​Madison Ghost Walks, which eventually became American Ghost Walks, and now Hilo Ghost Walks, is considered by many in the paranormal sector as the parasite of paranormal tourism. With little background research into actual myths and culture of a given area, and no actual presence in many of the cities they exploit, owner Mike Huberty and his faithful sidekick Allison Jornlin set up a satellite 'ghost walks' in culturally sensitive areas for nothing but pure profit as their motive. 

Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is the latest example and location of this blatant act of disrespect. Labeled as the 'Tour Developer', Jornlin begins her quest by searching for new or up-and-coming ghost tours across the country. Once a target has been acquired, they book a tour to spy on the route, often times using a different name (most likely a sibling or significant other) and proceed to record, photograph and copy every detail about a tour, especially what makes it unique and original. Then they start offering a similar experience in as little as two weeks or as soon as they can find a guide. This is the only way they can make money off of their tour, which is not only a rip-off to those who pay for it but also a complete disrespect of the city and its history. Many of the companies they have disrespected, like Big Island Ghost Tours, employ residents who are either paranormal investigators by trade or historians with many decades of knowledge.

American Ghost Walks are known for many things: copyright infringement, false advertising, overpriced tickets, bad attitude towards customers and blatant theft of content from other ghost tours in different cities. After hearing about Hilo's newest victim, we decided that something had to be done. Journalists who have been following their action for years reached out to AA after contacting the Better Business Bureau and we offered our blog for help in exposing this fraud. We will use his business as an example of what not to do when creating a ghost tour. 

AGW's website was a perfect example of how not to create a ghost tour. It contained no information about the city, its history or even any myths, just copy/pasted blurbs from the internet. The only thing that it did have was various pictures taken from other sites without permission and a few names of victims who had died in Hilo. This is clearly false advertising as there are many better ghost stories than those found on this site. After some investigation into Allison Jornlin's personal Facebook page, we discovered that she has not been in Hilo at all. This is evident by the fact that she posted pictures of Pearl Harbor, which is located on Oahu and over 200 miles away from Hilo. She also claimed to have taken photos at a local cemetery but when we checked, no such photos existed there either.

The website was created just two weeks before Halloween for the sole purpose of making money off unsuspecting customers who may be looking for something new and exciting during their trip to Hawaii. By using this website as a "template" for their ghost tour, Allison and Mike can easily offer a similar experience at half the price. That's right, you'll pay almost twice as much for this tour than it should cost because they are ripping off not only Hilo but also other cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Milwaukee. 

We encourage anyone who is interested in taking a ghost tour in Hilo or any of the cities they currently exploit to do your research before purchasing one of their tickets. Check for other businesses who offer similar activities. 

The ongoing research into ancient discoveries never ceases to amaze archaeologists who strive to unravel the mysteries of past civilizations on Earth. One of the most fascinating finds is the presence of pyramid structures that span across different cultures and locations around the world. In addition to these impressive structures, numerous underwater artifacts have been discovered since the 20th century, including lost cities and pyramids.

​In 1992, a skilled diver named Geng Wei from China made a remarkable discovery at the bottom of Fuxian Lake in the Yunnan Province. While exploring the depths, Geng stumbled upon handcrafted flagstones and stone strips that ultimately led him to uncover a vast pyramid and a sunken city belonging to the ancient Yunnan civilization during the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE).
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​Covering an area of 212 square kilometers and spanning through Chenjiang, Jianchuan, and Huaning Counties in Yunnan Province, Fuxian Lake is the deepest lake in the region with a depth of 155 meters. Moreover, it ranks as the third deepest freshwater lake in China.

Geng was intrigued by the local legends about a lake that purportedly revealed the impression of a submerged city when viewed from the mountains. Determined to confirm its existence, he undertook 35 diving expeditions to explore the depths of the lake. Upon his extensive survey, he summoned experts from Yunnan Province to validate his findings.

Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, a prominent proponent of the ancient astronaut theory, was astounded by Geng’s discovery. He described it as an extraordinary sight, with limestone structures, roads, and buildings evocative of an underwater city. This was the most vivid evidence of dwellings at the bottom of a lake, which were constructed long before the last ice age when there was no water body.
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​During the early 2000s, a team of Chinese submarine archaeologists investigated the site under Fuxian Lake and ascertained the presence of two massive structures. The structures were built on substantial stone slabs, resembling the architectural style of Mayans. One structure was reminiscent of a colosseum, while the other took on a pyramid-like shape with mysterious engravings.
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The pyramid at the bottom of Fuxian Lake was constructed using massive stone slabs, far surpassing the engineering prowess displayed by the Egyptian pyramids.

​The Epoch Times reports that a stone carving with a small circle surrounded by seven radial lines resembling the sun has piqued the interest of experts. Another similar circle with only four radial lines is carved on the left side of the stone. This symbol is considered rare and could be over 1,800 years old.

The precision and size of the engraved stones suggest that they were installed using specialized equipment and techniques. The top section, made of sandstone, has collapsed over time, but the limestone foundation remains intact.
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Sonar technology revealed that the submerged city spans an area of 10.8 million square feet, and the pyramid found there could be as ancient as the Egyptian pyramids, possibly even taller. Archeologists discovered that the colossal stone blocks have a bonding composition, similar to cement, which eliminates gaps between them.

In addition to the impressive stone structures, Chinese researchers have also discovered handmade artifacts such as clay pots beneath Fuxian Lake. Carbon dating estimates the age of the submerged city to be around 1750 years old, and it is believed to have been constructed by the Dian people who were skilled in metalworking. The Dian kingdom eventually assimilated into the expanding Han dynasty and disappeared by 109 BCE.

​The lake has also attracted attention from ancient astronaut theorists who suggest that it could be a base for UFOs. According to legend, Fuxian Lake was home to a flying, horse-like creature that could take to the skies. In 1991, a fisherman named Zhang Yuxiang reported seeing a shiny, disk-shaped UFO that caused strong waves in the water.
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The discovery of the underwater pyramids and city has raised many questions, such as who built the structures, why there is no record of them in ancient Chinese texts, and what happened to the inhabitants. Some even wonder if the city existed before the last ice age.

Despite Elon Musk's public opposition to advanced AI development due to its potential risks to society, he has taken several steps recently which have caused people to speculate that Musk is working on his own AI project.

​On Monday, in an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, Musk confirmed those speculations, revealing that he is creating his own AI model called TruthGPT. 

Musk defines TruthGPT as a "maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe" in the interview. He later adds that "an AI that cares about understanding the universe is unlikely to annihilate humans."
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Musk opined that ChatGPT is trained to be "politically correct," which is "simply another way of saying untruthful things," hence the truth component of his AI model's name.

​This interview came only a few days after reports of Musk starting his own AI company. 

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, a Nevada state filing made last month reveals that Musk created a company called X.AI Corp. Musk is listed as the sole director of the company, which has authorized the sale of 100 million shares. 

The name of this AI company relates to Twitter's new company name, X Corp. Both of the X references in the AI company's name and Twitter's new name trace back to Elon's longtime plan for "X, the everything app," a multi-faceted app that would serve as a one-stop shop for most users' needs. 

Musk has recently purchased 10,000 graphic processing units (GPUs) for Twitter, which are crucial for machine learning models, a sign of a potential generative AI project on the horizon, such as his TruthGPT project.

To further confirm the existence of an AI project in the works, Musk hired new AI talent -- engineers Igor Babuschkin and Manuel Kroiss -- in early March. 
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Musk has previous experience in the AI space as one of the co-founders of OpenAI -- the AI research company behind ChatGPT -- before pulling out in 2018.

Source: www.zdnet.com/article/elon-musk-says-he-is-working-on-his-own-ai-chatbot-called-truthgpt/

There are, and have been for some time, claims by UFO disclosure supporters that there is in existence a fleet or fleets of human spaceships charged with monitoring alien traffic throughout our solar system and even defending our solar system in the event of an extraterrestrial attack.

Perhaps this is science fiction or the result of an overactive imagination. But some have said they’ve seen evidence of this alleged project, commonly called “Solar Warden.”
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If Solar Warden is indeed real, it would require advanced technology several generations ahead of what our military currently uses on the battlefield. Some speculate that backwards engineered alien technology is responsible for the rapid development of these types of systems.

In 2001, a hacker named Gary McKinnon used a series of clever techniques to hack several government computers, including and probably not limited to NASA and U.S. Navy computers. His original purpose for hacking U.S. computers was to seek out hidden data regarding the existence of free energy, or “zero-point” devices, he told Wired in a 2006 interview.
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In his digital travels he allegedly uncovered an excel spreadsheet with a list of names and a heading of “non-terrestrial officers,” he told Wired. Another document was listed as “fleet-to-fleet” transfers, according to a 2006 Project Camelot interview. McKinnon was unable to cross reference the names with any U.S. Navy ships and believed these were off-world or “Space Marine,” type officers.

“If you look at DARPA [Defence Advanced Research and Projects Agency] literature at the moment and in the last few years it’s all about ‘space dominance,’ that is the final frontier,” McKinnon told Project Camelot. “So, I think it’s natural for them to want to control space and be developing a space-going force in secret, but I think most likely using technology reverse-engineered from E.T. [extraterrestrials].”
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McKinnon told Wired he was in the process of viewing a UFO image on a NASA computer in Building 8 of the Johnson Space Center remotely when he was discovered. Some months later (in March 2002), authorities showed up on his doorstep in the U.K. Severe hacking charges were brought against him and he was facing about 70 years in prison and $2 million in fines.

In 2014, the United States’ black budget for secret programs spanning dozens of agencies was $52.6 billion, according to the Washington Post. In 2011, the U.S. government spent approximately $718 billion more on national defense and international security. Of course, much of that went to fighting the war against terrorism.

However, if the government did decide to build a space fleet of exotic technology and design, the money could be utilized, especially if more than one nation is involved and funneling money into this program as postulated by some disclosure advocates.
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Currently, the U.S. government’s various military branches all have their own space commands, such as the Air Force Space Command and the Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare System’s Command (SPAWAR). These departments have public websites and they help coordinate the military forces on the ground, in the air, and at sea. It is unclear if these departments may be linked with the so-called Solar Warden project, or if this alleged project would be separated into its own covert and isolated department.

When studying ancient history, it's sometimes surprising humanity ever made it to the 20th century. Ancient civilizations were repeatedly hit by disasters, both natural and man-made, the likes of which modern civilization has rarely seen. It seems that when nature was trying to wipe us off the face of the map, we were also busy doing it to each other. Here are 7 of the worst disasters to shake the ancient world.

​1.    The Chicxulub Crater: An Asteroid and a Mass Extinction Event
Let’s start with a disaster that predates human civilization by a wide margin, but can confidently be called the greatest natural disaster to have ever shaken the world: the asteroid impact that changed everything.

The Chicxulub crater can be found on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula . Measuring in at 111 miles (180 kilometers) wide and 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) deep, this massive crater marks an asteroid impact from around 66 million years ago.

It’s believed that the asteroid was around 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter. This may not sound that large, but the speed at which it was traveling meant when it collided with the Earth, it did so with the power of over a billion atomic bombs. Shockwaves were felt around the globe, and winds of up to 600 miles per hour (965 kilometers per hour) scoured the ground surrounding the impact bare.

Millions of tons of ash, gases, and debris choked the atmosphere, blocking out the sun and leading to massive global cooling. When this debris began to fall to Earth, it was still so hot that it caused massive wildfires wherever it landed.
This all caused an extinction-level event that wiped out up to 75% of all life on Earth during the Cretaceous Period . If this sounds familiar, it is because this is the asteroid strike widely believed to be responsible for the death of dinosaurs. So, really, this is perhaps one we should be grateful for!

2.    The Doggerland Tsunami wiped out Prehistoric Inhabitants of the North Sea

Around 8,000 years ago, there was an area of land between northern Scotland, Denmark, and the Channel Islands. These islands, known as Doggerland, were home to various Mesolithic tribes and have been described as a prehistoric Garden of Eden.
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Around 20,000 years ago, sea levels began to surge due to a massive release of meltwater that came from a glacial lake in North America, Lake Agassiz. Sea levels rose by over two feet, and the landmass that had once been Doggerland became submerged, leaving behind a number of islands.
All was well, until a massive landslide near what is now modern-day Norway dumped around 3,000 cubic kilometers of earth into the sea. This caused a massive tsunami that totally annihilated the islands and everyone living on them. The wave would have been roughly the same size as the one that devastated parts of Japan in 2011.   

3.    The Damghan Earthquake that Devastated Ancient Iran

On December 22, 856 AD, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck a 200-mile (320 kilometer) wide area in modern-day Iran. It is believed the epicenter was located directly under the then-capital, Damghan. The earthquake was caused by the Alpide earthquake belt, the name for the geologic force that helped create the Alps mountain range. This is one of the most seismically active areas in the world.

The earthquake caused around 200,000 deaths, the 5th deadliest earthquake in history. While impressive and terrifying on its own, we have to remember that population densities were much, much lower 1,000 years ago. For an earthquake to kill such a high number, it would have had to be truly dreadful.
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It wasn’t just Damghan which was devastated. The towns of Ahevanu, Astan, Tash, Bastam, and Shahrud all saw heavy damage. Hecatompylos, the former capital of the Parthian Empire , was completely destroyed. Water supplies were also affected. A shift in the water table meant springs and qanats (an early aqueduct system dating back to 3000 BC) dried up, and landslides dammed streams. Many people who were not killed outright by the quake died as a result of losing their water supply.

4.    The Antonine Plague nearly brought Rome to its Knees
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Between 165 and 180 AD, the Roman Empire was stricken by a terrible plague, called the Antonine plague after one of its potential victims, Marcus Aurelius Antonius. The plague is also known as the plague of Galen, after the Greek physician who documented the disease.

By studying Galen’s notes, modern historians have concluded that the plague was caused by a particularly deadly form of smallpox or measles. It is believed the disease was brought to the empire by Roman soldiers who were returning home from battles in the East.

The plague spread quickly, until there were infections all over the empire itself and even spreading to some tribes in the north. It’s believed that up to five million people died from the disease. During its second outbreak, historian Dio Cassius recorded that around 2,000 people a day were dying in Rome alone. This means that roughly one in four who were infected died, giving the disease a 25% mortality rate.

5.    The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius Buried Two Major Towns for Centuries

Mount Vesuvius is perhaps the most famous volcanic eruption in recorded history. Before the volcano erupted in 79 AD, it was kind enough to warn the surrounding populace with an earthquake. Sadly, this warning was ignored.

What came next was a truly cataclysmic eruption. A deadly cloud of superheated gas spewed 21 miles (33 kilometers) into the sky. Molten rock, pumice, and hot ash rained down from the sky. Pyroclastic flows raced down the mountainside, smothering everything in their wake.

Two Roman towns rested in the shadow of Vesuvius. Pompeii was only five miles away, and Herculaneum was even closer. Their residents, who had ignored the foreshadowing events, choked on ash, burned to death, and were then smothered in debris and cooling pyroclastic lava.

The combined population of both cities was around 20,000, and the remains of 1,500 people have been found at both sites; the total number of deaths is unknown. Perhaps the most incredible thing about the eruption, however, is what it left behind.

Pompeii lay forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered in 1631 AD, after another eruption hit the area. Then, in the 20th century, the full scale of what had happened was unearthed. Because the pyroclastic flows flooded over the towns so quickly and cooled so rapidly, perfect impressions of the residents were left behind.

Their bodies had been entombed in volcanic rock and then rotted away, leaving perfect cavities. These cavities have been filled with plaster, creating near-perfect statues of these people who died nearly 2,000 years ago. These statues give a terrifying glimpse into how these citizens died.
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Perhaps most terrifyingly, history’s warning hasn’t been heeded. Vesuvius is still regarded as the most deadly volcano on the planet. It is still active and more people live in its vicinity than near any other volcano. Next time it erupts, there could be millions, rather than tens of thousands, of deaths.

6.    The Plague of Justinian Killed Millions

From 51 to 549 AD, the plague of Justinian devastated the eastern Roman Empire. It swept across all of the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Near East. In particular, the Sasanian and Byzantine Empires were badly affected. Constantinople, the Byzantine capital, was ground zero for the plague.

The Justinian plague took its name from the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I , who was in power at the time. According to the contemporary historian Procopius, Justinian was one of the few people who contracted the disease and lived to tell the tale. Most people weren’t so lucky.

The plague wiped out roughly one-fifth of Constantinople's population. From there it spread to Roman Egypt in 541 AD and persisted in Europe until 549 AD. While exact figures are uncertain, it has been claimed that during its peak the plague was killing 5,000 people a day in Constantinople.

Even worse, by certain estimates, it wiped out as much as one-quarter of the eastern Mediterranean’s human population. Over the next several hundred years, the disease kept reappearing, becoming slightly less virulent and more localized. It has been estimated that over the course of this series of plagues, the death toll was between 40 million and 100 million people.

It is widely believed today that the plague was caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis . This is the same bug responsible for the bubonic plague (Black Death) of 1347-1351 that wiped out much of Europe.

​7.    The Three Kingdoms Wars May Have Killed Two-Thirds of China’s Population

The Three Kingdoms is a historical period covering 220 to 280 AD, during which China was divided into three dynastic states: Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The period was one of the bloodiest in not only Chinese history, but also world history.

The period saw almost constant warfare in the region and encompasses Qin’s wars of unification (with estimated casualties of two million), and the Yellow Turban Rebellion (with estimated deaths of three to seven million). Massive battles, where armies of upwards of 500,000 men were fielded, led to the kind of mass slaughter that the West wouldn’t manage to copy until the mechanized warfare of WWI and WWII.

A nationwide census taken in 280 AD claimed a total of 2.5 million households and 16 million individuals. A census taken at the start of the period showed closer to 11 million households and 56 million individuals. That’s a discrepancy of nearly 40 million people.
This doesn’t necessarily mean 40 million people died during the period. It is commonly believed that 280 AD, due to multiple factors, wasn’t terribly reliable. More conservative estimates put the death toll closer to 12 million. It is unlikely that 40 million people were killed simply as a result of warfare.

Instead, modern historians believe this population crash was due to several factors. These were all related to the war and the census failed to take them into account. The period saw a series of famines and plagues ravage the country. Normally, these would have been taken care of by the government, but the lack of governance caused by the constant warfare allowed these natural disasters to go unchecked.
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This is a classic example of how man-made and natural disasters can go hand in hand. While people are busy massacring each other, nature swoops in to claim the rest.

Conclusion
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Perhaps the most shocking thing about these ancient disasters is how little people have learned from them. We continue to settle on floodplains and along geologic fault lines which are prone to earthquakes, and even at the foot of volcanoes. Despite the constant warnings of scientists, people continue to ignore the threat of rising sea levels.

References
Cartwright, M. January 12, 2018. The Early Three Kingdoms Period . World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1174/the-early-three-kingdoms-period/

Doggerland. n.d. National Geographic. Available at: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/doggerland

Horgan, J. December 24, 2014. Justinian's Plague (541-542 CE) . World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/782/justinians-plague-541-542-ce/

Pompeii. August 27, 2010. History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pompeii#:~:text=Pompeii%2C%20a%20flourishing%20resort%20city,thick%20carpet%20of%20volcanic%20ash.
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Rowan. J. n.d. The most devastating and deadly natural disasters from ancient history . History.com. Available at: https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-most-devastating-and-deadly-natural-disasters-from-ancient-history