Expanded Perspectives

On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys start the show off talking about how recently Egypt has unearthed a city more than 7,000 years old and a cemetery dating back to its first dynasty in the southern province of Sohag, the antiquities ministry has said. The find could be a boon for Egypt’s ailing tourism industry, which has suffered a series of setbacks since the uprising that toppled the autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011, but remains a vital source of foreign currency. The city is likely to have housed high-ranking officials and grave builders. Its discovery may yield new insights into Abydos, one of the oldest cities in ancient Egypt, the ministry said in a statement. Experts say Abydos was Egypt’s capital towards the end of the predynastic period and during the rule of the first four dynasties. The discovery was made 400 metres away from the temple of Seti I, a New Kingdom period memorial across the Nile from present day Luxor.

Then, space is still the final frontier, and as NASA scientists prepare to try and venture further into the solar system than humans have ever gone before there's a very important issue they want to solve — how to poop, pee and be on your period in space, without having to use a space diaper. That's right, astronauts have always looked cool in their super space gear as they prepared to be blasted into orbit, but all the while, every single astronaut has been stuck wearing a diaper during launches and landings. (When they reach space there are specially designed waste collection systems to use and of course on Earth there are gas station bathrooms galore.) This gets even more gross when you consider that astronauts often have to spend up to 10 hours in their spacesuits as they wait for the launch or prepare for re-entry, so they definitely have to use those diapers at some point. However, now NASA officials are trying to come up with a way to finally ditch the diaper, and they're asking for the public's help with the crowdsourced "space poop challenge" which is exactly what it sounds like — NASA wants you to help them figure out astronauts can do their business in space.

Then, Japanese businesses are finding they need to deal with increasing numbers of foreign visitors to Japan, and Panasonic thinks it has the answer: a megaphone that translates the user’s voices into multiple languages. The Megahonyaku, which is a reasonably good pun on the Japanese words for “megaphone” and “translation,” listens for Japanese input and plays back phrases in English, Chinese, and Korean. Then, Kyle brings up and unusual sighting a woman named Victoria D had one night while her and some friends drove through Cannock Chase, UK. They saw what appeared to be a large werewolf like creature.

After the break, Kyle brings up some lesser known alien abductions. Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives have a great week!

Show Notes:

Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided by Pretty Lights. Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com.

Songs Used:

  • Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
  • Reel 11 Break 2
  • Aimin At Your Head
  • Lost And Found
Direct download: Lesser_Known_Alien_Abductions....mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:23pm CDT

This week on Expanded Perspectives the guys start the show off talking about how six years ago, divers discovered the oldest known stationary fish traps in northern Europe off the coast of southern Sweden. Since then, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved Stone Age site. They now believe the location was a lagoon environment where Mesolithic humans lived during parts of the year. Other spectacular finds include a 9,000-year-old pick axe made out of elk antlers. The discoveries indicate mass fishing and therefore a semi-permanent settlement. 

Then, Medieval archer's 'unique quiver' and arrows with iron tips found in hole in a cliff, along with his wooden sarcophagus. Two local residents accidentally stumbled across the burial site, close to the village of Kokorya, which contains the bones of an adult man, his birch bark quiver, arrow shafts and iron arrow heads, intricate ornaments and utensils made from the roots of trees, as well as the remnants of silk ribbons. He is believed to be a warrior with a talent for archery who lived around the 13th to 15th century like the legendary outlaw Robin Hood in England. The archer is likely to have been held in respect, confirmed by the location of his burial and the care taken to send him into the next life with his arrows and 'sophisticated' quiver. It has pockets for different types of arrows, say scientists. Archeologists have not yet secured permission to open the wooden sarcophagus, although locals who found and looked inside confirm it contains bones, and it may also have the marksman's bow.

Then, Kyle brings up two bizarre Dogman sightings. One from 1951 near Eureka, California and other from 1972 near Muncie, Indiana. In both stories, the people who witnessed the strange creature were young, 8-10 years old. Both give similar descriptions like it being covered in hair, long dog like snout, body built like a large ape, in both cases it either growled or howled and in one of the sightings it appeared to be wearing clothes.

Then, in 1945, the FBI raided a warehouse in Los Angeles that was used for storage by the German Consulate. Among the files, they found a collection of 3x5-inch cards kept by the Nazi regime containing contact information for important people in LA. The cards included the names, addresses, and phone numbers of people in the entertainment industry, academia, and industry. And it serves as a terrifying reminder that the normalization of the Nazis in the 1930s provided cover for some very powerful people in the US to be friendly with genocidal maniacs.

After the break, Cam brings up some unusual sightings of strange orbs. Are they ghosts, spirits or something other worldly? Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives. Have a great week!

Show Notes:

Music:

  • Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
  • Up & Down I Go
  • Fly Away Another Day
  • Let The World Hurry By
Direct download: Strange_Orbs__1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:40pm CDT

This week on Expanded Perspectives the guys start the show off talking about how if you want a decent night’s sleep stop fiddling with your phone, researchers have warned. A US study has found that greater screen time, particularly at bedtime, is linked to disrupted sleep patterns - including taking a longer time to drop off. “The more screen time, the worse the quality of sleep,” said Gregory Marcus, co-author of the research from the University of California, San Francisco. The research ties in with a growing body of evidence that suggests that using electronic devices can get in the way of shut-eye.

Then, on a quiet day in March, 1966, seven eyewitnesses reported an unidentified flying object maneuvering over Livingston and Washtenaw counties in Michigan. But these were not just some crazy people who watched all this there were police officers, sherrif deputies and over a 100 other people. an official investigation declared it was an optical illusion created by swamp gas. But some say that's just what the government wanted us to believe. The even became known as the Great UFO Flap of 1966. Then, a man said he and his family members saw a dinosaur-like animal at a fishing spot in Florida. Then, Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters recently posted an interesting interview a man did with a witness who describes what he saw at the famous Roswell Crash.

After the break Kyle brings up the unusual story of the Jersey Devil. Ask people who live near the Pine Barrens of New Jersey if they actually believe in the Jersey Devil and you'll get a bunch of half-answers Those who say they do say it with a little smirk, those who don't believe in the creature still hesitate a little before giving a definitive "no." The Jersey Devil is a mythical horned beast that is to the woods of the Atlantic City area as bigfoot is to rural north California. It's one of the country's most enduring legends; stories of the Jersey Devil predate the United States itself.

Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives, have a great week!

Show Notes:

Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights. Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com.

Songs Used:

  • Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
  • Color of my Soul
  • Can't Stop Me Now
  • Kanye West All of The Lights Remix
Direct download: The_Jersey_Devil.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:39pm CDT

On this episode of Expanded Perspectives we talk with documentary film maker Seth Breedlove about his latest movie "The Boggy Creek Monster". As well as some of his previous movies "The Minerva Monster" and "The Beast of Whitehall". These documentary films are all made by "Small Town Monsters". Small Town Monsters is an independent film series that explores lost and bizarre history around the United States. In addition to film, STM is also merchandise, and other media devoted to this same subject matter.

The legend of the Boggy Creek Monster has long captivated the people of Fouke, Arkansas, a little town about 150 miles outside of Little Rock. It is said that Fouke is the first place that this cryptid was spotted. According to legend, the Boggy Creek Monster stands between seven and eight feet tall on two feet and weighs close to 300 pounds. Its chest, legs and arms are covered with thick, long hair.

The first reported sightings go all the way back to 1834, when it is said that the large, hairy “wild man” was roaming in Arkansas. In the 1900s, sightings around Fouke became more frequent with residents spotting the monster more than 40 times in 1997 alone. It has been suggested that the animal is nocturnal, but a hunter reported a sighting in broad daylight in the Sulfur River WIldlife Area near Fouke in 2000.

The Boggy Creek Monster has been subject of at least four different films, beginning with 1973’s The Legend of Boggy Creek. This movie, centered around Bobby Ford’s supposed encounter with the beast, played in drive-in theaters around the country and introduced millions to the legend that had never heard of this creature before. Mostly shot on location in Fouke, with additional scenes filmed in Texarkana and Shreveport, Louisiana, the film also served as a major economic boost to the region; many cast members were locals or nearby college students.

The famous encounter that the film is based on occurred in 1971. Bobby and Elizabeth Ford claimed that the Boggy Creek Monster attacked their home late on the night of May 1. The monster, Elizabeth said, reached through her screen window, but was chased away by Bobby and Dan, his brother, who had just returned from a hunting trip. Unsatisfied, the monster returned shortly after midnight and tossed Bobby to the ground, the Fords say. Bobby was taken to the St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana and treated for large gashes across his back; he was suffering from mild shock when he arrived, according to newspaper reports (there were several papers covering the legend around this time). No traces of blood were found on the Ford’s home, but three-toed footprints were found near the house, scratches found on the porch, and damage sustained to a window and the house’s siding.

Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives!

Show Notes:

Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided by Pretty Lights. Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com.

Songs Used:

  • Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
  • The Time Has Come
  • Starlit Skies
  • Future Blind
Direct download: The_Boggy_Creek_Monster.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:44pm CDT

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