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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, May 3 Former San Quentin guard publishes book Photographers capture some lovely blooms in latest Mail Tribune contest Soaring rents, stagnant wages create housing crisis Wimer's Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 3 Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting Emergency services, May 2 Gold Hill man torched his foreclosed property No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Education More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Levy backers eye final push Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Neal Simon: This is a test Environment Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste State News PERS ruling means tough choices for state and local lawmakers US, Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety Cylvia Hayes public records case goes before Salem judge Fixit tag for Portland's noted Portland Building: $175 million Fee targets rail cars that haul oil, other flammables Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Tim Lawrence Yockey Penelope Catherine (Turner) Martens William "Bill" Geisslinger Alice Irenia (McFall) Calkins Dennis Dean Ekwall Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Ragan, Tornado hit way past Indians Mayweather wins decision in richest fight Timbers, Whitecaps play to 0-0 draw North’s Folsom, South boys shine at GP Rotary Marist halts EP’s winning streak Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders' Abbott breaks 22-year-old record Dodge signs as free agent with Falcons Lockie stands out in Ducks' spring game Raiders go 1-1, advance to today Singler shines in Raider spring game Pro Sports Mayweather wins decision in richest fight Timbers, Whitecaps play to 0-0 draw Clippers oust defending champ Spurs McIlroy, Casey fight until darkness Quarterbacks Petty, Hundley chosen on final day Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Blog: Do You Want Cheese with Your Wine? Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Comcast deal dropped along with Pac-12 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option Real Estate News Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, May 3 Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board Dana Milbank: Clinton's opponents need to smoke her out George Will: The Lusitania's role in history Charles Krauthammer: Men wielding power in hellish times Editorials Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 3 Letters to the Editor, May 2 Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Columns Dana Milbank: Clinton's opponents need to smoke her out George Will: The Lusitania's role in history Charles Krauthammer: Men wielding power in hellish times Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Lifestyle Latest stories Photographers capture some lovely blooms in latest Mail Tribune contest Bright spots in the dark Wedding: Melody Ann Madi and Lyman Martin Stiles Engagement: Anders-Stanley Columnist for a Day: 'When Harry met Shirley,' the story continues Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Home and Garden Heirloom tomatoes bring ageless flavor Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Milestones and Achievements Wedding: Melody Ann Madi and Lyman Martin Stiles Engagement: Anders-Stanley ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Theater REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Music Thunder's Edge, Steel Cranes tonight at Club 66 The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Live Music in Local Clubs Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Restaurant inspections, May 3, 2015 Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board ... Bright spots in the dark ... Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes ... Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board ... Bright spots in the dark ... Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes ... David Murdock: Josh Gates has my dream job Comment By David Murdock More Content Now MailTribune.com By David Murdock More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 7:28 AM By David Murdock More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 7:28 AM » Social News OK, I’m not really thinking of giving up my teaching gig, but a man named Josh Gates has my dream job. Gates is a television personality who currently hosts a program titled “Expedition Unknown” on the Travel Channel. Before this program premiered back in January, Gates was most famous for hosting “Destination Truth” for five years on Syfy Channel. He also published a cool little book along the way, “Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.” Both “Expedition Unknown” and “Destination Truth” follow a similar format. Gates presents the gist of a famous legend and then takes off to the locale to see if there is any truth in it. The main difference between the two shows is the exact nature of the legend. “Destination Truth” was about the paranormal, the supernatural, the cryptozoological, and the just plain weird. Gates had a team with him in that show, and they went looking for just about every cryptid animals I’d ever heard of, and a lot I’d never heard of. They searched for Bigfoot, the Yeti, the Yowie, the Chupacabra, the Lizard Man, the Jersey Devil, the Orang Pendek, every lake monster imaginable and every sea monster unimaginable, and occasionally they went ghost hunting. And they looked at all the variations, too. Bigfoot here and Bigfoot there, for example, and Bigfoot everywhere Bigfoot has ever been seen. The team Gates had was fairly fun, and many of them went on to host their own shows. Jael de Pardo and Erin Ryder have appeared on several other shows, for example. The team always had good chemistry and was enjoyable to watch. Now, I’ll watch paranormal shows all day, but I like some better than others. They’re really going to have to show me something for me to believe what they’re talking about, to be honest. Most paranormal shows do not. There will be a noise, and the hosts will claim that it’s something paranormal when it plainly is not. I’ll never forget the time one of my favorite ghost hunting shows tried to pass off a cat meowing as the voice of a little girl ghost calling for help. Come on, guys! Just because you cannot explain it does not make it paranormal. The difference between most paranormal shows and “Destination Truth” was the sense of humor. Gates obviously wasn’t taking a lot of it seriously and was slyly humorous about the whole thing. He was honest enough to look into a paranormal claim, and that show is one of the few actually to produce some solid evidence of something. I still disagree with their interpretation of the footprint they found, but I cannot deny that they cast a strange footprint in plaster. Gates’s new show is far better. “Expedition Unknown” follows him as he investigates more legitimate mysteries by himself. The premiere episode was about Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, and he’s done episodes on Captain Henry Morgan’s lost gold, the legendary Incan city of Paititi, and the Amber Chamber, a Russian masterpiece missing since World War II. He even did a wonderfully riveting episode about a legend in Virginia, the Beale Ciphers. The best part of both of his television shows are the inevitable scenes of Gates’s “getting there.” There always are shots of Gates in the airport, trying to find lost luggage, or Gates trying local cuisine or trying on local attire. There always are long segments showcasing Gates’s obvious delight as he navigates other cultures and explores the sites. The last episode, for example, was about the disappearance of the Mayan Empire, and significant portions of the show featured Gates at a Mexican Day of the Dead celebration and Gates talking to Mexican archaeologists while they dived in cenotes, caverns filled with water containing Mayan artifacts. His book is a good read, too. In stark contrast to other “companion books” to television series, Gates’s book reads more like a personal adventure journal and contains a significant amount of explorations he’s undertaken that were not shown on the television show. He receives my highest praise for a book of that kind — I really feel I got to know the writer. In short, I enjoy watching just about any show that Josh Gates stars in. He seems friendly and curious about the world, and he wants to film it and show it to you, like a buddy telling you about his latest adventures. I wish more television shows realized that viewers really want to like the people they’re watching on television. It would save us from a lot of useless reality shows. If you’re listening, Josh Gates — there are several stories of lost treasures in Alabama. I would really like to see an episode of “Expedition Unknown” filmed in Alabama. We are fully capable of losing your luggage and feeding you exotic cuisine like barbecue. Come down here during the week of the Iron Bowl, and you’ll get all the local culture you care to film. David Murdock is an English instructor at Gadsden (Ala.) State Community College. By David Murdock More Content Now MailTribune.com By David Murdock More Content Now Posted Mar. 20, 2015 at 7:28 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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