Oct. 30, 2019
Just this morning I was walking in the parking structure when it happened again — I walked under a light and it flashed off. I watched three other people walk under it in front of me, but the light only went off when I was directly under it. It came back on after I passed.
I’ve written before about the strange phenomenon that often happens when I walk past streetlights or even look at them. At least a couple times a week they go off. Or, if they’re off, they click back on. I’ve even captured video of this happening five times during one walk in my neighborhood simply by snapping my fingers and pointing at them. Like a former boss once said, apparently, I’ve got the shining.
Do I really think I have some supernatural power? Not really. But it’s still pretty weird. As is my sometimes strange connections with my sisters and daughter — like calling or texting each other at exactly the same time, buying the same shirt hundreds of miles away from each other or practically reading minds during family games. Or the fact that sometimes I honestly just have a feeling about something before it happens. I’m pretty sure I’m not really psychic, but maybe I’m just more in tune with things than others.
Joe Hefner, one of only two certified forensic anthropologists in the state (the other is his MSU colleague, Todd Fenton), is certainly more in tune with details that others might miss. Using his incredible expertise and skill, he’s able to examine bones to solve complex puzzles and crimes. And, as the leader of one of only a few forensic anthropology doctoral programs in the nation, he’s training tomorrow’s experts too. Check out the super cool MSUTODAY FEATURE: Spartan death detective, to learn more about his fascinating work.
Working with bones seems awfully creepy, but also fits right in with the season. Since Halloween is just around the corner, it seems like a perfect time to revisit some scary legends about haunted places on campus. Check out the MSUTODAY FEATURE: Spartan spirits, to learn what mysterious stories the Campus Archaeology Program and the MSU Paranormal Society uncovered.
Ben Goldman, a junior journalism major, is co-president of the Paranormal Society. In the two years he’s been a member, he says he hasn’t seen an actual ghost, but that really isn’t the point. Instead, it’s about examining forgotten history. Check out his STUDENT VIEW: Loving the paranormal, to learn more about the “ghosts” he’s discovered.
Stories about supernatural happenings are a mainstay of pop culture. But how much of it is based in reality or science? We put that question to the test with some Spartan scientists and asked them to explore things like mind control and the “upside-down” from the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things" in the MSUTODAY FEATURE: Spartan things.”
Check out S. Marc Breedlove’s FACULTY VOICE: Telekinesis and ‘Stranger Things,’ or Johannes Pollanen’s FACULTY VOICE: On parallel universes, to learn what they think.
It’s definitely the time of year to think about the supernatural, but I don’t need any “shining” to know that in our universe, Spartans are making the world a better place. And that’s not scary in the least. #SpartansWill.
Lisa Mulcrone
Editor, MSUToday