1. MORBID | ALAINA & ASH

I did my fair share of searching when looking for a podcast that would quench my thirst for all things spooky and true crime, and Morbid was the perfect fit. This has to be my favorite podcast because the two hosts not only talk about true crime, but also tell listener-submitted tails and talk about hauntings. ​​It seems Alaina and Ash have been best friends forever, which makes them play really well off of one another.

2. MILE HIGHER | KENDALL & JOSH

​I’ve always been a fan of Kendall Rae on YouTube. She does such amazing work with telling the stories behind some of the most prolific murder cases that are currently active, and does the same with cases that have been solved or are still open but may be a little older.   I was excited to listen to an episode of Mile Higher when I started having a longer commute, and I just love the dynamic between Kendall and her husband, Josh.

3. UNSOLVED MURDERS | CARTER & MCKENZIE

I’ve been so caught up with some of the other podcasts, that I didn’t notice that Unsolved Murders hadn’t posted since May 2021. I’m not sure what happened, but I know that there are a ton of episodes available. This podcast is perfect for people who like a bit of reenactment in their podcasts. Voice actors work with Carter and McKenzie to reenact different conversations that were a part of the cases they cover.

4. CRIME JUNKIE | ASHLEY & BRIT

​This is a relatively new podcast for me, but it was among the top results in the True Crime section on Apple Podcasts, so I gave it a go.   I like that these episodes are just as small and digestible as Unsolved Murders. This podcast also features solved cases, missing person cases, mysterious deaths and infamous murders.

5. MY FAVORITE MURDER | KAREN & GEORGIA

This has to be everyone’s favorite. I’m adding it because I do enjoy some episodes, but I feel like there’s a lot of extra discussion that takes away from the topic at hand. I sometimes found myself skipping through the talk at the beginning just to find the story.   But I know that a lot of people enjoy that and feel connection with it.

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​Because zombies are members of the “undead” they are usually in a pretty ugly state. This is usually attributed to the fact that they don’t have blood pumping through their bodies, so their skin and outward appearance begin to deteriorate, rot, and fall off.

​Zombies are usually thought to be mythical by Voodoo followers, but some do believe in zombies and even use shells, fish, herbs, bones, and animal parts to make zombie powerder. These usually contain neurotoxins which can cause zombie-like symptoms like walking difficulty and mental confusion.

​When I was in my Intro to Psychology class, I had a delightful professor who LOVED zombies. One of our projects was to identify different disorders that could make someone look like a zombie. I decided to make a “survival guide” about my roommate turning into a zombie. What a lovely model!   There have been a few real zombies reported in medical journals. The Lancet (1997) described three accounts of zombies, including one where a Hattian woman who was buried in a family tomb reappeared three years later.

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​Everyone my age grew up seeing mermaids like Ariel: beautiful women who happen to have a tail. However, the supposed actual mermaids are a lot creepier looking than the ones from Disney.

“Real” mermaids still have a tail with scales much like a fish, but the upper parts of their bodies are more alien like. Their hands are most likely webbed to help them swim through the sea. Additionally, they probably aren’t as vibrantly colored as the cartoon mermaids we’ve come to know and love. Instead, they are usually darker colors like blue or brown. This would help them blend into the sea a little easier. ​​The history of mermaids was likely to originate from the Syrian goddess Atargatis. She looked like a mermaid and watched over the fertility and well-being of her people. Mermaids became a part of European mythologies, where sometimes they were portrayed as beautiful creatures and others, beasts that would drown men under the water.

Photo from "Mermaids: The Body Found" - Animal Planet

Photo from VoVita

Many associate mermaids with sirens. Sirens would lead sailors into dangerous waters using their music and songs. As for the realisticness of mermaids today, there isn’t any scientific proof for them. I will say, though, as I did with the first installment of this series that there is much of the ocean we haven’t discovered yet. I do believe that if mermaids exist, they probably look much more like an alien fish than the Little Mermaid. Nevertheless, looking at the strange pictures and supposed sighting videos of mermaids can be fun. Just remember that video can be heavily manipulated, and there could be an explanation for anything…but who knows, if it seems fishy, maybe it is the real deal!

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Photo from Britannica

​The first sightings were the result of attacks on goats, sheep, and other livestock. Landowners were finding their livestock dead and drained of blood, but the animal’s meat remained untouched.   Unlike some other creatures, there are two contested beliefs about what the Chupacabra looks like. Some say it looks like a canine, moving around on all fours.

Others say that it looks more like a giant reptilian kangaroo with red eyes. This secondary depiction is like that of the Jersey Devil. It has a kangaroo’s body, a horse’s face, the head of a dog, bat wings, horns, and a tail. Both representations have been depicted in monster movies.  ​In 2017, Cary Shuker of Riverside County said “This thing was standing out there, looking at me. It was the ugliest looking thing. I stole its breakfast. It was hunting my cat. This wasn’t no coyote, by any means.”

Photo from Audible

​There are also reports of blood-sucking bats which could be to blame for the livestock being drained of blood but left untouched otherwise. I don’t know if I think that’s true, since I think it would be difficult for one bat to drain all the blood out of a cow or something.

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1: BLOB SCULPIN

Photo from Wikipedia

This fish can be found in deep waters off of the Pacific coast of the U.S. They can grow to be up to two feet in length.  These are really creepy looking fish, but this one in particular has been deemed one of the most bizarre-looking and one of the scariest "monsters" of the deep-sea.

2: ​FANGTOOTH

This creepy predator has a huge jaw with long and jagged teeth protruding. Their teeth are great for hooking prey of all sizes. This fish is also found in deep waters, usually at about 16,000 feet under the sea.

Photo from NOAA

3: ​VAMPIRE SQUID

Photo from MBARI

OK, I have to admit that this picture of this creepy squid looks pretty cute. But I've never seen a squid that looks quite like this. It is hard to tell in the photo but this said has piercing blue eyes and it can actually turn inside out. Its scientific name "Vampyroteuthis infernalis" actually means "vampire squid from hell."

4: ​ANGLER FISH

I think we all got creeped out by this freaky fish in Disney's "Finding Nemo." We remember Dory and her "squishy." It turned out that Squishy was the bulb attached to the Angler Fish.  This fish lives in the deep sea, so its little bulb helps him to attract prey. That's why these guys are considered "ambush predators." But, the bulb isn't always visible. The anglerfish can hide or reveal the light using a muscular skin flap. The light is the result of bacteria in the lighted lure that causes light.  Creepier still, the bulb is also used to attract a mate. Only female anglerfish have the bulb and are natural predators. The males are small and non-predatory.

Photo from National Geographic

5: ​VIPERFISH

Photo from MBARI

These fish can be found in midwater in the Northern Pacific Ocean. They feed on small fish and crustaceans. Their feeding pattern is made simple with their creepy needle-shaped teeth. They also have a bio-luminescent row of lights on their bellies, which can attract prey.

6: ​RED-LIPPED BATFISH

No, this isn't just a fish wearing lipstick, this is the red-lipped batfish. It is found in the Galapagos and is a Botton dweller.  What you see under its body aren't legs, but actually fins. However, they look and work more like legs. It mainly eats smaller crustaceans or small fish.

Photo from The Verge

7: ​FROGFISH

Photo from Ocean.si.edu

I don't know about y'all, but just looking at this makes me itchy. ​This fish looks like a frog with severe burns. It looks like this because it blends in well with coral reefs. They can eat prey that is up to 12 times their size.

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THE EXISTENCE OF ALIENS

It only makes sense, right? It may just be a way for us to cope with the fact that we could potentially be alone in the universe. However, I can't fathom that our own universe doesn't have any other life similar to that of humans. There are a ton of personal accounts of sightings, so I am not ready to say that aliens simply don't exist. It makes sense that they would, so I'll keep this in my "believable" files.

THE EXISTENCE OF SOME "MYTHICAL" CREATURES 

There have been a ton of sightings of creatures such as Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster. There are some pretty unique creatures that do exist that we have plenty of clear proof of. Have you seen some of the creatures that have come out of the ocean?! Personal accounts are really important, and the sanity of the witness should be considered. But I can't discount the number of sightings!

MATTRESS COMPANIES AND MONEY LAUNDERING

Borrowing something from Shane Dawson for a moment, there is no way we need as many mattress stores as we do!  I've literally seen two Mattress Firm stores less than a few blocks away from one another. It makes no sense. If you haven't heard the theory, it is basically that some mattress companies are just a shop front that covers up for money laundering. It doesn't help that those who distrust banks have been known to keep their cash in or under their mattress.

THERE IS A GROUP OF POWERFUL PEOPLE
​THAT CONTROL CERTAIN THINGS

I think it is delusional to look past the possibility of a group of really powerful people who make decisions that impact us all in a very powerful way individually. Politicians, heirs to fortunes, and big-brained people in general could be making decisions we are not involved in. Some people think this is as far as worshiping evil beings and influencing things supernaturally. I won't go that far, but will say that money and power speaks louder than most people think it does.

TIME TRAVEL

Time travel is a popular sci-fi concept, but what if it already exists? There have been photos and videos taken at different points which show people with objects that had yet been invented. There is little way to really explain that. It give me hope for the future, though, and the advance of technology!

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Today, I wanted to talk about some of the most well-made crime documentaries on Netflix right now. I am posting this is Spooktober, but I wanted to make sure that I made clear that these are all true crime documentaries that impacted and continue to impact real families and people.

1. AMERICAN MURDER: THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR

This documentary follows the case of Chris Watts, a man who killed his pregnant wife and two young daughters. It is believed that Watts did this in order to be with his girlfriend, Nikki, but he is now in prison for the rest of his life.  I loved the way the makers of this documentary just let the evidence speak for itself. It contained no interviews as a normal documentary would. Instead, it just presented all of the evidence, such as text messages, videos taken by the victim, and police interrogations.

2. ROLL RED ROLL

Thankfully, no one was killed in this case. However, the life a young woman was ruined after she was raped at a party. It really shines a light on the issue women still face in more southern communities. It shows that many small southern towns would rather protect their sports teams rather than protect their daughters from predators. Many of the people involved, including the victim, were underage. There was a ton of police interrogation footage and, interestingly enough, the case got a lot of attention thanks to a blogger in the area!

3. ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT

I heard this story for the first time on Anthony Padilla's channel on YouTube. He has a series where he spends a day with ______. He spent a day with abduction survivors, and Jan Broberg was on this episode. Basically, this goes back to 1974 when a family friend who was a master manipulator convinced Jan's parents to allow him to take her on a trip alone. He drugged her and convinced her they had to have a child and were being held by aliens. This guy managed to have some sort of sexual interaction with both of Jan's parents. It is interesting to see how the story evolves.

4. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MADELEINE MCCANN 

This docuseries is so in depth that it makes you question every possibility of where Madeleine could be or if she is even alive. I really liked how they put together all of the pieces and explored all of the possibilities. This got brought back up in my mind because a YouTube family I watch is vlogging in the area where she was taken, and showed a part of the area on their vlog. Very well done! It is a story the world has and continues to talk about.

5. AUDRIE AND DAISY

This documentary covers the death of Audrie, who killed herself following public shaming after a party. During the party, she was drawn on after passing out. They drew all over her body, including her private parts. The shame she experienced at school drove her to end her own life. It also covers Daisy, who was a part of the interview. She was a freshman cheerleader who went to go hang out with some older boys. She got drunk and forgot what happened the rest of the night but a friend, who had also been sexually assaulted that night, realized she was laying on a bed in the same room she was assaulted in.

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MYTH: THE MEDIA IS NOT BIAS

The media is one of the most bias groups out there. When in journalism school, we are taught to report the facts, but in real world applications, your editor will want you to put a spin on something. There are a number of reasons for that, but it is typically because the editor or publisher is more left-leaning or more right-leaning. The media can report the facts however they want to. In fact, they can leave out important facts to intentionally mislead their readers.

FACT: THE MEDIA IS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY

When technology use soared, the newspapers just weren't ready. The news had to become something that grabbed the attention of its viewers. I remember when "clickbait" used to be a popular thing on YouTube. Newspapers are the original clickbait. You would see a juicy headline and click it and be prompted to pay for the news service. Additionally, news sites have partnered with a ton of agencies to place adds on their sites, which collect revenue for them! They are a business, not always a reliable source.

MYTH: THE MEDIA IS ALWAYS TAKEN TO COURT WHEN REPORTING MISINFORMATION

Media can freely post just about anything about celebrities and politicians without facing too much backlash. There are some exceptions, but not too many.  Individuals can't always afford to take a media outlet to court, as court fees are super expensive. In some cases, like libel (false published information that hurts someone's reputation), damage is done and fees can be collected, but the media gets away with libel more than many think. A retraction is usually posted instead of any legal matters taken to court.

FACT: THE MEDIA CAN CHOOSE WHAT IT COVERS

As a true crime enthusiast, and an ex-reporter myself, I can tell you that the media can help keep pressure on cops to investigate different disappearances and crimes. However, the media can choose to ignore these pleas from worried families and choose not to cover them. Additionally, the media can choose a one-sided approach that fits its narrative, or they can choose to avoid coverage of an event entirely.

MYTH: COMPLAINING ABOUT NEWS COVERAGE WILL SOLVE THE ISSUES AT HAND

Complaining about the way media covered something will do nothing. They are not held accountable by anyone. In fact, the justice system always has to request that certain information isn't published so that investigations can be completed properly.  Complaining about what the media has and has not done will not solve anything until we have a larger pool of true, fact-checked media sources that are not out to push their own agendas. Right now, I can find one article about how awful Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old who killed two people during a riot, is. On another site, I can see him being called a patriot.

HOW TO SPOT GENUINE REPORTING

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THE HISTORY OF 13 AS AN UNLUCKY NUMBER

According to The History Channel, the legend of 13 as an unlucky number dates back thousands of years. Of course, we couldn't know for sure if the number was designed to be unlucky, but The History Channel poses many reasons why the number is considered so. One is from the biblical days of Jesus. At the Last Super, there were 13 people in attendance. Many Christians believe that the number 12 is the number of divine rule. After all, there were 12 disciples, 12 tribes of Israel, and so on. Adding or taking away a number that has divine meaning linked to God is something that often becomes associated with bad luck or even the devil. Take, for instance, the number 7. Many Christians view this number as the number of completion and wholeness. It has a significance in nearly every religion. We all know that the number 6 repeated three times is often associated with the devil or devil worship. The same goes for this number! It has evil associations!

This may be because the Code of Hammurabi, a legal code written between 1792 to 1750 B.C., omitted the 13th law that was written. According to The History Channel, this could have simply been an issue in record-keeping, but that omission set the tone for generations and generations to come.

WHY ARE ONLY FRIDAY THE 13THS BAD LUCK?

Again, this goes back to Biblical roots. The Last Supper was held on what we now call Maundy Thursday. The next day, when Jesus was believed to be crucified, was on Good Friday. Experts have also said that Friday would have been the day that Eve gave Adam the apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and is said to be the day that Cain killed Abel.

UNLUCKY THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY THE 13TH

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ABOUT THE CASE

Oct. 1, 1993, started out like any normal pre-teen slumber party. Polly invited her friends Kate and Gillian to her home in Petaluma, California. ​They were playing games for sure, but were also likely braiding each other’s hair and talking about boys.

​Unbeknownst to the girls, a man was loitering outside of their home for an our and a half, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Around 10:30 p.m., he entered the home, found the girls, and abducted Polly at knife point. Before leaving, he tied up Kate and Gillian and told them to count to 1,000.

There wasn’t another break in the case until Nov. 28, almost two months after Polly went missing. The same woman who reported the suspicious man called up the police to report that pieces of white cloth were scattered on her land. The white cloth was accompanied by empty condom rappers, red panty hose, and a black sweatshirt. ​

INTERESTING FACTS

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