10.26.5

Welcome to week 2 of this ever changing paranormal recap now referred to as The K-Files. Last week saw a change in title to keep up with the expansion in subject matter. Now I present to you prototype logo #2. Once all logos have been revealed, it will be up to you, the reader, to decide which one will stick.

This week, the Top Story details my on-going coverage of Loren Coleman's now cancelled cryptozoological prize. Next, I present a personally difficult article about killer hornets in Japan. Finally, with Halloween around the corner, I’ve found an excellent article detailing some of the better (and creepier) urban legends in circulation.

Prepare yourself; here comes the all new K-Files…

:: Top Story ::

What a bust.

Bigfoot bounty is rescinded before it's formally announced

Copyright 2005 Associated Press

A proposed $1 million reward for evidence leading to the live capture of Bigfoot, the abominable snowman or the Loch Ness Monster has been withdrawn even before it was formally offered.

Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, had said details would be released at a symposium at Bates College later this month. Instead, Coleman announced Tuesday evening that Wizards of the Coast, which produces the Duel Masters Trading Card Game, pulled the plug.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2005/10/19/bigfoot_bounty_is_rescinded_before_its_formally_announced/ (requires free registration)

Here I was getting all in a fuss about Loren Coleman and this big cryptozoological X-Prize. Here I was voicing my concern about all the nutcases and thrill-seekers that would take up the hunt for Bigfoot. Here I was all but sure that we would eventually drive these creatures deep into solitude.

Then it doesn’t even happen. Am I happy? Not really.

But what has me even more disappointed is the now-revealed sponsor of this contest: Wizards of the Coast. The same Wizards of the Coast responsible for the Magic the Gathering and Pokémon trading card games.

Being the original gangster that I am, I must confess that I did play both Magic the Gathering and Pokémon (long before they were considered ‘cool,’ of course). I won’t try to deny it. Basically, the point of these games is to spend a ridiculous amount of money trying to hunt down a list of rare, limited print cards (the game itself was often a secondary aspect). Many of these cards feature mystical, cryptozoological animals. The most logical step, I guess Wizards had decided, was to fund a prize for a real-life monster hunt.

I like the prospect of funding further cryptozoological research, but what was the true purpose here? Is the management and ownership of Wizards of the Coast truly interested in finding Bigfoot? Or was this a cheesy marketing ploy the fell through because of its conceptual absurdity?

My bet is on the later. This whole mess really puts a taint on the field. The whole prize was essentially a joke—a marketing gimmick—and one of the top researchers of cryptozoology supported it. I would rather like to hear from Coleman in the near future regarding this matter (Hint, hint Mr. Noory).

If you’re still interested in searching for Bigfoot, Wizards has reduced its prize to a measly $5000. Have fun.

:: Nature’s Wrath ::

Bees…Why’d it have to be bees?

Killer hornets get a taste for humans

From Richard Lloyd Parry in Tokyo

THEIR sting is as painful as a red-hot spike piercing the flesh. They crush their helpless victims with powerful jaws. Now, after millennia spent terrorising the mountains and woodlands of Japan, flying cross-country at 25mph, they are living off sushi and kebabs — and turning on human beings.

A plague of hornets is bedevilling Japan, home to some of the most aggressive flying insects. Dry weather has allowed them to breed in record numbers, and entomologists fear a surge in deaths caused by the hornets’ agonising stings.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1841126,00.html

Aliens, ghosts, daemons, the NWO—none of these things really scare me. Sure, the occasional shadow person story or EVP tape will give me a good jump, but I research such topics for entertainment and education. There is but one thing that truly scares me, one thing that drives an irrational, debilitating fear into my very core: bees (more specifically, wasps and hornets).

When I read this article, I couldn’t help but cringe.

I’ve always felt that hornets are nature’s assassin, now this article only helps to prove it. Unlike snakes, spiders, and other feared creatures, these yellow and black killing machines seek out prey to attack. They sting multiple times just because they can, leaving a lasting poison infecting your internal organs. They’re ruthless pack hunters, devouring humans in black swarms of buzzing death.

Ok, so maybe much of that is my phobia taking over (Spheksophobia, to be exact), but as the article describes, there is a definite problem with them in Japan. Unlike the ultimate killer bee invasion bust of the late 90’s, these Japanese hornets are the real deal.

I’ve now been forced to add Japan to my list of places to which I will never travel. At least not until they create some kind of anti-hornet mech.

:: Legend ::

That can’t be real…or can it?

Revealing classic urban legends

Written by Ruth Ann Replogle - The Enid News and Eagle

As kids and even as adults, many of us were and are captivated with urban legends. An urban legend is an oral narrative (a rumor if you must) told as a true story. Details are often changed to fit the audience. These stories are much like folktales often containing a touch of irony and a supernatural element.

http://www.enidnews.com/cnhi/enidnews/features/local_story_296021803

Above is a brief description of some of the finer urban legends out there.

I’ve actually been told the one titled “Ear Bug.” It made a great playground story, and was something I honestly believed in for over a decade. The version I was told was a bit differed (involving a cockroach and fire), but the core concept makes for a perfect urban legend. Just imagining an insect burrowing into your ear is enough to send shivers down your spine.

“Infected Needle” is quite effective as a legend, too, because it can happen to anyone. You never know where an AIDS infected needle may be hidden. Thinking about it causes you to rethink your entire daily routine to point out potential hiding places for infected needles. Very troubling, indeed.

If you’re looking to up your paranoia, by all means give this article a read. It’s perfect material to get into the Halloween mood.

:: Dead End ::

That’s all for this week’s installment. I trust you enjoyed this renamed and revamped weekly recap of some of the finer paranormal material on the internet.

For the latest updates on the world of Khyron, bookmark http://www.khyron.net/. With content updated regularly, you’re sure to find your fix for all things entertaining and paranormal. As always, feel free to send any questions/comments/suggestions to ghostfiles@khyron.net.

Stay tuned for next week’s K-Files and prototype number three of the new logo.

~Khyron, 2005.