Massive Great White Sharks Seen Off Martha's Vineyards
southcoasttoday - The great white sharks returned to area waters early this year, with an 18- to 20-foot shark spotted off Aquinnah this morning.
Menemsha fisherman Jeff Lynch was trying to catch some mackerel for bait when he saw a dead whale carcass - later identified as a minke - floating close to shore. Lynch maneuvered his 23-foot center console boat closer to take a picture when suddenly the shark materialized from underneath the whale.
“It was like Whoa! It surprised me,” said Lynch, 28, who lives in Chilmark. The telltale flash of white belly and the triangular fin cutting the surface told him he was in the presence of one of the world's great predators. The shark swam around the whale then around Lynch's boat.
The dead minke whale was later measured at 17 feet long, and Lynch thought the shark was longer as it swam by, and close to the size of his boat.
“Everything on the fish was just gigantic; its tail, body, fins. It was one of the biggest things I've ever seen. It had to be over 2,000 pounds,” Lynch said.
Lynch called state Division of Marine Fisheries shark expert Greg Skomal right away and sent him photos from his cellphone. Skomal confirmed it as a great white, and put the size at over 18 feet. The largest ever measured was 21 feet long.
With water temperatures around 50 degrees, Skomal thought it was still too cold to see great whites who prefer water around 60 degrees.
But bigger sharks can tolerate lower temperatures, Skomal said.
“The larger great whites...tend to stay later (into the year) and arrive early,” he said.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution whale researcher Michael Moore went out today to retrieve the whale carcass and, as of about 3 this afternoon, was in the process of towing it back to Woods Hole. Moore conducts forensic analysis of dead marine mammals looking for possible human impacts that may have contributed to its death.
Great white sharks returned to the Chatham/Orleans area of Cape Cod last summer to feast on seals - and even prompted some temporary beach closings as the sharks ventured close to shore.
In 2009 great white shark sightings in Cape waters started around Labor Day weekend, near the end of the region's vacation season. But last summer the sightings began in July.
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Man charged with murder of cult leader Roch Theriault
timestranscript - Matthew Gerrard MacDonald has been charged with first degree murder in connection with the death of notorious cult leader and murderer Roch Theriault.
The 60-year-old MacDonald, of Port-au-Port, Newfoundland and Labrador, was arrested in late February after Theriault's body was found near his cell in the Dorchester Penitentiary.
The investigation, conducted by the New Brunswick RCMP's Major Crime Unit, illustrated how Theriault eventually succumbed to his injuries after an altercation with another inmate, believed to be MacDonald.
The Quebec-born Theriault, 63, was the leader of a cult from 1977 to 1989 in various towns across Quebec and Ontario. After more than a decade, he had amassed a strong following and 26 children from his eight commune wives.
He was in the midst of serving Year 18 of his life sentence in the medium-security prison in Dorchester for the gruesome murder of his wife, Solange Boislard, and the mutilation of Gabrielle Lavallée, one his commune wives, when he was murdered.
In 1988, Theriault used a butcher knife to disembowel his wife during a cult ritual. He then proceeded to cut off Lavallée's arm with a chainsaw. He was sentenced in 1993.
MacDonald was initially supposed to enter a plea in Moncton provincial court yesterday. However, as a result of miscommunication between the court and the Sheriff's Department, he was not present. At the request of the Crown prosecutor, the hearing has been postponed. The prosecution requested MacDonald be present to formally receive the charge. MacDonald will enter a plea in Moncton provincial court on Friday, May 13 at 9:30 a.m.
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Argentina: More UFOs Reported in Sierra de la Ventana
Reported by Scott Corrales - Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology (Checkout Scott's blog...lot's of great information)
Source: Noticias Tornquist (Prov. of Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Date: 04 May 2011
Argentina: More UFOs Reported in Sierra de la Ventana
Stories of unidentified flying objects – better known as UFOs – in the Serrana Region, while not the coin of the realm, are often heard of. Stories of the inevitable young person on an evening stroll and seeing a strange light, or the one who saw a light vanishing behind a hill...
Some of these accounts speak of a “black hole” in the area which has been much debated by experts in the field. But few photos have been taken of it. It is so quick in its movements that surprise paralyzes those who see it, and the last thing on their minds is to reach for a camera.
A few weeks ago, while downloading photos taken in Sierra de la Ventana to a computer, a young man from Monte Hermoso saw an oval-shaped object -- visible over the hills – appearing in one of his images. This, without question, was an unidentified flying object. The photo was taken with natural light, it was daytime and the image was blurred.
Last week, a resident of Coronel Suarez (who prefers to remain anonymous at present) was traveling toward Sierra de la Ventana along Route 76 and a thousand meters before the road enters the mountains, where the immense stone walls form a corridor paved with asphalt, he saw a powerful light flying along the clear skies. It was on Sunday, April 24, around 1 a.m. that day. He was driving with his wife and a mutual friend. He stopped the vehicle, emerged from it with his passengers, and took a photo that is published along with this news item.
They were shocked by what they saw...perhaps the best thing. But furthermore, a few meters ahead, was another car that stopped to see the same object. They did not make contact with the driver, but the lights visible at the bottom left are that car’s headlights.
“It was a second – just a flash,” said the protagonist to the Nuevo Dia newspaper of Coronel Suarez. He had already had a previous experience in that area a decade ago. At that time, the intense light vanished behind the sierras, noting that while it moved slowly at first, it took off quickly toward the mountains, leaving onlookers baffled. The photo is available and is published with the article in hopes of seeing if other local residents saw something similar in the area. If so, it would be best if they contacted our newsroom in order to add greater credibility to what our fellow neighbor has told us.
Finally, no unusual sensations were experienced. No extra energy and no bodily sensations. It was all very normal. The only strange detail was the intense white light that vanished after speeding away behind the mountains.
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Canadian man's online date turns out to be his girlfriend
metro - Barrie police said the 49-year-old woman turned up at a local coffee shop at the weekend at the arranged time and proceeded to throw coffee in her boyfriend’s face before slapping him.
An off duty police officer then arrested the woman and called for assistance.
Local press claim the woman is currently awaiting a bail hearing.
There has yet to be any comment from either party following the altercation at the coffee shop in Barrie, Ontario.
While there was clearly the odd lie being told between the pair during their online exchanges before their ‘date’, a study last year revealed the majority of people tend to honest about themselves when it comes to online dating.
The research found that most people using dating sites were upfront about themselves, as long as they were confident people.