SHENANIGANS AND SKULDUGGERY

Mysterious UFO Spotted On Sea Floor

2012-01-28T16:32:00.000-06:00

The Sea Creature Of Delray Beach

2012-01-14T20:11:00.003-06:00

A Florida biology expert says a strange creature photographed after washing up on shore in Delray Beach was likely an oarfish. Carolyn Hoffman said she was walking along the beach Jan. 5 with her fisherman husband, Harry Furrevig, when they happened across a long, ribbon-shaped fish with a large, bulging eye that neither of them recognized, The Palm Beach Post reported. "It just rolled up on the beach in front of us," Hoffman said. "I've never seen anything shaped like that."Ray Waldner, a Palm Beach Atlantic University biology professor and ichthyologist, a scientist who studies fish, said the animal in the pictures is probably an oarfish. He said the fins on the fish do not exactly match an oarfish, but they may have been worn down by time in the surf."It's not that rare to have one of these things wash up on the beach," Waldner said. Waldner said the fish may have also been a dealfish.

If You Pour Salt On Frog Legs, They Come Back To Life

2012-01-09T10:45:00.003-06:00

Dead Blackbirds Fall Again in Arkansas Town

2012-01-02T10:24:00.001-06:00

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Vatican's Exorcist: Yoga Is Satanic

2011-12-27T18:36:00.002-06:00

Yoga is the work of the devil, according to a man who claims to have banished evil spirits from 70,000 people. Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist, says yoga leads to a belief in Hinduism, and "all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation," the Telegraph quotes him as saying. The elderly priest, speaking at a film festival in Italy this week, said practicing yoga leads to evil "just like the Harry Potter books," which he believes promote black magic."In Harry Potter the devil acts in a crafty and covert manner, under the guise of extraordinary powers, magic spells, and curses," said Amorth, who was at the film festival to introduce a new American exorcism movie, The Rite, which stars Anthony Hopkins as a Jesuit priest. The exorcist—whose favorite movie is The Exorcist—believes the devil can even be found in the Vatican itself, pointing to the sex scandals engulfing the church as evidence. Top yoga practitioners, meanwhile, say they don't know what possessed Amorth to make such absurd statements.

Did the Military Really Try To Smuggle a UFO Through Kansas In Plain Sight?

2011-12-27T08:43:00.001-06:00

Space Ball Drops On Namibia

2011-12-23T10:52:00.002-06:00

A large metallic ball fell out of the sky on a remote grassland in Namibia, prompting baffled authorities to contact NASA and the European space agency. The hollow ball with a circumference of 1.1 metres (43 inches) was found near a village in the north of the country some 750 kilometres (480 miles) from the capital Windhoek, according to police forensics director Paul Ludik. Locals had heard several small explosions a few days beforehand, he said. With a diameter of 35 centimetres (14 inches), the ball has a rough surface and appears to consist of "two halves welded together".It was made of a "metal alloy known to man" and weighed six kilogrammes (13 pounds), said Ludik. It was found 18 metres from its landing spot, a hole 33 centimetres deep and 3.8 meters wide. Several such balls have dropped in southern Africa, Australia and Latin America in the past twenty years, authorities found in an Internet search. The sphere was discovered mid-November, but authorities first did tests before announcing the find. Police deputy inspector general Vilho Hifindaka concluded the sphere did not pose any danger. "It is not an explosive device, but rather hollow, but we had to investigate all this first," he said.

The Beast Of Merthyr? Pet Owners Told To Lock Up Animals After Sighting Of 'Panther-Like' Creature

2011-12-11T20:26:00.003-06:00

They are the elusive shadows that stalk the countryside, feeding on sheep and terrorising rural communities – but a big cat now appears to have found its way to one of Wales’ most densely populated areas. Experts warned pet owners in Merthyr Tydfil to lock up their animals after a “panther-like” creature was spotted prowling on the outskirts of the Valleys town. Coach driver Robert Davies, of Hirwaun, was driving home from work when he claims he saw a large black cat “bounding” across the A470 near Merthyr. The 61-year-old was turning off a roundabout near Cyfarthfa Retail Park at around 10.30pm on Saturday when he claims the animal ran across the road in front of him in the direction of Gellideg, Cyfarthfa. He said: “I had just come off the roundabout, so I was only doing about 20mph when it just appeared in the middle of the road. “It was about 25 feet in front of me and ran straight into the light from my headlights. “I used to own an Irish setter and it was definitely much bigger than that, black, with a long tail and a head a bit like a boxer dog. It bounded across from the central reservation in about three leaps. “I had to do a double take, but there was no mistaking what it was.” Meanwhile staff at the nearby retail park reported arriving at work on Monday morning to find “unusual” damage to a bin on the site and rubbish strewn around the area. A worker at the site, who did not want to be named, said: “It looks like something has got into the bin from the back and pulled rubbish out. “It’s very unusual to see that and, to be honest, the cleaner was really quite surprised.” Big cat expert Danny Nineham, who works as a consultant for UK police forces, said it was typical of many sightings. “Until they see a big cat, most people don’t believe it,” he said. “But we’re not claiming it’s Big Foot, the Loch Ness monster or that aliens have invaded Wales – it is very real and very tangible.“We have got hundreds of these things, they are everywhere.” In 2006, Wales was placed fourth on a list of “big cat hotspots”, according to the British Big Cat Society, with hundreds of sightings reported across the country in the past decade. According to Mr Nineham, who keeps a log of thousands of sightings reported to him every year, increasing numbers of big cats are being spotted in urban areas as the animals apparently follow prey, like foxes, into towns and cities. He said while most big cats will instinctively hunt, many turn to scavenging, because it is easy pickings. “When you have got these retail parks, a cat doesn’t know what it is, it only sees it as a potential source of food,” he said. “This is absolutely typical of a big cat sighting, and I would advise people living locally to keep their pets indoors as much as possible, because pet attacks make up a lot of the incidents reported to us. “As far as people themselves are concerned, there is really no need to worry. “Big cats in the UK will very rarely, if ever, attack to kill because they have plenty of other food sources. “If you are walking in the area and you come across the animal, just stand tall, look big and try and back away without taking your eyes off it, so you know where it is.” A spokesman for South Wales Police was unable to confirm if the incident had been reported to the force. But Dyfed-Powys Police Wildlife Officer Matthew Howells said: “Don’t approach the animal and don’t leave any food out for it as this could encourage it to come closer to your home. “Report the sighting to the police and give them as much information as you can, such as a detailed description of the animal, where it was seen, how far away it was, and the direction it was travelling in,” he added.

The Future Of Home Lighting? Glowing Bacteria Produces Firefly-Like 'Bio-Light'

2011-12-05T14:59:00.004-06:00

We normally do everything we can to keep disease-causing bacteria out of our homes. But millions of the micro-organisms could one day be harnessed to provide a natural light source running of nothing more than recycled household waste. For electronics company Philips has devised a 'bio-light' that will provide any room in the house with a warm, cosy glow. The lamp - consisting of a series of glass chambers - provides light using the same bioluminescent method as fireflies and glow worms. The glass jars contain bioluminescent bacteria that emit a green glow when fed methane gas which, in this concept model is pumped into the lighting unit through a household waste digester.Given the green light: The bio-light emits a green glow from living bacteriaPlant biologist Jim Haseloff of Cambridge University said the model was an important development in the search for sustainable light sources. 'It's appealing because it brings two things together which you wouldn't normally associate,' he told reporters. 'I don't think you want to imagine that everyone's going to start putting bacterial cultures into their own home for lighting, but as a way of exploring the idea it's quite interesting.Eco-friendly: The light runs off methane gas produced from everyday home waste'When you move out of the normal area - illuminating walkways and things like that - where things could essentially be growing and delivering light for free, that's where you're going to have applications.' Philips believes the technique could be adapted to illuminate roadside verges with glowing plants.'Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resources,' Clive van Heerden of Philips Design said.'Designers have an obligation to understand the urgency of the situation, and translate humanity’s needs into solutions.'

A Bigfoot In Vancouver, Canada

2011-12-04T09:55:00.004-06:00

Never-before seen pictures show new evidence that the legendary Bigfoot exists - and that they could build nests. Two pictures were snapped last month when experts on the creature - also known as the Sasquatch - came together for the first time in Russia. Dr John Bindernagel, 69 from Canada, was one of several world-renowned bigfoot experts invited to the week-long conference in Russia. He and others from the USA and Sweden met with their Russian counterparts to join forces and share evidence for the first time.Footprint showing the tightly clenched toes of a sasquatch foot, with only the toe tips registering in the soil.During a two-day expedition through to the Kemerovo region of Siberia, wildlife biologist Dr Nindernagel and other members of the team examined two trees apparently twisted out of shape. The area is well known for sightings of the 'Wildman' - the Russian name for Bigfoot. Dr Nindernagel, who has studied Bigfoot for 40 years and has penned two books on the creature, said the trees corroborated with a new and emerging theory from North America that the Bigfoot might build nests using branches like orangutans and gorillas. Other pictures show evidence gathered by Dr Bindernagel over the years.

Teenage Girl In Coma After She's Burned Alive By Friends In 'Satanic Ritual'

2011-10-24T07:41:00.003-05:00

An 18-year-old South African woman was in a coma Monday after being doused in petrol and burned alive by friends in a Johannesburg park, in what police suspect was a satanic ritual. Kirsty Theologo suffered burns over three quarters of her body, damaging her lungs and throat, when she was set alight in a park in southern Johannesburg, her sister Samantha told reporters. A 16-year-old girl tried to put out the flames by rolling Theologo in the sand, burning herself in the process, the paper said. She was also hospitalised.Samantha Theologo claimed the group ran away, telling South African media that her sister and the other girl had to walk two kilometres for help. “I wasn’t home, but my mom told me she found my sister in the bathroom washing her face," she was quoted as saying. “My mom said it was horrific.” The local news paper cited a medical source as saying the girls were driven to hospital by their pastor. While Kirsty was burning, one boy cut a third girl's hand and held it over a Bible so that the blood could soak it, according to one of the girls who was in the group, the paper said. Provincial police spokeswoman Captain Pinky Tsingane said the girls had been tied up and there was speculation the attack was a satanic ritual. Two men aged 19 and 21 who took part in the incident turned themselves in on Sunday, the paper added.

Scientists Confirm 'Cyclops Shark' Is Real

2011-10-18T12:10:00.004-05:00

Scientists have confirmed that a one-eyed albino 'cyclops' shark discovered earlier this year is indeed real. The shark was found to have only one eye in the middle of its face and lacking the usual grey colour, after it was removed from the womb of its mother, a dusky shark. Shocked fisherman Enrique Lucero León caught the female dusky shark earlier this year. To his amazement he found the deformed shark embryo along with its nine regularly developed siblings. 'This is extremely rare,' said biologist Felipe Galván-Magaña, of the Interdisciplinary Center of Marine Sciences in La Paz, Mexico.'As far as I know, less than 50 examples of an abnormality like this have been recorded.' Scientists thoroughly examined the shark, confirming that it was a genuine birth deformity as the embryo suffered cyclopia, a condition also found in several mammals including humans. This meant that the shark did not survive for long outside of the womb. Galván-Magaña and his colleagues have come across many other 'different' looking shark embryos during their years of research.The team discovered a two-headed shark that had failed to develop separately. In 2005 the internet buzzed about the image of a cyclops kitten, conveniently named Cy. There was much speculation about the authenticity of the image but it was revealed that the kitten was indeed a furry reality, as another sufferer of cyclopia. Several human bodies of cycploia suffers are exhibited in museums across the world.

Rare Disease Causes 26-Year-Old To Age Decades

2011-10-17T22:33:00.003-05:00

A 26-year-old woman in Vietnam is believed to suffer from an extremely rare disease that causes her skin to age rapidly. The Telegraph in London reported the story on Friday, saying Nguyen Thi Phuong began to age rapidly in 2008 after she had an allergic reaction to seafood and took some medicine she bought from a pharmacy. "I was really itchy all over my body. I had to scratch even while sleeping," Phoung tells The Telegraph. "Then I switched to traditional medicine and all the hives disappeared, together with my itching. However, my skin began to sag and fold." What exactly is afflicting Phoung is unknown, however some have argued she could have a condition called lipodystrophy, which causes a layer of fatty tissue beneath the skin to disintegrate, while the skin itself continues to grow rapidly.Nguyen Thi Phuong at age 21, before her mystery illness, and age 26, after she appeared to age by decadesAccording to the Telegraph, the condition has no cure and leaves sufferers with loose folds of skin all over their body. The woman, the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, says while the skin all over her body has aged, her teeth, eyes, mind and menstrual cycle remain in youthful condition. Phoung has worn a mask over her face since 2008, when her skin first began to sag. She is married, and says the unconditional love from her husband has been her strength throughout her ordeal.

Purple Sponge Sea Creature Found

2011-10-16T21:03:00.002-05:00

It’s purple, it’s slimy, it lives off the Norfolk coast - and it’s got international marine scientists very excited. No, not the creature from the black lagoon but the sponge Hymedesmia - now officially declared as a brand new species of sea creature. The sponge was found off Sheringham on a 20-mile underwater chalk reef which is the longest in Europe and is now regarded as a fragile eco-system of international importance.The discovery came during a Wildlife Trusts’ survey of the entire East Coast, from Essex to Northumberland, carried out during National Marine Week in August. Altogether 352 species of marine wildlife were found including 126 seaweeds, several of them previously unrecorded. The sponge, which feeds on small particles in the water, has been identified by expert Dr Claire Goodwin of the National Museums of Northern Ireland who said that because the reef is unusually made of chalk there could be other “new” sponge species living there.

Florida Teen Murder Suspect Says She's A Vampire

2011-09-28T10:10:00.003-05:00

An 18-year-old Florida girl accused of helping lure a 16-year-old boy into a fatal trap says she's a vampire who has drunk the blood of her boyfriend. Stephanie Pistey confirmed assertions by police in Parker, Fla., that the people involved in the July murder of 16-year-old Jacob Hendershot were in a vampire cult. Pistey, who was arrested last Monday and charged with accessory to murder, said she sees herself as a modern day Dracula. "Since I was like 12 every fiber in my body, basically everything, I know this is going to be crazy, but I believe that I'm a vampire and part werewolf," Pistey told reportres. Police initially believed the boy was lured to a home and beaten to death because Pistey accused him of raping her. Now it is unclear what the motive was."Jacob didn't deserve to die. I didn't even know he was going to die, but I honestly knew that they were going to beat him up and in my opinion he deserved to get the s*** beat out of him. He didn't deserve to die," Pistey said in an interview Monday. Herndershot's body was dumped in a concrete enclosure. Five people, including Pistey, are charged with either murder or accessory after the fact. Pistey admits she was at co-defendant Tammy Morris' house when Hendershot was murdered, but says she was babysitting Morris' children. She denied drinking Hendershot's blood, but says she has drunk the blood of her fiancé and co-defendant William Chase, 25. Se said she expects to spend her life in prison. "Now that I'm here I'm pretty much figuring out I'm going to stay here the rest of my life," said Pistey.

I-394 Shooting Victim: 'Satan' Told Her She Was A Threat To Others

2011-09-27T14:30:00.003-05:00

Edina Police are revealing new information about Katherine Gordon, the woman shot and killed by a police officer along I-394 last week. The Edina Police Department say they've seen the 57-year-old before, when she came into their police station at the end of July asking to be "locked up." She told them she believed she was a threat to herself or others, that she was suicidal. They released the details in an incident/investigation report this morning. Police say Gordon told them she had just driven up from her home in Altadena, California and was looking for somewhere in Minnesota to live.She told them a "Spirit" inside her, which she thinks is the spirit of the Devil or Satan, told her to go to the police. Police officers took Gordon to Fairview Southdale Hospital, the report states, "for health and safety reasons per her request." Hospital staff told one of the officers they didn't need a "police hold" put on her because of what she told them. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is investigating her shooting death on 394 last Thursday, and have not disclosed what led up to the shooting, other than to say that Gordon had a gun.

Mystery Creature That Nobody Can Identify

2011-09-27T09:49:00.003-05:00

If this cute little chap looks a wee bit confused, it is no wonder. His big wide eyes stare out at the world around him - which in turn is staring back at him. Because nobody has seen a creature quite like this one before. With a nose that looks more like a rodent’s but long, pointy paws and white fur dappled with brown and orange, he is quite unique.And zookeepers at Wenling, in eastern China, who were handed the animal by an anonymous man, have been unable to work out exactly what species he belongs to. They think they are looking at some strange type of monkey - but other students of nature might recognise the characteristics of a bush baby. As he sits in his cage, the creature therefore awaits an uncertain fate. And the zookeepers sit and monitor his development and hopes he grows up into something slightly more recognisable.

Gloucestershire Police Receive 12 UFO Reports

2011-09-01T07:07:00.003-05:00

Triangular shapes in the sky, "flying saucers" and red flashing lights are just some of the reports people have made to police about UFOs flying over Gloucestershire. A Freedom of Information request has revealed the constabulary has had 12 official logs about unidentified flying objects from residents in the last two years. Among the calls that came in between April 26, 2008 and August 25 this year, was a sighting of a large yellow and pink disc flying above Cheltenham. Another resident reported 10 UFOs above his house. The officer reported in May 2008: "Caller states that his wife and son saw them too. They made no sound. Seemed to be below cloud level." A Cheltenham resident reported in June 2008 that he saw a "triangular shape in the sky", which he believed to be a spacecraft.In Tewkesbury, in October 2008, a resident phoned police and told them some sort of "influence" had caused his pet dog to run off by itself. Another report in Cheltenham in February 2010, states that a resident "has seen a spaceship really close to the houses". Described as "big with lights all around it and going up in the air. Didn't make any noise." A keen-eyed star-gazer attracted hundreds of people to his YouTube post when he took video footage of a flying object over Cheltenham in February this year.The video was picked up by the website www.abovetopsecret.com as an example of a UFO sighting that is not a hoax. Callum Potter, from the Cotswold Astronomical Society, said most astronomers have not come across anything they cannot explain. "Chinese lanterns are a common one. "You do get strange looking things and a lot of satellites move either very quickly or quite slowly, which can be confusing for people," he said. "I have not heard of anyone seeing anything that could reasonably be called a UFO. "But they do have some sort of reasonable explanation." Gloucestershire police does not record how much of officers' time is spent dealing with these sightings.

Workers Down Tools At 'Haunted' Museum

2011-08-24T18:32:00.005-05:00

Workers renovating an Italian museum have downed tools over claims that the building is haunted. The National Archaeological Museum, in Naples, has now invited paranormal experts from all over the world to get the the bottom of the mystery.Builders, who were working overnight in the museum, claimed that they heard soul-piercing screams, experienced plunging temperatures - and even saw ghosts. The architect responsible for the works, Oreste Albareno, tried to reassure staff by spending a night with them but ended up also being convinced it was haunted, Italian daily Il Mattino reports.He said: "I have managed to take a photo with my mobile phone - it shows a little girl but there was no little girl on the site. "None of the staff took a daughter with them - it is a secure locked site so there was no way the child could have sneaked in." The experts are now due to arrive in September to investigate.

Scorpion-Shaped UFO Seen In The Skies Over Los Cristianos, Spain

2011-08-23T22:22:00.003-05:00

In one of the most unusual recent UFO sightings, a scorpion-shaped object was spotted in the skies above Los Cristianos, Spain on Saturday, August 21, 2011. Jamie O'Rourke saw the unidentified flying object near his home around 8:00am and managed to snap several photos before the object disappeared.An Internet search for scorpion-shaped kites did not reveal anything like the bizarre object seen in the photos on this page. A similar search for scorpion-shaped UFOs also revealed nothing. The strange unidentified flying object photographed in Los Cristianos seems to defy logic or explanation at this time.You can see from the photos that this UFO was elongated in shape and dark in color. It had two protruding appendages on one end that resembled the pincers or claws of a scorpion. On the opposite end, the UFO had a long tail that looked like the tail or stinger of a scorpion.

Barbershop Shut Down Due to Animal Sacrifices

2011-08-22T09:13:00.004-05:00

Authorities shut down a Massachusetts barbershop after finding evidence of animal sacrifices, and the owner is claiming his religious freedoms have been violated.New Bedford barber William Camacho told WHDH-TV he practices Palo Mayobe, an Afro-Caribbean religion similar to Santeria. Animal control officers removed two chickens and four roosters, one dead, from the shop's basement, after fire and building inspectors found the birds during a safety inspection. Camacho, who said he was going to move the birds off the premises, says he does not sacrifice animals at the barbershop. “It’s very insulting to me,” he said. “’Because what happens is that -- where I come from, it’s very known -- and this town, it’s ignorant for them, ‘cause they don’t know what type of religion it is.”City officials say it's a health issue, not a religious one. “His barber shop isn’t closed because of his religion,” Mayor Scott Lang said. “It’s closed because of health violations, and he needs to get them straightened out in a hurry.” Camacho could still face animal cruelty charges and claims he's losing $700 a day. “I’m losing money and I’m waiting for the city to reopen me,” he said.Lang said a court may also decide if Camacho can sacrifice animals elsewhere in the city.

Baby Mermaid Dies In Camarines Norte

2011-08-14T00:03:00.001-05:00

A baby girl born with fused legs resembling that of a mermaid died in Mercedes, Camarines Norte just hours after birth. Jane Sariba, 18, said she gave birth last July 31 inside their house in Barangay Matuog-tuog. She said she was surprised that her baby was born with fused legs, like a mermaid. Sariba said that during her pregnancy, she was an avid watcher of a TV soap opera that had a young mermaid as the lead character.She said she brought the baby to a hospital after the delivery but the baby died along the way. A neonatologist said the baby had sirenomelia, also known as mermaid syndrome, which is a very rare congenital deformity in which the legs are fused together, giving them the appearance of a mermaid's tail.

Mystery Roadkill Prompts DNR Investigation

2011-08-06T08:42:00.004-05:00

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials have been unable to identify a mystery carcass found in Douglas County with certainty, prompting further investigation. The dead white mammal was spotted this week on a Douglas County road with five claws, dark tufts of hair on its back and head and long toenails. Roadkill is nothing new for Minnesotans, but this curious creature got people talking. Lacey Ilse said she was driving near her home on County Road 86, south of Alexandria, when she spotted the mysterious mammal. "We saw something in the middle of the road, and we knew it wasn't a dog or a cat, because it didn't have hair. It had a clump of hair and all the rest was just white skin," Ilse said."it's ear was all mis-shaped. To me, it looked like half-human." Ilse said she soon posted pictures of the animal on Facebook, and rumors and speculation took off. "It just shot out like wildfire. everybody was putting it on their Facebook pages. And then, their friends were putting it on their pages," she said. Noelle Jones sent the pictures to KSAX Monday, and after posting them on the KSAX Facebook page that night, more than 175 comments have been posted about the unusual animal, with guesses ranging from a skunk, badger, wolverine, wolf, or even proof of the mythical chupacabra. Folks in Alexandria Wednesday had their own ideas. "First guess was a badger with like, a case of mange. But then, some other people were saying, like a chupacabra. and after looking at some pictures, I was like, 'you know, it's possible," Jones said. "It kinda looks like a 10-year-old wolf," Austin Becker of Alexandria said. "Almost looks like a pig, with paws? I don't know, or a wolf," Kaitlin Van Horn of Morris said.Glenwood DNR Area Wildlife Supervisor Kevin Kotts used the process of elimination to give his answer. "It's got five long front claws on each of its front feet, which would be characteristic of a badger," Kotts said. "I ran the pictures past a few other DNR folks that have a lot of trapping and/or fur-bare experience, and they all said, it's hard to be 100 percent sure what it is ... but if it's a Minnesota animal, it's probably a badger." But Ilse, and just about everyone else who has seen it, can't be so sure. "If you're looking at the top half, it definitely looks like a dog that's kind of been torn apart. But, I'm not sure what to make of the back part," Igor Simanovich of the Twin Cities said. "It's a strange animal and i hope we don't have anymore around here," Jane Murphy of Alexandria said. "You know how they do their government secret testing on animals? and I know it sounds crazy, but I've never seen an animal like this," Ilse said. Jason Abraham, with the Department of Natural Resources, said he thinks it may be a domestic dog, but he is still left with questions. "The head suggests a canine, very likely a domestic dog," Abraham said. "However, the right front foot appears to have five toes, which is not typical for canines. Also, the long toenails are not typical for an active canine." Ilse said some of her guinea hens and cats are missing and suspects the animal or others in the area may be to blame. Several burrowed holes ranging from four to ten inches in size were also spotted near where the animal was found. Ilse said Kotts was able to check the creature out Wednesday afternoon and said it's similar to a badger but has a much longer tail than usual, and took the carcass in for further testing.

Djinns Claim Man In Spooky Valley

2011-08-01T08:33:00.002-05:00

A Saudi man is believed to have been gripped by jinn (ghosts) during a picnic with his friends in a valley which is reputed to be haunted. But he was later treated in an exorcist-style session by the Gulf Kingdom’s religious police. The unnamed man and seven friends from the western town of Makkah were vacationing in the nearby Taif city when they decided to descend into Wadi Al-Amak (the deep abyss) despite warnings by local people. After a short evening trip in the valley, the colour of the man’s began to change and his behavior became aggressive before he lost balance and fell down. When his friends tried to talk to him, he shouted and pushed them away while his eyes were fixed at an area deep in the valley. “Friends then overpowered him and washed his face with cold water…it was clear the man was haunted by a jinn,” Sabq Arabic language daily said.“They then decided to carry him back to town…they were told that the valley is haunted and that there were two similar cases in the past.” The paper said the man was taken to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the most influential Islamic law-enforcement authority in the conservative Moslem Gulf nation. “The Commission brought experts in such cases and subjected the man to a session of Koran recitation and incense burning until the jinn was forced to get out of the man through his hand…once the session was over, the man began to restore his strength…after a while he fully recovered and started to ask his friends why he was brought to that place.”

Has Bigfoot Been Found?

2011-06-26T10:52:00.001-05:00

Group claims they have proof the legendary Sasquatch exists... but need DNA testing to be sure.

All Girl Ghost Hunters To Search For Spirits

2011-06-11T15:01:00.002-05:00

When there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who do you call? How about Houston’s only all-female ghost-hunting group?! Shanna Karstedt is the leader of the group, called Second Sight Paranormal. She and her crew have briefcases full of equipment they say can help determine whether a place is haunted, or just hyped. Next on their agenda? The Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Houston. Long reported to be one of the most haunted places in the Bayou City, Karsted and her fellow female ghost hunters are heading to the restaurant Saturday night, to finally determine for sure if there are other-worldly occupants. "I’m very excited to do this location … I’ve heard so much about it," Karsted said.Karsted said while there are plenty of other ghost hunters out there, they’re not all legit. "There are so many TV shows about ghost-hunting, and they’re all dramatized. And they are always getting possessed, and they’re always finding activity," she said. She said she’s found ghosts and sprits before, but even with Spaghetti Warehouse’s well-known reputation as a haunt, she’s not sure what they will find there. However, local News reporter Vicente Arenas and photographer Gustavo Pereyra had a ghostly encounter of their own while shooting this story. Vicente said the lights in Spaghetti Warehouse flickered while they were inside, and then Gustavo’s light blew out. Maybe Second Sight Paranormal will be able to explain why…

Armchair Astronomer Finds 'Evidence' Of Life On Mars

2011-06-06T12:01:00.006-05:00

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab is investigating a California armchair astronomer's claim that a white, fuzzy image on the red planet's surface might be evidence of life. David Martines' YouTube video is heading for viral status after he uploaded a flyby of Google Earth's Mars explorer zooming in on a white, cylindrical object. The object, according to Martines, is "about 700 feet long and 150 feet wide." He's calling it "Bio Station Alpha, because I'm just assuming that something lives in it or has lived in it." His video was uploaded May 28, and has already been watched nearly 750,000 times. A spokesman for NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab told reporters it was investigating the wild claims, speculating that "Bio Station Alpha" would most likely be determined to be a glitch in the digital imaging or an unusual feature on the surface of the planet -- and not a Martian base. That's not what Martines thinks, however."It's very unusual in that it's quite large, it's over 700 feet long and 150 feet wide, it looks like it's a cylinder or made up of cylinders," he said in the video. "It could be a power station or it could be a biological containment or it could be a glorified garage -- hope it's not a weapon. "Whoever put it up there had a purpose I'm sure. I couldn't imagine what the purpose was. I couldn't imagine why anybody would want to live on Mars." But who's responsible? Martines says it's unlikely to be NASA. "I don't know if they could pull off such a project without all the people seeing all the material going up there," he said. "I sort of doubt NASA has anything to do with this. I don't know if NASA even knows about this." Google representatives weren't immediately available to comment on the footage either.But YouTube commenters knew no such restraint. "You are looking at one of the cold poles of Mars. The poles have caps of dry ice. You see a long white object at low resolution -- which is clearly broken up into 3 sections towards the end. This mass is near the pole. Conclusion? Clearly an alien/man-made Mars station that is 700 ft long," wrote user nemethma. "We have crashed several attempted probes onto Mars. It could be debris or some un-weathered rock structure uncovered by a crash," theorized user blayzebright. Martines is seeking help finding a higher resolution image, if it exists. He claims the coordinates of Bio Station Alpha are 71 49'19.73"N 29 33'06.53"W and that anyone who has downloaded the Google Earth software can see it. Skeptics are lining up to shoot down Martines' theory, which has been likened to the infamous "Face on Mars" hysteria, which turned out to be an unusual angle of a rock formation. The first of the Bio Station Mars parodies have also already hit YouTube, starting with Ski Station Beta. The coordinates are: 71 49'19.73"N 29 33'06.53"W

Eerie Vibes At Ten Broeck Mansion

2011-06-03T20:56:00.004-05:00

Is it heavy static, a mechanical noise or the disembodied voice of a spirit child whispering "I'm downstairs?" An audio recording made by investigators with the Tri-City New York Paranormal Society in the wee hours after midnight in an unoccupied third-floor storage area of the Ten Broeck Mansion is certainly strange, and perhaps even a little creepy. How much stock you place in this "Electronic Voice Phenomenon," or EVP as it's known, will depend on whether you're a confirmed skeptic or a believer in paranormal activity. Regardless of which side of the haunting versus hokum divide you place yourself, a Wednesday night talk detailing the investigators' findings drew intense interest at the Federal-style mansion built in 1797 for Gen. Abraham Ten Broeck and his wife, Elizabeth Van Rensselaer.At a time when historic sites and museums are struggling to draw younger patrons and to stay afloat financially, a haunted Ten Broeck Mansion may be the best sort of branding imaginable given the popularity among teens with the "Paranormal Activity" movie and its sequels. "It's definitely a big draw and we've gotten a lot more calls than usual," said Wendy Burch, executive director of the Ten Broeck Mansion. The ghost hunters set up audio, video and electromagnetic detection equipment twice over the fall and winter at various "hot spots" in the mansion, long rumored to be home to things that go bump in the night. In the third-floor storage area -- which was used as a nursery and servants' quarters in centuries past -- they picked up what could be a child's voice. They also detected in the kitchen area what sounds like a man saying "Go away." "We had a new cabinet put in and some other work done in the kitchen, so maybe the renovation angered him," Burch said. Coincidentally, a visitor during the Christmas holidays, who identified herself as a medium, offered a similar sensation after she went into the kitchen."She said she sensed there's an angry man in the kitchen and she hadn't talked to anyone before her visit," Burch said. Claims of hauntings at the Ten Broeck Mansion are not new. Local psychic Ann Fisher held a seance there a few years ago and sensed a presence of a woman who was an invalid in a bedroom. Past volunteers at the mansion claimed to hear strange noises, including a musical sound resembling a flute. "It's always a little bit creepy to be alone in a big, old house after dark, but I've never seen anything concrete that convinced me it's haunted," Burch said. She considers herself open-minded when it comes to ghosts, spirits and other paranormal phenomena that defy a rational explanation.A wide chasm of interpretation exists. While ghost hunters and psychics consider blotches of light on photographs indicative of "spirit orbs," non-believers chalk it up to dust or condensation on the camera lens. Although there were no fatal fires or reports of violent deaths occurring in the mansion, two centuries brought its share of family tragedies among the Ten Broeck and Olcott families. After occupying the house for a century, the Olcotts transferred the property to the Albany County Historical Association in 1948 and it became a historic site. Founder Gary Robusto and members of the Tri-City New York Paranormal Society have floated the idea of leading a "ghost walk" in the Ten Broeck Triangle, where there have been claims of paranormal activity in nearby houses and in St. Joseph's Church. "There seems to be a lot of interest in this," Burch said.

Mystery Creature Spotted In Norfolk

2011-06-02T09:12:00.003-05:00

Another sighting of a mystery black cat creature has been reported in north Norfolk. Callers have been giving details today of more encounters with panther-type black cats in Norfolk following another recent reported sighting on the north Norfolk coast. Two more people now say they too have seen a mystery creature, with one sighting as recently as Wednesday evening. The first caller, an Aylsham woman, said she spotted a large cat in the grounds of the National Trust’s Felbrigg Hall at about 5pm in late April. The creature was walking through a wooded area and the woman glimpsed it from the car as she and her husband drove along the entrance road to the stately home. “I looked to the left and saw it - it looked so big. It was completely black and it didn’t walk like a dog. I kept my eyes trained to where it should have reappeared, after the next clump of trees, but it didn’t emerge,” she said. The second caller, Sylvia Phillips, of Plumstead Road East, Norwich, said she and her husband were driving from Dereham to Scarning on Wednesday, at about 4.30pm. Just before the church a large, jet-black cat had appeared in the middle of the empty road ahead and “stood there.”“It was pure back with feline features and a long, curved tail - it definitely wasn’t a muntjac. I wish I’d had my camera. It was beautiful,” said Mrs Phillips. After a few seconds the animal had turned and “sauntered” back the way it had come, disappearing into a field. At the end of March north Norfolk was at the centre of a big cat mystery as a number of people reported seeing a black panther or a puma roaming wild at the Bayfield Hall estate, near Holt. Earlier this week a woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she and her friend spotted a “very dark and feline-looking” creature as they were out bird watching on heathland in Salthouse, close to Cookies Crab Shop on May 17. The woman said at first she though it may have been a muntjac or dog on the loose as it was so big, but then realised it was more cat-like. She said as they approached it, the creature disappeared into the heathland. Sightings of big black cats in the wild have been regular occurrences all over Norfolk in recent years. But no conclusive evidence of their existence has yet been produced.

UFO Squadron Filmed Flying Over California

2011-06-01T00:03:00.000-05:00

YouTube user KevinMC360 - who claims this isn't his first UFO capture - says he saw the UFOs over Oakland, California, last week. Describing the night-vision footage, Kevin points to three lights moving in a triangular pattern as being the 'UFO squadron' and uses a plane as his point of reference. And while cynics suggest a host of more mundane explanations, Kevin insists these are the same spacecraft which he filmed around a year ago… which were also dismissed by more cynically-minded viewers.

Elusive Forest Creature 'Bigfoot' Possibly Sighted

2011-05-31T15:25:00.002-05:00

The legendary, mythical half-man, half-animal known as ‘Bigfoot’ has always been elusive, with only a few rough sightings over the past few decades – but now, another scrap of evidence points towards its existence. Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, was caught on a fuzzy, shaky video recently uploaded on YouTube, a popular video-sharing service. The 58-second video has been viewed over 111,000 times since it was posted on May 24.The video, which actually shows a pair of hikers trudging down a hill in the State of Washington, caught a few seconds of the elusive creature running in the upper-right corner of the frame. Samantha, the user who uploaded the video, had no idea that she had accidentally caught the world’s most wanted furry ape on tape until she reviewed the footage after returning from the trip.Viewers on YouTube expressed their doubt over the veracity of the sighting. “That’s not Bigfoot, that’s my drunk Uncle Jethro,” one viewer sarcastically joked. Others were more supportive, although they still had misgivings. “It looks pretty fake, but still cool to watch,” one user commented. Bigfoot’s origins span decades into the past, but there have been precious few sightings of the mythical beast, rumored to live in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. No scientific evidence supports the claim that Bigfoot actually exists.

Rapist With Supernatural Powers Of Sex Arrested In Gweru

2011-05-19T14:10:00.003-05:00

A Gweru man believed to be possessing supernatural powers in which he can rape women without them noticing but only to realise after, suffered injuries after being caught red-handed this time. The act is notoriously known in Zimbabwe as mubobobo. Jealous Dube, 23, was caught sexually abusing a 23 year-old woman who was bathing at a flat in the central business district. Dube, who was half naked, was noticed by his victim when he started making noise while supernaturally abusing the woman who at that time was feeling strange on her private parts. Midlands police spokesman Patrick Chademana confirmed that Dube was charged with criminal insult.The woman then sought to investigate the cause of the strange noises when she peeped through the bathroom window only to find out that Dube was standing at the window holding his private parts. “Dube then took to his heels with the trousers on his knees,” said a witness. “But he was manhandled by the woman’s neighbours.” Dube confessed that he has abused several; women in Gweru especially those who live in flats because he would notice that a woman was bathing by running water in sanitary lanes. Chademana said: “The suspect is said to have been abusing women on a number of occasions at the same place.” Dube will be dragged to court soon.

Chinese Girls Born In Single Body With 2 Heads

2011-05-10T12:12:00.003-05:00

A hospital in southwestern China says conjoined twin girls with a single body and two heads have been born at its facility. A staffer surnamed Wang at Suining City Central Hospital in Sichuan province says the girls were born Thursday. Wang said Tuesday the parents, who are farmers, did not want to have the babies at first, fearing they could not afford to keep them alive.She said they transferred the twins to a hospital in the nearby metropolis of Chongqing to be examined by experts. The local Huaxi Metropolis Daily reported the twins weighed 9 pounds (4 kilograms) and measured 20 inches (51 centimeters). They have two spines and two esophaguses and share other organs. Doctors were quoted as saying it would be nearly impossible to separate them.

Vampire Bites Land Babysitter In Jail

2011-04-02T17:19:00.002-05:00

A Wisconsin man who pleaded no contest to charges that he bit a 3-year-old boy's neck while "playing vampire" has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, local news reported on Friday. Mark R. Adams Jr. was convicted of felony child abuse. The 43-year-old was sentenced Tuesday.Adams was babysitting the boy in January.He told police that after he watched a vampire-themed show, he bit the boy's neck three times while "playing vampire." He also told investigators it was possible he said something about wanting to suck the boy's blood.Prosecutors said the three bite marks were clearly visible.

Mama Sheep Gives Birth To A Baby Dog

2011-03-31T09:03:00.004-05:00

Scientists say it's impossible, but Chinese farmer Liu Naiying believes he is the proud owner of a miracle - a sheep that has given birth to a dog. The "puppy" has wool like a lamb but its mouth, nose, eyes, paws and tail look more like those of a dog. Thousands of people have visited Mr Liu's Shaanxi province farm to see for themselves."I was herding the sheep, and saw a sheep licking her newborn lamb on the grassland," Mr Liu said. "When I went up to check I was shocked because it looked so weird, like a cross between a sheep and a dog. "I was a bit frightened, as I've been raising sheep for 20 years and had never seen such a creature." Researcher Yue Guozhang said "it's likely that this is just an abnormal lamb".

North Carolina Man Swears He Spotted Bigfoot; Experts Doubt His Claims

2011-03-26T17:41:00.008-05:00

A North Carolina man swears he saw Bigfoot. Thomas Byers sent a blurry video to local television station WCNC showing what he claims to be the elusive furry creature running across a local road. "As I filmed it crossing the road it turned its head towards me and snarled or growled at me as it ran across the road," he posted on hubpages.com."It was truly one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen." It could be proof of the real thing, he said. "If you had been standing out there on that road I guarantee you that you would have been amazed at what we saw," he insisted. The creature also left footprints that Byers claimed proved he had six toes - just as Bigfoot is described. According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, there have been many recent spottings of Sasquatch. But the president of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization had his doubts. "This is obviously a fraud," Matt Moneymaker told the Daily News. "The costume was so cheap (Byers) had to blur the image." He also pointed to the short length of the video and its strange cutoff points. Commenters on the WCNC website agreed."This has to be a guy in a bear suit," one commenter wrote. "I have been following the Bigfoot mystery for over 25 years now," another wrote. "This has no characteristics of a classic Bigfoot sighting. It actually appears to be waving while it crosses the road. If you are to going pull a hoax then you should do your homework before you put someone in a costume."

UK Kayakers Claim They Spotted Loch Ness-Like Sea Creature

2011-02-24T19:22:00.002-06:00

Bownessie, the mythical younger and less famous sea monster of Britain's Lake Windermere, who lives in the shadow of her northern neighbor, the fabled Loch Ness monster, may have been spotted today. Two 20-something Brits told the U.K.'s Daily Mail that they spotted three or four mysterious humps emerge from the water while they were kayaking on Lake Windermere in Bowness-on-Windermere, near the western coast of northern England. Tom Pickles, 24, and Sarah Harrington, 23, said they stared at the shape, terrified as it moved through the water at about 10 miles per hour. "I thought it was a dog," Pickles said. "Then I realized it was much bigger and moving really quickly. Each hump was moving in a rippling motion and it was swimming fast. I could tell it was much bigger underneath from the huge shadow around it.""Its skin was like a seal's, but its shape was abnormal -- it's not like any animal I've ever seen before. We saw it for about 20 seconds. It was petrifying. We paddled back to the shore straight away," Harrington said. The couple managed to snap a shot of the baffling figure with a camera phone before it disappeared into the water. Experts who have examined the fuzzy photograph have said that the image is authentic, but that the file size is too small to tell if it was altered. And of course there are the skeptics who say the monster, whether in Loch Ness or Windermere, is just a myth. "I have a whole lot of doubt that it could be a Loch Ness monster. I don't think a monster can exist biologically," said Ian Winfield, a scientist at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology at the Lancaster, England, Environment Centre. "It's a bit of fun, it adds a bit of spice to life," he said. "It would be wonderful if it was true. I mean if we had some kind of creature alive in the British Isles it would be fantastic but I really don't think it can be so."

A Peek Inside A Haunted Mansion

2011-02-05T00:03:00.001-06:00

Has The Legendary Chupacabra Been Found?

2010-12-28T12:28:00.001-06:00

2010-11-26T09:51:00.001-06:00

Ghost Wars Break Out In Haunted Rye

2010-11-13T11:16:00.004-06:00

Haunted Rye has become a supernatural battleground for two rival Ghost Walks. Ghostly tours of the medieval town have proved a great success for Rye Heritage Centre but they are haunted by the spectre of another tour run from Rye Tourist Information Centre. Rye is an absolute hot spot for ghastly goings-on with everything from phantom swordsmen clashing in a room at the Mermaid Inn to the wailing ghost of a monk who was rumoured to be bricked up in a wall alive for breaching vows of chastity. The tour operated by Rye Heritage Centre claims to be of a serious and historical nature and boasts the advantage of having night-time access to spooky spots such as the Ypres Tower. But they are up against tours run by local ghost enthusiast Tina Brown, who has seven books to her name and who has run successful tours in Hastings Old Town. Peter Cosstick, from the Heritage Centre, addressing councillors on Rye’s policy committee on Monday, said: “Our tours are working brilliantly.They are very historical and we can actually take people into venues such as the Tower, which are rarely seen after dark. “The tours are limited in number to 12 and we have had very good feedback from them. The other tours are bigger with around 20 people and they have someone in a wizard’s hat reading from a script. “We have already exceeded our financial targets for the tours.” But Tina Brown, who releases her book on Haunted Rye at Christmas, and lives in Eastbourne, said: “Our tours are very well researched. I am not aware of anyone wearing a wizard’s hat. “At the end of the day it is a just a bit of healthy competition and good at generating interest in the town.”

Baby With Two Faces Hailed As Goddess

2010-10-04T00:03:00.000-05:00

Ghost Tours Explore The Unknown

2010-10-03T17:07:00.004-05:00

Some people spend their weekends searching for garage-sale bargains. Others set out to discover new hiking trails. For Kelly Green, weekends were made for hunting ghosts. "I've been doing it about eight years now, and it's been fascinating," said Green, a former Alton resident who lives in Bunker Hill, Ill. "The best part about it is that you meet other people who have the similar interest," she said. "Let's face it, people either believe in ghosts or they don't. So it's good when you have a chance to meet people who hold the same belief. I've made some good friends." For Green's nocturnal adventures, she usually goes with tours organized by American Hauntings, a Decatur, Ill., company that conducts tours and overnight stays at a variety of sites. Troy Taylor, who started the company in 1994, said the business grew from his passion for the supernatural. "I've always been interested in the mysterious, the unsolved and the paranormal. That sort of stuff just always appealed to me, but there wasn't a lot of material to guide me," he said. "Plus, I'm not very employable, a little too independent to work for somebody, so I created this niche for myself," he said. Taylor's company offers trips across the nation, including the Gettysburg Battlefield; Bell's Witch Cave in Tennessee — "a rather famous location"; and the Mansfield Reformatory — "that's the old prison where 'The Shawshank Redemption' was filmed." Adventures in this area include the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, the Morse Mill Hotel in Jefferson County and the Original Springs Hotel in Okawville. A few weeks ago, Green attended one of the company's excursions to The Eldred House in Eldred, Ill., about 65 miles north of St. Louis. She stopped short of saying that she saw a ghost, but she did see something.The Eldred House in Eldred, Ill., about 65 miles north of St. Louis. is one of the houses featured on the haunted house tour by American Hauntings, a Decatur, Ill., company that conducts tours and overnight stays at a variety of sites."I could see a shadow move on the staircase, peeking out at us. We were at the bottom, and it was like the head and shoulders looking over the rail," Green said. She added that the Eldred sighting wasn't as clear as the time when she was a child and saw the ghost of a man in the basement of her grandmother's house near Ellisville. "Years later, I mentioned the event and my grandmother looked at my mom and said, 'Well, that's four generations who've seen it.'" Taylor said tours like the one at Eldred are smaller affairs. "Usually, it's 12 to 25 people, depending on the size of the venue. But at something like the Mansfield Reformatory, we take 75 guests," he said. Taylor said ghost hunters preferred tours through companies over visiting sites on their own. "Take the Lemp Mansion, for example. You can stay there anytime, but most people would be there to eat and drink. When we go, we book the entire site. This allows our people to investigate the house," he said. Some patrons bring their own ghost-hunting equipment, such as voice and video recorders and even electromagnetic field detectors. "But the two basics everyone should bring are a camera and a flashlight," Taylor said. He stressed that the tours are not staged performances. "We offer documented reports of sightings and the history of the site. We don't hold seances or have psychics," he said. When it comes to bonding when things bump in the night, Taylor agreed with Green. "It's a communal experience, a way to meet people with similar interests," he said. "Besides, I've always said there are two types of people: those who believe in ghosts, and those who just won't admit it."

¡Clavado Tragico!

2010-09-23T10:30:00.002-05:00

'Ghost Adventures'' Crew Sharing Expertise At Mansfield Reformatory

2010-09-11T09:56:00.002-05:00

They jump, they scream and they get scared -- but three guys from Las Vegas keep going back for more. For the past two years, viewers have watched with wide eyes as Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin, three paranormal investigators on "Ghost Adventures," have visited some of the most haunted places in North America. On Thursday, fans traveled from all over the country to the Ohio State Reformatory to meet the trio and crew, ask them questions and prepare for the weekend ahead. Today and Sunday, hundreds will spend the evening ghost hunting with the team. "Basically, we're going to show people that what happens on TV can happen right in front of their face," said Bagans, the show host and lead investigator. "They can bring their own equipment, and we show them that their stuff can work just as well as ours. "We have them ask the questions to the ghosts, so they get the response. This stuff changes lives and we want people to experience it."The OSR meet-and-greet allowed nearly 300 guests to gather in the intimate central guardroom. Sporting a wide variety of "Ghost Adventures" T-shirts, guests were fascinated to hear their stories. "I probably get the most scared," Goodwin admitted with a laugh. "But it's the rush of it all that keeps you coming back. It's like sky-diving without a parachute." "It's exciting to know there's something after life," Groff said. "We've all had our own personal experiences. For me, I saw a lady standing two feet in front of me. That experience is one that stays with you for the rest of your life." The guys say proof is not hard to find. "You can see them, hear them, touch them," Bagans said of the paranormal. "Even smell them," Goodwin added. For those who can't attend this weekend's hunts, the trio encourages fans to watch upcoming episodes on the Travel Channel. "You're going to see some of our scariest moments and best evidence so far," Bagans said. "This is our lives. We like being scared and frightened to the bone. We crave it."

We're Going To Need A Bigger Bowl! Fisherman Catches Massive 30lb 'Goldfish'

2010-09-08T22:37:00.002-05:00

It might look like an enormously generous fairground prize. But no goldfish bowl in the world could contain this catch. The orange koi carp weighs 30lb - the same as an average three-year-old girl - and is thought to be one of the largest of its kind ever captured.It took Raphael Biagini ten minutes to reel the creature out of a lake in the south of France - moments after fellow anglers told him they had spent six years trying to snare the legendary 'giant goldfish'. Mr Biagini, pictured, said: 'To begin with, we couldn't tell what was at the end of the line, but we knew it was big.

Ghost Hunter Chasing "Ghost Train" Killed By Real One

2010-08-27T18:07:00.002-05:00

A 29-year-old amateur ghost hunter chasing a ghost train was killed by a real train near Statesville, North Carolina. It was in the same spot exactly 119 years after the fatal accident he was hoping would produce the ghoulish locomotive. Christopher Kaiser died on the scene of what was one of the worst train accidents in North Carolina history when, on August 27th, 1891 a passenger train jumped the tracks and plunged through a bridge.Early this morning, at the same spot, Kaiser and a group of ghost hunters were walking the train trestle where the incident occurred when a real train made up of three locomotives rounded a bend. The group started to run for safety but Kaiser didn't make it. Two other ghost chasers were killed.

Cruel Woman Dumping Cat Into Garbage

2010-08-25T13:36:00.002-05:00

Haunted West-End Theatres

2010-07-29T19:21:00.004-05:00

London’s theatreland is steeped in superstition and tales of ghostly goings on, from the spectral presence of the clown Grimaldi stalking the corridors of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to the gay ghost at the Queen’s Theatre and the dolphins said to haunt the Peacock Theatre (having died, since you ask, of neglect after being installed as props for one of Paul Raymond’s girlie shows). In this context, it’s perhaps not surprising that not one but two stage managers working at the same theatre should be practising mediums in their spare time. Having discovered this common interest in 2005, when their paths crossed at the Dominion Theatre (allegedly haunted by a ghostly brewery worker, a giggling child, at least one poltergeist and quite possibly the tormented soul of Freddie Mercury, appalled at the horrors of ‘We Will Rock You’), Becky Walsh and Ian John Shillito decided to get together, Scooby Gang-style, and investigate all these theatrical ghost stories for themselves. Unlike most similar projects, they could use their professional contacts to gain access to the hidden workings of each theatre, and the resulting book is as much a treasure trove of backstage secrets and historical nuggets as a serious attempt to separate the genuine hauntings from tradition or (let’s face it) PR. ‘One of the most important things to do is to eliminate any natural causes before we look at the supernatural,’ says Shillito. ‘I do believe in life after death, but the more I work in this field the more I realise that a lot of other things can cause these phenomena. But we tried to leave the final decision up to the reader. The results of their investigations may give nervous theatre-goers pause for thought. Did you know, for instance, that the Lyceum contains an ‘energy vortex’ which may function as a porthole for spirits to ‘pop in and out of dimensions’? Or that the ‘Buckingham Palace ley line’ runs underneath the Victoria Apollo, and may have been turned into a negative ‘black stream’ by tragic events like the Blitz? Or that the electrical supply room of the Trafalgar Studios is home to a Gollum-like presence – gaunt, naked and skinny – which feeds off the electricity and causes power cuts? On the other hand, many popular ghost stories can be discounted if Shillito and Walsh are to be believed. They draw a firm distinction between proper ‘three-dimensional’ ghosts and other manifestations which they call ‘energy playback’ (where the fabric of the building soaks up events and emotions and then plays them back at a later date) and ‘thought form manifestations’ (created by the repetition of thoughts and emotions associated with a particular location.In some cases their conclusions are even more radical. ‘One of the things we’ve discovered – and this is a fairly recent conversation in the paranormal world – is the effect of infrasound on our own physical and spiritual bodies,’ says Shillito. ‘The majority of the theatres have problems with drainage and flooding, because a lot of them are built on the old underground London rivers and sewers.’ At both the Aldwych and the Dominion there are streams visible beneath the substage area, causing frequent floods as well as possibly creating spooky infrasound vibrations. The most genuinely haunted theatre in London is not the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, as most people believe, but the Theatre Royal Haymarket. ‘So many different people have seen exactly the same spirit,’ says Walsh, ‘and when they’re shown a picture of the gentleman in question, who’s called John Buckstone, all of them recognise him and say: “Yeah, that’s the man I saw”. These are people like Judi Dench and Donald Sinden, as well as the master carpenter and the chief electrician.’ Buckstone was the actor-manager of the theatre from 1853 to 1879, and apparently still likes to take an interest in the place, popping up in dressing rooms (particularly his own, Dressing Room 1), stairwells, the royal box and once even on stage during a performance. So what is it about theatres that attracts ghosts? For Shillito, it’s something to do with the atmosphere of the buildings. ‘It’s really amazing going into a theatre when there’s no one there,’ he says. ‘It’s a bit like walking around a child’s playground at night, it’s quite frightening. Theatre is about storytelling and understanding the human condition through stories. That’s why the people who are attracted to work in the theatre love stories, and why these ghost stories have lasted so long. If you think about it, half the shows on in the West End are about ghosts.'

Creepy 'Horseboy' Photo On Scottish Road Becomes Latest Google Streetview Mystery

2010-06-29T07:20:00.004-05:00

He only wanted to find an optician's to repair his glasses. But what Russell Moffatt saw on Google StreetView made him question whether he also needed to get his eyes tested. The bizarre sight, dubbed 'Horseboy', has become an unlikely internet sensation after being snapped by one of Google's cars on an otherwise unremarkable Aberdeen street. Now, the search is on to unmask the mystery prankster. Mr Moffatt, a 50-year-old IT manager, spotted Horseboy in Hardgate in Aberdeen. He said: 'I needed to get my glasses repaired and was looking for an optician's shop when I suddenly saw this crazy guy. 'I thought it was really funny; he obviously spotted the Google car photographing streets in the area, ran to get a horse-head mask and laid in wait for it. 'I bet he's been quietly smiling to himself ever since, waiting to be discovered.' The StreetView site will allow anyone in the world to type in a UK address or postcode and instantly see a 360-degree picture of the street, including close-ups of buildings, cars and people. Closer observation of the website reveals that the joker can be seen from further down the street pulling on the realistic-looking horse's head. But he is so far away from the camera that his face cannot be seen.Mr Moffatt, a father of one from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, was so amused by his discovery that he wrote about it on social networking site Twitter. Now, he is appealing for help to identify Horseboy, who is wearing a purple jumper and black jeans in the picture. But, despite the site being inundated with hits from an army of fans looking at the intriguing photograph, nobody has yet come forward to confess. The picture joins a list of unusual sights captured on Streetview. The most famous, from Norway, shows two men dressed in full scuba gear chasing a Google car down the road brandishing a harpoon. Two years ago in Australia, a man who fell asleep in a drunken stupor on the grass outside his home was horrified to find his embarrassment posted on the internet. The man, who has only ever been identified as 'Bill', had been drowning his sorrows over the death of a friend and collapsed after climbing out of a taxi. As he slept off his excesses, a Google StreetView camera passed by to record the street for its website. Google have since removed the image. Horseboy, by contrast, seems to have been totally aware that he was being filmed. Mr Moffatt said: 'I'd love to find out who this man is and I'm hoping he'll come forward. But for now he's a total, and very entertaining, mystery.'

Census Records 157-Year-Old Woman

2010-06-09T07:29:00.003-05:00

Estimates of the size and composition of Indonesia's booming population may remain just that despite an ongoing census, if the "discovery" of a 157-year-old woman is anything to go by. Census officials have said they believe the woman's claims to have been born in 1853, when Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata debuted in Venice, the Crimean War erupted and San Francisco got its first street signs at intersections. "There's no authentic data to prove her age but judging from her statements and the age of her adopted daughter, who's now 108 years old, it's difficult to doubt it," statistics bureau official Jhonny Sardjono said.The only person verified to have lived past 120 years of age was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. South Sumatran villager Turinah would be fully 35 years older than Calment when she died, according to officials. Even more incredible, she still works around the house and has smoked clove cigarettes all her life, Mr Sardjono said. "Despite her age she still has an incredible memory, clear sight and has no hearing problems. She speaks Dutch quite fluently," he said. Indonesia was a Dutch colony for hundreds of years until 1945. He said Ms Turinah burnt all her identification documents to avoid being linked to an alleged communist coup in 1965. Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country with a population of around 240 million people. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said the census results will be important for future governance.

Wheat Ridge Cemetery Seeks To Liven Up

2010-06-08T12:14:00.003-05:00

For more than a century, folks have gone to Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery to mourn endings. But now, the 260-acre, 103-year-old graveyard is working to reimagine itself as something more than a spot for solemn rituals. Crown Hill is pushing into the territory of galleries and performance halls, scheduling concerts and art exhibitions in hopes of engaging more routinely with the community, said general manager Kevin Wolfe. "People come to cemeteries, and they are always looking down," he said. But Wolfe wants them to look around, to experience the music and the art, the plants, the history and the culture. Crown Hill, 7777 W. 29th Ave., has laid careful plans for its transformation, as have some competitors. Cemeteries across the country are increasingly broadening their attractions beyond disposal of bodies to draw people past the wrought-iron gates. For example, Denver's historic Fairmount Cemetery, 430 S. Quebec St., has long been hailed for its fine collection of old roses and trees but also hosts "First Friday" social events, summer potlucks celebrating loved ones buried there and concerts that pay tribute to Colorado history. "This is part of the way in which cemeteries have been sprucing themselves up," said Marilyn Yalom, who wrote "The American Resting Place," a history of 400 years of cemeteries in the United States. "It's a contemporary movement that doesn't have a counterpart in the past." Commerce, Yalom said, is behind some of the evolution. Cemetery directors want to bring people onto the grounds, to introduce them to the place and make it feel comfortable instead of forbidding. But the tranformation, too, is tied to a blossoming realization that cemeteries are rich with history, that they can chronicle a community's march through the centuries. Last week, Crown Hill hosted an exhibit of lush and life-affirming landscape paintings by New Mexico artist Ed Sandoval.Garden displays also are important. The grounds were recently certified as an arboretum, and the cemetery now has a garden club. The just-completed Our Lady of Guadalupe garden anchors one part of the cemetery. Another new area is the "Asia Paradise," the only feng-shui-designed burial site in the state, complete with headstones topped with pagodalike designs. Wolfe even encourages couples to tie the knot on the cemetery grounds. So far, six have. The push to make the cemetery feel more like an ordinary part of the community began a few years ago and is gaining momentum. Crown Hill now urges people to tour the grounds and examine works by the Mexican artist and architect Dionicio Rodriguez — his only pieces in the state are scattered throughout the grounds. There's a unique stained-glass installation dense with Masonic references, including the "Eye of Providence" that is familiar because it's also on the $1 bill. The Wheat Ridge cemetery holds a plot of Spanish-American War and Civil War gravestones. And there's a local celebrity factor to graveyard tours. Adolph Coors? You can't miss his obelisk grave, a smaller version of the Washington Monument, or the final resting place for George Tebeau, the father of Colorado baseball. Just look for the gravestone emblazoned with a baseball player. The grounds support 1,700 trees, representing 72 species, including 19 Colorado state-champion trees. "Cemeteries do make you ask the big questions, and I think that is all to the good, particularly in a society that manages to fail to ask truly big questions and does so much to deny death," Yalom said. "People don't die in their homes anymore. We don't lay out the bodies as we did in the past. There are so many ways in which we can think of death belonging to other people. I think a closer relationship to cemeteries is a good thing."

What Are The Bilderberg Group Really Doing In Spain?

2010-06-05T00:03:00.000-05:00

Security is so tight at the annual cabal of the world's elite that conspiracy theories about what is discussed – and who's invited – are rife. If the conspiracy theorists are on to something, they could be plotting the invasion of Iran, planning the funeral of the Euro or scheming to wipe out French poodles in pink sweaters at this very minute. Or perhaps the world's financial and political leaders are simply schmoozing about their golf game as they enjoy a "chocolate massage" followed by the "honey body scrub" and the "spectacular oxygen Echo2 facial" at the Dolce Hotel's spa in Sitges. It is also possible that the world's executives, media moguls, and financial gurus came to the elegant seaside town near Barcelona to study the booming gay tourist market there (although they missed the wild Carnival celebration by a few months) and to sneak a preview of next year's international horror film festival. But ordinary citizens can only guess at the goings-on at the annual meeting of the secretive Bilderberg Group, a media-barred pow-wow of the global elite that in the past has reportedly attracted former US President Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and David Cameron, and US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner. Even the late Enoch Powell once attended. The heavyweight weekend retreat kicked off yesterday with hordes of police security and a gag order for employees at the luxury Dolce, whose aptly-named presidential suites overlook the Mediterranean. None of the illustrious guests posed for photos or spouted prepared statements for the media. Instead, activists, journalists and bloggers attempted to stake out positions in the surrounding hills to catch glimpses of this year's participants, guerrilla-warrior style. "We just dropped two people by the hills and they are trying to run for cover so they aren't spotted by the snipers," said Hannah Borno, co-founder of an activist agency, Trilever, which is calling for transparency on the Bilderberg deliberations and offers information (also known as leaks) to the press. "I hope they're OK." Ms Borno paid €135 for the hotel's cheapest room for the chance to see the preparations – as well as swarming secret service agents – before being forced to leave for a nearby campsite, surrounded by police. Overhead: a no-fly zone. "The public is paying for this security," she added. "I can see 20 to 30 police vans right now. We are offering a pro-bono lawyer in case any of the activists or bloggers are arrested." Some people consider the Bilderberg Group, founded in 1954, an innocent brainstorming session, but the cloak-and-dagger theorists scored a point this week when the self-appointed Bilderberg expert Daniel Estulin addressed the European Parliament on the invitation of an Italian member, Mario Borghezio. Mr Estulin, an investigative journalist who has written two best-selling books on the subject, contends that "the Bilderberg Club" is not a classic conspiracy but a potentially dangerous meeting of minds with a common goal: to centralise global economic power to benefit corporations. He defined it as "a virtual spider web of interlocking financial, political and industrial interests"."It isn't a secret society," he said. "No matter how powerful they are, no group sits around a table holding hands and deciding the world's future. It is an ideology." Secret society or not, the speculation surrounding Bilderberg rivals the eternal question of who shot JFK – to the extent that one Spanish activist vowed he has sighted freemasonry symbols on the Sitges hotel. Being the meeting is secret, it is impossible to confirm which executives and lawmakers have checked into the spiffy Dolce, in the heart of golf-and-sunbathing territory. Politicians often deny participation. But according to press leaks, this year's A-list participants include Queen Beatrix of Holland, Spain's Queen Reina Sofia (supposedly a regular), World Trade Organisation Director Pascal Lamy, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet, former NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and former Spanish vice president Pedro Solbes, known during his stint as an EU commissioner as "Mr Euro". Meanwhile, Extremadura Progresista, a left-wing newspaper from Extremadura, one of Spain's poorest regions, published a list of participants on its website, including former Secretary of State for Business Peter Mandelson and the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (although he's currently in Asia), plus executives from Siemens AG, Microsoft, Royal Dutch Shell, Chase Manhattan Bank and Morgan Stanley International. And what might this all-star cast be discussing between forkfuls of paella and sips of cava on a warm summer's eve? Topics reportedly include everything from the possible failure of the euro and the creation of a global currency, to a military strike against Iran. Another issue supposedly on the agenda is the financial meltdown in Greece, where last year's brainstorming session was held. The irony is not lost on Spanish activists, who hope the Bilderberg "witches' Sabbath" does not brew bad tidings for the troubled Spanish economy. "We joke that the horror film festival is starting early," Didac Sanchez, an activist with the organisation EcoXarxa Montseny, told The Independent over the phone amid background chanting. "The monsters are here." Thursday's protests, which attracted about 100 demonstrators, were paltry compared to previous anti-globalisation rallies in Catalonia – partly because chic-and-wealthy Sitges is not the sort of place to get ruffled about whatever a bunch of CEOs do in their spare time. But Bilderberg's low profile also played a part. "It's so secretive that not even people in the leftist movements know about it," Mr Sanchez said. "And it's so frightening that people can't even believe that it's real. Some people theorise that they want to kill off half the world; others believe they're directing the world's finances. But we're here to say it is real, it is happening." He expects momentum to build throughout the weekend, however. The carnival-inspired theme of the protest is "unmasking Bilderberg". "We will set up a healing camp," he said. "It will be a festival of cleansing."The guests...

Peter Mandelson, Ex-Business Secretary

Jean Claude Trichet, European Bank President

Reina Sofia, Queen of Spain

... and the alumni

Bill Clinton, US President

Tony Blair, Prime Minister

Enoch Powell, Conservative minister

Calif. Car Dealer Who Attempted Voodoo Hex On Prosecutors Gets 12 Years In Prison For Fraud

2010-06-03T00:03:00.000-05:00

Authorities say a used car dealer is headed to prison for fraud, despite attempting to place a voodoo hex on prosecutors handling his case in Los Angeles. Thirty-four-year-old Ruben Hernandez was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years after being convicted of using false Social Security information and bank statements to buy properties. Hernandez was arrested in February 2009 after being a fugitive for a year.Authorities searching his home found a shrine with voodoo dolls dunked headfirst in cups of water with pins in their eyes. Officials say the case number and names of the prosecutor and investigators were written on the dolls. Hernandez was convicted in May on four counts of filing a false application and three counts of grand theft. He was ordered to return to court next Wednesday to face 28 additional counts.

Haunted Lady Gaga Ghostbuster

2010-06-02T07:43:00.002-05:00

Lady Gaga admits that she bought a Ghostbuster kit. Gaga uses the Ghostbuster device for regular sweeps to fend off evil spirits that are haunting her. Gaga admits that the problem started a few weeks ago and is convinced that she needs the Ghostbuster kit to fight against negative forces. "When I took the order for the kit I had no idea who it was for. But then I checked the listings and saw who was playing the O2. Her aide said the gear had to be robust as they were taking it on the road. So they must be doing this everywhere [...] Gaga is performing," Ghostbuster firm owner Dan Webb said in a statement. The kit she bought includes electro-magnetic field readers.Gaga, 24, is terrified of "bad energy" and hired Dan Webb's firm to do a complete cleansing behind the stage at London's O2 Arena. Gaga originally thought she was experiencing a mental breakdown, or hallucinations, that usually come with skitzophrenia. However, she is still convinced that unseen forces are haunting her. If the reports are true, Gaga wouldn't be the first celebrity to admit ghost sightings. Several Hollywood legends have their own story to tell after experiencing similar paranormal activity. While the subject is always up for debate, the activity is still unexplained and why it happens in the first place.

Starving Yogi astounds Indian Scientists

2010-05-11T07:47:00.003-05:00

An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period. Prahlad Jani spent a fortnight in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television. During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet. "We still do not know how he survives," neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment. "It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is." The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad in a study initiated by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defence and military research institute. The DRDO hopes that the findings, set to be released in greater detail in several months, could help soldiers survive without food and drink, assist astronauts or even save the lives of people trapped in natural disasters."(Jani's) only contact with any kind of fluid was during gargling and bathing periodically during the period," G. Ilavazahagan, director of India's Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), said in a statement. Jani has since returned to his village near Ambaji in northern Gujarat where he will resume his routine of yoga and meditation. He says that he was blessed by a goddess at a young age, which gave him special powers. During the 15-day observation, which ended on Thursday, the doctors took scans of Jani's organs, brain, and blood vessels, as well as doing tests on his heart, lungs and memory capacity. "The reports were all in the pre-determined safety range through the observation period," Shah told reporters at a press conference last week. Other results from DNA analysis, molecular biological studies and tests on his hormones, enzymes, energy metabolism and genes will take months to come through. "If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one," said Shah. "As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories."

Probe Launched At ‘Haunted’ Day Centre

2010-05-10T00:03:00.001-05:00

Investigators have been sent into a day centre after complaints that it is haunted. Among the ghostly goings-on reported by staff at the Wintern Day Centre in Fishguard are printers that print when not plugged in, keyboards turning upside down overnight, furniture being moved, items flying off walls and a haunting smell of bluebells wafting through the rooms.The bluebell smell is said to be associated with two maids who once lived in the attic of the day centre, which was converted from an old house. The maids are said to have hanged themselves after they both became pregnant, the tragedy taking place when bluebells were blooming in the garden.

Ancient Doorway To Afterlife Discovered In Egypt

2010-03-29T12:09:00.002-05:00

A large red granite false door from the tomb of an ancient queen's powerful vizier has been discovered in Luxor, Egypt's culture minister said on Monday. The carved stone door -- which ancient Egyptians believed was the threshold to the afterlife -- was unearthed near the Karnak Temple in Luxor and belongs to the tomb of User, a powerful advisor to the 18th dynasty Queen Hatshepsut, Faruk Hosni said in a statement.The door, 1.75 metres (5.7 feet) high and 50 cm (19 inches) thick, is engraved with religious texts and various titles used by User, including mayor of the city, vizier and prince, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass was quoted as saying. "The newly discovered door was reused during the Roman period. It was removed from the tomb of User and used in the wall of a Roman structure," said Mansur Boraik, who headed the excavation mission. Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt between 1479 BC and 1458 BC, was the longest reigning female pharaoh.

Blood Falls

2010-03-15T00:03:00.000-05:00

This five-story, blood-red waterfall pours very slowly out of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. When geologists first discovered the frozen waterfall in 1911, they thought the red color came from algae, but its true nature turned out to be much more spectacular.Roughly 2 million years ago, the Taylor Glacier sealed beneath it a small body of water which contained an ancient community of microbes. Trapped below a thick layer of ice, they have remained there ever since, isolated inside a natural time capsule. Evolving independently of the rest of the living world, these microbes exist in a world with no light or free oxygen and little heat, and are essentially the definition of "primordial ooze." The trapped lake has very high salinity and is rich in iron, which gives the waterfall its red color. A fissure in the glacier allows the subglacial lake to flow out, forming the falls without contaminating the ecosystem within. The existence of the Blood Falls ecosystem shows that life is indeed possible in the most extreme of conditions. Life could perhaps exist on other planets with similar environments and similar bodies of frozen water - notably Mars and Jupiter's moon Europa. But regardless of extraterrestrial life, the earth's Blood Falls are a wonder to behold both visually, and scientifically.

The Goat Woman: Chinese Grandmother, 101, Grows Mystery Horn On Forehead

2010-03-14T05:05:00.003-05:00

An elderly Chinese woman has stunned her family and fellow villagers by growing from her forehead a horn than resembles a goat’s. Grandmother Zhang Ruifang, 101, of Linlou village, Henan province, began developing the mysterious protrusion last year. Since then it has grown 2.4in in length and another now appears to emerging on the other side of the mother of seven’s forehead. The condition has left her family baffled and worried. Her youngest of six sons, Zhang Guozheng, 60, said when a patch of rough skin formed on her forehead last year ‘we didn't pay too much attention to it’. ‘But as time went on a horn grew out of her head and it is now 6cm long,' added Mr Zhang, whose eldest brother and sibling is 82 years old. ‘Now something is also growing on the right side of her forehead. It’s quite possible that it’s another horn.’ Although, it is unknown what the protrusion is on Mrs Zhang’s head, it resembles a cutaneous horn.This is a funnel-shaped growth and although most are only a few millimetres in length, some can extend a number of inches from the skin. Cutaneous horns are made up of compacted keratin, which is the same protein we have in our hair and nails, and forms horns, wool and feathers in animals. They usually develop in fair-skinned elderly adults who have a history of significant sun exposure but it is extremely unusual to see it form protrusions of this size. The growths are most common in elderly people, aged between 60 and the mid-70s. They can sometimes be cancerous but more than half of cases are benign. Common underlying causes of cutaneous horns are common warts, skin cancer and actinic keratoses, patches of scaly skin that develop on skin exposed to the sun, such as your face, scalp or forearms. Cutaneous horns can be removed surgically but this does not treat the underlying cause.

'Vampire' Man Creates Bomb Scare

2010-03-13T20:02:00.002-06:00

A man who is claiming to be an actual vampire threatened to blow up his arm after taping a fake bomb to it. According to reports, he stirred up downtown Seattle this morning. This begs the question, if he was a vampire why is he out in the morning sun? He also claimed he was a 'Space Cowboy'...whatever that means. Police talked the vampire man into taking off the suspicious wired pipe that looked like a bomb and arrested him. He was locked up for making bomb threats on himself in public. He is very likely to have a mental evaluation.Thankfully, no one was hurt. The story goes that the man walked into a downtown Seattle shelter and told people that he wanted to eat them for breakfast. He was put outside by the staff at the shelter. Even stranger, people apparently witnessed the man using black duct tape on his body and walking in small circles shouting threats. Police and the SWAT team were able to get him down to the station with little problems, but the damage was done. There were two hour of delays created by this interesting character.

Ghost In A Bottle

2010-03-10T00:03:00.000-06:00

There was bound to be plenty of commentary about the recent New Zealand sale of two ghosts at auction. Here is a video response from YouTube user qwertyfshag. The man wonders exactly why - if it were even possible to house a ghost in a bottle - someone would want to own one. He speculates. What would you do with it? Maybe take the bottle to an enemy's home and release it?What would you do with a "pet" ghost? And how much would you pay for one if it were actually possible to do so? Apparently these two ghosts in a bottle raised more than $4,000 in this recent sale. Reminds me of how the Ghostbusters film caught ghosts and contained them. Seems like of cruel, unless of course, the ghosts were acting poorly and causing problems for the living.

THE BEST U.F.O.'S OF 2009

2010-03-04T00:03:00.000-06:00

Alleged Bigfoot Sightings Draw Crowd In Ohio Valley Park

2010-03-01T00:03:00.000-06:00

In the woods of Salt Fork State Park, sightings of a bipedal creature with long flowing hair have been reported more than once. In fact, believers of Bigfoot said that is where the creature dwells. "For a number of years there's been reports of Bigfoot or a big hairy creature type of thing," said Hal Harper, a manager at the park in Guernsey County. Even the History Channel has spotlighted the park by calling it "a place where eyewitnesses have long told stories of a creature that evokes the fear of a boogeyman." The bipedal creature is also known as the Ohio Grassman and alleged sightings date back decades. Today, so-called "Footers" post their own videos to YouTube and other places online.Even Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb from NBC's Today Show went "footing" in the park in search of a Sasquatch or two. Of the 23,000 acres in the park, most people said they've spotted the creature near the Orange Loop and the White Loop. The last alleged Bigfoot sighting happened on a trail just over a hill about five years ago. A couple said they were having a picnic with their dog when Bigfoot showed up. Harper said, "It followed them. It didn't attack. It just kept the same distance and finally they got too nervous and bolted for the car." Park officials said they have never found any real physical evidence of the creature, but the speculation has put the park in the national spotlight. In addition, the talk has helped tourism since people want to try to see the creature for themselves.

Child Sorcery In The Congo

2010-02-28T00:03:00.000-06:00

12 year-old, Henri, which is not his real name, points at a large fresh looking scar on his midriff. "People accused me of sorcery and my mother believed them," he says. "Look, here on my stomach. She tried to kill me with a knife. It really hurt and I cannot understand why my mother did it." Henri, who is now being given help by a children's charity, had been playing outside his home in Goma, eastern Congo, when the accusations began. His eyes begin to water as he remembers pleading with his mother, telling her that the claims were completely untrue. Not that this made any difference. "She threw me out of the house and told me to go away," he says. Henri was then forced to live on the streets until charity workers convinced his mother that the allegations were untrue. His is just one of a fast growing number of children accused of sorcery to come to the attention of Unicef's head of child protection in Congo, Alessandra Dentice. "Children accused of witchcraft is unfortunately one of the major increasing child protection issues in the country," she says. Unicef's latest available statistics show that around one hundred cases of child sorcery allegations were referred to them in 2008 in the North Kivu province of Eastern Congo alone. That number increased nearly fivefold to 450 in the same area last year. Alessandra Dentice believes this may be explained by a growing awareness of the problem that has led to more reports rather than more cases. But, she says, recent events in violence-plagued Eastern Congo might also explain the rise. "This is a country where is no social cohesion any longer, there is no sense of community, no sense of family," she says. "So, whenever anything happens at family or community level it is very easy for them to blame someone who is powerless and seems to have no rights." Ms Dentice went on tell me how serious sorcery allegations can be for the children concerned. "A lot of these children are beaten up or burnt. Unfortunately it is very common," she says. "I have just received this morning a report about a girl of 12-years-old who has been burnt because she was accused of witchcraft." The Anglican Bishop of Bukavu, Josue Bulambo Lembelembe, is also very concerned by the apparent increase in sorcery allegations against children here. "It only takes somebody in a family to fall ill and a child can be accused of sorcery," he says. "Particularly if the youngster accused lives on the street. Then they point to him or her and say they caused the illness or other problem." Not far across Goma, I approached the offices of the charity, Childrens Voice. Having heard that I was coming, more than 200 youngsters, standing in long neat lines, burst into song as I drove through the gates. In charge was the charity's local Director, Monossay Bodween Odette. "We found many of these children on the streets without parents or any kind of support," she says. "When children accused of sorcery of sorcery are abandoned on the streets life is very hard for them.People throw stones at them and many get badly hurt. "That is why we go from house to house telling people not to listen to claims of child sorcery. We know that if our message fails to get through, some children will die." It is here that I met 14 year-old, Jean, though I have been asked not to give his real name because of past threats against him. A tall sullen looking boy, Jean seems nervous and withdrawn. But when I ask him to tell me about the witchcraft accusations against him he sits up straight and begins to tell me his story. It all started, he says, after he went to see a Nigerian horror film about zombies. "In this movie one person was raising the dead with a stick. I was with a friend and we went to a cemetery to play and try and act out the movie," he says. "But when my friend saw me doing this he ran away and accused me of being a sorcerer to his parents." Jean goes on to tell me that his friend's parents came to his grandparents house where he was living and told them that he was a sorcerer and would have to be burned. Then, he says, his grandparents gave him a beating before taking him down to the offices of the local authority. "The head of the authority beat me with a stick and told me to say that I was a sorcerer. He forced me to say it. People were waiting outside to kill me," he says. Jean was then brought before a local priest who confirmed that he was a sorcerer. It was only after the Children's Voice charity visited his grandparents and warned them that making witchcraft allegations against children is now illegal, that the matter was finally dropped. But the existence of a recently introduced law under the Child Protection Code is one thing. Enforcing it can be quite another, according to local lawyer, Antonie Famber. "The trouble is that most people here still believe in witchcraft so this makes the law very hard to enforce," he says. "To make matter worse even some government officials believe in sorcery themselves. Take the case of a colleague of mine who is also a lawyer. He knows that the law does not recognise sorcery be he has accused his own children of witchcraft." But Unicef's, Alessandra Dentice says the new law, which took eight years to get on the statute books and carries a maximum penalty of three years jail, is helping. She believes that it has helped make people take a current radio and television campaign seriously and may also have prompted more people to report accusations made. Not that such legal threats are making everyone here contrite. 12-year-old Henri, who revealed how he was stabbed by his mother after neighbours accused him of sorcery, told me how she responded after accepting that he was not guilty after all. "She didn't say sorry to me. She didn't say anything."

Midland Man Believes Chupacabra Killed Three Of His Goats

2010-02-22T00:03:00.000-06:00

A mystery in Midland County after three goats are killed in one week and the man who owns them wants to know what's killing his animals. He believes it could be the mythical chupacabra. The legend of the chupacabra lives on in Midland. Daniel Hernandez raises goats on his property in Midland County. But after three of them were killed in one week, he started wondering what was going on. Hernandez says the way that his animals died is a mystery.He says each of the goats had bite marks on their necks and it looked like something was sucking the blood out of them. Hernandez doesn't believe a dog or coyote is responsible. He says he's never believed in the chupacabra until now. Hernandez said the animal's deaths cost him about $300. He did contact the Sheriff's Department to report what happened, as they're urging anyone whose animals are killed to contact Animal Control. Of course, we'll let you know what happens, especially if Hernandez catches the culprit on camera.

Is A Woodbridge California Restaurant Haunted? Owner Says Maybe

2010-02-21T00:03:00.000-06:00

A Woodbridge restaurant owner thinks the eatery she's owned for 17 years may be haunted by the ghost of a man named Frenchie. This weekend, a self-styled paranormal investigator from Sacramento will try to find out if she's right. No one's quite sure what to expect Saturday when Cactus Mexican restaurant on N. Lower Sacramento Road in Woodbridge plays host to a paranormal investigator. The goal: to determine whether the 19th-century brick building is -- as legend would have it -- haunted. "What our staff says is that they just get the feeling that somebody is present with them or behind them or something and, you know, that makes them uneasy," Cactus owner Mia Lane-Gomez said. Lane-Gomez and her husband say they've seen plenty of strange goings-on at the restaurant since they opened the place in 1992.In just the past six months, Lane-Gomez said there were at least three potentially paranormal events. Six months ago, six blender lids mysteriously vanished. Then a stack of papers inexplicably caught fire on Super Bowl Sunday last month. Then, just last Monday, a water faucet in the men's room suddenly turned on - all by itself. The culprit, Lane-Gomez theorizes, is a man named Frenchie, who supposedly died in a fall while refurbishing the building 30 years ago. Some believe Frenchie's ghost is still there. "Our basement, we do have a huge basement, probably most of our staff won't go down there," Lane-Gomez said. Paranormal enthusiast Paul Dale Roberts will be at the Cactus at 7 p.m. Saturday to discuss the basics of paranormal activity. Then at 10 p.m., Roberts will use his equipment to investigate once and for all whether any unusual otherworldly forces call the Cactus home. The public is invited to attend, but Lane-Gomez advised those looking for dinner to call ahead to make sure a table is available.

UFO Seen And Photographed In Budapest, Hungary

2010-02-20T19:18:00.002-06:00

An account, along with a photograph of a UFO event that occurred in the skies above Budapest, the capital city of the Central European nation of Hungary, has been doing the rounds of the various related internet forums popular with UFO enthusiasts and researchers. The sighting took place on 4 february at 10:45. The witness, who managed to get a photo of the object, worte in relation to their experience: I was having trouble sleeping and went onto my balcony to get some fresh air when I heard an odd sound. It was like magnetic pulsations rather than a standard engine noise. All the sudden I saw this object, or UFO about 500 meters away. It went silent and hovered for a while. Then the pulsating resumed and the object just disappeared.I managed to get a photo, it is not that great but was the best I could get. I talked to some neighbours in the morning and none of them saw anything at all but they did concede that they heard the odd noise and had problems sleeping. 'I cannot believe myself that with so many events like this happening around the world there are still people that our skeptical about UFOs and alien visitation. I realise that on publicizing my UFO experience people will call me mad and tell me that I imagined the whole thing.'

Exorcism Chapel Opened In Mexico

2010-02-08T00:03:00.000-06:00

A Mexican church in the central city of Queretaro has opened a chapel in which exorcisms can take place. There are no accurate figures for the number of exorcisms in Mexico. But the Roman Catholic Church says that in Mexico City alone there are about 10 cases a month - and the phenomenon is on the rise. Critics say that priests often mistake mental illness or epilepsy for signs of possession. The new church will only treat people already seen by doctors. Belief in possession and exorcism is common in a country where more than 90% of the population is Catholic. Nevertheless, Mexico now has a church where exorcisms can be performed: La Capilla de las Benditas Animas del Purgatorio.Exorcism predates the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th Century. Aztec healers burned herbs and prayed to eliminate the influence of bad spirits. Nowadays the Roman Catholic Church follows the guidelines contained in a book published by the Vatican. Signs of possession could be, for example, speaking in a foreign language that the person does not know, or being familiar with events that happened in far away places or in other times. In a common exorcism, a priest performs a ceremony that includes sprinkling holy water over the possessed person and reciting prayers ordering the devil to depart. Critics argue that priests commonly mistake mental illness such as schizophrenia or epilepsy and think instead they are confronting a demonic possession. But one priest, Rogelio Cano, told the BBC that the new church will only accept cases that have been already been treated by doctors and psychiatrists.

Physicist Sees Michael Jackson’s Face In Polymer Solution

2010-02-07T21:48:00.002-06:00

First it was in clouds over New York, then it was an ancient Egyptian sculpture, a tree stump, and an ultrasound: now, a British physicist has seen what looks like Michael Jackson’s face in a droplet of hardened polymer solution. The ugly-looking globular mound is a droplet of polymer solution, the kind of substance you might find in the ink cartridges of your printer. As the solution began to dry, [physicist David] Fairhurst noticed a number of small “spherulites” begin to crystallise on the droplet surface revealing what appears to be a tiny human face.“I noticed it immediately and showed it to the other guys – we had a really good laugh about it,” Fairhurst told physicsworld.com. The physicist and his group of PhD students reckon the face looks like a small girl, or possibly even the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Alas, when PhysicsWorld’s James Dacey ran a picture of the polymer through facial recognition software (now that’s taking it to the next level), the software turned up Marlene Dietrich and Iggy Pop, but by our troth, the MJ connection isn’t too much of a stretch.

X-Shaped Space Object Baffles Astronomers

2010-02-04T00:03:00.000-06:00

An X-shaped object whizzing through space at 17,700km/h is believed to be the debris left behind after two asteroids collided. Scientists believe the object — nicknamed P/2010 A2 — is from the same cluster of space rocks that killed off the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. If the collision theory proves to be true it will be the first time the remnants of an asteroid smash have been seen by humankind — even though astronomers say collisions happen all the time.The Hubble Space Telescope photographed P/2010 A2, which orbits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, earlier last week. "What Hubble saw indicates that P/2010 A2 is unlike any object ever seen before," astrophysicist Dr Robert Nemiroff from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre told reporters."At first glance, the object appears to have the tail of a comet ... close inspection, however, shows a 140m nucleus offset from the tail centre, very unusual structure near the nucleus, and no discernable gas in the tail." Scientists say the orbit of P/2010 A2 is related to a group of asteroids known as the "Flora family", which produced the same asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs. NASA described the object as "comet-like" but pointed out it is different because there is no gas in its trail. The object was travelling 144 million kilometres from earth.

Ghost Told Me To Stab Family, Says Youth

2010-02-03T00:03:00.000-06:00

A youth claimed that a “ghost” directed him to stab his family members, which caused the death of his father during a scuffle at their home in Kampung Duyung Wan Su, Duyung Besar, here. However, police are probing the 20-year-old boat repairer under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, and also screening him for suspected drug abuse. In the 2am incident on Wednesday the suspect, wielding a 32cm survival knife, ran amok before stabbing his elder brother, who was asleep in one of the bedrooms in the house. His 30-year-old brother sustained serious injuries and is currently warded in critical condition at Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah. His 51-year-old father, who heard his eldest son’s cry for help, ran to his aid and attempted to grab the knife from his youngest son.State deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Hamzah Md Jamil said the father was stabbed during the scuffle and later succumbed to his injuries. The suspect, who was also injured in the brawl, finally handed over the weapon to his mother. The family is involved in boat maintenance and the service industry here. SAC Hamzah said preliminary investigations revealed that the incident had not been triggered by family disputes. However the suspect, during interrogation, claimed that a “ghost” had directed him to stab his family members. “We are still continuing our probe to determine the actual story behind the incident, and will conduct drug tests on the suspect,” SAC Hamzah added.

800-Year-Old Remains Of Witch Doctor Found With Aphrodisiac Seeds In Peru

2010-01-28T00:03:00.000-06:00

The remains of a witch doctor who lived 800 years ago in the northern Peruvian region of Lambayeque and who was buried with 500 seeds believed to have aphrodisiac properties were found by archaeologists in La Pava de Mochumi, the local press said. The individual not only performed cures but also spoke with the gods as was the shaman's role in the Mochica and Lambayeque cultures, the director of the La Pava de Mochumi archaeological complex, Marco Fernandez, told the daily El Comercio. The ceramic vessel containing 500 nectarine seeds was the first clue to finding the remains of the witch doctor from the pre-Incan Lambayeque culture, buried near the valley of the Tucume Pyramids. Archaeologists also found a Peruvian scallop shell for inhaling tobacco, gourds for drinking mate, pieces of textiles, a globular jug and a wooden cane.Fernandez said that they found the remains of another individual from the same culture, which flourished about 800 to 900 years ago, buried with objects that identify him as a middle-ranked official. Together with the latter were found ceremonial knives of copper gilt, fragments of quartz and seven ceramics. Meanwhile the director of Lambayeque's Bruning Museum, Carlos Wester, said that the burials discovered, both of the medicine man and the official, were evidence of intense cultural, artistic, technological and ritual activity in the Mochumi area. The Peruvian government has set aside more than 1 1/2 million sols ($500,000) for archaeological research at Lambayeque, one of the regions where important pre-Inca cultures such as the Mochica, Chimu and Lambayeque arose.

Return Of The Montauk Monster

2010-01-24T00:03:00.000-06:00

Workers at a golf course in Runaway Bay, an hour north of Fort Worth, Texas, recently found what they thought might be the carcass of the vampire beast "el chupacabra." The strange dog-like animal was mostly hairless, with tan-brown skin. It didn't look like anything the men had ever seen before. Was it the legendary goat-sucker, the bloodthirsty Hispanic version of Bigfoot? As it turns out, no. Jennifer Barrow, a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, examined the carcass and noted that the teeth, skull, and feet all matched a raccoon. It's not clear why the animal lost its fur, though there are several diseases that can cause hair loss. This is not the first time that a hairless raccoon has been (initially) misidentified as a monster. The so-called "Montauk Monster" was a strange creature that supposedly washed ashore on a beach in Montauk, New York, in July 2008. A photo of the odd animal circulated around the Web and became the subject of national media interest. Some thought it was a hoax; others believe that the photo depicted a pig, while others vaguely and cryptically suggest that the animal is somehow a result of "biological warfare."Darren Naish, a British paleontologist, examined photos of the animal and concluded it was a raccoon: "The Montauk monster... owes its bizarre appearance to partial decomposition," Naish said. "The tendency for the soft tissues of the snout to be lost early on in decomposition immediately indicates that the 'beak' is just a defleshed snout region: we're actually seeing the naked premaxillary bones. The match for a raccoon is perfect once we compare the dentition and proportions. The Montauk animal has lost its upper canines and incisors (you can even see the empty sockets), and raccoons are actually surprisingly leggy (claims that the limb proportions of the Montauk carcass are unlike those of raccoons are not correct)." It seems that a dead, hairless raccoon on Long Island will be called the Montauk Monster, while the same unfortunate beast in Texas will become the fearsome chupacabra. It is not surprising that people could not identify the dead animals, since most people have never seen a dead, hairless raccoon. Once again science shows that ordinary decay can create extraordinary monsters.

House For Sale, Ghost Stays

2010-01-23T15:41:00.003-06:00

Martha Rixten had admired the old Catholic rectory house on Wolfe Island for a very long time before she bought it 30 years ago. She'd grown up on the island, a 15-minute free ferry ride from downtown Kingston, and dreamed one day of owning the home. From the first day she walked through the front door, the owner says, "I felt I wasn't alone here. I felt surrounded by a loving energy, I heard footsteps. When my son was a little boy, he would walk past the bathroom door and close it. I asked him why. He said, 'because there are three ladies in there.'" Ms. Rixten believes her 1901-era home is haunted. Occasionally, she'll hear what sounds like someone in work boots on the third floor, or a heavy object being dropped, when she knows she's alone. But that's not why she and husband Rod McDonald -- a fervent non-believer in the spirit world -- are selling (it's listed for $1.89-million). After operating Wolfe Manor for the past six years as a bed and breakfast, they feel it's time to take life easier, and plan to build a smaller home down the road. When Ms. Rixten bought the 8,000-square-foot home, it was a "shambles," she says. She spent the next quarter-century gutting the interior and rebuilding it to her high standard. She met Mr. Mc-Donald and they built a 1,600-sq.-ft. west wing to live in, and opened the adjacent old rectory as a seasonal B&B. Mr. McDonald says Wolfe Manor could continue as a B&B, but the possibilities are endless -- perhaps it could become an artist's studio, spa or family compound. "The island needs a seasonal high-quality restaurant. This place is fitted for a restaurant," Mr. McDonald says of the newer wing, pointing to the upgraded electrical service and roughed-in plumbing for additional toilets. Listing agent Scott Stren of Harvey Kalles Real Estate says Wolfe Manor would be a "turnkey operation" for anyone interested in taking over the bed and breakfast. It even has reservations for its spring opening. With the separate smaller home next to the rectory, Mr. Stren says, "it would also offer privacy to the parents of a large family or it could be an ideal corporate retreat." The rectory's main floor consists of one ensuite bedroom, open-concept eat-in kitchen and lounge with wood-burning fireplace, library and 14-foot ceilings. The other three ensuite guest suites on the second floor are reached by a refinished hardwood staircase. One suite consists of adjoining bedrooms. There are two additional fireplaces. The third floor is a large open room dominated by a billiard table that had to be lifted into place by crane. The table stays, Ms. Rixten insists.Stairs from this level lead up to a partially enclosed widow's walk, offering 360-degree views of the woodland and fields, Lake Ontario and Kingston beyond. The rectory features decks and verandahs on three sides, with gardens and woods. There are two garden fountains and a path that leads to the still-in-use Roman Catholic church next door. The eight-acre property is zoned commercial and annual taxes are $7,500. Nearby is a wind farm, income from which has helped to keep the island's property taxes down, says Mr. McDonald. Mr. Stren says there are more than 80 windmills on Wolfe Island. "They're close enough to see, but not close enough to hear," he points out. As you turn off the street at the edge of the island village of Marysville, a winding, tree-lined laneway leads to the main house. The laneway is one of Mr. McDonald's favourite features. "You turn the curve in the driveway and all of a sudden you see the house. What a sight!" The main house retains its original hardwood doors, floors and mouldings. Finishes from its days as a rectory remain, including decorative windows and a cross high above the main entranceway. "There are a lot of traditional aspects to the home," says Mr. Stren. "Updates keep to the period the house was built." The addition, reached from the rectory by way of an attached deck, has an open-concept main level and two-bedroom, two-bath second level. There is also a nearby carriage house. The island boasts many seasonal homes and the permanent population of 1,500 doubles during the summer. There are 40 operating farms and 70 home-based businesses. The Kingston ferry runs year-round and while it is shut down from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., someone is always on call for emergencies. There is a privately run toll ferry to Cape Vincent, N.Y., during the summer. Ms. Rixten admits to mixed feelings about selling. "It's been a happy house, a place with a good feeling about it. There's a lot of love in the house." Guests who hear about Wolfe Manor's friendly ghosts often come hoping for an experience, she says. "Some say they feel something, but if you're not sensitive to these sorts of things, you're not going to feel anything here." Mr. McDonald insists he does not believe in haunted houses. Yet when attempts to reach a reporter by phone one clear, calm morning result in static and several dropped calls, he is asked whether he thinks the spirits might be having fun. Mr. McDonald forces a laugh. "Well ... maybe," he says.

Heavenly Fruit Found In Lockport

2010-01-18T00:03:00.000-06:00

A Lockport man says he believes an image of Jesus and Mary can be found in an orange he cut open for breakfast Christmas morning. Paul Kulniszewski of Lockport, a self proclaimed non-holy man, says as soon as he cut the orange open, he noticed the image of Jesus hanging from a Crucifix with an image of the Virgin Mother just below. Kulniszewski took a picture of the pith, or the white stringy portion that runs down the middle, where he says the image is, to be sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. "I quickly called my wife and said, come see this... tell me it's not my eyes. I mean, am I seeing what I'm seeing?" says Kulniszewski. Kulniszewski took evidence photos for the New York State Police for 30 years and now enjoys photography as a hobby. He says he's glad he thought quickly enough to capture the images before the orange wilted.Kulniszewski says he knows there are people out there who will think he is crazy but says, he knows what he sees. "Apparitions are neither accepted or denied by the Catholic Church. They are based on what the recipient of the apparition believes and to me, I believe that it is Jesus Christ and Mary in the orange." says Kulniszewski. The married, father of 6 says he has no intention of selling the orange that he's now preserved in resin, to keep within his family. Kulnisnewski plans to duplicate the picture of the orange and sell it for around $15.00 including shipping. He says half of the proceeds will go towards his Roman Catholic Church in Lockport. "I'm happy with it because I know what it is and what it was at the outset. I know what I see... it's there. I've had my a-ha moment and I hope everybody else gets the same opportunity."

Waxworks’ Resident Ghost Won’t Be Homeless

2010-01-17T00:03:00.000-06:00

When Brading’s famous wax museum shut its doors for the final time — one spooky exhibit was still promised a permanent home. The skeletal remains of Frenchman Louis de Rochefort, who was murdered by Puritans at the former Crown Inn site, are set to remain in-situ, in his glass-topped coffin, whoever occupies the building. And they had better not be scared of the dark, as people say Louis’s ghost is regularly seen in one of the upstairs bedrooms. There are also rumours Louis’s dying screams and the sound of a coach rattling along the street outside can still be heard at night. Last week, local news reported how the attraction, renamed Brading the Experience, had closed, with its collection set to be broken up and sold off. Val Monger, of Daniel Street, Ryde, contacted the paper, anxious to find out what would happen to Louis’s remains, which was her favourite exhibit when she was a child.The skeleton was unearthed by workmen in the 1960s, when they were putting in a water main. They were found to be the remains of Loius de Rochefort, who was assassinated while trying to get a message to Charles I, when he was imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle. Efforts to track down Louis’s relatives failed, with nobody claiming the bones and he is set to remain interred on the IW. Robert Ball, director of Brading Trading, the operating company for Brading the Experience, said he remained sceptical the skeleton was actually that of Louis. He said: "There is a skull there but I would not suggest the skull is original. There is a little bit of artistic licence going on there."

Sheep Born With Human Face

2010-01-16T22:07:00.002-06:00

Sheep born with human face in Turkey is true. Yes, it’s indeed true and 100% true. The lamb’s head had human features on. Like the eyes, the nose and the mouth. It was reported that only the ears were those of a sheep. Veterinarians said that the rare mutation most likely occurred as a result of improper nutrition since the fodder for the lamb’s mother was abundant with vitamin A. Unfortunately the lamb with the human face died before it was born. It is believed that this is not the first time a birth of an animal has had human features. The sheep with a human face is likely the result of the mother’s improper nutrition.

Half-Plant, Half-Animal

2010-01-13T00:03:00.000-06:00

A green sea slug appears to be part animal, part plant. It's the first critter discovered to produce the plant pigment chlorophyll. The sneaky slugs seem to have stolen the genes that enable this skill from algae that they've eaten. With their contraband genes, the slugs can carry out photosynthesis — the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy. "They can make their energy-containing molecules without having to eat anything," said Sidney Pierce, a biologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Pierce has been studying the unique creatures, officially called Elysia chlorotica, for about 20 years. He presented his most recent findings Jan. 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle. The finding was first reported by Science News. "This is the first time that multicellar animals have been able to produce chlorophyll," Pierce told LiveScience. The sea slugs live in salt marshes in New England and Canada. In addition to burglarizing the genes needed to make the green pigment chlorophyll, the slugs also steal tiny cell parts called chloroplasts, which they use to conduct photosynthesis.The chloroplasts use the chlorophyl to convert sunlight into energy, just as plants do, eliminating the need to eat food to gain energy. "We collect them and we keep them in aquaria for months," Pierce said. "As long as we shine a light on them for 12 hours a day, they can survive [without food]." The researchers used a radioactive tracer to be sure that the slugs are actually producing the chlorophyll themselves, as opposed to just stealing the ready-made pigment from algae. In fact, the slugs incorporate the genetic material so well, they pass it on to further generations of slugs. The babies of thieving slugs retain the ability to produce their own chlorophyll, though they can't carry out photosynthesis until they've eaten enough algae to steal the necessary chloroplasts, which they can't yet produce on their own. The slugs accomplishment is quite a feat, and scientists aren't yet sure how the animals actually appropriate the genes they need. "It certainly is possible that DNA from one species can get into another species, as these slugs have clearly shown," Pierce said. "But the mechanisms are still unknown."

Alka-Seltzer Added To Spherical Water Drop In Microgravity

2010-01-11T00:03:00.000-06:00

Loch Ness Monster 'Is Not Extinct'

2010-01-10T00:03:00.000-06:00

The president of the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club has said that reports of the creature's death have been greatly exaggerated. Gary Campbell said that he was concerned until Nessie was spotted near the Clansman Hotel on June 6 last year. Campbell said: "That's why were so relieved to have heard about this sighting. In June, when it was reported, nobody had seen anything for a year. If it hadn't been for that one, we would have been really, really worried."Ten years ago we had a lot of good sightings, but in the last two or three years, they have tailed off. What we regard as a dependable sighting is very much down to the person who sees it." Of the suggestions that the famed monster had died, he continued: "If people start to believe this, it might start to affect tourist numbers. "Whether you believe in Nessie or not, the Loch Ness Monster is one of the most important tourist attractions we have." He added: "Perhaps, though, the answers are to be found underwater instead of on the loch's surface. "Unknown sonar contacts happen all the time. Maybe Nessie is just keeping her head down."

Family Films 'Creepy' Silent, Monkey-Like Creature On Hike Through Snow-Covered Woods

2010-01-09T09:47:00.003-06:00

Bitterly cold in January, the north-eastern U.S. state of Maine is not known for its monkey population. So when a family hiking through snow-covered woods claimed they had spotted a strange, ape-like creature sitting silently in a tree, it was not long before the suggestion that Bigfoot had been spotted was made. The unidentified family managed to capture what they said was a monkey-like creature on video. The footage, posted on YouTube by American user webtech88 five days ago, has been continuously clicked on ever since and become one of the first internet hits of 2010. It opens with a shot of the creature, sitting high in a tree in a snow-covered forest. A woman can be heard telling a child to look at 'the bear' in the branches. 'I don't like bears,' the child tearfully replies - understandably so. Strangely, the prospect of coming across a bear in the woods while walking with a child does not seem to perturb the adults in the group. The group appear to have approached the creature from behind and the cameraman can even be heard whistling, presumably in an effort to attract the 'bear's' attention. 'I think its face is the other way,' remarks one of the party before a new angle emerges showing the creature's face. As the camera closes in, however, the adults grow a little concerned as they realise it might not be a bear. Without moving a muscle the creature steadfastly gazes back at the party.'I see an ape,' says the confused woman. 'It does look like a monkey,' the cameraman agrees. 'I can't believe we saw a porcupine bear,' the woman jokes. 'That really looks like a monkey,' says the cameraman, adding: 'Creepy.' The creature remains perched in the tree. Although hair on the top of what appears to be its head is visible, its face remains obscured in shadow. 'I'm going to climb the tree,' the woman announces. The cameraman laughs at the suggestion. 'Did his mouth just open?' he says as the creature shifts position. 'That looks like a freaking monkey.' 'I think it's a snow monkey,' the woman says as the footage comes to an end. The family has not come forward to speak about the incident. Maine has had a plethora of Bigfoot sightings over the years. Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a creature which supposedly lives in forests, predominately in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Maine is on the opposite side of the U.S., in the top north-east corner of the country. It is usually described as a large, hairy creature which most consider to be a figment of folklore and hoaxes.

Comet Encounters The Sun

2010-01-06T00:03:00.000-06:00

The solar system has one less comet. The subtraction occurred yesterday when a bright comet discovered by NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft plunged toward the sun and evaporated. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) had an excellent view of the encounter. The doomed comet was a member of the Kreutz sungrazer family.Named after a 19th century German astronomer who studied them in detail, Kreutz sungrazers are fragments from the breakup of a giant comet at least 2000 years ago. Several of these fragments pass by the sun and disintegrate every day. Most are too small to see. The comet was found on Jan. 2nd by Australian amateur astronomer Alan Watson, who was inspecting images obtained by STEREO-A's Heliospheric Imager on Dec. 30, 2009.

Three Great EVPs

2010-01-04T00:03:00.000-06:00

Aliens Caught On Tape In China

2010-01-03T00:03:00.000-06:00

Psychic Predictions For 2010

2010-01-03T00:02:00.000-06:00

Those who claim to see beyond the veil of space and time are predicting more bad news for 2010. A Toronto psychic known as Nikki has already made headlines and raised eyebrows with her prediction of the possible assassination - or attempted assassination - of President Obama in 2010. Nikki claims to have successfully predicted the death of Michael Jackson and the September 11 attacks. Other predictions from Nikki for 2010: Sarah Palin will pose nude and giant bats will attack a South American city. Psychic heavyweight Sylvia Browne also predicts a presidential assassination involving a complicated scenario designed to "damage the American people’s faith in their government" as if such a thing was possible.She hedges her bets by noting that it may not happen this year. Sometime between now and 2020, she says. This prediction should be safely forgotten by the end of the decade. The “channeler, spiritual teacher and spiritual healer” Oneesha of Las Cruces, NM, sees war between Israel and Iran and an attack “from within” on the United States. St. Paul's Fatima takes a safe bet and predicts "more wars." She's probably right on that one. Even Indian fortune tellers are predicting a rough row to hoe in the upcoming year though there may be some improvement in the second six months. Not all the psychics are doom and gloom. Barbara Soblewski Garcia sees a period of strong economic growth in real estate and the stock market, which will be nice. If we can avoid the giant bats.

Ghost Caught On Tape

2010-01-02T00:03:00.000-06:00

Eerie Outpost Unnerves US Marines With Strange Lights And Whispers In The Night

2010-01-01T00:03:00.000-06:00

The Marines found the bone as they scraped a shallow trench. Long, dry and unmistakably once part of a human leg, it was followed by others. They reburied most of them but also found bodies. Three of the graves were close together; in another was a skeleton still wearing a pair of glasses. The Marines covered the grave and told their successors to stay away from it. Observation Point Rock sits a few hundred metres south east of Patrol Base Hassan Abad, where a company from 2/8 Marines has been stationed for the past seven months. It is a lonely and exposed outpost 20 metres (65ft) above the surrounding landscape, which has been in Nato hands since it was captured from the Taleban in 2008. Groups of Marines are posted to guard it, usually for a couple of months at a time, and “the Rock” has acquired a peculiar reputation. American troops widely refer to it as “the haunted Observation Point”. It is hard to say how much the 100F (38C) heat, round-the-clock guard shifts and months spent living in trenches and peering out of sandbagged firing points have gilded the legend of OP Rock. The only break from the tedium, apart from dog-eared magazines and an improvised gym, has been small-arms or rocket-propelled grenade attacks from the Taleban, usually on a Sunday morning. But as Sergeant Josh Brown, 22, briefed his successor when a detachment of men from Golf Company was swapped for an incoming contingent from Fox Company, he warned of the strange atmosphere and inexplicable phenomena that plagued OP Rock. “The local people say this is a cursed place,” he said. “You will definitely see weird-ass lights up here at night.” Others in the outgoing unit had reported odd sounds. “It is weird what you hear and don’t hear around here,” he added. Each successive detachment that guards the Rock appears to add its own layer to the legend, which has spread through the Marine units pushing into southern Helmand. There is talk of members of the Taleban entombed in caves below; the bodies buried on the summit are identified confidently as dead Russian soldiers from the ill-fated Soviet invasion.Corporal Jacob Lima, right, and another Marine at Observation Point RockCorporal Jacob Lima’s story is the latest addition. One night he was woken by the sound of screaming. It was Corporal Zolik, a Marine who has since been moved to a unit farther south. “He was yelling and begging me to go up to the firing point he was guarding,” Corporal Lima, 22, told the men taking over from him. “When I got there he said that he was sitting there when he heard a voice whisper something in his ear. He said it sounded like Russian. He begged me to stay in there with him till he was relieved from guard duty. After that he really didn’t like standing post up there.” The Marines’ predecessors, a unit of Welsh Guards, also produced tales of the unexpected. “The Brits claimed to see weird things, hear noises,” Corporal Lima said. “Lots of them said it’s creepy at night, especially from midnight till 4am. You see a lot of unexplained lights through night-vision goggles.” Its elevation has clearly made the Rock a natural defensive position for centuries. It is not a rock, though it resembles one. Medieval arrow slits and the remains of fortified turrets on its eastern flank show that this was once a large mud fort that collapsed in on itself and was probably built upon in turn. The locals say that it dates back to Alexander the Great, and another similar structure is visible in the distance to the south, part of a supposed line of such forts built at some point in Afghanistan’s history of invasion and war. When US Marines seized the post last summer they dropped a 2,000lb (900kg) bomb on one side, collapsing part of the structure on to what its current occupants claim was a cave where Taleban fighters were sheltering. “This place really sucks,” said Lance Corporal Austin Hoyt, 20, putting his pack on to return to the main base. “The Afghans say it’s haunted. Stick a shovel in anywhere and you’ll find bones and bits of pottery. This place should be in National Geographic — in the front there are weird-looking windows for shooting arrows. You know, they say the Russians up here were executed by the Mujahidin.” He looked meaningfully at his successors and prepared to leave.

Accused Say No Intention To Kill Couple In Exorcism Ritual

2009-12-31T00:03:00.000-06:00

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.

North Magnetic Pole Moving East Due To Core Flux

2009-12-30T00:03:00.000-06:00

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.

What Is This?

2009-12-29T00:03:00.000-06:00

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.

Christmas UFO

2009-12-27T00:03:00.000-06:00

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.

Jesus Image Appears On Banana

2009-12-26T09:45:00.003-06:00

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.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T00:03:00.002-06:00

Christmas Ghost Ship

2009-12-24T00:03:00.001-06:00

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.

Mysterious Boom Shakes County

2009-12-23T00:03:00.000-06:00

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 Master First Step In Controlling Fire

2009-12-22T00:03:00.000-06:00

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."

UFO Hovers Over Red Square In Moscow

2009-12-21T00:03:00.000-06:00

A mysterious pyramid shaped object is caught on camera hovering above Moscow's Red Square, where it stayed for several hours according to reports.

Vampire Leader Sentenced For Threatening Judge

2009-12-20T00:03:00.000-06:00

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 decapitate Judge Certo.Rocky FlashAccording 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.

Cow Jumps Six Feet On To Roof

2009-12-19T16:10:00.004-06:00

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."