Accused Say No Intention To Kill Couple In Exorcism Ritual
An Al-Arqam follower who is charged with murdering a couple admitted in the High Court here today that he had hit the victims with a piece of wood, crash helmet and mop handle to exorcise them. The accused Muhammad Ilyas Abdul Razak, said he, however, had no intention of causing death to the couple as they were his uncle and aunt, and was unaware that his action during the exorcism would cause their deaths. Muhammad Ilyas, the first accused in the case, said this from a written statement when making his defence against the charge of murdering Mohd Ibrahim Kader Mydin, 48, and Rosina SM Mydin Pillay, 42, at house No 5-7C, Block A, Seri Sarawak Flats, Jalan Kenanga, here at noon and 8pm on Oct 1, 2008. He is charged with committing the offence with his younger brother Muhammad Fauzi Abdul Razak, 22, and the couple's son Muhammad Nizam Muhammad Ibrahim, 21, under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries the death sentence upon conviction. "I had hit my uncle with a helmet and a piece of wood from a broken table. He did not protest, cry or say that he was in pain. "I also asked my aunt to sit on the floor and hit her with a mop handle, the helmet and a detached table until she bled," Muhammad Ilyas said from the dock. He said after the house had been cleaned of the blood spots, he ordered Muhammad Fauzi to pour hot water over the couple's motionless body to revive them. "I had no intention of causing the death of my uncle and aunt as they were among the people closest to me and we loved each other. I only wanted to do good for them."Nobody, including my uncle and aunt, had restrained me and I only knew that they had died when the police came to arrest me," he said. Muhammad Fauzi, in his defence, said he was not directly involved in the treatment process for his uncle and aunt. "I had no intention of committing it (the offence) or to injure them. I believe Muhammad Ilyas too did not have a motive as the victims did not cry in pain or fight back," he said. The couple's son (Muhammad Nizam) also told the court that he had no intention of killing or injuring his parents. "Who would have the heart to kill their own parents? That whole time, I had no control over myself and it was as though I was under a spell. "There was no pact or conspiracy among the three of us to kill or cause serious injuries to my parents or anyone else in the house," said Muhammad Nizam. In today's proceeding, the court also heard the testimony of defence witness, consultant forensic psychiatrist from Hospital Bahagia in Tanjung Rambutan, Perak, Rabaiyah Mohd Salleh, that the first accused had a mental problem called effective confusion. She said from the medical examination conducted on him on Oct 15, 2008, Muhammad Ilyas was found to be delusional and he was convinced that he could bring people back from the dead. "I conclude that Muhammad Ilyas has a mental illness and during the incident, he was not of sound mind and did not realise the consequences of his action," she said. As for the other two accused, she confirmed that they did not have a mental illness like Mohd Ilyas. The hearing before Judicial Commissioner Azman Abdullah will continue on Jan 15.
Earth's north magnetic pole is racing toward Russia at almost 40 miles (64 kilometers) a year due to magnetic changes in the planet's core, new research says. The core is too deep for scientists to directly detect its magnetic field. But researchers can infer the field's movements by tracking how Earth's magnetic field has been changing at the surface and in space. Now, newly analyzed data suggest that there's a region of rapidly changing magnetism on the core's surface, possibly being created by a mysterious "plume" of magnetism arising from deeper in the core. And it's this region that could be pulling the magnetic pole away from its long-time location in northern Canada, said Arnaud Chulliat, a geophysicist at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris in France. Magnetic north, which is the place where compass needles actually point, is near but not exactly in the same place as the geographic North Pole. Right now, magnetic north is close to Canada's Ellesmere Island. Navigators have used magnetic north for centuries to orient themselves when they're far from recognizable landmarks. Although global positioning systems have largely replaced such traditional techniques, many people still find compasses useful for getting around underwater and underground where GPS satellites can't communicate.The magnetic north pole had moved little from the time scientists first located it in 1831. Then in 1904, the pole began shifting northeastward at a steady pace of about 9 miles (15 kilometers) a year. In 1989 it sped up again, and in 2007 scientists confirmed that the pole is now galloping toward Siberia at 34 to 37 miles (55 to 60 kilometers) a year. A rapidly shifting magnetic pole means that magnetic-field maps need to be updated more often to allow compass users to make the crucial adjustment from magnetic north to true North. Geologists think Earth has a magnetic field because the core is made up of a solid iron center surrounded by rapidly spinning liquid rock. This creates a "dynamo" that drives our magnetic field. Scientists had long suspected that, since the molten core is constantly moving, changes in its magnetism might be affecting the surface location of magnetic north. Although the new research seems to back up this idea, Chulliat is not ready to say whether magnetic north will eventually cross into Russia. "It's too difficult to forecast," Chulliat said. Also, nobody knows when another change in the core might pop up elsewhere, sending magnetic north wandering in a new direction.
It was bound to happen sooner or later: Here's an inter-dimensional spaceship, breaking through the planet Xkyrzee 3, finally caught in Google's Street View. At least, that's what I believe it is.Seriously, what the hell is this thing? Can anybody see what it may be.
UFO mother ship or something else. Greetings enthusiasts on this Christmas day. It was stumbled upon the following video of what some may say might be space junk or the International Space Station. There is video footage of space junk and the ISS which looks nothing like this footage presented below.
There was footage months ago of an object that moved far more rapidly then what is shown here and some claimed that too was the ISS. It seems as though many skeptics continue to wish against the increasing activity leading up to what is about to happen denying what may very well be right in front of them. This statement can only be referring to the revealing of the truth regarding Extraterrestrial interaction with the human race. It can not be stopped. The time is closing in. We are being prepared like it or not.
Sitting down for an after lunch snack turned into a brush with all things holy when Lisa Swinton saw the face of Jesus on her banana peel. ‘‘I was like ‘Oh my God! It’s Jesus on a banana!’’ ‘‘I got it out of the fruit bowl and was about to peel it and eat it when I saw his face,’’ she told reporters. The impact of seeing Christ pressed into the banana did not stop the 39-year-old of Haberfield from still eating the fruit and depositing the holy peel. ‘‘I put some photos up on Facebook – one of my friends said it looked like a monkey.’’Ms Swinton is not a stranger to holy visions appearing in day to day household objects. ‘‘One of my friends said they saw the Holy Mother on their bathroom door and another saw an apparition of Mary on the mould of their shower floor,’’ she said. The fateful placing of her banana bunch underneath other fruit, Ms Swinton believes was the cause of the sacred imprint. ‘‘It definitely wasn’t that way when I bought it from Leichhardt Woollies,’’ she said.
One of the many traditional tales told in West Cumbria concerns the ‘ghost ship’ Betsey Jane. It tells of a 19th century ship trying to reach Whitehaven harbour on Christmas Day. It is laden with slaves, gold, silver, rum and other treasures. The Captain, though hearing the church bells ringing, decides to try to bring the ship into port on this holy day. But, as in all good legends, he thus tempted fate and a storm sank the ship killing all who sailed on her. The ship was wrecked on Giltstone Rock near Harrington harbour. The legend goes that each year since – around Christmas time – the Betsey Jane can still be seen out to sea, desperately trying to reach Whitehaven. Unlike many legends, the origin of this one can be traced fairly precisely to a ballad penned by one John Pagen White, although he may have been used an already-familiar legend as the basis for the ballad. The Slaver in the Solway is full of Christmas images, desperatel telling of the ship fighting the storm to get into harbour and, above all, of human greed. It ends with the skipper still holding tight onto his gold as the ship sinks into the sea... It is an anti-slavery song. John Pagen White lived during the 19th century when campaigning against the slave trade – in which Whitehaven was a key player – was finally to prove successful. But Pagen White was wrong in one respect – no slaves were ever landed at Whitehaven. Despite many traditional tales – and the deep conviction still of many Whitehaven residents – slaves never were landed at Whitehaven. Ships sailed out from Europe to Africa carrying copper, cloth, trinkets and guns. Slaves were then taken from Africa to the Americas or the Caribbean. And on the final leg back to ports such as Whitehaven, sugar, tobacco, rum, rice, cotton and other goods were carried.John Pagen White was born in Howgill Street, Whitehaven, on May 27, 1812 but moved with his parents to Egremont about 1824. At 16 he became an articled pupil with Messrs Reay and Collinson, surgeons, in practice in Liverpool ; and afterwards studied at King's College, London. He was admitted a member of the College of Surgeons in 1837, and advanced to a Fellow of the same College in 1868. In the interval, and until time of his death in 1868, he resided and practised in Liverpool. He retained, however, a deep affection and attachment to West Cumbria and had a particular interest in the legends, superstitions and folklore of the district. He published a series of short odes and poems which drew on this folklore for inspiration. These were later republished in a book called, Lays and Legends of the English Lake Country. Although now out of print, the books readily available from libraries and second-hand bookshops. The sea has, of course, created many myths and legends over the years. The difficult life of early mariners led to a strongly-forged link with the sea, the storms and Mother Nature. One of the most famous sea legends concerns the Mary Celeste. The ship is often wrongly referred to as the Marie Celeste but this was the name given to the ship by a young aspiring fiction writer by the name of Arthur Conan Doyle. He took the bare bones of the tale and almost single-handedly turned it into the legend it has become today. The brigantine, the Mary Celeste was found abandoned and unmanned in December 1872 in the Atlantic about 600 miles west of Portugal. The ship was still seaworthy but the missing lifeboat suggested that the ten-man crew had abandoned her. No crew were ever found and the mystery remains unsolved. It might have been forgotten as just another failed voyage but for Conan Doyle’s short story, J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement which put it alongside The Flying Dutchman as one of the great sea mysteries.
A mysterious boom that rattled buildings was reported Monday afternoon from as far north as Poway to as far south as Chula Vista, authorities said. Calls began pouring in to 911 dispatch centers about 4 p.m., with people asking if there had been a massive explosion or if an earthquake had struck, said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Neither was the case. Civilian authorities reached out to local military bases to see if they could shed any light, and they were just as puzzled as everyone else, Luque said.The disturbance was so intense in some areas that firefighters at a station in Clairemont evacuated the building and moved the fire engines out of the garage, thinking it was an earthquake, Luque said. Mysterious booms have been reported previously in San Diego County, with one of the last major ones reported the morning of April 4, 2006. Later that month, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla said the disturbance was a sound wave that started in the Pacific Ocean and reached the Imperial County desert. Using data from more than two dozen seismometers, they traced its likely origin to a spot roughly 120 miles west of the San Diego coast frequently used for military training. Military officials said there were no exercises in the area at the time of the boom.
Chimps remain cool under fire, possessing a near human ability to predict how wildfires spread and react accordingly. This newfound capability of chimpanzees to understand flames might shed light on when and how our distant ancestors first learned to control fire, scientists now suggest. Primatologist Jill Pruetz at Iowa State University in Ames was observing savanna chimpanzees in Senegal in 2006 as people were setting wildfires, an annual tradition that clears land and aids hunting. Most areas within the chimpanzees' home range are burned to some degree. "It was the end of the dry season, so the fires burn so hot and burn up trees really fast, and they were so calm about it," Pruetz said of the chimps. "They were a lot better than I was, that's for sure." For the most part, wild animals consider fire very distressing, but the chimpanzees showed no sign of stress or fear with the wildfires, other than calmly avoiding the fire as it approached them. "I was surprised at how expert they were at handling the fire," Pruetz told LiveScience. "The fire was burning really hot, and the flames were at least 10 feet high, up to 20 feet at times." The apes were experts at predicting where the fire would go, Pruetz noted. "I could predict it, sort of, but if it were just me, I would have left," she said. "At one time, I actually had to push through them because I could feel the heat from the fire that was on the side of me and I just wasn't that comfortable with it." The researchers said that human control of fire involves three distinct stages:
* An understanding of the behavior of fire under various conditions that enables one to predict its movement, permitting activity in close proximity to it.
* The ability to control fire by containing it, providing or depriving it of fuel and perhaps extinguishing it.
* The capability to start a fire.So far Pruetz noted the chimpanzees they saw have mastered the first stage, which is the prerequisite to the other two. In fact, they are very aware of fire and its power — they have even developed a unique fire dance. "Chimps everywhere have what is called a 'rain dance,'" she said. The term, coined by famed primatologist Jane Goodall, is a male display to show dominance. "Males display all the time for a number of different reasons, but when there's a big thunderstorm approaching, they do this real exaggerated display — it's almost like slow motion," Pruetz said. "And when I was with this one party of chimps, the dominant male did the same sort of thing, but it was towards the fire, so I call it the fire dance." "The other interesting thing was that I heard a vocalization that I never heard before and I've never heard since," Pruetz continued. It was a kind of 'wraah-bark' most likely given by the alpha male, she noted. These findings provide insight into how the earliest human ancestors first developed the ability to control fire, the thinking goes. "If chimps can understand and predict the movement of fire, then maybe that's the thing that allowed some of the very earliest bipedal apes to eventually be able to control fire," she said. Pruetz does not see chimpanzees in the wild figuring out to how to start a fire anytime soon — at least, not without help. Still, chimpanzees in a zoo in South Africa were seen lighting and extinguishing cigarettes without getting burned. "I could see them learning how to control fire — I think they have the intellectual ability," Pruetz said. "It might be difficult only because of their dexterity, since they're less dexterous than us."
A man claiming to be a vampire leader was sentenced to over two years in jail for threatening a Marion County judge. Prosecutors said Rocky Flash pleaded guilty to one count of intimidation, a class D felony, for threatening Judge David Certo and his family. Prosecutors said Flash claims to be the leader of Vampyer Nation (VN) and stated that he will beat, torture, impale, dismember and decapitateJudge Certo.
Rocky Flash
According to probable cause documents, Flash sent an email from a library threatening the judge. A library worker monitoring computer usage found documents linking Flash to the threat. Flash was sentenced to 884 days in jail. Flash is also not to have any other contact with Judge Certo and his family.
Neighbour William de Cothi, 17, photographed the animal after he spotted it on the roof about six feet off the ground. The Sixth Form student said: "I was looking out of my window when I saw the cow. "At first I thought that it was an illusion and that it was in the background and not really on the roof. "But after a closer look I could see it was actually on the roof." The teenager added: "I have heard cows can jump quite high, so I think that is how it got up there."I got my family to come and look later and they laughed. It was absolutely amazing." The house owner in Blagdon, Somerset, called police after getting home to find her roof seriously damaged and smashed tiles as she feared a burglar had tried to break in. Local PC Ray Bradley said: "This was initially recorded on my figures as a burglary so I am glad I can take it off. "If it wasn't for the door-to-door enquires and this photo we wouldn't have found out it was a cow responsible."
We believe that werewolves, vampires and other creatures of the night are the stuff we read about in books and see in movies. While that is true, as science has already demonstrated, that’s not to say that there isn’t any truth in the myth of said creatures, as research nurse in toxicology Leonie Calver says in a new study. According to Calver, full moon brings out the werewolf in us: 91 patients admitted over a period of one year to the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, north of Sydney, displayed symptoms characteristic to the age-old vampire. They were extremely aggressive, and would often bite and scratch hospital staff, and basically acted like animals. What’s more important, the number of these patients admitted on a full moon was double than that recorded in other lunar phases, which could easily prompt a connection between the full moon and the werewolf-like behavior. Then again, the same would apply for drug and alcohol consumption, Calver also points out. “Some of these patients attacked the staff like animals, biting, spitting and scratching. One might compare them with the werewolves of the past, who are said to have also appeared during the full moon,” Calver says in a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.However, the connection with the full moon alone is not enough to explain this type of violent behavior. “Werewolf mythology, she pointed out, included reports of people rubbing ‘magic ointment’ on to their skin or inhaling vapors to induce the transformation from man to beast. The main ingredients of the ointment, said Miss Calver, were belladonna and nightshade – substances that could produce delirium, hallucinations and delusions of metamorphosis,” The Telegraph writes. The “modern” werewolf doesn’t need these substances for it has other, apparently more convenient methods of achieving the same results: drugs and alcohol. In other words, about 60 percent of the patients included in the study were under the influence. Nevertheless, Calver stresses, “violent and acute behavioral disturbances” are more likely to occur during full moon than during the other lunar phases.
A former policeman alleged to have been involved in the murder of a male prostitute and self-proclaimed vampire has admitted meeting the killer on at least four occasions, but has denied providing him with the victim's address or an alibi. Former detective sergeant Peter Lalor was at the centre of a high-profile investigation by the Office of Police Integrity into a chain of leaks that led to perjury charges against former assistant commissioner Noel Ashby, retired Police Association secretary Paul Mullett and police media director Stephen Linnell. Mr Mullet was alleged to have used an intermediary to tip-off Mr Lalor that he was the target of Operation Briars, which was examining links between corrupt police and the shooting of gigolo Shane Chartres-Abbott as he left his Reservoir home for the County Court in 2003 to face rape charges. Charges against Mr Mullet were dropped in June. The Briars taskforce was established by the OPI in 2007, when a gangland killer unexpectedly confessed to the murder and implicated Mr Lalor and former detective sergeant David Waters. Waters and the killer were associates, and Waters and Lalor were old friends. Mr Lalor remains subject to an ongoing investigation, but he told The Sunday Age he plans to take defamation action against Victoria Police in a bid to clear his name. As a former Police Association delegate, Mr Lalor admits he was responsible for some of the ''Kit Walker emails'', which were part of a campaign to discredit former Police Association president Sergeant Janet Mitchell during a bitter power struggle with retired secretary Paul Mullett. He claims his support of Mr Mullet and outspoken criticism of the OPI made him the target of a political vendetta. The controversial former policeman retired because of ill health on September 11 after having been suspended for almost two years. He has not been charged in connection with the Chartres -Abbott murder or sanctioned over the Kit Walker emails. He says he plans to ask the Ethical Standards Department to investigate those responsible for leaking to the media. A police spokeswoman said Mr Lalor's comments were part of a ''classic misinformation campaign''. ''It is clearly aimed at polluting the jury pool. We do not intend to comment further as there are matters before the courts,'' the spokeswoman said.Speaking for the first time since he was suspended over the allegations, Mr Lalor said the case against him was based on the confession of a gangland killer with a long history of lying to police. He rejects key claims that connect him to the murder. The shooter, whose identity has been suppressed but who was referred to in court as ''JP'', told Taskforce Briars he had lunch at a Swanston Street hotel with Mr Lalor and former detective sergeant Dave Waters just weeks before Chartres-Abbott was gunned down. JP claimed Mr Lalor agreed to provide him with Chartres-Abbott's address and an alibi. ''The fact is, I've never had lunch with [JP] in my life,'' Mr Lalor said. ''I never gave him the address and I did not have the address to give him.'' Mr Lalor said he met with JP about four times during his 32-year career, including sharing a beer at a Port Melbourne pub in 1992. On a separate occasion, JP asked Mr Lalor if he could help get his brother released from prison for an afternoon visit to their seriously ill father. Mr Lalor refused but says he saw nothing strange about a notorious criminal asking for a favour. The head of Taskforce Briars, Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Iddles, told the Supreme Court this year that JP's confession to the murder when he had not been under investigation had been crucial. ''It is an extraordinary step for a career criminal to come forward to implicate himself in a crime and then, over a period of time, to be prepared to make statements,'' he said. Mr Lalor said the last time he had met JP was at Prahran police station eight hours after Chartres-Abbott was killed, but he denied it was an alibi for the killer or a plan to confuse subsequent investigations. The allegation is that the alibi was set up so that if JP were ever suspected of the murder he could claim he was at the police station at the time. Mr Lalor said solicitor Bernie Balmer had called a day earlier and had asked him (Mr Lalor) to execute an outstanding warrant relating to a drink-driving charge against his client JP. ''It had nothing to do with any meeting. It certainly wasn't an alibi. If I was going to provide an alibi, I would have had him out of the state, not eight hours later rocking up to the police station after the murder was committed in Preston,'' Mr Lalor said. Mr Balmer agreed with Mr Lalor's version of events. He described a claim by JP that the meeting at Prahran police station was a ruse or alibi as ''complete bullshit''. ''We do this all the time and I did it at Prahran because I knew a few cops there, including Peter,'' Mr Balmer said. ''If it wasn't Peter it would have been someone else. It just happened that he answered the phone.''
Woman Guilty Of Burning Down House She Said Was Haunted
A Massillon woman pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated arson and arson, according to the Canton Repository. Kristine Hambuechen, 41, told investigators she set fire to her rented home because it was haunted.She told investigators she burned down her home in September "because she was sick of living here, and it was haunted." Hambuehcen was found competent to stand trial and was deemed sane at the time of the offense during a psychological evaluation. An aggravated arson charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
A Minnesota hunter and his son's are not sure what to make of the strange image that turned up on a game trail camera set up on their hunting land in the remote woods near Remer, MN, this fall. Some experts believe the large, furry creature is "Bigfoot." Tim Kedrowski say he was reluctant to go public with the image but turned it over to the Northern Minnesota Bigfoot research team. They're convinced it is bigfoot.The photo was taken at night, and Kedrowski says they considered it could have been from a bear or a bow hunter in a fuzzy suit. But the arm and hand couldn’t be a bear’s, or its upright gait. And there is no evidence in the photo of a bow or flashlight a hunter might have been using to track a wounded deer.
We've heard of the Northern Lights. But we've never seen anything like this. The good people of northern Norway were recently treated to quite a display. As you'll see in the video, a town was lit up with what looks like a shooting blue star that burst into a giant white spiral that then beams a ray of blue light from its center. It is beautiful and baffling. And completely mysterious. Those who missed the Arctic show headed to the Web, causing searches on "norway spiral" to immediately surge into the stratosphere.
There has got to be a logical explanation: Residents hailing a masked superhero, perhaps? A Spirograph Photoshopped into the sky? Imminent alien invasion? Well, the various independent photos and videos coming in confirm it's not a fake. Scientists have said it's not the Northern Lights, although it is in the north and it is a light. One Norwegian astronomer quoted by the Daily Mail opined that at first he thought it was a "fireball meteor," but it went on too long. The reason behind the show is probably man-made. More than likely say experts, it was a Russian missile. While the Russian Defense Ministry would not comment, the circumstantial evidence is mounting that this is what a spiraling rocket jettisoning fuel looks like. And it sure is pretty.
‘Witch-Doctor’ From Africa Casts Spell On Individuals, Steals Their Cash, Kind
Police are looking for an unidentified person believed to be African man who is robbing people using his magic power, reports Al-Dar daily. It has been reported several complaints have already been filed by the victims with the police. One Iranian man told the Shuwaikh Industrial Area police a tall African man visited him in his garage and began talking to him in a strange language much above his voice.The man said he felt he was frozen and when he came to his senses he realized the man had disappeared and he had given him all his money. According to the daily, two similar complaints have been filed with the police. In one complaint a Syrian man said the man matching the same description robbed him of KD 450 and a Lebanese woman working for an insurance company lost all her money, driving license and credit card in a similar manner.
Police Force Consulted Warlock Over Horse Plaiting
Owners in west Dorset and the surrounding counties had believed that thieves plaited the manes of the beasts to identify which ones to steal when they returned at night. But police officers investigating the incidents said there had been no thefts, and instead their enquiries led to the world of pagan ritual. It is now believed that the practice is a part of white witch "knot magick" that is used when a spell is cast. It seems those responsible to go extreme lengths at night to carry out their plaiting as horses have had their manes knotted on nights of high wind and rain. And some of those targeted have been in fields surrounded by electric fences, miles from anywhere. It is not known exactly how many horses have been targeted but at least a dozen are known to have had the treatment. Horse owner Harriet Laurie from Bridport in Dorset, a member of the Shipton Riding Club, said: "I'm not really sure what is going on. "Among horsey folk there is divided opinion. Some people believe it is just the wind that blows the mane into sort of plaits. "But when one of my horse's manes was plaited it took me some time to unpick and the wind had whipped it into a sort of dreadlock, but underneath was a three strands neatly plaited. "It is most bizarre and one horse that was done is very hard to catch and very flighty and was wearing a full rug. The plait was down by the withers so it's hard to see how the wind could have done it. "It is most confusing and it is worrying horse owners. I am web mistress for the riding club's website and I've had a lot of people ask what's going on."Some have mentioned satanic ritual and others that this is what gypsies do to identify horses they later want to come back a steal. "What ever it is there is a lot of fear and anxiety. I know of about 12 horses that have had it done. "There doesn't seem to be any pattern, but we'd love to get to the bottom of it." PC Tim Poole, who has investigated the incidents, said: "We can't completely rule out the possibility of theft. "We did have intelligence from Avon and Somerset police that it is a gypsy trick, which it may or may not have been. "But we have some very good information from a warlock that this is part of a white magic ritual and is to do with "knot magick". "It would appear that for people of this belief, knot magick is used when they want to cast a spell. "Some of the gods they worship have a strong connection to horses so if they have a particular request, plaiting this knot in a horse's mane lends strength to the request. "The fact that this rash of plaiting coincides with one of their ceremonial times of year adds weight to the theory. "This warlock said it is a benign activity, albeit maybe a bit distressing for the horse owner." However, pagan witch Phil Robinson said pagans could not be involved. He said: "Some people play at Satanism and this may be related to people messing about, but it is worrying if people think it is related to paganism - we have a bad enough press as it is."
A Fort Worth-area couple said one of their hens laid an egg with a cross on the end of it. Pam and Tracy Norrell of Burleson, who displayed the odd-shaped egg, said they believe it's a sign of encouragement during the holiday season.Tracy Norrell said he was gathering eggs Monday night when one he picked up seemed to be unusual, not smooth like other eggs. The misshapen egg has an indentation on one end with what appears to be a cross on it. The Norrells said eating the egg is not an option. Burleson is about 10 miles south of Fort Worth.
Cairo’s squatter settlements of Mansheyet Nasser are where people go to literally face their demons. Carved in the Moqattam Hill is the Coptic monastery of Saint Simon, known for its preacher Father Samaan Ibrahim, one of Egypt’s few exorcists. Every Thursday, the monastery, which can hold more than 20,000 worshipers, attracts people of different backgrounds who seek to get rid of demons who they believe have possessed them. Father Ibrahim, who is dubbed ‘the rescuer’ by the neighborhood’s residents, hailed from Shubra in 1974 upon repeated requests to preach to Christians in the neighborhood who may have lost track. He gained his popularity after he allegedly brought a girl who had drowned back to life. Hundreds of Christians as well as Muslims flock to the monastery seeking Ibrahim’s healing touch, as he recites verses from the Bible and sprinkles holy water as part of the exorcism rituals. The rituals carried out in Egyptian churches are similar to those performed in the Catholic churches around the world. Echoes of the orchestra singing gospel verses mixed with the roaring voices of the attendees can be heard from afar. Named after the legendry Saint Simon who was believed to have miraculously moved the Moqattam Hill in the 10th century, the monastery has exactly what it takes to be the suitable asylum of myths. One Thursday, a large crowd of worshippers watched as Ibrahim attempted to free Teresa, a 22-year-old girl, of the demons believed to have possessed her. As several people tried to restrain her, she seisures and screaming began, her deep voice sending shivers down my spine. Even the most well crafted Hollywood interpretation of exorcism didn’t prepare me for this religious experience. Several attempts to speak with Teresa after her dramatic session failed as she was still mumbling faded words about being an atheist. “There is no Christ ... There is only pain,” she muttered. Her mother told me to step away, explaining that her poor girl is hallucinating. “She is unconscious,” she said, “these are not her words, it is this cursed demon speaking.” Ibrahim says that it is possible to overcome the devil. “The exorcist acts in the name of Jesus and with the strength that comes from Jesus,” he explained.“When we begin to suspect that the problem is not a natural one, at this point, we know that this person cannot be healed by the traditional medical methods, he should be healed by the power of God,” he said. He explained that there are signs that indicate that the person might be possessed, such as speaking foreign languages of which he had no prior knowledge, supernatural abilities and strength, and an aversion to anything holy. Exorcism typologically originated from Greek word “exorkizein” to be “out–of –oath.” It is the practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from an allegedly possessed person or place. Although there are no accounts of demonic possession in the Old Testament, casting out demons is one of the great facets of the apostolic commission that Jesus gave to his followers, as one of the recognized signs of Messiahship. However, the practice of performing exorcism was first recorded by father Hippolytus in third-century Rome. Accounts of demonic possession were commonplace in ancient Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia in earlier times. The Egyptians ascribed certain diseases to demons, and believed in the efficacy of magical charms and incantations for banishing them. In contrast to tribal rituals of demonic banishment in ancient Egypt or pagan Europe, which were dramatic ordeals of lengthy duration, modern-day exorcism sessions last between several minutes to hours. The current “psychology vs. religion” debate that surfaced with the advent of psychiatry in the 1800s was probably the greatest challenge to the practice of exorcism. With money playing a part, skepticism started to unfold. Psychological disorders, including Tourette syndrome and schizophrenia, can produce the types of symptoms seen in “possessed” people. People with epilepsy can suddenly go into convulsions when having a seizure. Moreover, psychological issues like narcissism can cause a person to act out the role of “possessed person” in order to gain attention. In a case where the subject is in fact suffering from mental illness, those practices might prevent him from seeking out the medical treatment he or she requires. For those who wish to push the boundaries with this knowledge, as the master occultist Rollo Ahmed, author of “The Groovy Age of Horror,” the famous nonfiction book of Black Magic, once said, “the dangers in the unseen worlds can be very real indeed.”
Experts are now investigating reported sightings of a large, hairy, 'Bigfoot-type' creature on the West Side. Police said the 'Bigfoot-type' creature was spotted in the area around Highway 151 and Loop 1604. A caller told police a large, tall, hairy creature dragged a deer carcass into the woods. Officers searched the area, but said they did not find anything. "If one sighting is real, then that means something is out there," said Rick Tullos, who is a member of the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization. Tullos has traveled around the country to investigate sightings and is now checking out the latest report in the San Antonio area."We look for an area where the fence has been bent down," Tullos explained. "Or maybe evidence of some hairs caught in some of the barbs of the fence." Reporters looked around the area with Tullos and didn't find anything at first. But a short time later, a set of tracks was spotted that Tullos said did not look like those that would be made by a human. Tullos said he will have to analyze the tracks and, hopefully, find more evidence of what may have been in the woods. Tullos told reporters there have been a handful of sightings on the Far West Side, including out near Lackland Air Force Base and in other wooded areas near Highway 151 several years back.
Residents of the Llangrannog area have been fascinated in the last few days by a huge log covered in barnacles that has been washed up on the beach.Barnacles are normally found in deep water, but are generally blown in during stormy weather. The log, about 30ft in length is covered in the crustaceans. One resident said: "With all the tendrils moving around the whole thing looks like a giant sea monster."
Denver residents will have a chance to decide if the city will study visitors from space. An initiative on next year's ballot will ask voters if the city should create a seven-member commission to study UFOs. The group behind the measure got the required number of signatures this week. Jeff Peckman is the man behind the proposal. Last year he held a news conference to release images of what he said is an alien peeking through a window at a home in Nebraska. "Denver is going to be saturated with information that people have been denied for their entire life," Peckman said. The ordinance change required 3,974 valid signatures. Peckman submitted more than 10,000 signatures. "They will see there is an attentive audience, and that people are digging into this issue," Peckman said. "They will see there is an opportunity to say something when people are paying attention." Peckman said there are a lot of believers in the paranormal, but City Councilman Charlie Brown isn't one of them."I'm dealing with real-life issues, not space issues, and I'm just overwhelmed with the real-life issues," Brown said. Brown says it's a waste of time and money. Peckman insists it'll be funded all by gifts and grants. "The federal government ... it's long overdue for them to come clean on what they know," Peckman said. He said the commission will help open secret UFO files, set up a protocol for what happens when there's a siting, and assess the risks and benefits of interacting with extra terrestrials. "I've been speaking at civic organizations, Rotary, Kiwanis and they're all very receptive to this discussion," Peckman said. But Brown warns a new commission means new bureaucracy. "Who knows what this commission is going to demand in terms of travel, for example to conventions in other states or even elsewhere," Brown said. The commission would cost Denver about $100,000.
A 12-year-old epileptic girl has been banished from her school after having a fit during a school camp - after which teachers and pupils believed she was "devil-possessed". At the three-day camp in the Magaliesberg, the girl screamed that she could see an "axe man" coming to kill two girls, it is alleged. Her eyes "rolled back", which frightened the other children, and she drew "evil" signs in the sand. Teachers at Jeppe Preparatory School prayed over her daughter, said her mother Rose, who was told she may not return to school until she was evaluated by psychiatrists. A week later doctors told Rose her daughter was epileptic and her symptoms were common in children about to have a fit. Despite the doctor's assertion that she was not a danger, the principal asked Rose to keep her child at home. The girl will have to repeat Grade 5. Rose recalled how excited her daughter was when she packed for the camp. But on Friday, October 23, a teacher asked her to attend a meeting on Monday, October 26 at 7am. At the meeting, Rose said she was told her child was "going crazy". Several incidents were cited: the "axe man"; stealing children's food; disturbing others at night; and going to the toilet "hundreds of times". "The principal said because of the 'sword killer incident', she should be removed from the school", and other parents would not let their children come to school because they were afraid of her daughter. "Are they comparing my child to the Krugersdorp sword killer, are they saying my daughter is psycho, she is going to kill somebody? Are they implying she is demonic, she is a mental case?" Rose asked. Rose was handed a letter to give to a psychiatrist. "Please assess... condition as she displays extreme behaviour, e.g. seeing visions, drawing in the sand and telling her peers she can foresee the future and saying they are going to be killed. She terrorises her peers and displays anger."We fear that she may become violent, and is placing learners and staff under tremendous fear. Some learners refuse to come to school, others are having panic attacks due to... extreme actions and behaviour. I feel that (child's name) is a danger to both learners and staff." The mother had a previous problems with her child and the school. "There had been bullying and she was in trouble all the time... In the third term, my daughter told me the principal told staff she is a mental case and needs to go to mad school," Rose said. The child had previously also seen the "axe man", but her mother, assuming it was the effects of Ritalin for her attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, took her off the medication. A teacher gave the child a Bible to take home. After the latest problems, the girl was taken for brain scans. Rose was told her child could go back to school after she was put on medication for epilepsy, but the principal said she must study at home. The psychiatrist, Dr Nkokone Tema, wrote to the school, asking them to take the girl back. "This letter serves to inform you that her difficulties could have been managed better by the school instead of ostracising her... She could use a lot of support from her class teacher. She doesn't pose any obvious danger and as such should be allowed back into school." But the school refused. This depressed Rose's daughter, who said she wanted to "commit suicide and felt like a monster and criminal". The child wrote a letter: "I am very sad and angry. I am missing my friends... I cannot do my schoolwork, I feel like what's the use anyway ... My dream is over, my vision to pass to grade 6." Rose sent her to live with her grandparents in KwaZulu-Natal. She asked the school for a transfer card, but it stated the new school would need a psychological report. Gauteng Department of Education spokesman Charles Phahlane said the principal made a recommendation to help the girl. "The decision was more in favour of the learner concerned."
"Nobody, including my uncle and aunt, had restrained me and I only knew that they had died when the police came to arrest me," he said. Muhammad Fauzi, in his defence, said he was not directly involved in the treatment process for his uncle and aunt. "I had no intention of committing it (the offence) or to injure them. I believe Muhammad Ilyas too did not have a motive as the victims did not cry in pain or fight back," he said. The couple's son (Muhammad Nizam) also told the court that he had no intention of killing or injuring his parents. "Who would have the heart to kill their own parents? That whole time, I had no control over myself and it was as though I was under a spell. "There was no pact or conspiracy among the three of us to kill or cause serious injuries to my parents or anyone else in the house," said Muhammad Nizam. In today's proceeding, the court also heard the testimony of defence witness, consultant forensic psychiatrist from Hospital Bahagia in Tanjung Rambutan, Perak, Rabaiyah Mohd Salleh, that the first accused had a mental problem called effective confusion. She said from the medical examination conducted on him on Oct 15, 2008, Muhammad Ilyas was found to be delusional and he was convinced that he could bring people back from the dead. "I conclude that Muhammad Ilyas has a mental illness and during the incident, he was not of sound mind and did not realise the consequences of his action," she said. As for the other two accused, she confirmed that they did not have a mental illness like Mohd Ilyas. The hearing before Judicial Commissioner Azman Abdullah will continue on Jan 15.
"Nobody, including my uncle and aunt, had restrained me and I only knew that they had died when the police came to arrest me," he said. Muhammad Fauzi, in his defence, said he was not directly involved in the treatment process for his uncle and aunt. "I had no intention of committing it (the offence) or to injure them. I believe Muhammad Ilyas too did not have a motive as the victims did not cry in pain or fight back," he said. The couple's son (Muhammad Nizam) also told the court that he had no intention of killing or injuring his parents. "Who would have the heart to kill their own parents? That whole time, I had no control over myself and it was as though I was under a spell. "There was no pact or conspiracy among the three of us to kill or cause serious injuries to my parents or anyone else in the house," said Muhammad Nizam. In today's proceeding, the court also heard the testimony of defence witness, consultant forensic psychiatrist from Hospital Bahagia in Tanjung Rambutan, Perak, Rabaiyah Mohd Salleh, that the first accused had a mental problem called effective confusion. She said from the medical examination conducted on him on Oct 15, 2008, Muhammad Ilyas was found to be delusional and he was convinced that he could bring people back from the dead. "I conclude that Muhammad Ilyas has a mental illness and during the incident, he was not of sound mind and did not realise the consequences of his action," she said. As for the other two accused, she confirmed that they did not have a mental illness like Mohd Ilyas. The hearing before Judicial Commissioner Azman Abdullah will continue on Jan 15.
