made repeated references to Area 51 and detailed how it was selected as a testing area by the CIA, the U.S. Air Force and defense contractor Lockheed because of its remote location. They even included a map that confirmed its exact location.

"Area 51 is a riddle," author Annie Jacobsen wrote in a 2011 book on the secret installation. "Very few people comprehend what goes on there, and millions want to know."

http://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/area-51.htm

Tulpa

Tulpa’s are known as imaginary friends that have their own thoughts and emotions, who you can interact with. They are sometimes referred to as hallucinations that can think and act on their own. Tulpa’s can also be described as a conjuring spirit or a phantom, and can be created through mental discipline. A thought form is the equivalent concept to a Tulpa within the Western occult tradition. In the modern perspective, most people believe there is nothing supernatural about Tulpas, and there are multiple websites that explain how to create a Tulpa.

Furthermore, there are still some individuals who believe that Tulpas are supernatural creatures. Some people say that once the Tulpa is capable of acting as a real being, it can free itself from it’s creator’s control. Tulpas can also become possessed by demonic figures, and can vary in their amount of power. Overall, Tulpa is a fancy term used to describe an imaginary friend, and there is no concrete evidence to prove that they are supernatural beings.

Boody Mill Road

Boody Mill Road is located in Mantua, New Jersey off of route 45. It is considered to be a haunted road in South Jersey and there is a long story behind the haunting of Boody Mill Road is that a husband, wife and children lived in a home on that street. One day the father and mother got into a really big argument that caused the mother to leave the family. It drove the father completely insane and he torched the house with the children inside. He went to his truck and took his own life. The story says that if you drive back to Boody Mill Road and turn your lights and car off you can hear the children laughing and eventually see the father standing in the rear view mirror. This road is only a few minutes from my house and I have heard the legend told many of times. I have been tempted to go to this road. I really enjoy doing going to the roads that are known to be haunted. The last road I went to was slabtown road in which I really didn't see anything. The element of thoughts we could relate this to is that there is no proof that this really does happen when you go to Boody Mill Road. It is just people working themselves up and being scared before they even go to the road and really believe that they hear and possibly see things during this time.

Lunar Effect

The Lunar effect is the belief that there is a connection between the stages of the moon's lunar cycle and human or animal behavior. Many studies have been conducted on the subject, but no connection between the lunar cycle and human behavior or biology have been found. People most commonly connect the phases of the moon to births, heart attacks, deaths, suicides and violence.

For example, many people believe the moon effects our bodies the way it effects the ocean, because we are made of 75% water. The moon's pull is able to create tides in the ocean, so many people believe that the moon could effect our bodies. However, the amount of water in a human body is a very small fraction of the amount in earth's oceans. Even in large lakes, tides do not exceed two inches.

Another common myth is that people will become  'crazy' during a full moon. This was dis proven in 2005 when researchers from Mayo Clinic reviewed records of patient check in times from a psychiatric hospital. The researches found no increase in the number of check in's during a full moon.

Horoscopes

Everyone, at one point in their life, has read his or her horoscope from sources such as the newspaper, a magazine, or online. Horoscopes depict the type of person you are as well as what you will accomplish in the future.  However, is it a real science or some culmination of simple everyday psychological facts?

For thousands of years, people have looked to the stars and pondered about the shapes and patterns that they make. They believed that the stars can predict the seasons, wars, good harvests, and the people would actually connect their own lives to the star readings, giving birth to astrology. To this day, people believe that the position of the stars and planets have a great influence on their lives, and that they can predict their future and answer questions. Horoscopes are designed to do just that, however, are they accurate? If we take a close look at a horoscope, they say several things that appear to match the readers personality, such as loyalty, creativity, stubbornness, arrogant, etc. usually listing roughly around 6-8 personality traits. The fact of the matter is, is that they are actually designed for at least one of these traits to fit almost anyone's personality, regardless of their zodiac sign. In reality, horoscopes are psychological profiles that people relate to their own lives.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/horoscopes-astrology/horoscope6.htm
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/astrology_checklist

Kirt Zorzi 

Site post 2 

4/13/15

Loaki Braclet 

The Loaki bracelet is a new bracelet that fits into the power and balance product category. It is a bracelet with two key points on it. it has a black bead with dirt in it from the “dead see” which is the lowest point on earth. Along with a white bead with water from mount everest which is the highest point on earth. Along with several other clear ones to represent the user wearing it. The purpose behind this bracelet is to represent the ups and downs of our lives and to remind consumers that life is a circle. 

This product the Loaki Braclet Ties into pusedoscience in a few different ways. One of the primary purposes is this bracelet has a mental purpose behind it, it is meant for when the person wearing it is having a rough time to look at it and remember that life will get better and to keep your head up, and then when your at the “top of the world” and succeeding in life to stay humble and enjoy it. In a way you could say its a confidence booster, and an ego deflator. It does have a sense of assumptions though, for example a person who's having a rough time may think by wearing the band everything will get better without working as hard to achieve success. 

Although this bracelet is a mental effect on the user, it does not cause any kind of harm to the user. Nor does it make the user think to stop taking medication, or any thing else that could cause harm. This bracelet is a perfect example of pusedo science 

http://mylokai.com/

"Mylokai." Mylokai. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Ghosts and Haunted Mirrors

Ever since humans became aware of their own reflections, their have been a fascination  of reflective surfaces. Legend has it hundreds of stories relate to magical and haunted mirrors. Mirrors are believed to be portals to the spirit realm. Also a few beliefs of mirrors are mirrors have the ability to suck out souls, when a person dies in a room with mirrors the must be covered or turned faced towards the wall and never look into a mirror at night with candle light. People believe if you look into a mirror with candle light you will see certain ghosts and demons. In order to prevent mirrors being used by supernatural entities, the mirror should moved frequentlymoved to different areas of the room.
  

Déjà Vu

We've all had it. Probably. Okay it's actually more like 70% of the population. That's still pretty considerable when you think about it. 

70% of people have experienced the phenomenon known as Déjà Vu, which literally translates from French to "already seen". Déjà Vu is that strange feeling that you get when you think that you've experienced something already, and not in the "if-I-sit-through-grandma-telling-this-story-one-more-time-I-swear" sort of way. This is when something happens for the first time and it almost feels as if you could recall it from your memory, despite you never having experienced it before. 

Arthur Funkhouser, who, aside from having a pretty cool name is a Swiss scholar, describes two different categories of Déjà Vu. Déjà Visite ("already visited") describes, as you would imagine, the feeling that you have been to a certain place before, even though you haven't. Déjà Vecu ("already experienced or lived through") refers to the the feeling that something has already happened to you when it hasn't. 

Déjà Vu has been the cause of much metaphorical head scratching over the years and there is still a degree of mystery that surrounds it. What we do know, at this point, is that Déjà Vu is linked with temporal-lobe epilepsy. This, of course, does not imply that everyone who has ever experienced Déjà Vu is epileptic. What this does mean, however, is that many people who experience these sorts of epileptic seizures may experience the feeling of Déjà Vu during or between episodes. 

Another thing we know about Déjà Vu is that it is most prevalent between the ages of 15-25 years old. The direct cause of Déjà Vu is not explicitly known yet. Many theories exist on the subject, among them being the idea that they are fueled by fantasy or wish fulfillment or perhaps a malfunction in the brain causing it to confuse the present with the past. Parapsychologists would have you believe that Déjà Vu is linked to past lives, but there is no evidence to support this idea. 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/extrasensory-perceptions/question657.htm

Robert Bingham

According to Robert Bingham he used meditation to call down an alien space craft. He often claims that he can contact aliens through his meditation and does so in front of a large amount of people and according to many of the people who have gone to see him they "do not leave disappointed." In the video on the page, there is a cloud that is continuously changing shape and according to Bingham this is the space craft that he had requested to come down. According to the post before the video it shows that the cloud like shape changes its form in pattern several times and then at the end shows the interior of the ship which is something that you cannot believe.

http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2015/04/transforming-ufo-seen-close-up-on-video.html

After watching  the video I have to say it is definitely something weird that I am not sure how to explain but that doesn't meant there isn't an explanation. In one of the comments under the post someone commented that it might be a Mylar balloon which typically changes shapes that are similar to the ones shown in the video. To me however I find it not really plausible that this man meditated himself into contact with aliens and then had this object appear soon after. In terms of the elements of thought this definitely plays to assumption on the parts of the people participating in Robert Binghams gathering and has a lot to do with point of view and what you believe happened. I don't think that it is real and that there isn't a lot of information to go off of in the video other than what Bingham says, but you can be the judge.