Saturday, September 26, 2009

Youtube Video Raises Conservative Alarm.

The conservative party is alarmed over what might be considered an example of public school teacher's temptations to groom (brainwash) future democrats rather than teach unbiased civics.

The incident happened at B. Bernice Young Elementary, a public school located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. The school admits teaching children songs praising President Barack Obama in honor of Black History Month back in February.

The cause of concern came in the form of a homemade video that had been downloaded onto the popular website Youtube. Its discovery has re-fueled the belief that school teachers are teaching children to idolize the democratic party.

The reason I am taking the time to mention this particular issue on my blog is because I know for a fact that this exact scenario happens in our schools. More than a few of my friends, along with myself, have witnessed this shameful and unchecked display of bias in our own classrooms. I find it is extremely upsetting!

At this point, the songs remain open to interpretation and no legal action is currently being sought out that I am aware of. The identity of the teacher in question has been mercifully withheld from the public.

Please refer to my earlier blog "A Useful Lesson Denied: You Be The Judge!"

Monday, September 21, 2009

Count Carl Von Cosel's Freakish Love Affair

"A truly disturbing, yet freakishly romantic Frankenstein love story." - S.P.

Carl Tanzen a.k.a. Count Carl Von Cosel, as he wanted to be known, was a German-born radiographer working at the military hospital located in Key West, Fl. One day a beautiful young lady by the name of Elena Hoya came to the hospital in search of a cure for her tuberculosis, a disease that had previously taken the lives of most of her immediate family. Von Cosel, who became immediately obsessed with the young Elena, offered her hope. Desperate, Elena agreed to become his patient. She could not know that this seemingly educated man was an imposter and had no real medical training. The treatment was unsuccessful and she succumbed to the disease on October 25, 1931.

With a relative’s permission, Von Cosel commissioned a burial tomb where he visited her religiously. On one particular night, almost two years after her death, Von Cosel is convinced that Elena’s ghost came to him singing an eerie song asking him to marry her and take her body home with him.

Employing a little toy wagon, Von Cosel hauled her coffin to his home where he laid her remains in his bed. In an attempt to stop her decay and make her beautiful once again, he surgically removed the peeling skin and covered what remained with a layer of cloth strips dipped in wax. He filled her chest with rags giving the lifeless body a renewed feminine figure and to prevent the cavity from caving in. He then added glass eyes, makeup, and fashioned her hairpiece made of locks of her real hair.

Von Cosel claims that he and Elena had conversations together and that she interacted with him every night. It is also possible that he had sexual relations with the body, but that has never been proven. This charade went on until 1940.

After hearing rumors about Von Cosel’s bizarre lifestyle, Elena’s sister grew suspicious that Von Kossel had stolen Elena’s body. She demanded Von Kossel to take her to her sister. He led her to his home where, to her horror, she gazed upon Von Kossel’s morbid creation.

Local authorities confiscated the wax and plaster creature, while Von Cosel was taken into custody. The court, having never dealt with such an extraordinary case, did not know what to do with him. It was decided that the only crime that was committed was the defacing a tomb and the unauthorized removal of a corpse. But so much time had passed that the statue of limitations demanded he be set free.

Curiously, most of the local’s reaction upon hearing of the bizarre saga was that of sympathy. Popular thought was that Von Cosel’s dedication to Elena Hoyos was romantic rather than comparing his actions to that of a mad man.

Before the nightmarish figure was reburied she was reexamined and then placed on public display with over 6,800 spectators (including children) flocking to see her. She was then returned to the cemetery in which she had originally been laid to rest, only this time in an unmarked grave to prevent further tampering. This “cruel” secret was Von Cosel’s only real punishment.

He soon left the island, but not before he blew up the solemn tomb he once commissioned. (Or so they say… no one has ever officially been held accountable.) Perhaps it was his way to say to the court…you want her tomb defaced…I’ll show you defaced.

In any case, Von Cosel relocated to Pasco County, Florida where he remained until his death in 1952. Some say he was found lying on the floor clutching a home-made death mask of his beloved Elena.

Side notes: One eyewitness tearfully remembers what he saw on display long ago as a school age child. It was horrible. The waxy skin was more of a gray color and did not resemble skin at all. He and his adult sister still have nightmares to this day.

The location of Elena Hoya’s final resting place is known only by the grandsons her grave diggers. According to them, Elena remains undisturbed.

Friday, September 18, 2009

CDC Update: Swine Flu Parties?

What is a swine flu party? Well it's where a bunch of people purposely come into close contact with a person who is mildly ill with the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) virus with the intention of getting sick. The hope is to create a natural immunity that will defend against a more serious form of the virus later on. Sound nuts? Here is what the CDC feels about it.

The CDC advises against swine flue parties due to the fact that it is impossible to predict with any certainty how any one person will react to the virus. Although many individuals have successfully recovered from illness without outside medical attention, fatalities have occurred. To purposely expose oneself to the virus is too risky.

Furthermore, if you start to have flu-like symptoms it is best to stay home. Don't go out of your house until 24 hours after the fever has broken unless you are seeking medical attention. Persons living in the same home who are not ill may still go to work. Just be sure to monitor yourself for symptoms.

Other precautions include disposing of tissues properly, and washing your hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 20 seconds; do this frequently especially after sneezing. If soap and water is not available use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.

For more information please refer to cdc.gov/h1n1flu.

Did You Know: Tectonics and Da Vinci

It was common thought in the days of Leonardo Da Vinci that evidence of sea life, sea shells for example, were placed on mountain-tops via the biblical flood. Da Vinci rejected this theory and replaced it with his hypothesis that the earth was made of moving plates and that these plates cause such friction that layers of earth are projected upward (creating mountains) taking fossils along for the ride; today scientists accept this theory as fact and call this process plate tectonics.

Did You Know: Abraham Lincoln exhumed

Did you know that when Abrham Lincoln was exhumed 36 years after his death, his body had not decomposed to the extent one would have imagined. It turns out that on the long Journey back to Illinois, his body had been embalmed several times creating an almost mummified effect. His features were still unmistakingly that of the assassinated president.

Also of curiosity were the red and blue dots found on Lincoln's suit. For years no one could figure out what these were, until finally someone realized that the dots were the remains of the American flag that had draped the fallen president during the viewing ceremony.