'Yeti hand' replica to be returned to Nepal monastery
BBC - A pilot from New Zealand is in Nepal to return a replica of what some believe is the hand of a yeti to a remote monastery in the Everest region.
Mike Allsop will fly from Kathmandu to the Everest region on Friday to take the models to Pangboche Monastery, which sits at 4,000m (13,123ft).
The originals were stolen from the monastery in the 1990s.
They first came to light in the 1950s when an expedition to find the mythical yeti came upon the monastery.
Mr Allsop will also take with him a replica of a yeti skull-cap, which was also stolen in the 1990s.
"I will take these replicas back to the monks so they can replace the ones that were stolen," Mr Allsop told the BBC.
Peter Byrne, the leader of the 1950s expedition to find the abominable snowman, said that while the skull was probably made of goat or antelope skin, the hand did not match the skeleton of a human or a primate.
Mr Byrne managed to take one of the bones from the hand out of Nepal to his friend, the Hollywood actor James Stewart, who was on holiday at the time with his wife in Calcutta.
James Stewart's wife then placed the bone in her lingerie box and smuggled it into England where it was examined by a professor at Oxford University who said he could not conclusively say what kind of bone it was.
In the 1990s, an American television channel ran a documentary about the hand and skull. Shortly after, both were stolen from the monastery.
Mr Allsop said that he decided to make replicas of the hand and skull after trekking in the Everest region.
He approached the head of the New Zealand firm Weta Workshop, who were responsible for crafting the special effects and props for the Lord of the Rings films.
They agreed to make the replicas for free from photographs.
Mr Allsop has not yet told the monks in the monastery that he is returning with replicas of the hand and the skull.
He hopes that they will now be able to attract more trekkers to Pangboche, who will pay a small fee to see the artefacts.
"I want to help the monastery have an income again - I want to help them out," he said.
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1st Scientific Proof of Burning in Crop Circle Plants
We have heard many reports over the years about possibly "burned" plants in crop formations. However, in every case where these plants have been sent to BLT for examination our consulting analytical chemist has shown (through FT-IR and EDS) that the blackening was actually caused by Ustilago, an opportunistic fungus which feeds on the internal plant stem moisture which is exposed to air when the stems are crushed or broken (http://www.bltresearch.com/labreports/mission1.php).
But in 2010 seedheads from a Dutch formation which occurred in the early morning hours of August 2nd in a field in-between Hoeven and Oudenbosch have provided scientific proof of actual burning. At the end-point of a "half-ring" or "arc" component of one section of this formation, in the standing plants right at the edge of this area, there were three partially blackened seedheads and an additional plant stem with no seedhead but with a 45 angle cut which was also blackened.
The laboratory report clearly shows that -- in this case -- the blackening is carbon-based and positively due to burning, not to the fungus Ustilago. Continue reading at FIRST SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF BURNING IN CROP CIRCLE PLANTS
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Triangle UFO Lands
MUFON CMS - April 26, 2011 - Kennewick, WA: Was driving and spotted a huge glowing orb of light hovering over the blue bridge in Kennewick Washington where I live, I watched it hover for 10 minutes and then fly across the river and land in someones yard,
I started my car and drove across the bridge to go find where it landed, by the time I got over there it had gone back up and started sitting hovering above the bridge again,
I stayed where I was though watching it, finally it started moving right towards my car, I got to see that it was a triangle shape and very large in size, it was quiet and made no type of noise.
I have seen this same ufo on three occasions now, and am curious to why they are in my city.
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Animal Planet's Whale Wars Returns For The Ultimate Battle That May End The Antarctic Whaling War Forever
underwatertimes - When the Japanese whale meat processing ship - the Nisshin Maru - turned around and set its course back to its home port in mid-February, Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherds declared a cautious victory. Watson and his international conservationist group have been hell bent on stopping the whaling industry for nearly a decade, harassing them and making international headlines in the process. Perhaps the Sea Shepherds' tactics finally had taken their toll... The whalers' actions not only signaled a possible victory for the Sea Shepherds, it also meant hundreds of whales' lives in the Antarctic would be spared this year through an unprecedented cancellation of an entire nation's whale hunt. But was it a final victory or just a temporary conquest?
Animal Planet's Emmy-nominated WHALE WARS returns for a fourth captivating season beginning Friday, June 3 at 9 PM with 10 exhilarating episodes documenting the Sea Shepherds' dramatic campaign on the Antarctic high seas. The series has enthralled audiences who have witnessed the dangerous cat-and-mouse game at the far end of the globe between the Sea Shepherds and the whalers. For years, Captain Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society crew have taken to the high seas in an attempt to stop Japanese ships from hunting whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. WHALE WARS documents the ongoing battles in the icy Antarctic waters as the conflict between Sea Shepherds and the whalers grows more intense with each engagement - each pushing the other to the limit to fight for their beliefs.
This new season is full of the drama that viewers have come to expect from the Sea Shepherds' campaigns, including new equipment in their arsenal -- a new vessel that's almost as fast but far bigger than the boat destroyed last year, a helicopter with a greater range, secret GPS devices, and more. Aside from the Sea Shepherds' new tactics, there are harrowing experiences unlike any viewers will have seen before, including a crew stranded overnight in freezing conditions and a tragic mayday call. Captain Alex Corneliessen joins the campaign to helm the Bob Barker, and Captain Lockhart Maclean takes command of the Sea Shepherds' newest small vessel, the Gojira.
As Watson has said, "In order to save the whales, people have to be willing to risk their lives." And, before this campaign, when a reporter asked pointedly if he really couldn't stop whaling, he vehemently responded, "We can't stop whaling? That's what they once said about slavery, but it was stopped. So yes, we can stop whaling."
The third season of WHALE WARS averaged nearly 1.4 million viewers, 29% above the season two average. In 2009, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized WHALE WARS with a Television Academy Honor identifying it as "Television with a Conscience" for exploring issues of concern to society in a compelling, emotional, and insightful way. The series has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy® for Outstanding Cinematography in a Non-Fiction Series (twice) and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Non-Fiction Series. The first three seasons are available on DVD at AnimalPlanetstore.com.
Liz Bronstein is the executive producer for The Lizard Trading Company, and Jason Carey is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Charlie Foley is the vice president of development for Animal Planet.
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Superman to Renounce U.S. Citizenship
yahoo - Superman, citizen of the world?
The Man of Steel, in the latest issue of Action Comics which hit newsstands on Wednesday, said he intends to renounce his U.S. citizenship in a speech before the United Nations.
"I'm tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy," Superman said in a short story in the issue, Action Comics No. 900 from the Time Warner Inc unit DC Comics.
In the comic, Superman never actually renounces his citizenship, he only talks about his plans to do that.
But conservative commentators reacted with disgust to the new storyline, given that the fictional superhero has long proclaimed he stood for "Truth, Justice and the American way."
In a blog post at The Weekly Standard, senior writer Jonathan Last questioned Superman's beliefs, now that he seems to have rejected the United States.
"Does he believe in British interventionism or Swiss neutrality?" Last wrote. "You see where I'm going with this: If Superman doesn't believe in America, then he doesn't believe in anything."
The new plot twist for Superman comes as the superhero visitor from a distant planet, who was raised by a Kansas farmer and his wife, looks to take on a more global mission for his battle against evil.
"The world's too small. Too connected," Superman said in the comic book.
Superman, who was first introduced in the 1938, has a long association with the United States. But Joe Shuster, the artist who helped create the character with writer Jerry Siegel, was born in Canada.
And critics have described Superman's life story as a metaphor for the immigrant experience, because he is an alien.
DC Comics co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio seemed to downplay their landmark superhero character's latest declaration, in a joint statement.
"In a short story in Action Comics 900, Superman announces his intention to put a global focus on his never ending battle, but he remains, as always, committed to his adopted home and his roots as a Kansas farm boy from Smallville," they said.
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Argentina: Captain Polanco Recalls the Bariloche UFO
From Scott Corrales - Inexplicata - The Journal of Hispanic Ufology
Source: Clarin (Argentina)
http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/Luces-extranas-Sur
Date: 04.26.11
“Open your minds, we’re not alone in the universe.” These are the words that airliner captain Jorge Polanco spoke to Clarin. He was the protagonist a UFO event that shook the country: the Bariloche Case.
On the evening of 31 July 1995, Polanco was about to land at Bariloche Airport, at the rudder of an Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 727, when “a light, dim at first, then intense and bright, got between the airliner and the runway.” The captain immediately advised the control tower, but received a disconcerting reply: it was no known aircraft. The strange light escorted the Boeing and its 100 passengers for 17 minutes.
A Gendarmería aircraft that was also in flight at the time confirmed seeing the same object. The tableau was made complete by another extraordinary event: a sudden blackout at the airport.
“The case had great repercussion in the media worldwide. I was even visited by NASA specialists. This was the most definite, real and spectacular case. I witnessed two other episodes in my career,” says Polanco.
15 years following his experience, he sees the Argentinean Air Force’s interest in these matters as something positive, “provided that it’s done seriously.” The two other cases the pilot alluded to occurred on 6 February 1995 when he was returning from Rio de Janeiro toward the Cordoba Airport, and was startled by a bright light. Upon contacting the tower, he received the same reply: “Unknown traffic.” Another episode occurred on 11 August 1996. Flying over the city of Trelew, he crossed paths with a bright light for a third time. “I treat it as a natural occurrence. I believe there could be life on other systems; I’m convinced of it. I never bothered making my case known because most people do not take it seriously,” Polanco reiterates. On 14 February of this year, the crew of the 727, the crew of the military aircraft and UFO specialists met at Costanera to discuss the case. Polanco feels that it’s always good to keep these events fresh. “Being air travel experts, we aren’t startled by a mere light. I think that there is more developed life than our own. I repeat, we are not the only ones who inhabit the planet,” he says.