Month: November 2019

Psychic Surgery

Condemned in many countries as a form of medical fraud, psychic surgery is practiced by healers in several indigenous cultures, mainly in the Philippines and Brazil. Acting as mediums for healing forces, practitioners allegedly perform surgery using their fingers or other tools, usually without violating the skin surface, and remove disease-causing matter from within patients. However, many believe that this is little more than sleight of hand. What magicians have worked to debunk the practice? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Leonhardiritt (St. Leonard’s Ride)

This is a celebration of Ash St. Leonhard, the patron saint of horses and cattle, observed in various towns of Bavaria, Germany. Traditionally, processions of elaborately harnessed horses draw decorated wagons to the local church. Some people also bring their cattle to be blessed. A contest of whip-cracking often follows the procession. Among the towns where Leonard’s Ride is held are Bad Tölz, Rottenbuch, Bad Füssing, Waldkirchen, and Murnau. November 6 is the name-day of the saint and the traditional day of the procession, but some towns now hold their rides on a weekend near that date. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Singing Sand

Also known as sounding sand, singing sand is sand that emits musical, humming, whistling, or crunching sounds when disturbed. Although it has been studied extensively, the phenomenon is not completely understood. When it occurs near dunes, the sound accompanies a slumping or avalanching movement of the sand, usually triggered by wind or by someone walking near the crest. Different patches of sand are even said to “sing” at different frequencies. What are some locations where the sand sings? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Veterans Homecoming Week (Branson, Missouri)

Veterans Homecoming in Branson, Missouri, is the largest Veterans Day commemoration in the United States, with more than 50,000 veterans and their families attending annually. Events extend over the week before November 11, and include special entertainment performances, lectures, social receptions, and military memorials. Special tributes to veterans take place throughout the town, including the world’s largest flying American flag, a salute to the troops on the showboat Branson Belle, and candlelight memorials remembering those who lost their lives in war. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Bunyip

The bunyip is a legendary monster said to inhabit swamps and lagoons of the Australian interior. Its name comes from a word meaning “evil-spirit” in Wemba-wemba, an Aboriginal language of southeast Australia. Descriptions of the bunyip vary widely. In most stories, it appears as a giant starfish-like creature, but it is also described in many accounts as having a dog-like face, dark fur, a horse-like tail, flippers, and walrus-like tusks. What phenomena could have given rise to the bunyip myth? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Project MKULTRA

Project MKULTRA was the code name of a covert, illegal operation of the US Central Intelligence Agency that used US and Canadian citizens to research interrogation methods and behavior modification without their knowledge or consent. The full extent of the project is unknown, since the CIA ordered all MKULTRA files destroyed in 1973. The project, which lasted from the 1950s to the late 1960s, included the surreptitious administration of drugs such as LSD. What other experiments were conducted? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary