IT'S TIME to solve some of the great mysteries of life such as the Bermuda Triangle.
See I told you my feeble brain was working overtime and it all started just the other day when a news report said an unlicensed pilot and a dozen passengers had disappeared near the Turks and Caicos Islands. That’s when it dawned on me they were talking about the mysterious Bermuda Triangle.
It also reminded me of the spat of TV shows, which has tried to explain those mysterious triangles that stretch around the globe.
Just after hearing about the most recent vanishing act, I went digging in my (useful and useless) files and there was Charles Berlitz's best-selling book on the subject from 1974. Now some 35 years later it’s time to re-examine that mystery once again.
Berlitz, the highly-popular writer was the grandson of the founder of the famous Berlitz language schools, but in his spare time he delved into some of the great mysteries such as the Bermuda Triangle (aka Devil's Triangle), Atlantis, UFOs and ancient astronauts.
However, Berlitz wasn't the only one to "explore" the area, which covers some 500,000 square miles and is located off the southeastern coast of the U.S. in the Atlantic Ocean and stretches from Bermuda to Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. And it is noted for the disappearances of at least 100 planes and more than 1,000 lives.
While Berlitz made the Bermuda Triangle notorious, it first came to the forefront in a February 1964 article in Argosy. In it, the magazine writer, Vincent H. Gaddis, began with these words:
"What is there about this particular slice of the world that has destroyed hundreds of ships and planes without a trace?"
Then Gaddis proceeded to tell about the tanker Marine Sulphur Queen, with her crew of 39, which was headed from Beaumont, Texas to its planned destination of Norfolk, Virginia. No trace of it was found except a life jacket and several bits of debris.
Then there was the case, as Gaddis wrote, of two KC-135 four-engine strato-tanker jets, which took off in clear weather from Homestead AFB, south of Miami, on August 28, 1963, with a crew of 11. Those planes vanished.
Gaddis even described about an internationally famous jockey named Al Snyder, and two of his friends sailing from Miami on March 5, 1948, to go fishing. They were never found.
Of course, the Bermuda Triangle isn't the only area known for such mysterious disappearances since there are about a dozen so-called "vile vortex areas," including something called the Devil's Sea, aka the Dragon's Triangle, or Formosa Triangle. It is located off the coast of Japan in a region of the Pacific around Miyake Island, about 110 miles south of Tokyo.
On a howstuffworks.com website, it reads: "Like the Bermuda Triangle, the Devil's Sea doesn't appear on any official maps, but the name is used by Japanese fishermen."
And so what is the explanation or explanations for such mysterious phenomena?
Some believe the disappearances could be attributed to inexperience of the navigators, either in the air or on the water, and also the areas off Florida and off Japan are known for violent and unexpected storms and weather changes. These vicious storms could include "waterspouts," or a tornado at sea, which could destroy a passing plane or ship. These freak waves have been known to reach 100 feet in height, according to the "Howstuffworks" site.
There are other theories such as concentrated methane gas hydrates, which is believed to be a potential energy source and then's the human element -- pirates, aka drug runners, who have been known to hijack cargo ships, etc. That’s going on at the present off Somalia.
And then there are far-fetched theories, ranging from aliens in flying saucers to Edgar Cayce's writings concerning the yet "undiscovered" city of Atlantis on something known as the "Bimini Road."
The "theories" also include "electronic fog," which causes compass malfunctions and blue holes and the list goes on and on.
Perhaps, this recent disappearance of a plane with a dozen aboard can be explained and then again … it may be just another mystery that can be attributed to the Bermuda Triangle.
BASIC CAYCE DIET: While "the sleeping prophet," Edgar Cayce might be best noted for his Atlantis "visions," he also offered meal planning for "healing and health maintenance." In it, here's a simple outline for a typical day's menu: BREAKFAST -- Either citrus fruit, or cooked or dry cereal ... LUNCH -- Raw vegetable salad with dressing or fruit salad ... DINNER -- Steam vegetables served with fish, poultry or lamb. As far as food preparation -- Steam vegetables in their own juices; never fry foods; use fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruits whenever possible; avoid aluminum cookware ... It sounds like a plan to me.
OK Corbett is a former editor-columnist with the Edmonton Sun and one of the Toronto Sun originals. He can be reached at editorcorbett@gmail.com!
