Vampires And Other Immortals Part 2 of 2

Before we talk about fictional immortals, here's a bit of information about the above photograph. Scientists have recognized Turritopsis nutriculaas as the only known animal that is capable of rejuvenating itself, thus sustaining life over and over again—being immortal.

Jellyfish usually die after propagating, but according to the London Times, Turritopsis reverts to a sexually immature stage after reaching adulthood and is capable of rejuvenating itself. It is the only known animal capable of reverting to its juvenile polyp state. In theory, this cycle can repeat indefinitely, making it potentially immortal.

The creature is only 4-5mm in diameter. It is found in warm tropical waters but is believed to be spreading across the world as ships discharge their ballast water in ports.

And now on to the other type of immortal—the characters in our myths, literature, and movies/television.  I recently came across a list of the top ten immortal characters as compiled by LiveScience. This is a cross-section sampling from various forms of storytelling.

10.  Peter Pan:  The famous boy who never grows up (or grows old) and prefers to live on the magical isle of Never Land.

9.  Dracula:  If you're desperate to live forever, you could try getting bitten by Dracula or any of the other well-known vampires. Of course, you'd have to give up Italian food which is loaded with garlic and getting a nice suntan would be out of the question.

8.  Lazarus Long:  A character in many of Robert Heinlein's science fiction novels. Lazarus lives to be over 2,000 years old, travels to distant planets, and travels through time.

7.  Nicolas Flamel:  J.K. Rowling based Flamel's character (good friend to Hogwart's headmaster) on a real-life French 15^th Century alchemist who legend claims successfully created the Philosopher's Stone, a mythical elixir that turns lead into gold and grants eternal life.

6.  Tithonus:  When Greek goddess Eos asks Zeus to grant her mortal lover, Tithonus, eternal life, she forgets to also ask for eternal youth. Tithonus lives forever, but he grows old and frail, and begs for death.

5.  Dorian Gray:  Oscar Wilde created this character who remains young and handsome while his portrait ages. He becomes corrupt, but his crimes and true age show only in the face of the painting which grows progressively more monstrous and withered.

4.  Highlander:  In the 1986 movie, Connor MacLeod is a member of the immortals, a mysterious race who die only when they are beheaded. The immortals must battle each other until only one is left to claim The Prize: the gift of immortality.

3.  Grail Knight:  A knight of the First Crusade. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade he is given the task of guarding the Holy Grail, a crucible that grants eternal life to any who drink from it.

2.  Methuselah:  He's the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, becoming a father at the age of 187 and living to be 969 years old.

1.  Arwen:  A half-elven maiden in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings who renounces eternal life to marry her mortal sweetheart. She lives to be 2,901 years old.

This is just a top ten list according to one source, not a complete list of immortals. Do you have a favorite immortal character among the many?

Vampires And Other Immortals—Part 1 of 2

Halloween is almost here, if all the Halloween candy in the stores is any indication. Vampires are big business this time of year, thanks in part to such popular book and movie series as Twilight in addition to various television series. Of course, vampires have never really been out of style. They were popularized in literature by Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula. But stories of vampires go back many centuries before that.

Where did the concept of vampires come from? The answer to that question exists somewhere in the space separating science and superstition. Some sources claim the stories of vampires began with the Romanian prince Vlad Tepes who lived 1431-1476 and fought for independence against the Ottoman Empire. His methods of dealing with his enemies included slowly impaling them on stakes, drawing and quartering, and burning them alive. It all seems very brutal and sadistic by today's standards, but not all that uncommon for those times. The same methods were used by the Catholic Church during the Spanish Inquisition and by other rulers and powerful leaders during the Middle Ages to torture and kill their enemies.

Bram Stoker is said to have patterned some of his Dracula character after Vlad Tepes as the birth of the modern fictional vampire. However, the roots of real vampires have very different origins.  Stories of vampires are a worldwide phenomenon with localized versions of vampires coming from almost all cultures. Before science progressed to the point where it could explain such things as weather patterns and germ theory, any bad event that did not have an obvious cause could be blamed on a vampire (or a witch). The mythical creature was an easy answer to the age old question of why bad things happened to good people.

Superstitious villagers took their belief that something had cursed them and put it together with their fear of the dead and came to the conclusion that recently buried people who had risen from the dead to do evil deeds were responsible. They dug up graves and were surprised by the way the corpses looked. Not understanding the process of decomposition, they assumed bodies immediately turned to skeletons.

Even with the original vampires being long gone, the cultural phenomenon of vampires continues to fascinate the world. And it isn't just the macabre and horror stories that draw on the vampire character. We have several examples of vampires being used as objects of humor such as Al Lewis' Grandpa character on the old Munsters television series.  We have comedy vampire movies such as Love At First Bite and Mel Brooks' 1995 film Dracula, Dead and Loving It.

And more recently, we are just as likely to see the vampire on television and in movies as the drop dead (pun intended) gorgeous sexy hero as we are in the role of villain.

Even children have been caught up in the commercialism of the vampire world. There's General Mills' Count Chocula breakfast cereal, marketed to children. And not even the long running award-winning children's television series Sesame Street was able to ignore the vampire allure. One of their popular Muppet characters is Count von Count, complete with black Dracula style cape and fangs. His function on Sesame Street is to teach children numbers and how to count.

Vampire movies have been around since the days of silent films with the 1922 classic, Nosferatu, featuring a grotesque frightening looking monster type vampire. In 1931, Bela Lugosi showed us a new and different type of vampire—the charming, suave, and urbane Count Dracula who dressed in formal attire consisting of tuxedo and cape.

Do you have a favorite vampire movie or television series?

Next week, I'm going to post the second part of my 2-part blog about Vampires And Other Immortals, including a top ten list of immortals from myths, literature, and movies.

Phobias For The Twenty-First Century

Phobias…those irrational fears of just about anything you can think of.  Most of them have been out there for centuries (if not longer).  Some of them have been handed down through families.

But like so many other things that arrived with the twenty-first century, it has also brought us a whole new collection of things to provide irrational fears (after all, you can't have too many irrational fears).

Nomophobia is the fear of not having cell phone contact, whether it's due to a dead battery or because your network doesn't have coverage where you are.  A fate worse than death?

Vidigameaphobia is the fear of video games.  This can cover everything from simply being afraid of the games to the fear that the games could come to life.  A game coming to life?  Or better yet, the star of that game coming to life? Hmm…maybe I need to buy that Indiana Jones game after all.

Interphobia is exactly what it sounds like…fear of the world wide web.  Now that's a phobia to avoid at all costs.

Dextrophobia and its counterpart Levophobia offers us a couple of really strange phobias.  Dextrophobia is the fear of everything to the right of your body while Levophobia is the fear of everything to the left of your body.

Coulrophobia has actually been around for a long time and is still going strong.  It's the fear of clowns.  Stephen King had a clown as one of his evil entities.

Alektorophobia is an extreme fear of live chickens.  Should the scope of the fear be expanded to include people who look like Col. Sanders?

Pupaphobia is related to Coulrophobia.  They might even be first cousins.  It's the fear of puppets.  Not sure what you'd call the fear of a clown puppet.

Sesquipedalophobia, as the length of the word suggests, is the fear of very long words.  Wouldn't a shorter word be more appropriate?

Cathisophobia is one that those of us working at computers need to avoid at all costs.  It's the fear of sitting.

Genuphobia is the fear of knees.  That must be really difficult in summer when warm weather clothing means lots of knees sticking out there for anyone to see.

And here's a bonus phobia to carry us through the twenty-first century.  This has to be the ultimate fear:  Phobophobia.  Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like…a fear of fears.

My primary fear is bugs and other creepy crawler things.  Of course, my fear, unlike those others, is completely rational.  Do you have any fears (rational or irrational) you'd like to share?

PRESIDENTIAL SUPERSTITIONS

I think everyone has some superstition that they relate to, even if it's nothing more than saying "knock on wood" or making it a point to not walk under a ladder just in case. And then there's that moment's pause when they realize it's Friday the 13th.

The office of President of the United States does not make the occupant immune to adhering to the call of a superstition. I recently came across a list of some of the U.S. Presidents and their superstitious beliefs.

George Washington

On his deathbed in 1799, George Washington expressed his fear of being buried alive. He insisted his body be untouched for two days after his death. Common during the 18th century, this fear came due to the dead being buried very quickly as bodies weren't embalmed.

William Henry Harrison

The Curse of Tippecanoe, also known as the 20-year curse, is attributed to Harrison—elected in 1840 and died in 1841 after serving only 31 days as president. A dispute between President Harrison and Tecumseh, a Shawnee Indian leader, is said to be the reason presidents who were elected or re-elected in years ending in zero died in office—Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, and Kennedy. Reagan, elected in 1980, survived an assassination attempt which seems to have broken the curse.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln claimed to have visions of the future and accurately predicted his own death. He dreamed he saw his dead body and a soldier told him he had been assassinated. He also saw two versions of himself in a mirror which he interpreted to mean he would be elected to a second term but would not survive it.

Ulysses S. Grant

President Grant had an unusual superstition that probably served him well as president. Grant is quoted as saying, "Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished."

William McKinley

President McKinley always wore a red carnation on his lapel. He gave away his lucky carnation if he thought someone needed luck and would replace it with a new carnation. He gave away his good luck charm at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. During the event, Leon Czolgosz shot McKinley who died on September 14, 1901.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

President Franklin Roosevelt feared the number 13—an affliction called triskaidekaphobia—and avoided traveling on Fridays and the 13th day of each month. President Herbert Hoover also had the same affliction.

Harry S. Truman

Upon becoming president, Harry Truman put a horseshoe over the door to his office in the White House. He also installed a horseshoe pit on the White House lawn. Horseshoes are a symbol of good luck. They are typically hung over the entrance to a home.

Gerald Ford

President Ford believed the election would be won by whichever candidate's wife won the Family Circle baking contest. His wife, Betty Ford, won the contest with her double chocolate chip cookie recipe. Although her husband eventually became president, it wasn't until after Richard Nixon resigned. Rosalyn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush all won the contest and their husbands were elected president.

Ronald Reagan

Nancy Reagan hired astrologer Joan Quigley to plan her husband's schedule following an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. Quigley guided the agenda concerning the president's cancer surgery as well as diplomacy issues and Cold War meetings. When the press revealed Nancy's involvement in astrology, she quickly downplayed it.

James Earl Carter

In 1969, Jimmy Carter saw a red and green orb. He was convinced he saw a UFO and filed a report with the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma. A decade later, while serving as president, he claimed to see a vicious rabbit on a solo fishing trip, but his staff brushed it off.

George W. Bush

As a young boy, George W. Bush supposedly saw ghosts coming out of the walls near the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House. He described the White House as "creepy." During his presidency, the White House's website detailed the historic White House ghosts.

Barack Obama

In 2008 Obama said, "We realized that we had played basketball before Iowa and before South Carolina. We didn't play basketball before New Hampshire and Nevada. And so now, we've made a clear rule that on Election Day I have to play basketball."

Donald J. Trump

Donald Trump has been known to throw salt over his left shoulder after a meal and has described himself as a "very superstitious person." The superstition itself originated from the believe that the devil lurked behind you. The salt supposedly distracted the devil from causing harm. 

It's Friday the 13th —Does it make you stop and think?

Triskaidekaphobia:  Fear of the number thirteen.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia:  Fear of Friday the 13^th.

An obviously irrational concept that a mere number can bring bad luck to someone.  Or that a specific day of the week can be unlucky.  But that doesn't stop us from dwelling on the possibility.

This upcoming Friday is the dreaded Friday the 13^th.  The tradition of Friday being a day of bad luck dates back centuries with some of the more common theories linking it to significant events in the Bible believed to have taken place on Friday such as the Crucifixion of Christ, Eve offering Adam the apple in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the great flood.

Many sources for the superstition surrounding the number thirteen and its association with bad luck also derive from Christianity with the Last Supper being cited as the origin—Judas was the thirteenth person to be seated at the table.

And when you put the two bad luck symbols together you get Friday the 13^th—the day associated with misfortune.

One legend of the origin of Friday the 13^th as unlucky comes from the persecution of the Knights Templar. Philip IV of France borrowed enormous sums of money from the very wealthy Templars to finance a war with England. An ineffectual king and an even worse military commander, Philip was easily defeated. He saw a way of both currying favor with the Pope and eliminating his huge debt. On that fateful day of Friday, October 13, 1307, he ordered all Templars arrested and their property seized. Jacques DeMolay, the Grandmaster of the order, was thrown in prison along with several other high-ranking members of the order. The Knights Templar, which had dominated medieval life for two centuries, were no more. Unfortunately for Philip, the Templars had learned of his planned treachery beforehand. Many of them escaped and their vast stores of treasure were hidden from the King's soldiers. Jacques DeMolay was burned alive after being tortured when he refused to admit to any wrongdoing. Another legend that has also persisted is that Jacques DeMolay cursed both Philip IV and Pope Clement V, as he died. Philip and Clement died within months of DeMolay's death.

Superstition is a belief or notion not based on reason or knowledge.  An irrational belief.  Lots of superstitions came into being during the Dark Ages, a time when living conditions were so severe that people reached out to anything that might bring them help and solace with the results being explanations for what seemed unexplainable at the time.  Religious beliefs and lack of scientific knowledge helped to spawn many superstitions.

Superstitions differ from culture to culture, but we all have them even if it's only paying surface homage to the concept.  We don't believe in the good luck vs. bad luck of chain letters/chain e-mails/chain texts, yet it often comes down to saying what's the harm, then sending them on to avoid breaking the chain.

We often follow the tradition of the superstition without really knowing why it's the traditional thing to do.  If we blow out all the candles on our birthday cake with one breath while making a silent wish, then the wish will come true.  When expressing a desire for good luck (we'll be able to go on the picnic if it doesn't rain), we grin, then we knock on wood as we emit an embarrassed chuckle.

In Western folklore, many superstitions are associated with bad luck.  In addition to Friday the 13^th, there's walking under a ladder, having a black cat cross your path, spilling salt, stepping on a crack, and breaking a mirror among others.

In addition to cultural superstitions, there's also certain occupations that evoke various rituals to bring on good luck.  It seems to me that gamblers and sports figures have the most superstitions and rituals to insure good luck.

Do you have any superstitions that you hold dear?  Are they more of a traditional situation handed down through your family or are they superstitions that have come down through history?

And I'm sure there won't be any unpleasantries or bizarre accidents on Friday the 13^th this month. (knock on wood).

What Your Favorite Sandwich Says About You

As a follow-up to my 3-part blog series about the signature sandwich for each of the 50 states, this week I'm taking a look at what your favorite sandwich says about you.

Whether it's lunch or a midnight snack. At home or in a restaurant. Now and then or daily. We all have our favorite sandwich. It might be something simple from childhood that we turned into a more adult offering, or maybe something exotic.

But do you know what your choice of sandwich…your favorite…says about you and your character? Put your horoscope and astrological signs aside and pay attention to your sandwich. :)

I recently came across a list of 10 popular sandwiches and what they say about those who consider that specific sandwich their favorite. Now, this list only mentions the main ingredient and does not take into consideration how you dress up and customize that sandwich—specialty bread or roll, exotic cheeses, various spreads, other touches such as lettuce and/or tomato, etc.

TURKEY SANDWICH

If this is your first choice on the menu, you like to play it safe in life. You like to know what to expect. You're not interested in the latest fad. All things classic make you smile.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH

You're predictable, but in a good way. You're very loyal and your friends feel they can trust you with their lives.

BLT SANDWICH

If the bacon-lettuce-tomato is your favorite, you know how to spot a good thing. You like to keep life simple, fill it with good times, and avoid drama.

GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

You're carefree, the life of the party, and specialize in having a good time. Everyone loves you.

DONUT BREAKFAST SANDWICH

This might not be what you want to hear, but you are crazy intense. That can have its down side, but it also means you're very passionate and a serious risk taker. Nothing scares you.

MUFFULETTA SANDWICH

I have to admit that I didn't know what this was and have never noticed it on a menu. But I have discovered that it's the signature sandwich of Louisiana. The muffuletta is an Italian-American creation  that says you're a mover and a shaker. People come to you when they need a problem solved or just a good dose of inspiration.

PULLED PORK SANDWICH

You like to walk, not run. You're a lover, not a fighter. You always stop to smell the roses.

REUBEN SANDWICH

If this is your first choice, you have a bold voice and you're not afraid to make it heard. Loud And Proud is your life motto. You're the natural leader of any gathering.

TUNA MELT SANDWICH

You're an old soul. Words flow from you like beautiful poetry. You don't bother with appearances and you don't need to because you're so beautiful on the inside.

BOLOGNA SANDWICH

You're a hopeless romantic, swept up with feelings of nostalgia. But you are going to have to grow up some time.

I don't know how they arrived at the 10 specific sandwiches listed in the article. There are several popular ones not on this list.  The first thing that came to my mind was whether chicken and turkey were considered to be the same.  Then I thought about the Club sandwich—a combination of the BLT, turkey with some ham thrown in. And speaking of ham, there's also the Ham sandwich and its close relative the Ham and Cheese sandwich.

And, of course, there are also those two all-American creations that are extremely popular—the Hamburger and the favorite at baseball games, the Hot Dog.

Signature Sandwich From Each State, part 3of3

In the final week of my 3-part blog series on the signature sandwich for each state, I'm presenting New Mexico thru Wyoming.

New Mexico: Green chili cheeseburger

Thanks to the state's love of green chilis, particularly from Hatch, New Mexico, this burger is a staple in New Mexican cuisine. The Southwestern cheeseburger features a beef patty topped with roasted green chilis and melted cheese served on a bun.

New York: Pastrami on rye

It goes without question that thick slices of pastrami piled high on rye bread and served with mustard is a New York culinary landmark. Originating from Jewish delis in New York City, this sandwich became an iconic part of the city's food culture in the 1920s.

North Carolina: Pulled pork sandwich

This sandwich is made with slow-cooked smoky pork shoulder that is shredded and slathered in a vinegar-based barbecue sauce. Topped with coleslaw and served on a bun, it is indicative of the state's rich barbecue tradition in which low and slow is the name of the game.

North Dakota: Sloppy Joe

This messy and delicious sandwich—sometimes referred to as a slushburger—combines seasoned ground beef cooked in a tangy tomato sauce and served on a bun. It became popular in the mid-20th century as an easy and affordable meal—in turn, becoming a hearty Midwestern comfort food staple.

Ohio: Polish boy

The Polish boy features a snappy kielbasa sausage on a bun, topped with a mound of coleslaw, french fries, and barbecue sauce. This behemoth originated in Cleveland.

Oklahoma: Chicken fried steak sandwich

For Oklahomans, this is the ultimate comfort food: a breaded and fried steak patty topped with savory gravy, lettuce, and tomato served on a bun. Variations include toppings such as Swiss cheese and caramelized onions.

Oregon: Fried chicken biscuit

This entry highlights Oregon's love of comfort food. The loaded sandwich is made with seasoned fried chicken and served on a fluffy biscuit, often slathered with gravy or topped with honey.

Pennsylvania: Cheesesteak

Created in Philadelphia in 1930 by ​​Pat Olivieri, the cheesesteak evolved to become the signature sandwich of the city's food culture. Thinly sliced beefsteak, grilled and topped with melted cheese—Cheez Whiz, provolone, or American—and served on a hoagie with optional sautéed onions and peppers, cements its status as a culinary icon.

Rhode Island: Fried clam roll

Originating from the East Coast, this sandwich showcases golden-fried clams served on a buttered bun with tartar sauce and lemon wedges. The state's clam shacks call to locals and visitors alike with this summer seafood delight.

South Carolina: Pulled pork sandwich

This sandwich highlights the state's unique Carolina gold barbecue tradition, which originated in the Midlands. Slow-cooked pulled pork is dressed in a tangy, mustard-based barbecue sauce and served on a bun with coleslaw. Thank Germans, who settled in the British colony of South Carolina, for bringing over the mustard that influenced the finger-licking sauce.

South Dakota: Pheasant sandwich

After the Red Cross and USO opened a canteen in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to feed World War II soldiers boarding the train, local farmers brought pheasants, resulting in the creation of the pheasant sandwich in 1943. This offering comes together with cooked and chopped pheasant, hard-boiled eggs, onion, celery, pickle relish, and mayo.

Tennessee: Hot chicken sandwich

This Nashville creation features spicy fried chicken served on white bread with pickles. The sandwich originated with Prince's Hot Chicken Shack after a revenge plot-turned-happy accident which ignited the spread of the Southern staple people can't get enough of.

Texas: Brisket sandwich

Slow-smoked tender beef brisket sliced and served on a bun with barbecue sauce and pickles highlights Texas' renowned barbecue culture. Variations of the brisket sandwich include different sauces or toppings, including onions and ​​coleslaw.

Utah: Pastrami burger

Adopted by James Katsanevas in Southern California in the 1960s and perfected when he moved to Salt Lake City, the pastrami burger features a beef patty loaded with a pile of pastrami, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and fry sauce, and served on a bun.

Vermont: Vermonter sandwich

The Vermonter sandwich features roasted turkey, sharp cheddar cheese, apple slices, and honey mustard served on hearty—and sometimes grilled—bread. There are countless iterations, including those with maple syrup. All are representative of the state's emphasis on high-quality local ingredients and agricultural heritage.

Virginia: Country ham sandwich

This sandwich comes from Virginia's long tradition of curing ham. It features slices of local-cured country ham with variations and fixings that include a biscuit, cheese, and lettuce. The goal is to let the ham shine.

Washington: Banh mi

The Vietnamese community's influence on and contributions to Washington's cuisine is most evident with this sandwich. The banh mi features a crusty baguette filled with marinated pork, pickled vegetables, cilantro, jalapeños, and creamy mayonnaise.

West Virginia: Sausage biscuit sandwich

The hearty sausage biscuit sandwich—which can be traced back to a stolen idea from 1975 that led to the founding of Tudor's Biscuit World—features a savory sausage patty topped with a slice of cheese or egg and served in a fluffy biscuit. Variations for serving include gravy or bacon, and the result is a big home-cooking hug.

Wisconsin: Grilled cheese

The beloved grilled cheese sandwich celebrates Wisconsin's renowned dairy industry and unmatched variety of delicious cheeses. Various toppings include tomatoes, bacon, and onions.

Wyoming: Trout sandwich

Wyoming is a top fly-fishing destination, and this sandwich highlights fresh, local trout plucked from its rivers and lakes. The trout filet shines, whether smoked or fried until crispy; it's topped with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce and served on a soft bun.

And that takes care of all 50 states. I'm sure there are many of you who have a favorite sandwich that wasn't listed here as the signature sandwich for your state. Enjoy whatever sandwich you like the most.