Retro-Futuristic fashion

A while back I wrote a post titled Retro-Futurism where I highlighted how some people from the past imagined what the future would be like (times that are now also in the past or present).  Today I came across this video from the 1930s about what fashion might be like in year 2000.

Interest news and articles - June 16, 2013

Archaeology

Going underground: The massive European network of Stone Age tunnels that weaves from Scotland to Turkey -- This isn't really news since the article is from almost 2 years ago, but somehow I seemed to have missed this interesting piece a couple of years ago.

Ghosts

Girl Weds A Ghost: 1900

History

8 Sexual Curiosities From Ancient Greece (PHOTOS) -- The photos are of historical art, but may be considered NSFW.

Long-lost Diary of Nazi Leader Rosenberg Outlines Plans for Soviet Occupation

Ancient Marriage Certificates Reveal Women's Hidden Stories

Psychic Phenomena

Uri Geller psychic spy? The spoon-bender's secret life as a Mossad and CIA agent revealed -- Whether you are skeptical of Uri Geller's psychic powers or not, the government apparently isn't skeptical.


Science

'Could you clean my litter tray?': Leading expert says we'll have the technology to communicate with our pets within 10 years -- I'll believe it when I see it, but it would be pretty cool if it worked!

Rock Found In Amesbury Backyard Came From Space Station

People can sense a smile before it appears on the face

UFOs

Chinese Passenger jet makes emergency landing after being hit by UFO (unidentified 'foreign object') at 26,000 feet

UFO With S-Shaped Fin Photographed Over Netherlands Castle  -- Pretty cool looking, although I think Ben Hansen's suggestion that it was an insect is the most likely answer.

Other topics of interest...

U.S. Agencies Said to Swap Data With Thousands of Firms

Volunteering Reduces Risk of Hypertension in Older Adults

Interesting news and articles - June 9, 2013

Archaeology

Lost Egyptian city revealed

Roman villa found at Teston after 140-year mystery

Cryptozoology

911 Bigfoot caller stands by his story

Ghosts

Ireland’s most famous ghost - The White Lady of Kinsale, at Charlesfort

History

To improve today’s concrete, do as the Romans did --Well, Roman concrete has lasted a long time.

Nazi war criminals got away with atrocities because of evidence hidden in UK and US archives

Mysterious

So why is radar showing a mysterious blob above Redstone Arsenal? No one seems to know

Probe of unexplained humming noise widens past Calgary

NDE Research

Dr. Brian Weiss On The Patient Who Convinced Him There Is An Afterlife

Science

Tracking: Drones at Home -- Drones controlled by thoughts.

Black Hole Cores May Not Be Infinitely Dense

Invisibility 'time cloak' developed

Space

There's a Hole in the Sun! -- But apparently it's nothing to be concerned about.

UFOs

Pilots of three passenger planes saw two UFOs above Britain's Scientology base as they landed at Gatwick

Other topics of interest...

Introducing the Domino's DomiCopter! -- Domino's Pizza has experimented with delivering pizza with a remote controlled drone in the UK.  Don't know if it will take off (no pun intended) or not, but it's a cool idea.  Not sure how it would ring the doorbell though if the customer wasn't actively looking for the drone to arrive.

Report Says NSA Taps Directly Into Servers of Major Tech Firms

Victory for Connecticut GMO Labeling—Other States, Take Note!

Have we all been duped by the Myers-Briggs test?

Treasure in Great Pyramid Awaits Discovery says Zahi Hawass

A news article came out today that says famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass is free of legal charges and is launching a worldwide lecture tour hoping to boost tourism in Egypt.  He's apparently making a pretty big claim too -- he says the Great Pyramid may still have undiscovered treasure.

From LiveScience:

Hawass also said that he believes there are some fantastic discoveries waiting to be made, including more tombs in the Valley of the Kings and a secret burial chamber, containing treasure, which he believes to be inside the Great Pyramid built by the pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops).

How awesome would it be to find hidden treasure in the Great Pyramid?  Maybe even the real burial chamber?  I've heard people claim a lot of different things about the Great Pyramid including hidden chambers, but until now, I don't know if I've ever heard Zahi Hawass make such a bold declaration.  Sure, he's the one behind the robot investigation of the two mysterious shafts in the Queen's chamber, but those investigations, while interesting, have been inconclusive.  So where do the hidden treasure claims come from?  Well, the article quotes Zahi has saying this: 

"I'm traveling the whole world. I'm going to Brazil, going to Argentina at the end of the month, going to Australia, New Zealand, everywhere to promote tourism to Egypt and to bring the tourists back because, I think, I'm the only one who can really bring the tourists back to Egypt," he told LiveScience.

Hmm...tourism.  The article goes on to say this:

Tourism plummeted after Egypt's revolution, resulting in lower ticket sales at ancient sites, a situation that has the antiquities ministry strapped for cash.  

"We don't have any money at all for excavation or preservation," he told the audience.

Hmm...and they're short on cash.  Could this just be a marketing ploy to increase tourism and funds coming into the country?

I'd like to think there is hidden treasure in Great Pyramid.  The idea that there is hidden treasure waiting to be discovered is not a new idea.  But I can't help but wonder if Zahi Hawass is only now hyping it in an attempt to increase tourism.

The White Indians of Panama

I came across a scanned page from a book titled Blond Indians of the Darien Jungle on a blog today.

The blogger didn't know if it was legit or an elaborate hoax though, so I decided to look up more about it.  I came across this blog posting that had more information, apparently using the book mentioned above as the primary source.  Here is an excerpt from it:

When Mr. Marsh began his search he did in fact use two army planes in the process, unfortunately they had only one flight. Upon their return the new Army General in the Canal Zone refused further usage of his planes for such a worthless and dangerous venture.

Up until this time Mr. Marsh was a pure skeptic, he had heard the rumors of White Indians, of course but gave them the same validity as the rumors of a Man-Ape beast in the jungle as well. Eventually he charters a boat and his team travels up the inner river to the town of Yavisa, which consisted of only 50 ramshackle bamboo huts. While he was talking to the head man of Yavisa Mr. Marsh had his paradigm change before his eyes. "Across the narrow clearing were walking three young girls, perhaps fourteen to sixteen years old. They wore nothing but small loin-clothes. And their almost bare bodies were as White as any Scandinavian's. Their hair, falling loosely over their shoulders, was bright gold! Quickly and gracefully they crossed the open space and disappeared into the jungle. I turned to the negro headman in amazement. White Indians! The one tale of Latin America in which no respectable explorer dare to believe! The headman did not seem to to consider the sight unusual. "They come from a tribe which lives in the mountains up the Chucunaque," he said in explanation. "Before this they haven't come so far down the valley. But a little time ago they built a house above our village, and families of them come down to trade with us. Some are white, Some are dark like other Indians."
"Take me to their house," I asked. The negro shook his head with great decision. "No. They would kill me," he said. "They will kill any black man if he goes near their house. But perhaps they will not kill you. You are white. Just follow the trail the girls took."

The blog posting goes on to describe the rest of Mr. Marsh's exploration and subsequent return with scientists and notes that the book indicates that black and white explorers in the area had treated the natives poorly in the past, thus the poor history between them.  Click here if you want to read more.  It also goes into some interesting stuff about hidden modern Mayan cities.

I don't think it is an elaborate hoax.  The Smithsonian has pictures of the Marsh-Darien Expedition here, so it obviously really happened.

I think the bigger question here is are the "white indians" white because of a genetic mutation or because they have European ancestry?  Interestingly, the linguists researching their language indicated the language of the "white indians" was Sanscrit or Aryan in structure, and they discovered over 60 words that were identical with early Norse.  With that information in mind, it would seem there is a strong possibility that there was a Norse presence in Pre-Columbian Panama.  I guess the next questions to ask would be how did they get there and why did they go?  Those questions are harder to answer though.

This isn't the first I've heard of blond haired natives though.  I actually wrote a short post about a video mentioning blond haired people living on different continents around the world back in 2009.