By: Nagad Omar

The Bigfoot legend first hit newspapers in 1958 when Andrew Gonzali wrote what was supposed to be a funny article on hikers in California finding unusually large footprint tracks in the snow.

Although it was not supposed to be taken seriously, the article startled the Pacific Northwest which gave Bigfoot his name: Bigfoot. Readers became very fascinated with the idea of Bigfoot; although, this isn’t the first time everyone has heard about the legend. Native American nations have records of Bigfoot 10 years before Gonzalis’ article. They gave him the name Sasquatch.

As the years passed, Bigfoot’s reputation grew and continued to change; he became known as an environmentalist and was used for commercials on keeping our forests clean in the 80s, but as sightings grew Bigfoot came back as this big scary creature.

As Americans continue to push into untouched forests the legend of Bigfoot grows.

One sighting of Bigfoot was when one night in the backroads of Oregon police got a call about a massive hairy creature running across the highway yelling in agony. At first police thought they were being pranked, but as over 20 calls came, police went out to investigate, but by the time they came the creature had already ran back into the forest.

Bigfoot has now come back to be the environmental justice staple he once was because of the lack of recent sightings. He sort’ve lost this scary, unknown demeanor he had 20 years ago. We haven’t had a real investigated Bigfoot sighting in almost 10 years, so it’s expected that the persona of Bigfoot will change.

So, as the legend of Bigfoot lives on, the speculations will continue, and maybe we’ll get some hardcore evidence. But as of right now, Bigfoot is just a fairytale myth.

By: Ren King & Violet Hirman

*Warning: This article contains descriptions of murder and rape.

He who strikes in broad daylight.

It was a seemingly normal day, a woman after having just stepped out of the shower heard a knock on her apartment door. The plumber, though a bit early, she let him in quickly with a smile saying:

“I do hope you forgive my appearance, wait here and I’ll change quickly.”

She closed the front door, turning her back to the man in a heedless ignorance to his dangers. Her neighbors heard nothing of what came next, not of the screams, the terror in her voice as she pleaded for mercy, nor the strangled sounds of a woman dying.

In a few minutes, she was dead.

In a few hours, she was found with her bathrobe tied around her neck in a bow. So tight, that when they touched her head, it fell off.

Anna Slesers, 55 years old. The first victim of the Boston Strangler.

From June 14, 1962 to January 4, 1964, this serial killer plagued the streets of Boston. It was like a curse had been cast over the city, people lived in fear. The streets were silent, eyes turning to every stranger one would see on the street. Women locked their doors, hid their children.

Yet, this didn’t stop the murders from happening.

13 women of the police’s knowledge, many more that were unconfirmed to have been the Boston Strangler’s victims. Most were sexually assaulted, some had been stabbed or shot before they were strangled. Nonetheless, they all had one feature in common. They were found with a meticulously done bow wrapped around their neck.

Always so tight that if not handled properly, the head would fall off.

Over ten years later, a man of the name Albert DeSalvo was arrested for charges of sexual assault and breaking and entering. While he was in custody, another inmate, George Nasser recalled their conversations.

“He’s mad is what he is, sick and twisted beyond my own belief. Which is hard to believe since I shot a man, but true all the more. He says that he wishes to be as famous as the Boston Strangler himself, but a lot of the time I’m afraid that he actually is.” The exact words, according to the locals of Boston.

DeSalvo was taken into questioning about the crimes of the Boston Strangler. At first, he denied having any ties with the serial killer other than adoring remarks about his good work.

F. Lee Bailey, after two full days of interrogation, emerged with a tape of recordings from DeSalvo. Words that the police insisted were those only the Boston Strangler would know.

So, they had finally caught the Boston Strangler.

Or so they thought.

Dr. Robey was skeptical of DeSalvo’s complete guilt. He knew that the man had photographic memory, and had a track record for breaking and entering. He suspected that DeSalvo had come to the crime scenes days after the events occured to study them. That he confessed to the crimes of the Strangler in order to be sentenced to a mental hospital instead of a prison.

Alas, the evidence was too strong in DeSalvo’s favor and all investigations of the Boston Strangler were shut down.

Not before they discovered, from an eyewitness, from one of the murders, that she did not recognize DeSalvo, but instead George Nasser. Along with this, testimony that several people were seen coming out of the apartment.

Though they studied the scenes thoroughly, there was no other sign that it was a case involving multiple people other than the witness statement. Therefore, they had to believe that DeSalvo truly was the Boston Strangler.

DeSalvo was sentenced to life in prison, but not for the crimes of the Strangler. He was never actually tried for the serial killer’s crimes, only named it.

On November 26, 1973, DeSalvo told his psychiatrist that it was finally time to reveal the true crimes of the Boston Strangler.

The same day, he was found stabbed to death in his prison cell before he could say a word.

Through more recent DNA testing and closer scrutiny into the case, it was shown that unidentified DNA was found at several of the crime scenes. None of it matching to DeSalvo’s. Along with that, a painting crew was seen at the site of the first victim’s house. Two weeks later, the same crew was seen at the third victim’s.

Was it a coincidence? Or was it a clue?

To this day, no one knows the true story of the Boston Strangler. Despite countless reasons that the real killer, or killers, are still out there, further investigation cannot be taken due to DeSalvo’s confession.

So, if you’re home alone and you hear a small clicking sound. You turn around, but nothing is behind you. It may very well be…the sound of the Strangler’s walker because if they were still alive right now they would be well into old age.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/us/dna-evidence-identified-in-boston-stra ngler-case.html

By: Hoaseng Thao

If there was ever a comedic spy movie to be made in the future, then it must be about Juan Pujol García, or known by the British Intelligence Agency known as MI5, as “Agent Garbo.” Juan Pujol García is credited with not only deceiving the Germans, but also receiving medals from both sides of the Second World War, an Iron Cross from the German Dictator Adolf Hitler himself, and the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from Security Service’s Director General, Sir David Petrie.

Juan Pujol García was born in the year 1912, in Barcelona, Spain. He was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War where surprisingly, he found himself fighting on both sides of the Civil War but never firing a single bullet. After the Civil War ended, Juan Pujol García grew a hatred for totalitarianism and nazism due to Nazi Germany supporting the Fascist Spanish Leader Francisco Franco.

In 1939, when the Second World War was just beginning, Juan Pujol García decided that he needed to help stop the German war machine by offering to be a double agent to British authorities in Spain, to which they refused. Despite not being accepted by British authorities on multiple occasions, Juan Pujol García decided it was best to contact German officials in Madrid, where he posed as a Spanish Official who was willing to go to Britain as a spy on their behalf. The Germans, wanting to build a spy network in Britain, happily agreed to his offer and made him an official spy for the Third Reich.

Juan Pujol García was expected to go to London and collect intelligence about the British, but in reality Juan Pujol García moved to Lisbon where he fed the Germans information gathered from magazines, guide books, and travel brochures from a local library. Surprisingly, his information from his local library was able to fool the Germans.

In April of 1942, Juan Pujol García was finally accepted by British officials because they too were fooled as they had received reports about a spy from Spain who kept on giving information to Germany. Brought to London to work for the MI5, where Juan Pujol García, now known as “Garbo”, would work with an intelligence officer, Tomás Harris. The two would create fictional agents and stories to fool the Germans.

In 1944, Garbo participated in Operation FORTITUDE, an operation that would help deceive the Germans while the Allies prepared for the D-Day landings. On June 5th, 1944, Garbo sent his usual scheduled message to a German Radio Operator where he would send information about the D-Day landings as requested by his superiors in MI5.

Despite being on his scheduled radio message to the German Radio Operator, the latter would not even show up and would fail to receive the information Garbo had given to them, so when the D-Day landings did occur, it gave Garbo an opportunity to show how reliable he was to the German High Command.

“I cannot accept excuses or negligence. Were it not for my ideals I would abandon the work,” Garbo said to his German contacts to give the impression that he was serious about being a spy for the Germans.

On July 29th, 1944, Garbo would receive news that the Führer himself was awarding him the Iron Cross for his service in the German Intelligence against the British. Garbo had fooled Adolf Hitler, an achievement that many had wished to have during that time period.

Due to his efforts in deceiving the Germans, Garbo would then receive the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in December of 1944, from Security Service’s Director General, Sir David Petrie.

After the war ended, Garbo contacted his handler and friend Tomás Harris about his plan of faking his own death, to which Harris would then spread this news about his “death” within MI5. Garbo would move to Venezuela and would live under a different name until 1988, when he was discovered by a British writer, Nigel West, who had tracked him down and asked him to come back to Europe to which he accepted.

On the 40th anniversary of the D-Day landings, 1984, Garbo would return to Europe to visit Normandy, France, to tour the beaches in which the allies landed to liberate France before paying his respects to the fallen.

In 1988, Garbo passed away in Caracas, Venezuela, forever known as the greatest spy to participate in the second world war.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.history.com/news/spy-double-agent-death-hoax-world-war-2 https://www.mi5.gov.uk/agent-garbo
• ‘Operation Garbo: The Personal Story of the Most Successful Spy of World War II’ by Juan Pujol and Nigel West

By: Julia Yang

I’ve learned that not a whole lot of people know about the photography rules and history, so I’ve come to tell fun facts about it.

Did you know that when taking photos of wild animals, photographers aren’t allowed to interact with them in any way? It’s true, photographers cannot interact with the animals whatsoever. There are several reasons for this rule:

• Reason #1. If an animal loses its fear to humankind, it could fall victim to hunters.
• Reason #2. Depending on the animal, it could be very dangerous.
• Reason #3. To not disturb wildlife.

The most viewed photograph in all of history is the Windows XP default wallpaper. Isn’t that crazy? Out of all the photographs ever taken, that’s the one people have seen the most. What a time to be alive.

Funny cat pictures have always been a thing. Ever since 1870, Harry Pointer was taking photos of cats. Walter Chandoha was more well known than Harry though, and his career lasted for over 70 years. Can you imagine? 70 years of just cat pictures.

Not-so-fun fun fact, the most common subject people took pictures of in the 1800’s are corpses’. It wasn’t creepy or anything then. Of course it is now, though. In the 1800’s it was a way for people to remember their deceased loved ones.

Pictures with filters or effects on them will less likely be in a family album because the pictures then wouldn’t reflect reality.

Photography is a worldwide art form, in fact, it’s the world’s most popular art form.

Photography is one of the few jobs that are not taken over by robots. Robots cannot take pictures the way that humans do, scientists haven’t found a way to do that yet.

For more facts, visit the following websites:

• https://www.eksposure.com/photography-facts/
• https://shotkit.com/photography-facts/

By: Hoaseng Thao

What is CONPLAN 8888 and why does the military have a plan for zombies? Although it may seem like a joke created by some junior officer, the unbelievable and fictitious threats, such as zombies, are actually a great learning tool that helps get soldiers engaged while training.

Students at Joint Combined Warfighting School (also referred as JCWS) who attended the lessons about CONPLAN 8888 actually enjoyed the impossible scenario in which zombies were involved. Planners who attended the lesson noted that, “Because the plan was so ridiculous, our students not only enjoyed the lessons; they actually were able to explore the basic concepts of plan and order development (fact, assumptions, specified and implied tasks, references etc) very effectively.”

The US military’s plan for zombies is to protect humanity, including people who are from countries that are considered adversaries to the US, from zombie life forms. There are two types of operations that the US military will conduct to handle such a harmful threat to humanity, these include Defensive operations aimed at monitoring zombies and indicating what type of zombie they are facing, and Offensive operations which are aimed at using military forces to eradicate zombie threats.

What types of zombies are the US military facing while conducting CONPLAN 8888? What you are going to read are the types of zombies the US military has identified and are using for CONPLAN 8888, this is not a joke.

● Pathogenic Zombies (PZ)

○ Your traditional zombie outbreak scenario involving a virus or some other form of contagion.

● Radiation Zombies (RZ)

○ Zombies who are infected by extreme exposure to radiation.

● Evil Magic Zombies (EMZ)

○ Zombies caused by occult experimentations which is referred to as “evil magic”

● Space Zombies (SZ)

○ Zombies that originate beyond the stars as an extra-terrestrial toxin.

● Weaponized Zombies (WZ)

○ Zombies that are created via bioengineering for the use of being a weapon or chemical weapon.

● Symbiant-Induced Zombies (SIZ)

○ Zombies that are caused by a symbiant life form that uses a host to take over their body, the life form does not outright kill their host but keeps them alive, but they will not be able to be saved.

● Vegetarian Zombies (VZ)

○ Similar to the popular video game ‘Plant Vs. Zombies’, Vegetarian Zombies pose no real physical threat to humanity as they only feast on plants, but they do pose a threat to vegetation and deforestation. They are also noted to say “grains” instead of “brains”.

● Chicken Zombies (CZ)

○ Based on a real incident in which chickens came back alive. Chicken Zombies pose no actual threat to humanity.

Despite the impossibility of a zombie outbreak occurring, the US military has stated that this is just a “training exercise” that is used for planners and students to understand how to conduct joint operations with other units and countries. So, if there ever will be a zombie outbreak in the near future, the US military has plan to counter zombies.

If you are a conspiracy theorist, or the average Joe, who wants to learn more information on CONPLAN 8888, please visit the link below.

Thank You.

• https://www.stratcom.mil/Portals/8/Documents/FOIA/CONPLAN_8888-11.pdf?ver=2016- 10-17-114016-887

By: Ren King

One of the biggest recurring questions in human history is whether aliens really exist. You would think that with the amount of attempted contact and searching we’ve made throughout the years for more life, we would have found some sign.

Today, we’ll cover the top four theories of why we haven’t found other life.

The first, and most unlikely popular theory, is called the Gaian Bottleneck. This theory holds the idea that life needs very specific conditions in order to survive, and that all other civilizations have ended before they had the chance to begin.

Earth is the only exception. Pretty geocentric of a theory, huh?

Close to this theory, but not so self important of humans, is the Great Filter theory, which is said to be one of the most likely out of most alien theories.

It says that civilizations develop while at the same time destroying their environment, and before they can reach the stage of technological advancement where other civilizations are contacted, they self-destruct. This builds on the idea that though we are making leaps and bounds when it comes to space technology, all of our effort is creating global warming which will kill us in the near future.

Now, the next two theories are a little more disturbing, so let’s start off with the less unsettling one.

Have you ever gone to the zoo as a child and watched the animals through the glass and realized that they probably don’t understand the fact that they are being gawked at as entertainment or an experiment because this is how they’ve lived their whole lives?

This is the essence of the Zoo theory. Either we don’t understand that we are being watched because it’s part of our normal life, or we are secretly being observed for some greater reason. Unnerving, right?

The final theory we will cover today is called the Dark Forest theory, quite possibly one of the scariest, as you continue to think about it.

Imagine yourself in a Dark Forest, you are a hunter with a gun, and you know that somewhere in the woods, there are more people like you. You creep along, paranoid, trying to make as little sound as possible and watching out for any other signs of life.

If you were to see another hunter, frantic and holding a gun out, the safest thing to do in that situation is to shoot them before they can possibly hurt you, right? Eliminate the threat before it becomes one.

Now, imagine you’re a small child, not understanding the situation and crying out “Is anyone there?” broadcasting your location to all these hunters. These hunters are out there, both silent and paranoid, untrusting and ready to shoot.

There are a lot of theories out there, but the question is, which one is correct?

By: Maya Breininger

Many children of today are fully equipped with the knowledge to identify what a “fairy” is. If you asked a seven-year-old what they thought of this mythical creature, how do you think they would respond? Many descriptions that come to mind are; “kind, magical, pretty, smiling.” In summary, many would describe fairies as creatures that are on the side of humanity.

The origin of Fairies can be traced back to many different cultures, and they became popular due to many films that are big in the industry today. One great example is a trilogy named “Tinkerbell” which follows the story of a young female fairy who tries to find her place within her friend group. It experiments with the idea that fairies control the seasons, and makes it clear that humans are unaware of the fairies’ existence. These movies show that different fairies have different elemental powers, and work together as small entities to help bring seasons to humans.

Another kind of fairy tale is the Ancient Greek story of “Nymphs”. They relate to “Tinkerbell” in the sense that fairies also had different kinds of elemental powers, such as freshwater nymphs, sea nymphs, forest nymphs and mountain nymphs. However, they are different in the sense that their purpose is not to help humans, but to continue on with their fae lifestyle.

Now that you’ve learned about two different published types of fairies we travel further into the “elements” in which they control, in general literature, and overall knowledge of these creatures.

Aquatic fairies have widely been known to manage and control the power of the morning dew, rivers, lakes and other freshwater bodies. Earth fairies manage the gravel, plants, and animals of the earth. After covering the elements in which these fairies control, which of these fairies would you personally like to have?

By: Reed Morris

Preface

As someone who is interested in the inner workings of business and economics, I recently, finally, watched the film ‘The Big Short’. I always have heard references to the market crash of 2008, and the following recession. I even lived through it. But as a little naive 4-year-old I didn’t fully understand what was going on at the time. 

In the years since, I never really learned anything more about it until very recently, when I started reading old news articles and I finally watched the aforementioned movie. So, here we are, almost 15 years later, looking back on the worst financial crisis in history. 

(I Know the Great Depression was technically worse for more people, but based on pure dollars lost, the Great Depression doesn’t come close.)

The 2008 global financial crisis

The 2008 housing crash, also referred to as the Great Recession, was a defining moment in American, and global history. The crash was caused by the bursting of the housing bubble and the resulting collapse of the subprime mortgage market. After years of rapid growth and exuberant optimism, the housing market suddenly crashed, sending shockwaves through the global economy and leading to one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression. 

The housing bubble was a period of rapid growth in the housing market that lasted from 1997 to 2006. During this period, housing prices soared, fueled by low interest rates, easy access to credit and relaxed lending standards. As prices grew, more and more people took advantage of the opportunity to buy homes, often using subprime mortgages. Subprime mortgages were designed for people with poor credit histories, who were thus unable to qualify for traditional mortgages. 

Unfortunately, the housing bubble was unsustainable and eventually burst. When it did, the subprime mortgage market collapsed and the economy went into a tailspin. As housing prices plummeted and foreclosures skyrocketed, banks suffered massive losses and the entire financial system nearly collapsed. The government responded by bailing out Wall Street banks, but this did little to help the millions of people who had invested in the now worthless subprime mortgages. 

The Great Recession that followed was a period of severe economic hardship. Unemployment soared, and millions of people lost their homes, jobs and savings. The stock market crashed, wiping out trillions of dollars in wealth. GDP, a measure of economic health, plunged into negative territory and remained there for months. The economic turmoil had a devastating impact on the American public. Consumer spending, a key driver of economic growth, plummeted and businesses cut back on hiring and investment. 

Meanwhile, the housing market continued to decline, dragging down home values and creating a vicious cycle of foreclosures and economic decline. The recession eventually ended in 2009, but the damage was done. It took years for the economy to fully recover, and millions of people still feel the impact of the 2008 housing crash today. The crash not only caused economic pain in the short-term, but it also had lasting consequences. 

The crash exposed the vulnerabilities in the banking system, leading to stricter regulations and increased oversight. It also increased public distrust of the financial system and sparked a widespread debate about economic inequality.

In the end, the 2008 housing crash was a defining moment in American history. It exposed the fragility of the financial system and highlighted the importance of economic regulation. It also highlighted the need for stronger consumer protections and greater economic fairness. As we move forward, it is important to remember the lessons of the Great Recession and ensure that future generations are able to benefit from a strong and stable economy.

Final thoughts

Looking back on what was going on in my younger years, it’s insane that I had little to no idea this was going on. I am very lucky that it didn’t impact my family hugely, but it seems as though its lasting effects have worn off for the most part. While we are most likely going to see something similar happen not too far into the future, it’s good to remember that, if the world could survive the last one, it will most likely survive the next one. 

Here is one final note before I wrap this up. I’ve always known that in the not too distant future, clean freshwater is going to become more and more scarce. While it’s been something I have been able to push to the back of my mind for a while, ‘The Big Short’ really brought it back into my field of view. At the end of the film, it goes over what each of the groups, and some of the main characters from the film, are doing today. It talks about how some people still own investment firms, some of the people have left Wall Street completely, but the final slide before the movie concluded really struck me. 

The movie ends with a slide talking about Michael Burry, the man who first discovered and shorted the housing market. The slide reads, “Michael Burry contacted the government several times to see if anyone wanted to interview him to find out how he knew the system would collapse years before anyone else. No one ever returned his calls. But he was audited four times and questioned by the FBI. He closed Scion Capital (Burry’s hedge fund) in 2008.” Finally ending with, “the small investing he still does is all focused on one commodity: Water.” 

So, maybe he’s right. If he was so far ahead of the curve on the housing bubble, then he might be rightfully ahead on a future water crisis. It might be coming sooner than we think. That topic however, will have to be saved for another day. 

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/09/subprime-market-2008.asp?scrlybrkr=8fa11097
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2008-10-13/subprime-collapse-to-global-financial-meltdown-timeline?leadSource=uverify%20wall