During a clinical trial, there are controls and an experimental group. The control group receives an inert drug, or placebo, that has no chemical effect. Some people exposed to an inactive drug experience beneficial outcomes; others will endure adverse symptoms.
Also known as mass hysteria or epidemic hysteria, mass psychogenic illness (MPI) has existed historically across cultures, manifesting in ways such as dancing plagues or witch hunts. Now, this phenomena has transcended the physical realm and transformed into an epidemic spread via social media.
Beginning in 2000, Sherry Shriner, a self-anointed "Messenger of the Most High God", used multiple social media platforms to disseminate her end-times-centric beliefs. Her teachings feature aliens, reptiles, demons, witches, clones, blood-rituals, microchipping, and more conspiratorial fodder.
Tarot is a topic that can be approached 5,342 different ways, yet still fail to cover every fine detail. Falling far short from being a comprehensive compendium on all things tarot, this article is just a shallow pool in which you can dip your curious toes to discover the origin of tarot cards.
This article explores a syndrome that plagued hat makers between the 17th and 20th centuries and the consequences thereof.
This article is an exploration of Halloween from its Iron Age origin to its present-day popularity. Journey into the past and learn how trick-or-treating, dressing up in costume, and more of your favorite Halloween traditions came to be.
Most occult enthusiasts -myself included- are familiar with the prevalence of “cursed objects”. Some of the most identifiable paranormal trinkets include Annabelle (the haunted Raggedy Ann doll), the Dybbuk Box (a domicile of an evil spirit), and the Devil’s Rocking Chair (a hotbed for exorcism).
A quick overview on the histoy, symptoms, and treatments of three mental disorders.
A quick exploration on the psych, behavioral manifestations, and cultural significance of Renefield syndrome.
I know that for some -okay, maybe for many- watching a stranger tap on a plastic container filled with spicy ranch or pour a fizzy drink over ice is anything except appealing; most would probably be annoyed. Yet, those who -in response- feel a particular tingle from skull to spine experience ASMR.
An exploration on the fickleness of our memories.
The undeniable importance of language was not lost on philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who stated: “The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” Language is a cornerstorn of cutlure. It is essential in communicating complex thoughts, ideas, intentions, motivations, and desires.
The Black Dog; Tell Me About Bipolar Disorder; "It's All in Your Mind"; The Good, The Bad, and The Cycling; Moderating Mayhem: Methods to Lessen the Severity of Episodes; and other essential information concerning Bipolar Disorder.
A collection of underused terms intended to broaden a reader's economy of words.
"Nothing as it Seems: An Interview" offers a fictional portrayal of world happenings, particularly conspiracy theories and space archeology, in the form of a dialogue between a civilian and retired government employee.
The Memphis landscape, situated on the eastern bank of the Mississippi river, is generally hazy with stifling humidity, which often smothers the Bluesy sounds of local musicians and traps the heavy scent of barbeque that characteristically permeates...
Homer’s Odyssey depicts it as the consequence of Circe the sorceress’ ill will. The Book of Daniel considers it a bout of insanity, from which King Nebuchadnezzar suffered for seven years. Citizens of Ancient Greece claimed it yellowed the skin,...
It is a primordial practice, to label something a threat that is simply not understood. The fear inside most people of any alien and unorthodox element is a defense mechanism developed for the sake of adapting to a world of uncertainties. Perhaps...
The middle-aged woman shifts uneasily, speaks in dulcet tones, and casts a weary eye on him whenever he poses a question. It appears to be an extreme form of anxiety, perhaps compounded by depression, but he remains unconvinced that all is as it...
Sometime around AD 800, a radical cultural phenomenon transformed the New Mexico landscape. Suddenly, the scorched, inhospitable southwestern terrain became the foundation for a well-planned, efficiently constructed cityscape that reflected the...
Discrimination towards low-income and marginal populations in college and university admission practices is evident; nevertheless, there may be solutions for some institutionalized obstacles.
It was certainly a cause for celebration: the Greek noble had won yet another chariot race. While the usual feast would have sufficed, friends had cared to hire a poetic lyricist to honor their victorious host. But, as Simonides of Ceos begins his...
It seems paradoxical, the internal polarization of anthropology. Why do practitioners of the study of human behavior, who dabble in the various shades of gray that comprise culture and society, so often commit themselves to only the black or white...
During the early morning hours of March 13, 1964, twenty-eight year old Catherine “Kitty” Genovese was repeatedly stabbed to death before almost forty eyewitnesses. While such a brutal murder is naturally horrific, the reaction of the...
Evidence suggests that the Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, better known as "little boot", or Caligula, was born on the last day of August in AD 12 to Agrippina, the granddaughter of the great Emperor Augustus, and Germanicus. His surname,...
ich habe du hast er/sie/ es hat wir haben ihr habt sie haben Sie haben Various forms of "haben" are used in order to relay family associations (i.e. I have a sister and two brothers). For this reason, the vocabulary included in this...
Composed perhaps as early as 1,000 B.C.E., the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit spiritual epic, contains the history of a great battle waged between the five sons of King Pandu and the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra. Within this sacred account,...
Ancient lore suggests that it was a gift bestowed upon the Great Emperor by an angel; that the composition of a flaming liquid weapon, later referred to as “Greek fire”, was given to Constantine Pogonatus by an ethereal being....
The terms “health disparity” and “health inequality” are generally associated with developing nations, where professional medical attention is insufficient and health threats easily overwhelm a populace. Yet, within the United States itself,...
Intellectual greats, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, William Withering, Erasmus Darwin, James Watt, Matthew Boulton, and William Hershel, have a striking similarity that is often overlooked, yet undoubtedly a contributing factor to...
The conjugation of “to be” in German (sein) is perhaps one of the most common verb forms used in everyday speech. Notice the use of personal pronouns, which were initially discussed in The German Language Series: Part III. The...
Within modern society, the terms “disease” and “illness” are used interchangeably, yet within anthropology, a distinction between the two must be made, especially when approaching non-western cultures. Disease, for example, is an actual...
Since the genesis of written records, the sighting of celestial phenomena, specifically comets, have been synonymous with disaster. Ancient cultures, such as those of Greece, China, and Mesoamerica, have all documented the supposed consequences of...
Yes, Memphis, Tennessee gets to lay claim to the Rock and Roll great, Elvis Presley, but there is far more to the Bluff City than mainstream media has yet to reveal. Memphis is named after the ancient metropolis of Egypt. It is...
Yet another fabulous but simple recipe translated from Die Gute Küche by Edda Meyer -Berkhout. This dish is a light option for lunch and even makes for a delicious snack. Toast Hawaii Ingredients Needed for Two Servings: 2 slices of bread 2...
Used as the subject of the sentence, known as nominative case form, German nouns are generally accompanied either by the definite article der (masculine), die (feminine), or das (neuter). No matter the variation, the article translates as the. ...
In Germany, a person can address another with either du or Sie. Both words equate to “you” in the English language. Yet, du is used when referring to family, friends, fellow students, or children, while Sie is used in situations where there is...
Schinkennudeln, or “Ham noodles”, is a very simple and quick meal to prepare. It was one of the first traditional meals that I, myself, learned how to cook, and has been a weekly dish in my family since I can remember. Paired with a fresh green...
For decades, traditional German cuisine has been preserved within the pages of Die Gute Küche, by Edda Meyer-Berkhout. Considering that Europe is standardized via the metric system, I have converted and translated a selection of delicious recipes...
While Part I of the German Language Series highlighted the German roots of multiple English words (another image is provided below of these cognates), this section is intended to touch on additional similarities, mainly concentrated around grammar....
What follows is Part I of a series on German language basics. What you will find in this and each successive Hub will be a themed summation of some element of the German language. This initial introduction will orient the learner by listing a...
...that this is purely a fictional tale based upon my idea of how some might come to terms with some form of apocalyptic end. The content, while not too extensive, may bother some readers due to its nature. As the sun began to fall behind the...
The historical uncertainty that envelopes the orator of the universally well known phrase, “An army marches on its stomach,” attributes the statement’s origins either to Frederick the Great or Napoleon Bonaparte. While the originator of the...
Existence; in all but a few exceptionally rare cases, justification of the state of being is the cornerstone of human culture. The need to uncover meaning in life as well as death has therefore become a timeless desire of man, one which the Ancient...
A man seated upon the sun-baked ground twitches. He has been still for several minutes, eyes glazed, both arms hanging loosely at his sides. A moment later he twitches again and suddenly begins to convulse. While writhing in the...
The landscape of the Central Andean mountainside exhibits a rich variety of vascular plants that are periodically separated by high-altitude forests and woodlands. Within this myriad of flora, a most unremarkable shrub that bears a great resemblance...
Sneezing, fever, coughing, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and inflammation; these symptoms, often believed to be the manifestations of disease, are in actuality defensive adaptations, posited by Darwinian Medicine to be the direct result of an...
Contemporary American agriculture is a highly intensified food production system, classified as such due to the nation’s overly dependent reliance upon a singular crop: corn. Contained within everything from whiskey to the Big Mac, corn is an...
The tower stands solitary within the large, circular room, lined closely by small, confined prison cells. The inmate’s form is backlit by the burning sunlight, which streams through the bars of the small window etched into the outer wall of his...
Contained within the pages of Khaled Fahmy’s All the Pasha’s Men is a direct rebuttal of a large majority of acknowledged Egyptian historiography, concentrating on the figure of Mehmed Pasha, the fabled “spider in his den”. Viewed by some...
Amidst the dying controversy of Nazi eugenic practices and the newfound rumors of Russian psychological experimentation, the CIA invoked the innovations of the former and the possible threat of the latter in order to create the perfect defensive and...
Jane Hathaway’s work, The Politics of Households In Ottoman Egypt, focuses on the rise of the Qazdagli household and the manner in which this institution embodied the transformations that were occurring throughout the Egyptian landscape, including...
The following article is the third and final installment of the "Colonizing Egypt" series. The previous two installments can be found here: Colonizing Egypt: A Review on the Methods of Western Imperialism Colonizing Egypt: A Further Analysis on...
Since the Era of Exploration, the peopling of the New World has received endless scrutiny. Albeit a general consensus on the Asiatic origins of all Native Americans, the exact manner in which these populations arrived on the shores of North America...
“This was the greatest disturbance in the history of the Hellenes, affecting also a large part of the non-Hellenic world, and indeed, I might almost say, the whole of mankind.” These were the words written by the Greek historian, Thucydides, in...
It is a primordial practice, to label something a threat that is simply not understood. The fear inside most people of any alien and unorthodox element is a defense mechanism developed for the sake of adapting to a world of uncertainties. Perhaps...
The foundations upon which Egyptian nationalist intentions were constructed mirrored the idealized societal structures that Europeans proposed when attempting to convey a sense of order and civility upon those outside of the Western World. ...
Colonizing Egypt: A Review on the Methods of Western Imperialism The first of the Colonization of Egypt series introduces Timothy Mitchell and some of the overlying issues with Western Imperialism. It is a remarkable feature of culture: the...
Colonising Egypt, a work by Timothy Mitchell, observes the process and the resulting consequences of colonialism on three separate stages: that of the world-at-exhibition, the Egyptian city, and the West. Within each instance there is evidence for...
Long before the Western trinity of guns, germs, and steel swept across a New World, the Nez Perce of the Plateau lived scattered along a landscape of yawning canyons, flowing rivers, and sudden elevation shifts. Their territory, which...
While Spain unified with Portugal under the crown of Philip II and the Anglo-Spanish War raged on either side of the Atlantic, a singular gentleman, seemingly far removed from the numerous watersheds that came to define the end of the 16th century,...
A memoir on ignorance, realization, and unconditional love that challenges the beliefs and perceptions of a horrific, historic event.
The genesis of anthropology, which spanned the breadth of two incredibly impacting world epochs, including that of colonialism and the Enlightenment, focused its initial epistemology upon the idea of scientific and unbiased analysis of the structure...
Shadowed by the enlightened intentions of the Progressive era, America welcomed the onset of the 20th century as a nation reveling in the unparalleled growth and development attributed to the sweeping trend of industrialization. The industrial and...
Within the first pages of his masterpiece, The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett introduces a spoiled, feeble, British child who, at the threshold of the 20th century, became orphaned in the exotic Indian landscape. It had not been a case...
It wasn’t until after I had earned my degree in anthropology that I came to the horrid realization that only a small minority of individuals outside of my academic peers has any sense of what actually comprises this field of study and how it is...