Corn syrup and immigration

Credit: Ton Rulkens

So I asked the robot to comment this week´s strangest news item. Yes, that would be Trump´s proud announcement that the Coca Cola Company (at the God-Emperor´s prodding, mind you) will stop sweeten Coke Classic with corn syrup, instead using real sugar from sugarcane. Eh? 

Sugarcane is grown in the southern states, where many people support Trump. But...what about immigrant labor at the sugarcane plantations? And what´s up with the corn syrup situation anyway? My guess is that RFK Jr and his "MAHA" movement may be behind this, since I assume they oppose said syrup. 

However, more sugarcane production will presumably also make it necessary to import more cheap labor from Mexico and Central America. Unless the MAHA-ites want to lift and then volunteer their working class muscle down at the latifundia... 

Do sugar cane plantations in the South use labor from Mexico?

Yes, many sugarcane farms in the U.S. South—especially in states like Florida and Louisiana—do use labor from Mexico, but the situation is more nuanced and varies by region and employer.

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🇺🇸 U.S. Sugarcane Labor Overview

1. Mexican Migrant Labor

• A significant portion of seasonal sugarcane workers in the South are Mexican nationals.

• Many are brought to the U.S. through the H-2A visa program, which allows agricultural employers to hire foreign workers temporarily when there are not enough local laborers.

• These workers typically perform manual cutting, planting, weeding, and harvesting, especially in Louisiana, which still relies partly on hand-harvested cane.

2. Florida (Heavily Mechanized)

• In Florida, sugarcane harvesting is now largely mechanized—machines cut most of the cane.

• However, Mexican and Central American workers are still employed in:

  • Planting

  • Field preparation

  • Maintenance

  • Milling operations

• They often work under contracts with large companies (e.g., U.S. Sugar, Florida Crystals).

3. Louisiana (Still Some Manual Cutting)

• Louisiana relies more heavily on manual labor for certain stages of harvesting and field prep.

• Mexican H-2A workers are widely used during the harvest season.

• Labor shortages have made growers more dependent on foreign guest workers.

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🧾 Labor Rights & Controversies

There have been ongoing debates around:

• Pay levels and working conditions for H-2A workers.

• Access to healthcare and housing during seasonal work.

• Exploitation or legal gray areas with subcontractors or recruiters.

Several reports and labor watchdogs have raised concerns, particularly regarding wage disputes and unsafe working environments.

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✅ Summary

Region	Labor Source	Mechanization	Use of Mexican Workers
Florida	Local + H-2A migrants	High (mechanized)	Yes, mostly for planting & prep
Louisiana	Local + H-2A (mostly Mexican)	Mixed (some hand harvest)	Yes, widely used
Texas	Less significant production	Mixed	Some use of migrant labor

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Would you like information on how the H-2A visa program works or data on the number of Mexican workers in agriculture more broadly?

Is there a criticism against using corn syrup from consumer rights groups and such?

Yes, there is significant criticism of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from a range of consumer rights groups, health organizations, and nutrition advocates. The criticism centers on health concerns, labeling transparency, and industrial agricultural practices. Here's a breakdown:

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⚠️ 1. Health-Related Criticisms

a. Obesity & Metabolic Issues

• HFCS has been linked—controversially—to the rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes in the U.S.

• Groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and Public Health Advocacy Institute argue that HFCS contributes to overconsumption of sugar in processed foods and beverages.

b. Fructose Metabolism

• Unlike glucose, fructose is metabolized primarily in the liver, which can lead to fat buildup and insulin resistance.

• Some studies have associated high fructose intake with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and elevated triglycerides.

c. "Empty Calories"

• Consumer health advocates argue HFCS provides no nutritional value beyond calories, and encourages the consumption of sugary, processed foods over whole foods.

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🧾 2. Labeling and Transparency Concerns

• HFCS often appears under different names like “corn sugar”, which can confuse consumers.

• In 2012, the FDA rejected a petition by the corn industry to rename HFCS as “corn sugar,” citing misleading labeling.

• Critics claim food labeling lacks clear distinctions between cane/beet sugar and corn syrup, which undermines informed consumer choice.

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🌽 3. Industrial Agriculture & Environmental Impact

• HFCS depends on large-scale corn monoculture, which requires:

  • Heavy fertilizer and pesticide use

  • Government subsidies (taxpayer-funded support of corn)

• Environmental groups (like the Environmental Working Group) criticize this model for contributing to:

  • Soil degradation

  • Water pollution (from nitrogen runoff)

  • Reduced biodiversity

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🏷️ 4. Market & Consumer Pushback

• Starting in the late 2000s, there was a consumer backlash against HFCS.

• Many companies (e.g., Snapple, Heinz ketchup, Gatorade) began marketing products with labels like “no high-fructose corn syrup.”

• Some health-conscious consumers see HFCS as a marker of “ultra-processed” or low-quality food.

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📊 Scientific Consensus?

• Major health organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA) and FDA have stated that HFCS and table sugar (sucrose) are nutritionally similar when consumed in moderation.

• However, they also acknowledge excessive sugar intake of any kind is unhealthy.

🟨 So while HFCS may not be uniquely toxic, critics argue that it encourages overconsumption due to its low cost and prevalence in processed foods.

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✅ Summary of Criticisms

Area	Concern
Health	Links to obesity, diabetes, liver problems
Labeling	Lack of transparency, misleading names
Environment	Industrial corn farming harms ecosystems
Consumer rights	Reduced choice, hard-to-avoid in processed foods
Economics	Subsidized production distorts food markets

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Let me know if you’d like citations, major health studies, or a comparison between HFCS and cane sugar in how the body processes them.

Leo Africanus?

 

From X. Original unkown. Not sure if true or just another rumor...

Ahem, I have a question

I wonder if public schools in Louisiana will display *all* of the Ten Commandments? Including the part quoted below (Exodus 20:2-11)...

>>>

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

>>>

The last Leonardo

“The Lost Leonardo” is a 2021 documentary about the drama around the painting “Salvator Mundi”, believed by some to be the work of famous Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. The story is complex and frankly hard to believe sometimes.

After being lost for centuries, “Salvator Mundi” resurfaced in 2005 at an auction in New Orleans (of all places), where it was bought for about 1,100 dollars by two US art collectors. If I understand the “plot” correctly, they later managed to sell the painting for 83 million dollars! This was after the London National Gallery had claimed that the painting (which they exhibited) was indeed an authentic Leonardo. The artwork was originally heavily overpainted and badly damaged, but was restored by Dianne Modestini, an expert on such things. It´s this restored version that was shown in London and subsequently brought in the 83 million. Skeptics refuse to believe it´s real, and mockingly call the painting “a masterpiece by Dianne Modestini”, charging that she added so much to the original composition that it can´t be considered an independent work anymore. And how do we know Leonardo made it anyway?

The subsequent odyssey of “the savior of the world” is even more bizarre. Or maybe not, if the shadowy and opaque character of the international art trade is held in mind. The 83 million dollar affair was made by a Swiss art dealer, Yves Bouvier, on behalf of super-rich Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev. The latter subsequently accused Bouvier of tricking him into buying the painting for 140 million dollars and pocketing the difference. While the oligarch may be a genuine art fancier, there is also a more pragmatic reason for his art deals (and that of many other rich people). Art is a good way to “store wealth” and move it around without the tax authorities (or Putin?) ever noticing. This is made possible by the so-called freeport system. In Switzerland, none other than the tricksy Bouvier owned huge freeports, in which art and other investment objects could be de facto hidden away. Even sales and purchases of said art can be made at the freeport facilities without governments being able to track the deals. (Of course, the governments have themselves to blame: what stops them from cracking down on the freeports? Exactly.)

When Rybolovlev realized that Bouvier had scammed him out of a billion dollars during various art deals (at least if you believe Mr R´s version of events), the Russian oligarch decided to destroy the greedy Swiss freeport owner. Using all his connections in the world of banking, finance and law, Rybolovlev managed to get Bouvier blacklisted, denied bank loans, losing investments, and so on. In the docu, Bouvier claims he lost everything (including ownership of the freeports). Perhaps to recover his “losses”, the oligarch eventually sold all his art through a British auction house (the auction took place in the US). It was at this auction that “Salvator Mundi” was bought by a then unknown person for a staggering 450 million dollars – the highest price ever paid for a painting. At this point, the CIA became interested, perhaps fearing that the world´s largest money laundering operation was unfolding right under their noses. They soon identified the buyer: a certain Saudi prince. Somebody at the agency also leaked the information to the New York Times! “Salvator Mundi” then vanished, and nobody knows where the painting is today. The documentary speculates that the real buyer is Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and that country´s effective ruler. “Salvator Mundi” is supposedly stashed onboard his yacht.

But why would MBS buy a frankly ugly painting attributed to Leonardo? Even apart from the fact that it´s blasphemous according to Islam! The docu speculates that it could be connected to Saudi “soft diplomacy”. In order to present a better face to the world, Saudi Arabia wants to build a huge tourist facility and “cultural center” at Al-Ula in the Hejaz. Perhaps the lost Leonardo will be exhibited there? The Al-Ula business may also be connected to a huge Saudi purchase of French military hardware…

There have also been some weird shenanigans surrounding a 2019-2020 Leonardo exhibition at the Louvre in France. It´s possible that “Salvator Mundi” was supposed to have been exhibited there, in the same room as “Mona Lisa”, but for some reason the unknown owner pulled back at the last moment. The Louvre bookstore by mistake sold some copies of a book claiming that “Salvator Mundi” was authentic, but the book was quickly pulled as well and all remaining copies destroyed. Maybe this book is now just as rare as real Leonardo paintings? The reason for the panicky backtracking is unclear, but “The Lost Leonardo” wonders aloud whether the Louvre labs at the last moment failed to authenticate the painting, prompting MBS to withdraw his offer of exhibiting it.

As already mentioned, the makers of “The Lost Leonardo” don´t seem to believe that “Salvator Mundi” is the real deal, although it certainly was a lucrative one! Pesky art critic Jerry Saltz, who is something of a joker, is prominently featured, as are other skeptics. Personally, I have no opinion on the matter, opinionated or otherwise, but the documentary is interesting in its own right, giving a sneak peek into the demimonde of tax havens and the super-rich. According to the all-knowing site Wikipedia, the elusive Leonardo (or is it Modestini) should really have been exhibited at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a joint French-United Arab Emirates project. Let´s be honest: since nobody outside the art world (and hardly even there, it seems) really gives a damn whether it´s fake or not, the UAE probably wouldn´t lose any cred by actually exhibiting it. Real or not, “Salvator Mundi” is probably just as well known as “Mona Lisa” (and "The Da Vinci Code") at this point! 

My arachnophobia just got worse

Another link to Karl Shuker´s crypto-zoology website, this time about supposed observations of giant spiders. And I do mean huge - the size of a dinner plate, a chihuahua or...even larger.

Of course, we all "know" that such creatures are impossible in Earth´s present atmosphere, since spiders (and insects) breath through trachea, which imposes absolute physiological limitations on their size. 

OR SO WE ASSUMED UNTIL KARL SHUKER DID MORE RESEARCH ON THE MATTER!!!

It turns out that one oversized arthropod, the coconut crab (a crustacean) has evolved a novel organ for breathing, since it lives exclusively on land. 

So why not spiders?

My arachnophobia just got worse. Let´s hope all the reports detailed in the linked blog post below are drunken tall tales or misidentified frying pans, chihuahuas or coconut crabs... 

Giant spiders: monstrous myth or simply mayhem?

The Wiccan experience

This is an interesting clip I found on YouTube. Austin Shippey has edited the old documentary  "The Occult Experience" from 1985 and what you can access above are the parts dealing with Wicca and Goddess-worship. (The full documentary is also available at another channel.) 

What surprised me was that the actual rituals of Gardnerian Wicca are shown at some length, the only exception being the sexual intercourse between priest and priestess (which is only hinted at). Thus, we get to see an actual initiation into a coven, during which a sky clad young man is subject to a variety of trials and ordeals. There is also a “handfasting” ceremony, once again with almost everyone present being in the nude. A funny detail: the male Wiccan priest, who plays the role of the horned god, looks like Gerald Gardner! Is this some kind of shtick among 50+ male Wiccans? Another thing that struck me was the only Black Dianic Wiccan (Black as in African-American) describing her experiences of folk Catholicism in Louisiana. Wow. Even crazier than some Neo-Pagans, if you ask me. 

“Wicca: The Occult Experience” also features Modern Pagans, including Wiccans, gathering on a street in New York City, carrying out one of their rituals quite openly. They sure seem to have a lot of fun! 

In a final segment, we meet three groups which are not Wiccans, including the non-sectarian Fellowship of Isis (FOI). The Fellowship initiates new priestesses at a mysterious castle in Ireland and we get to see the initiation ritual (including the presumably “secret” part). Btw, one of the people commenting here is apparently a member of the FOI… 

I admit that I got a bit more respect for Wiccans and Neo-Pagans after watching this, mostly because the rituals seem “really real” and the practitioners serious, in contrast to the more stereotyped witches and confused college kids I´ve seen in other corners of the media & entertainment industry. That being said, ritual sex with a Gerald Gardner lookalike really aint my thing, so I hope they never try to pull that stunt in *my* Scytho-Hibernian city-state, LOL. 

Otherwise recommended.

The return of the Aurochs

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” is a curious film starring Dwight Henry and 9-year old Quvenzhané Wallis (the youngest person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award as best actress). The plot, while generally realist, perhaps even “kitchen sink realist”, also contains elements of fantasy. Perhaps it could be seen as a kind of folkish or quasi-folkish Americana? While it´s presumably set in the present day, it might as well symbolize a future United States around 2050 or 2100.

The main characters live in “the Bathtub”, a poor and isolated community off the coast of an anonymous US state (usually believed to be Louisiana since the film was made there). The community, which is multi-racial and slightly counter-cultural, clearly resents wider society, symbolized by a distant city with sky scrapers behind a huge protective wall. It´s not entirely clear whether the Bathtub people are forcibly segregated or have chosen to live isolated. Probably the latter, since they refuse to evacuate the area when ordered to do so by the “proper” authorities.

The seaside squatters have developed their very own mythology, which claims that an ancient breed of monstrous beings, the Aurochs, are set to return and wreak havoc on civilization once the Antarctic icecaps melt due to climate change. Indeed, the Aurochs (who look like huge boars rather than real aurochs) do return, but it´s not clear whether they are real, ghostly or simply a figment of the main character´s vivid imagination. The message of the film is “Green” and quasi-Buddhist, and Hushpuppy (the name of Wallis´ character) is frequently too philosophical for her young age.

Otherwise, the plot is actually quite uninteresting, focusing on Hushpuppy´s troubled relationship with her parents, an epileptic father and a mother who is a hooker, but the whole thing never becomes properly tragic. Indeed, “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is actually quite romantic. 20 years ago, I would probably have condemned a film like this as “reactionary” since it “romanticizes voluntary poverty”, stereotypes Blacks, or whatever. I suppose I´m more laidback these days. That being said, this isn´t my favorite flick, but I´m willing to give it the OK rating (three stars).

I can see dead people

Zombies and other dead people vote for Cthulhu. All 4 million of them. So how come Cthulhu never gets 4 million votes? Why isn't The Undead Ancient One even on the ballot (except in Louisiana, together with the Swamp Monster and the Loup Garou)? It has come to our attention that the Democrats (a.k.a. People for the American Way) are stealing our votes by busing in LIVING people to the cemetary polling stations!!!

We will protest this by a calm, dignified and very slow-moving procession towards Washington DC. We will walk on foot, or on our tentactles. We will stop to rest and feed at appropriate venues on the way, such as Arlington Cemetery.

But one day, Mr Way, one day we WILL reach our destination. And no, you can't drone us. You see, we're already dead...

Seems familiar

Another review of the Acadiana flag... 

This is a fascinating product! It's the flag of Acadiana (L'Acadiane), a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana which is home to a large Cajun population. The ancestors of the Cajuns originally hailed from Acadia, a French colony in East Canada. What makes the Acadiana flag peculiar is that it's obviously inspired by the flag of the Philippines! In fact, it's virtually the same design. It's also inspired by the Philippine coat of arms, which incorporates Spanish and American symbols to denote the colonial history of the Philippines. In a similar way, the Acadiana flag incorporates French and Spanish symbols. Otherwise, there is no connection at all between Louisiana and the Philippines, suggesting that the designer of the Acadiana flag was a “nerd” who loved the Filipino banner…

A few speculations

A review of the Acadiana flag, sold by Amazon. 

This is the flag of Acadiana, the Cajun region in the U.S. state of Louisiana (not be confused with Acadia in Canada, the original homeland of the Cajuns). The flag combines the colors of the Spanish and French flags, Spain and France being the former colonial powers in Louisiana. It also combines Spanish and French symbols: the castle is taken from the coat of arms of Castile, while the lilies (fleurs-de-lis) are associated with ancien régime France.

It's interesting to speculate which previous design may have inspired the Acadiana flag. The Confederate Louisiana flag also included the colors red, yellow, blue and white. It had a yellow star in its canton. However, the most obvious parallel – and it’s a curious one – is to the national flag and coat of arms of the Philippines! It's not just the design – the symbolism is similar. The Philippine flag combines the colors of two former colonial powers, in the Philippine case Spain and the United States. Likewise, the coat of arms of the Asian nation combines Spanish and American symbols. I wonder if it’s a coincidence that the Acadiana flag contains a symbol for Castile, while the Philippine coat of arms shows the symbol of Léon. The traditional Spanish monarchy was a union of Castile and Léon…

Just a few speculations on a Saturday afternoon.

The ghost turkey

Ha ha ha, this show is a filler of major turkey proportions. At least judging by this episode, in which Ozzy Osbourne's son (of all people) is trying to find a Skin-walker (a shape-shifting demon in Native American mythology), while some of his colleagues are on the lookout for the Ozark Howler, apparently a demon feline of some sort.

Bad acting, extended scenes in complete darkness or the multi-coloured chaos of a thermal camera, and absolutely no action whatsoever - that seems to be the concept behind "Haunted highway". The investigators come across as super-gullible, at one point confusing the Ozark Howler (which is supposedly the size of a cougar) with a racoon or possum!

Sure, it's an entertainment show, but I admit I wasn't. Entertained, that is. Judging by the Youtube comments, the average viewer of "Haunted highway" is a 15-year old sexually starved boy with a bad crush on Dana, Ozzy Junior's female (feline?) assistant. I admit *that* was pretty entertaining. And yes, it *is* somewhat strange that both Dana and Devin can keep their make-up on after two days chasing monsters in the wilderness...

OK, let me guess. This show is...scripted?

Sorry, this episode only gets one star - and I doubt the search for the El Dorado Hell Hounds or Louisiana Swamp Woman get much better than this. Besides, I doubt the Swamp Woman can beat Dana & Devin's make up, LOL.

This is a real "ghost turkey".

Swamp gas

According to local legend, the swamps of Florida, Louisiana and Texas are inhabited by a large, dangerous ape-like creature, known as the Skunk Ape. It smells, too. Scientists are sceptical, claiming that exotic pets or zoo animals gone AWOL might be responsible for some of the sightings. However, the Skunk Apes were known to the Natives long before crazy White menagerie owners reached the Americas. And while Skunk Apes do look vaguely like Orang-utans, they smell. Self-respecting orangs, alas, do not.

Yes, folks, "MonsterQuest" is back with a new episode...

While the Skunk Ape is interesting, "MonsterQuest" is just as dragging and boring as usual. Geezus, why does this show have to be like this?

But sure, if you have an unhealthy obsession with big, hairy things with an odour, you probably don't want to miss "Swamp Beast". It features a debunking of the famous Florida Skunk Ape photo, a funny sequence showing knuckle-walking orangs, and reconstructions of eye-witness accounts with the elusive monster. My favourite is the guy who claims that the Skunk Ape looked like a "monkey"!

Of course, "Swamp Beast" is also available on a very special DVD featuring almost the entire Season One of this series. Or free of charge at Youtube, if you are stingy, smell or live in the wrong DVD region...

Feed the fat guy to the sharks

Once in a while, "MonsterQuest" apparently have to come up with a real monster, or else...

In this episode, "Jaws in Illinois", the search party goes after sharks with the chutzpah to show up in fresh or brackish water, something the aquatic ape known as Homo sapiens finds deeply questionable. Sharks, after all, are supposed to lurk at sea, or gild our shark-fin soup.

Bull sharks in Louisiana, Greenland Sharks in the St. Lawrence River and (perhaps) Great White Sharks in New Jersey are featured. However, only a couple of minutes are devoted to the mysterious shark captured in Illinois (sic) during the Great Depression or thereabouts.

The whole show looks promising, but gets progressively more boring as it drags on. Gee, why didn't they just use the fat guy as bait? There's enough meat on him to feed an entire sea-serpent!

Three stars, if you are a shark aficionado.

Where the rat at?

"Rat B*stards" is an American reality show. Or is it surreality? There's no way this is based on a true story, not even freely. I hope...

Rigger (a.k.a. the Mad Scientist of the Bayou), Squirrel, Shane and a few others are gun-touting, bearded, crazy cowboys with heavy Southern accents. Or "Louisiana patriots", as the network's series presentation would have it. Their mission: to exterminate the swamp rats of the Louisiana wetlands by any means necessary. Their motto: "If you can't beat 'em, burn 'em!"

Yes, swamp rats. Apparently, the cuddly, furry and sweet little nutria is a pest species in the United States. Besides, the rats tried to kill Squirrel's dog 40 years ago, so he takes it kind of personally. The extermination team roams the swamps with semi-automatic rifles, Molotov cocktails and even modern GPS equipment. It seems no extermination method is unorthodox enough. At one point, Rigger tries to torch an entire island to get rid of the rat infestation once and for all!

I admit that I only watched the sneak peaks, but it sure looks promising... This is the kind of show that might appeal to the 12-year old boy inside of you. Or the crazy 18-year old? Environmental activists and rodent-lovers might be more upset, though. I'm not sure if they should be. After all, it seems most of the swamp rats get away!

:D

I'm not sure how to rate this, but since I'm the first reviewer and I kind of liked the bizarre humor of the sneak peaks, I'll give it the OK rating - three stars.

Swamp thing

"Swamp Hunters" is one of at least a dozen so-called reality series set in the Bayou of Louisiana. Let me guess. Are we dealing with some kind of American stereotype here? ;-)

In this series, we get to meet the Taylor clan, who spend most of their time relic-hunting in the Honey Island Swamp. I admit that I found the first episode pretty entertaining, especially old papa D'Roy's one-liners. The other episodes I've seen were more boring.

And yes, this must be scripted. Nobody's gonna convince me that an old pot from the Civil War goes for 8000 dollars! Are we to believe "Swamp Hunters", even obviously faked voodoo bling bling is profitable. Is the Bayou hexed, after all?

At one point, one of the Taylors claims to have seen the famed Honey Island Swamp Monster (a distant cousin of Bigfoot) and says it looks like one of the Ewoks from Star Wars! OK, I'm ready to believe that, LOL.

Three stars for this swamp thing - but really only two and a half.

Will the real pseudo-sceptics please stand up?

"Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files" is a series originally aired at ScyFy. It follows a team of people investigating real or perceived paranormal phenomena, from UFOs and ghosts to mermaids and (surprise) the Honey Island Swamp Monster. The team attempts to re-enact various "paranormal" scenarios to see if they really lack a mundane explanation. The whole thing reminds me of "Finding Bigfoot", but with a broader scope. And yes, the women on this show more skin than the BRFO's tomboy Ranae...

Somewhat surprisingly, "Fact or Faked" takes a mostly sceptical angle on the problems under investigation. My favourite is the debunking of the bizarre urban legend about ghost children in Texas pushing cars up a slope. The team finds out that even school buses (!) are being "pushed" up the slope at the place in question...but unfortunately the whole thing is an optical illusion. It's really a downslope!

Another classic is the debunking of "Dr. Jonathan Reed", who claims that his Golden Retriever was killed by a crazy alien in the Cascade Mountains. The alien had an obelisk-shaped craft. Reed killed the intruder, took the body to his cabin but lost all evidence during a burglary. Conclusion? About as fake as you can possibly get! I admit that I didn't like the debunking of the poor old Honey Island Swamp Monster, though. I mean, I happen to believe in such stuff. But perhaps there is hope after all, since "Fact or Faked" haven't been able to explain the mysterious Nightcrawler of Fresno. But sure, I suppose it could be a hungry shorebird looking for the closest fast food place!

Despite the mostly sceptical angle, not everyone is pleased with the paranormal files. Both the CSI and the James Randi Educational Foundation have published a highly critical review of the series. It seems "Fact or Faked" don't rule out *all* paranormal phenomena, and occasionally makes a few gaffes. Orb spider, anyone? So while true believers might think an Illuminati plot is behind this one, the sceptical community see it as yet another paranormal "fifth column". Pseudo-sceptics fighting pseudo-sceptics? Will the real sceptic please stand up, LOL! As C.S. Lewis would say: "Really, we are hard to please"...

Personally, I think "Fact or Faked" is somewhat uneven, with some episodes being pretty boring, while others are more interesting, even intriguing. However, since I want to annoy the CSI this week, I'm willing to oversee the Honey Island debunking and give this series...four stars. How about that?

We always lie to strangers

"Monsters and Mysteries in America" is a surprisingly good series shown at Destination America. It features interviews with people who claim to have encountered various paranormal creatures, plus reconstructions of the events.

The producers have made absolutely no attempt to verify the various stories. They could be absurd tall tales, for all we know. Despite this, the show works. Some of the people on it are pretty good story tellers. Regardless whether you believe in monsters or not, you will probably find this to be entertaining, certainly on a rainy day!

I admit that some of the supernatural beasts shown on "Monsters and Mysteries" are just too bizarre to be believable. Come and meet the Sheep-squatch (you heard me). Or how about Justin Smeja, the man who claimed he shot a Bigfoot in the Sierras? (John Muir would have a few unkind comments about *that*!) The shape-shifting werewolf Rougarou of Louisiana is another sure attraction on our tour, as is the Honey Island Swamp Monster, a Bigfoot-like creature with webbed, reptilian feet. A couple of classical cases are also revisited, including the alien attack on Sutton's farm in Kelly and Mothman of Point Pleasant.

Are we really supposed to believe in these yarns? Perhaps not. However, the complete lack of any sceptic versus true believer confrontation actually makes them strangely relaxing to watch... Four stars for what might become a piece of modern Americana.

Yankees in the slammer

Two Chicago anthropology students travel to northern Louisiana to investigate Bigfoot reports. The southern fried Skunk Ape turns out to be a crazed man-hunter. "Creature from the Black Lake" is a blend of road movie, horror and Bigfoot documentary. And yes, it's very low budget. Could be interesting if you're into 1970's nostalgia, B-movie monsters or Dennis Fimple, but personally I wasn't too thrilled by it. I somewhat reluctantly give it three stars.

Not that scary

"The Alligator People" isn't really a horror movie, but a classical story about well-meaning scientific experiments gone wrong. A woman travels to a mysterious plantation in Louisiana (complete with Black servants!) to find out why her husband mysteriously disappeared on their honeymoon a few months earlier.

The title of the movie might give you a clue to the rest of the plot. Think "scientific experiment", "Dr. Frankenstein" and "Louisiana swamplands"...

Not the best movie around, but tolerable unless you're expecting a fully-fledged horror flick. Somewhat reluctantly, I give it three stars.

Florida, here I come

A review of "The Ghost Inside My Child", a TV series about the paranormal. 

I haven't watched the episodes of this season (at least not in this life), but I've seen the pilot, which doesn't seem to be included at Amazon Instant Video. It featured interviews with a number of pretty regular U.S. middle class families who believes (or claims to believe) that their kids have authentic reincarnation memories. Even the children are featured. For some reason, the pilot didn't really move me either way. Not sure why. My deepest feelings about reincarnation is hell no, this wasn't what I signed up for, take me to some ascended star system with luminous pegasi! Logically, I should have hated this production.

However, I must say that some of the hysterical reactions to "The Ghost Inside My Child" are pretty entertaining. Apparently, the show can't be true because Christians, or in one instance Buddhists, don't believe in reincarnation, or *this kind* of reincarnation. Only the New Age does, ergo the interviewees must be lying. That's an argument?!

Another blogger called the featured families "underclass losers". Really? If those houses and lawns are what passes for underclass in Louisiana, Florida or New York State, I'll move to the U.S. anytime, ha ha! Maybe I can reincarnate there in the near future?

Not sure how to rate this, but in the interest of fairness, three stars (the OK rating) sounds alright. The silly negativity almost made me like the pilot...