Explore True Cryptid Encounters, Unexplained Scary Experiences, and Real Eyewitness Reports
Monday, January 30, 2012
Note to 'Phantoms and Monsters' Readers...
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Unknown Entity Summoned
On that particular night Alberto’s parents were not home and Gustavo sat around listening to nonsensical chanting and choking of incense fumes when Alberto suddenly stopped and told him he had heard a strange sound coming from outside. Looking outside they both could see a dark figure that had climbed on top of the wire fence, thinking that it was a burglar they pointed a flashlight at the intruder. Once they could see it clearly they were stunned to see a type of humanoid figure, perhaps shorter than 1.70m in height, and very thin and reptilian in appearance. Its body was literally covered in scales and it had what appeared to be a protruding dorsal spine on its back, something like a “dinosaur crest”, they could also see a short tail-like protrusion. The feet were claw-like while the hands were elongated and somehow resembling “human feet”.
As the light shone on the creature it turned to look directly at the witnesses. Its eyes were very human in appearance, but shone with a fluorescent yellow glow. The creature half-opened its mouth and at the same time Gustavo thought to himself “Please God don’t let him speak”. At that very same instance the porch light from the house next door turned on, and the men saw the neighbor (a local engineer) step out and look around, perhaps having been attracted by the same noises. The creature then rattled the wire fence and jumped with superhuman agility to the ground and ran quickly along the fire fence. At this point the neighbor apparently saw the creature and emitted a scream and ran back into his house. The creature then jumped on top of a nearby roof and disappeared from sight. The two friends remained in shock and discussed the manner only among themselves.
Source: Gustavo Fernandez “Extraterrestres en el pasado Argentina”
Type: E - When an entity or humanoid is seen alone, without related UFO activity (Example: bedroom visitation)
Albert Rosales' comments: In a bizarre and tragic twist to this case 2-3 months after this incident the local engineer (the 3rd witness) slaughtered his whole family, including his daughter and mother in law and then cut his own throat. (The source does not suggest a direct connection). Was this creature somehow summoned by the misguided dabbling into unknown forces by Alberto? Who knows, it remains a very perplexing case.
Translated by Albert S. Rosales
NOTE: It seems to me that Alberto's ventures into the occult may have opened a passageway or vortex into another reality thus making himself a beacon for any sort of spirit coming through. Unfortunately for Alberto, he most likely summoned a malevolent entity or self-manifested a dark energy. I'm not sure that this explains the murderous actions of the neighbor but there may very well be a connection...Lon
How to Summon and Command Spirits,Angels,Demons,Afrit,Djinns
The Dictionary of Demons: Names of the Damned
Friday, January 27, 2012
Contactee, Prophet and Pariah
Every once in a while the same question is posed to me...'do you think Billy Meier is a hoaxer' or a similar question. Until now, I have avoided saying too much...but overall, I would say that most of the evidence is hard to believe. Meier has his supporters, many of whom are friends. I have just abstained from getting involved in an argument. First off, let's go through the basic information.
"Billy" Eduard Albert Meier was born on February 3, 1937, in Bülach/Zurich, Switzerland. He states that he had his first extraterrestrial contacts at the age of five with Sfath who was from from Erra (Pleiades/Plejaren), from 1942 to 1953. From 1953 to 1964 his contacts were with Asket from a sister universe to our own called the DAL universe. Then from 1975 to 1986 his contacts were with Semjase and Ptaah and Quetzal.
The Pleiadians / Plejarens and their confederates are human beings with physical bodies and look very much like the people on Earth, with the exception of some minor anatomical differences, especially regarding the confederates. They live for 1,000 years, approximately. Their home planet -- somewhat smaller than Earth -- is called Erra. Its population is about 500 million people, while the entire federation has a population of 120 billion. The Pleiades / Plejaren are not identical with the Pleiades we can see on the night sky. They are 80 light-years beyond the Pleiades in another space-time configuration (another dimension). The Pleiadians / Plejarens' consciousness ("spirit") and technology are much more highly developed than here on Earth. The Pleiadians / Plejarens and the people on Earth have the same ancestors, but have developed separately.
From 1975 until August 19, 2003, there have been 632 personal and 748 telepathic contacts with Pleiadian / Plejaran extraterrestrials and members of their Federation. The contacts are still on-going. More then 347 contacts have been documented and available as contact reports. As of 2003, 16 volumes of Contact Notes, each consists of 200 pages, are available (German only) Some of the subject matters discussed are: Creation and its creations, origin of the universe, earth history, science, astronomy, spirituality, reincarnation, genetic engineering, terrestrial religions, human evolution, spiritual teachings, interplanetary space flight, galactic federation, extraterrestrial origin and visitation to Earth, telepathy, overpopulation on Earth, destruction of the environment, male-female relationships, government and military cover-ups, and many more.
Hundreds of photos taken of beamships and their landing tracks, among other things Photographs of 5 different variations of spacecraft, from 3.5 to 7 meter, usually piloted by humans. Other spacecraft and telemeter discs are remotely controlled and have also been photographed on several occasions. There also exist huge spaceships for traveling through space. There are photographs of single or multiple objects, day and night settings, above and below horizon line. There exist video and super 8 footage. Film analyzed by electron microscope, laser scanning and computer functions, thermogram edge identification, Z scale contour, density and film grain inspection, processed by electron microscope, microdensitometer, infraredometer, vidicon tube, digitizer, image process computer equipment.
Different segments of 8 mm motion picture film
The films show variations in flight of ships; multiple craft appearances; instantaneous spatial translations by space craft; portions of the films have been analyzed in frame by frame format.
4 metal, 1 biological and 9 mineral and crystal samples
Metal analysis was described thoroughly in video tape format (Beamship the Metal). It showed that the metal was made by a cold fusion process. This technology is not yet known by terrestrial metallurgy.
A 20 minutes sound recording of a beamship's whirring sound
The sound recordings of a non-shielded beamship was taken in the presence of several witnesses who heard the deafening noise, but weren't able to observe the ship that was screened from sight. The loud whirring sound could be heard for more than 4 kilometers as was confirmed by persons who soon arrived at the location. The scientific investigation showed that the sound is compromised of many tones/frequencies with unusual anomalies and rapid changes in tone and frequencies. Download the Beamship sound!
Landing tracks
Depending on the type of beamship there could be seen 1 or 3 landing tracks. When three, they were 120 degrees apart, circular; grass was depressed in counterclockwise rotational direction, visible for months after landing occurred. Both existing and new grass were affected.
Witnesses
In addition to "Billy" Meier there are more than 70 people who have witnessed the evidence regarding the Pleiadians / Plejarens, their beamships, or Billy himself.
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The Plejaren are a race of extraterrestrials that claim to be from a different time/space continuum than our own. The Plejaren say that they come from the Pleidiades constellation, but in a different dimension. So if you were to go to the seven sister stars you would not find the Plejaren home world. These beings are human like in nature. They could walk through a crowd of people and you would not know that they were extraterrestrials.
These beings supposedly contacted a man by the name of Eduard Albert Meier. These beings gave him chronicles about earth's history, our present, and our possible future. Also Eduard also known as Billy Meier was contacted by another group of E.T's who claimed to be from another universe. They claimed they were from a reality called the Dal universe.
Billy Meier unlike many other people who have been abducted by aliens, was not an abductee but rather a contactee. Billy Meier lives on a large farm in Switzerland. When he was a little boy his first contact was made with the Plejaren. They gave him information about his pastlives on earth, and also gave him some scientific information. The Plejarens claim that they are descended from an ancient civilizations of people called the Lyrans. The Plejaren have the technological capability to travel through time and travel between universes. They also possess telepathic abilities which allows to them to send and receive thoughts. In appearance the Pleidians are about average human height and they are Caucasian in skin color. The Plejaren exist 500 lights years away from earth.
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There are many websites dedicated to disproving Meier's claims though the best, in my opinion, are The Billy Meier UFO Hoax and The Billy Meier Case.
Ron Bracale wrote a simple but precise article for UFO Case Book:
I would like to comment on the Billy Meier case, as in my opinion it appears to be a hoax. Several articles have cited it as fact, but the pictures appear to be forgeries. Some appear to be models hanging in trees, while others either have lighting anomalies or contrast and brightness incongruence.
Still others have disturbed pixels surrounding the UFO image, indicating that the image was doctored. I have spent many years working with graphics and cannot accept a single image as authentic. What anyone should ask is this, "If the images were taken with a 35 mm camera that was the standard at the time, why have no high resolution images been released?"
35 mm film is capable of being transferred to extremely high resolution digital images, which would end any potential debate about their authenticity. Even a frame from 8 mm film can be transferred to a high resolution digital image. If the images were authentic, then they would be presented at a resolution that would lend credence to them as evidence for the UFO phenomena.
I believe that UFO crafts are very real phenomena, but I do not accept these images as evidence. Many sites on the Internet also support my opinion that Meier’s photographs are forgeries.
I went to the web site www.theyfly.com and there found a link to “Beamship Sounds here!” I am a musician with three released CDs, and synthesizers are something I know well. This sound clip is a synthesizer sound. It has the artifact of a looping process that is clear as day to a trained ear.
Such artifacts are common with modern digital delays and in the early days of electronic music, tape loops had the same quality which is clearly evident in this fake beamship sound. Some might try and stretch the facts to say that something in the beamship engine just happens to sound like a modern artificial sound with a looping process occurring, but the probability of that is extremely low, invalidating these sounds as valid evidence.
I believe that understanding the UFO situation is a topic of unparalleled importance to humanity. Every presentation of questionable material allows skeptics to undermine the scientific research process which is crucial to gaining a true understanding of these phenomena. Critical analysis of all evidence must occur and as such, there are bound to be differences of opinion. My opinion is that the Billy Meier case is a hoax. - UFO Case Book
There is a follow up at The Billy Meier Photos and Videos. I also suggest you read the comments made by Wendelle Stevens...including an interview he had with Meier in 1999. I leave it up to you and form your own opinion.
Just the Facts?: Crack Opens In Sea Near Hong Kong -- Fran Drescher Abducted -- Woman 'Cooked to Death'
Unexplained: Crack forms in the water’s surface near Hong Kong
Click for video
Here’s the latest video that’s been making the rounds. Allegedly, a fisherman near Hong Kong [map] saw something strange in the water. It looked like a whirlpool, and he whipped out his video camera to record it. What happened next was a hole suddenly ripped open in the surface of the ocean.
Possible explanations being offered include a submarine, a whale caused this, the city’s drainage or sewer pipes that were siphoning water from the sea.
My thoughts? Glad you asked. It smells of bullshit to me for a few reasons.
Firstly — and this might be petty on my part — the added “drama music” is always a turn-off to me. It tells me that the makers are more interested in theatrics than documenting an event.
Speaking of the audio; is it just me, or does the sound of the water sound like something added to the video? While I am hardly an expert, it just doesn’t sound like audio picked up by the microphone of a handheld video camera.
And two — speaking of documenting an event — the guy in the boat really only got a few seconds of this? What happened next? I always get more than a little suspicious when a video only shows a teasing 30 seconds of an orb, or monster, or, well, the surface of the ocean splitting open.
On the other hand, maybe the witness thought “omg, I need to get the hell out of here!” and turned off the video camera. To be honest, I would have dropped the camera and piloted my boat away from that area in a hurry. - datelinezero
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Naked humanoids?
Location: Near Pasiano, Italy - May 19 1995 - 11:15 PM
A professional stopped his car to watch a metallic top shaped craft with a transparent section hovering over the road. Inside he was able to see up to 25 apparently naked smiling humanoids standing around. These were about 4-foot tall with large elongated heads, topped with short-cropped dark hair. The humanoids appeared to be smiling and had normal looking eyes and noses, and large pointed ears. They had long dangling arms with large hands. The craft took off after a few minutes. That same evening witnesses watched moving lights in the sky in the same area.
Source: Dario Bortolini ITUFOR Vol. 2 # 2 / Forwarded by Albert Rosales
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Man accused in bizarre murder-for-hire plot planned to use ex-stripper wife as bait
A convict with a conscience helped the feds unravel a murder-for-hire plot that involved a carjacking and electrocution by cat, according to federal court records.
It also included the suspect's ex-stripper wife being used as bait.
Brett L. Nash, 45, of 43 Shirlwin Drive in Granite City, Illinois, was arraigned in federal court Tuesday on charges of interference of commerce by threats of violence. Charges unsealed Wednesday state he recruited an unidentified friend to "help in robbing an old man" who Nash intended to lure with his wife, carjack, hold hostage while the victim wrote checks and then murder.
Nash planned to put the victim in a Jacuzzi and electrocute him by throwing in a radio, court records state. They planned to toss the cat in the water to make it appear the cat knocked in the radio.
The plot came apart when Nash's unnamed friend told FBI agent Nick Manns that "he did not want the intended victim killed." The friend was previously convicted of second-degree murder and sexual assault.
"He told me he had straightened out his life, believed in God and could not live with himself if someone were murdered and he had not done anything about it," Manns states in the affidavit accompanying the federal charges. The document also states the friend was worried that Nash was setting him up.
Here's how the court records lay out Nash's plan. The victim and would-be accomplice are never named.
Nash approached his friend Jan. 9 with the plot.
He told his friend that the person he was going to rob "liked women who were crackheads" and his wife knew him through her crackhead friend. Nash described his wife as a cross between Angelina Jolie and a Barbie doll and said the victim wanted to have sex with her.
Nash said his wife knew the intended victim had about $250,000 and that she could get him a key to the victim's house.
Nash wanted his friend's help to carjack the victim while Nash's wife was in the car so police would not suspect she was involved in the criminal activity with Nash.
After carjacking the intended victim, Nash's plan was to take the victim back to the victim's house, where Nash would hold him hostage for up to two weeks. During that time Nash would have the victim write out checks, including $5,000 to the accomplice for "labor" and $65,000 so the wife could buy her house out of foreclosure.
He also talked about strapping a bomb to the victim to force him to withdraw money from the Bank of Edwardsville. He planned to use an idea he'd seen on television, rigging up a collar and a Bluetooth device so Nash could hear the victim's conversation with the teller.
Nash planned to kill the victim after he had gotten all of his money by putting the victim in his Jacuzzi, tossing in the radio and adding the cat.
Nash also discussed an alternate plot that included stabbing a teenage blond girl who lived with the victim.
They would extort money by putting the victim in a chair with a hood, dripping chicken blood on him and then putting the victim's bloody fingerprint on a kitchen knife. They would threaten to stab the teen and call police to let the victim explain how his fingerprint got on the knife unless the victim paid them.
Nash told his friend that he had been to the victim's house and had been planning the murder for about a year, the affidavit said. In addition to the $5,000 check from the victim, Nash was promising the accomplice half of the take from the extortion.
Nash also told the friend that his wife was a former dancer and that the pair had made money for the past two years by extorting her married customers. She would promise sex for $1,000 at a hotel room and Nash would take pictures of the victim's car and then enter the room to take pictures of the victim.
Nash said they'd obtained $25,000 from one man that way.
He also said the intended victim had security cameras after being ripped off by a crack user and had cameras in his shower to take pictures of women who stayed over. The man was about 60 and looked like Barney Fife, was a former corporate lawyer who got into computers and then retired, lived off Maryville Road in Granite City and regularly traveled to Las Vegas to gamble accompanied by four crackheads, court records quoted Nash as saying.
Nash said he'd been in entertainment and could disguise his accomplice using make-up techniques he'd learned in college. He also discussed using hair styling gel and latex gloves to avoid leaving DNA, even taking their used toilet tissue with them.
At the direction of the FBI, Nash's friend called Nash at 7:34 a.m. Friday and gathered evidence against him, including text messages.
Nash is in federal custody. He was arrested Monday afternoon at his home after the friend made a dry run to the intended victim's home.
The plot was to begin at 9 p.m. Monday night, the court record stated.
FBI agent Manns interviewed the intended victim, who said he had known Nash's wife for about two years, had watched her shower but had not had sex with her.
He said he'd recently installed the Jacuzzi, had been hoping for a hot tub party with Nash's wife and the blond teen and they planned to get together Monday or Tuesday. He also said Nash's wife had taken him for cataract surgery.
He said he had accounts at the Bank of Edwardsville. He also said he had a cat.
Manns also talked to Nash's wife, who said he'd physically abused her for the past two years and that it escalated in the past six months and especially during the past two weeks.
She showed Manns photos of bruising, and a recording of an assault during which Nash told her she had no choice but to be part of the extortion plan.
When Nash's house was searched Monday, agents found a diagram of the intended victim's house and a gray backpack containing a black ski mask, handcuffs, a CO2 gun that looks like a .45-caliber pistol, black socks and gloves, a flashlight, plastic bag and black hair dye. - bnd
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Fran Drescher says she was abducted by aliens: They planted a chip
Fran Drescher, whose "Happily Divorced" has been a hit for TV Land, believes that she was abducted by aliens while she was in junior high. She also, very seriously, says that said aliens planted a chip in her hand and programmed her to meet her ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, who inspired the TV series.
"You know, it's funny because Peter and I both saw [aliens] before we knew each other, doing the same thing, driving on the road with our dads," she tells HuffPo. "We were both in junior high."
Years later, they met and compared experiences. "We realized that we had the same experience. I think that somehow we were programmed to meet," she says, pointing out a small scar on her hand. "We both have this scar. It's the exact same scar on the exact same spot."
Jacobson doesn't share her opinions. He suggests that Drescher got the scar from a drill bit or a burn from a hot beverage. "I said to him, that's what the aliens programmed us to think," Fran explains. "But really, that's where the chip is."
...It could explain some things. - zap
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Quebec woman was ‘cooked to death’ at retreat, coroner says
Quebec police officers have completed their report into the bizarre death of Chantale Lavigne — who was “cooked to death” at a personal development seminar — and investigators are expected to meet with the Quebec prosecutor assigned to the case as early as next week.
It will be up to the prosecutor “to decide whether any charges will be filed, and, if so, what they would be,” Rene Verret, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said Thursday.
The manner in which Lavigne died was “very unusual,” Verret noted.
An autopsy report on Lavigne’s body has yet to be completed, the Quebec coroner’s office said. But Radio-Canada quoted coroner Gilles Sainton as saying the 35-year-old mother of two from St. Albert, Que., “was cooked to death.”
Sainton conducted that interview last November for the TV show Enquete, said Dana Deslauriers, a lawyer for the coroner’s office.
Sainton wouldn’t be available for any followup interview, Deslauriers added.
Lavigne died in hospital after she and eight others in a personal-development seminar called Dying in Consciousness were covered with mud, wrapped in plastic, put under blankets and immobilized with their heads in cardboard boxes for about nine hours, under instructions to hyperventilate.
Lavigne was removed, unconscious and with a body temperature of 40.5 C, from the Ferme Reine de la Paix in the Drummondville, Que., area after a 911 call that Radio-Canada said had been made by Gabrielle Frechette, a self-styled therapist who was the seminar’s operator.
A 49-year-old woman taken to hospital at the same time survived.
Radio-Canada quoted Sainton as saying that Lavigne died of hyperthermia, when the body produces or is subjected to more heat than it is able to dissipate. The normal human body temperature is 37 C.
Sainton “has not completed his report,” Deslauriers said. “Generally, it takes about nine months before a coroner’s report is ready.”
Results of the uncompleted autopsy report are required as “part of the proof that the coroner will use to complete his report,” Deslauriers said.
“There are an enormous amount of complaints about the length of time it takes to receive autopsy reports,” she added, noting that some autopsy reports take two years to be completed. “There are many families waiting for coroner’s reports.”
According to Radio-Canada, Frechette has been running self-improvement courses for about two decades, and claims to be channelling Melchisedech, a Biblical figure.
Frechette told Radio-Canada, which was slated to air the show at 9 p.m. Thursday, that about 2,000 people have taken her courses.
Lavigne apparently completed 85 sessions and paid more than $18,900. - nationalpost
Thursday, January 26, 2012
In the Hall of the Lizard King
Suddenly a door opened in the wall and three “monsters” entered the room. These resembled very much the face on the mask he was holding. They were tall, about 2 meters in height, blue in color, all covered entirely by warts; they were nude and were “awful” in appearance. One of them approached Georgiy and put his hand on his shoulder (the alien had three huge curved clawed fingers on his hand) and said in a low hoarse voice “Homo Sapiens”. Georgiy could see huge yellow fangs in his opened mouth. After that, seized by a terrific panic Georgiy began to scream, he jerked back, threw the mask on the floor and ran away. He entered a corridor and passed numerous oval doors, different screens and instruments. Overwhelmed by fear he ran into another room and there he was confronted by another blue reptilian humanoid. The humanoid opened his huge arms on his sides and said, “Where are you running to”?
After that he pressed something on the wall and Georgiy saw what he called an “abyss”, endless space everywhere. He could see stars and beautiful scenes in space. He was trembling with fear when one of the blue reptilians approached him took his hand and said, “Do not be afraid”. He then accompanied the witness to the next room. In that room he saw hundreds of reptilian humanoids standing in ranks. All were standing shoulder to shoulder and all were looking at the witness. Suddenly they moved aside and the witness saw a beautiful woman with light hair, sleeping on a small sofa, she was totally naked. He saw her for several seconds and after that the blue reptilians close ranks again and she disappeared from sight. The alien then accompanied Georgiy to a screen. There were stars on the screen. The reptilian pointed with his claw at one of the stars and said, “Earth”. After that he embraced the witness with his powerful three-fingered hands and said, “Stay with us. We have no time and death.” Terrified Georgiy could only say that he wanted to go back home, that his mother was waiting for him and begged them to let him go. The alien then said, “Well then is there anything you want to know?” Georgiy could only think of one thing at that point, “How long will my mother live”? The alien answered, “As much as your age now”. After that the star on the screen began to approach very fast and began to resemble the globe of earth, he could see clouds.
Suddenly Georgiy realized that he was standing near his house, but only in the opposite direction from where he had originally left. He had been gone for 5 hours. He noticed a peculiar detail; the coins in his pocket began to glow with a yellowish light when he took them out. This light disappeared in the morning.
Source: Anton Anfalov quoting B. V. Ustinov in “The Secret Doctrine” / forwarded by Albert Rosales
NOTE: Albert Rosales commented "Interesting report involving possible reptilians abducting a human. Who was the woman he reportedly saw sleeping on the sofa?" Was the woman another abductee used to lure Georgiy to stay with them. Much of the information I have gathered on the reptilian species, including David Eckhart's accounts, tends to paint them as a very intolerant bunch that have little patience for humans. As well, they usually grab what the want and give little care as what happens to those they abduct. BTW, there are 'mermen' stories and legends throughout the regions next to the Black Sea including the Crimea. Could these 'mermen' really be reptilian beings? Lon
Just the Facts?: JFK UFO Theory -- Jack the Ripper aka American Serial Killer -- Solar Flares vs. the Paranormal
JFK UFO Story Relies on 'Backwards Encryption' Theory
Did President Kennedy believe in aliens? A proponent of a "JFK UFO Theory" says yes, and he has the tapes to prove it. Just one problem though; the theory is only validated by listening to the tapes backwards!
Audio analyst Jon Kelly is claiming that by listening to the newly released secret recordings JFK made in the White House before his death in reverse, it's proof he was taped talking about UFOs, aliens and whether Earth has been visited by interplanetary species.
To back up this JFK UFO belief supposition, Kelly has taken portions of the tapes, specifically those in which Kennedy is discussing the space program of the time (1963) and played them backwards, revealing the President's true message to the world.
For example, the statement, "The other thing I talked about was space" is backwards translated as "I saw a spacecraft. Found a Grey."
Listening to the audio tape played backwards, there are some words which sound like this sentence, but it's a stretch to believe that Kennedy was using a form of Da Vinci handwriting code to conceal his true message.
First and most obvious, it would mean that Kennedy was enunciating his message in such a way that the formation of the words he intended to convey were thought out beforehand. Very elaborate, and seemingly impossible.
Wouldn't it mean that the above "proof" of the theory would actually be written as "Yerg a dnuof. Tfarcecaps a was I"? Quite a mouthful and unintelligible. - Gather
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Jack the Ripper's Identity Discovered via Forensic Evidence...Whoa!
Well, here's a new twist to an old story! Author Jeff Mudgett, the great, great grandson of the first documented American serial killer, has offered proof, believed to be substantial enough to withstand any court's inquiries, allegedly showing his distant relative, H. H. Holmes, was not only the first American serial killer, he was also the man who struck terror into the hearts of 19th century Londoners. - Jack the Ripper's Identity Discovered via Forensic Evidence. Killer H.H. Holmes.
A Brief Bio of H.H.Holmes
Dr. Henry Howard Holmes (May 16, 1861 – May 7, 1896), was one of the first documented American serial killers in the modern sense of the term. Holmes opened a hotel in Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair, which he built himself and which was the location of many of his murders. While he confessed to 27 murders, of which nine were confirmed, his actual body count could be higher.
Holmes purchased a lot across from the drugstore which he manipulated a widow to sell to him, where he built his three-story, block-long “Castle”—as it was dubbed by those in the neighborhood. It was opened as a hotel for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, with part of the structure used as commercial space. The ground floor of the Castle contained Holmes’s own relocated drugstore and various shops, while the upper two floors contained his personal office and a maze of over one hundred windowless rooms with doorways opening to brick walls, oddly angled hallways, stairways to nowhere, doors openable only from the outside, and a host of other strange and labyrinthine constructions. Holmes repeatedly changed builders during the construction of the Castle so only he fully understood the design of the house, thus decreasing the chance of being reported to the police.
After the completion of the hotel, Holmes selected mostly female victims from among his employees (many of whom were required as a condition of employment to take out life insurance policies for which Holmes would pay the premiums but also be the beneficiary), lovers and hotel guests, torturing and killing them. Some were locked in soundproof bedrooms fitted with gas lines that let him asphyxiate them at any time. Some victims were locked in a huge soundproof bank vault near his office where they were left to suffocate. The victims’ bodies were dropped by secret chute to the basement, where some were meticulously dissected, stripped of flesh, crafted into skeleton models, and then sold to medical schools. Holmes also cremated some of the bodies or placed them in lime pits for destruction. Holmes had two giant furnaces as well as pits of acid, bottles of various poisons, and even a stretching rack. Through the connections he had gained in medical school, he sold skeletons and organs with little difficulty.
On May 7, 1896, Holmes was hanged at Moyamensing Prison, also known as the Philadelphia County Prison. Until the moment of his death, Holmes remained calm and amiable, showing very few signs of fear, anxiety or depression. Holmes’s neck did not snap immediately; he instead died slowly, twitching over 15 minutes before being pronounced dead 20 minutes after the trap had been sprung. He requested that he be buried in concrete so that no one could ever dig him up and dissect his body, as he had dissected so many others. This request was granted.
Devil's Disciple: The Deadly Dr. H.H. Holmes
The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers
The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers
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What The Sky Noise Phenomena ISN'T
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Goblins terrorise women in Zimbabwe
The love for quick riches has backfired for a Bulawayo man who has confessed to buying five “goblins” which he said were now sexually molesting his wife. Malibeni Mhlanga of Entumbane suburb confessed his “goblins” were traumatising his wife, Margaret Dube. Mhlanga said he bought the five “goblins” in Insuza — 80km north of Bulawayo — but he now remained with two as the other three were killed in an exorcising ceremony.
The man claimed he acquired the goblins to amass wealth, but all that had remained a pipedream as the traditional healer who sold him the creatures had died. His neighbours said their wives were also being sexually abused by the gnomes at night. Scores of residents gathered at Mhlanga’s home yesterday demanding that he be removed from the area. “I am seeking assistance to ensure the removal or destruction of these goblins because it now affects our daily lives such that we cannot even live in our own house,” he said.
“I had five goblins, but two have remained and I cannot live in this house. I urinate blood every time, and it has sex with my wife every time.” His wife confirmed the “abuse”. “It walks like a goat, and when it has sex with me, I often feel tired and spit blood. One day my bag was mysteriously increasing in size and we called a Gokwe prophet to cleanse our homestead. It (the goblin) looked like an owl, the prophet removed two snakes, a human-creature-like goblin which when ripped apart contained a picture of our son,” she said.
“After the event, a tenant who lived here was involved in an accident. We have sought assistance from the police and we had a meeting with the councillor yesterday. This thing is a mysterious. It is a power that is in use.” Dube said the goblin follows her to an extent where her relatives do not want to live with her.
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Do Solar Flares Affect the Paranormal?
A majority of ghost hunting communities believe that in times of increased solar activity, paranormal activity is “stirred up”. Why? It is common knowledge among paranormal investigators that spirits feed off energy generated by electrical sources such as electrical appliances and batteries. It is thought that ghosts often produce or disturb electro magnetic energy and need to fuel themselves with it in order to manifest. It seems that heightened paranormal activity can increase during a geomagnetic storm or solar flare (X, M or Mega class). The theory behind this is that the Sun’s storms or flares send charged radioactive particles into the Earth’s atmosphere, thus creating a shift and alteration of the geomagnetic fields. The extra energy released into the atmosphere is saturated with charged ions possibly giving ghosts the catalyst needed to manifest and interact with the living. Similarly, electrical storms on Earth can fuel paranormal activity as negatively charged ions are released into the environment.
On the latest episode of Ghost Hunters (TAPS), one of the newest ghost hunting tools was introduced by the inventor. It was similar in size and shape to a phone booth. Basically, the interior of the enclosed booth is bombarded with electromagnetic pulses to lure and to assist the spirit into manifesting. While no spirit activity was captured in the booth during this particular investigation, it still seems plausible that it could work.
If you’re a paranormal investigator, it may prove useful for you to check out the prevailing geomagnetic influences or even the current phase of the moon, which is also thought to affect paranormal activity. You can find this and other cosmic conditions on the www.nasa.gov website. - paranormaloldpueblo
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
This Week on 'Beyond the Edge' Radio: Cryptozoologist / Author Richard Freeman
Join Eric & Lon in welcoming cryptozoologist and author Richard Freeman
He has also lectured across the UK at events such as the Fortean Times Unconvention, the Weird Weekend, Microcon and at museums such as the Natural History Museum, the Grant Museum of Natural History and the Last Tuesday Society.
When interviewed by author Nick Redfern in 2005, Freeman claimed an early obsession with the classic science fiction series Dr Who (with Jon Pertwee) had sparked an interest in all things weird. After school he became a zookeeper at Twycross Zoo in the West Midlands and became head keeper of reptiles, working with more than 400 exotic species from ants to elephants (but with a special interest in crocodilians). After leaving the zoo, he worked in an exotic pet shop, a reptile rescue centre, and as a gravedigger.
In 1995, Freeman began studying zoology at Leeds University. Whilst on holiday from the university, he learned of the CFZ and bought a copy of the Centre's journal, Animals & Men, which left him impressed enough to subscribe and begin contributing. He eventually became the CFZ's Yorkshire representative and, once the course had ended, moved to Devon to become a full-time member of the Centre. He is now the zoological director and co-editor of Animals & Hens.
Richard's cryptozoological expeditions:
-Thailand in 2000 for a species of a giant crested snake known as the naga.
-Sumatra, Indonesia in 2003 for an upright walking ape called orang-pendek.
-Sumatra in 2004 again to look for the orang-pendek.
-Mongolia in 2005 for the Mongolian death worm.
-The Gambia in 2006 for a dragon-like, the Ninki Nanka.
-Guyana in 2007 for the giant anaconda, the di-di (a yeti like homonid), the water tiger (a spotted semi-aquatic, flesh eating mammal), and the bushmen, an unrecorded race of three foot pigmies with red faces. He also heard of what may be a tiny, new species of caiman with a red strip running along its back.
-Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia in 2008 for the almasty, a relic hominid.
-Sumatra in 2009 for the orang-pendek
-India in 2010 for the Mande-Barung or Indian yeti
-Sumatra in 2011 for the orang-pendek
ORANG PENDEK: Sumatra's Forgotten Ape
Join Eric Altman and Lon Strickler each Sunday at 8 PM ET as we go
Beyond the Edge!
Call toll free 1-877-677-2858 during the live broadcast
'BIG' - A Modern Bigfoot Adventure
BIG - an eBook Novel by Lloyd Pye
The story unfolds in the mountains of Washington State, where bigfoot sightings occur regularly.
It begins with a hunter encountering and then wounding a bigfoot with a shotgun blast to its upper back. Shot, bleeding, but not quite dead, the bigfoot passes out beside a stream deep in the woods. It is discovered by Marcy Dillon, a high school senior who intends to go to medical school. She has gone to the stream to gather herbs for an important school project.
As Marcy approaches the bigfoot, it revives and is rightfully terrified of her, but it is too weak to harm her. Given the reprieve, she manages to convince it that she wants to help it, not harm it any further.
Marcy is a small-town girl with big-town, world-class abilities, and she assumes responsibility for helping the bigfoot recover enough strength and stamina to return to wherever it came from.
She proceeds to feed it, then prepares a poultice pack of herbs to stop the wound’s bleeding, and to help it heal. She then returns home to get help from her father and boyfriend.
What Marcy does not realize is that the hunter who shot the bigfoot returned to their isolated hometown, and the bigfoot tracked him down to exact revenge. Now everyone in the town knows a seriously wounded bigfoot is somewhere up in the forested mountains surrounding them.
If the bigfoot can be successfully recovered, dead or alive, it will be worth a fortune in earned income and publicity for their isolated area. A large posse of local men is gathered to begin the hunt in earnest. That posse includes Marcy’s father and boyfriend, both of whom she tries to dissuade from going, but both refuse.
Her advantage is that she knows precisely where the bigfoot is, so she sneaks away ahead of the posse and rouses him, prodding him to get him up and moving beyond the reach of the posse and their relentless hunting dogs.
It will be a life-and-death race for the bigfoot, but soon after their journey begins, it becomes life-and-death for Marcy, too. Now, however, she has no choice but to continue onward to meet whatever fate has in store for both of them.
The final leg of the chase takes Marcy and her charge out the very edge of mental and physical hardship, and without incredible courage and tenacity on both their parts, they would not stand a chance. And then, when it seems as if they might prevail against the odds stacked so high against them, the very worst happens.
This story will keep you turning pages from start to finish - see for yourself.
Read some of the reviews!
Review by: Jeff S.
This seems to be the only eBook like this in the entire world. Anyone interested in the subject of Bigfoot definitely must read this. The way Mr. Pye ties Bigfoot facts into his story is very interesting, and with surprises waiting around every page, it makes for a very riveting story!
Review by: John R.
I used to be more into non-fiction books, but all that's changed since I recently got to read Mr. Pye's latest novel,BIG.The book is wildly entertaining, with an amazing storyline which draws the reader in deep,right from the first page.Scenes,events,people(and BIG)are described with an uncanny realism, that had me believing I was engrossed in a movie and not a book.The authors deep familiarity with the "Bigfoot" legend has allowed him to bring-to-life the character 'BIG',with such inciteful and sensitive storytelling,that I accepted it's 'existence' on the page without question, at all times.A wonderful,charming and thought-provoking book.
Review by: Crystal J.
Not only does this book, give possible insight into the mind of a Bigfoot, it also provides such a riveting story line that will appeal to a broad spectrum of people. It certainly isn't your typical "bigfoot story" where you are aware throughout the story that it was strictly written for fantasy. This book however, will soften even the hardest skeptic to the idea that this could very well happen. Mr. Pye has a definite gift of story telling that will captivate and well as educate. Can't wait for the next books Mr. Pye has to offer in the future.
Review by: Allen G.
This book is a rare treat that will have everyone that picks it up glued in their seat for the next page. This book can't be put down until it is finished, it is almost like a good drug. This book makes you feel good and sad all over and over again. Sometimes you are almost afraid to read the next paragraph but you have to keep going. Keeping dry eyes is often a challenge. I sent a gift copy to my young nephews who are addicted to video games, but the older one will read. I expect them to call me in a day or two to discuss what they just read and could not stop reading. I highly recommend this book to old and young alike. Great job Mr. Pye
Review by: Rex R.
Can't tell you how much I enjoyed this story. So much so that I read it to my kids as well, and as we got closer to the end they did not want me to stop. Anyone who has even a passing interest in bigfoot or hominoids in general HAS to read this. Even someone who doesn't share this interest won't be able resist getting hooked on the story line!
NOTE: I don't normally read fictional stories or novels...but I was pleasantly struck by Lloyd's 'BIG'. It was genuinely enjoyable and would make a fantastic gift for anyone who takes pleasure in reading engaging stories. The characters are realistic and believable, including an effective plot with never-ending suspense. I recommend 'BIG' to all...Lon
Just the Facts?: Russian Scientist Claims Life On Venus -- Illinois UFO Abduction - Reptilian Encounter
Russian scientist claims 1982 pictures shows 'life on Venus'
Prof Ksanfomaliti, from the Moscow-based Space Research Institute, analysed photographs taken by a Soviet probe that landed on the planet's surface.
The 79 year-old claimed the pictures, taken by the probe Venus-13 in 1982, show a giant scorpion-styled insect that he claimed proved to life on the scorching second-closest planet to the sun.
But the views of the member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, published in Solar System Research, have been cast into doubt.
Experts say the features described as a disc and a scorpion appear to change locations from one photo to the next.
Prof Ksanfomaliti said the images show a scorpion shaped body, a disc and a "black flap" which apparently move as the probe's camera records the scene.
They all "emerge, fluctuate and disappear" explained Prof Ksanfomaliti.
"What if we forget about the current theories about the non-existence of life on Venus, let's boldly suggest that the objects' morphological features would allow us to say that they are living," he tells the magazine.
No records have previously been found of life on Venus, which has a surface temperature of 464C and gravity 0.9 times more powerful than Earth's.
But Jonathon Hill, a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, cast doubt on the claims.
The man who processes many of the images taken during NASA's Mars missions, said the higher-resolution versions of the Venera 13 images show that the crablike object is actually a mechanical component, not a living creature.
The same object shows up in a photograph taken by an identical landing probe, Venera 14, which landed nearby on Venus. - telegraph
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UFO / Possible Abduction in Illinois
35136
Log Number US-01252012-0017
Date Submitted 01/25/2012 03:46 UTC
Date of the Event 07/20/1988 02:00 UTC
Disposition Unresolved
Summary UFO sighted and possible abduction.
Tags hovering lights ufo triangle
City Rockford
Region Illinois
Country United States
Latitude 42.2805711
Longitude -89.0892052
Location Resolution Approximate
Viewing Distance 21-100 Feet
Sighting Duration 04:00:00
Object Features Unknown
Object Flight Path Hovering then path
Object Shape Triangle
Weather Factors Unknown
On this night I had some buddies of mine over for a visit. I live in the out skirts of town in the open country farm area. There were four of us there. It was a very nice warm summer night. I had my guitar out side and plugged into an amp and was playing some tunes for my friends. We were having some beer's and just enjoying the night since it was the weekend. The sky was very clear and the stars were all around. My friends had been there going on about six hours and it was getting to be about 2:00 a.m. in the morning. My mother and step father were out of town and I was staying home alone. We had dairy cows at that time and grew corn. The sky was still clear and all of a sudden the wind started blowing as if a storm was approaching but there wasnt any clouds as we could see. The cows in the barn started acting funny and making noise, like some thing was bothering them. One of my friends then said he was ready to leave because he didnt want to get hit with that storm he thought was comming and needed to get home. So he looked up at the sky and said. That's so strange because he did'nt see any clouds or anything but the the way the wind was acting it should have looked stormy. But he got in his car then pulled out of my long drive way we have and drove off. Well right after he left my other two friends decided they were gonna leave also. As they were pulling out of the drive I noticed something big and dark above one of the three corn bins we have and was just hovering above it. I quickly started flashing the house lights on and off to get them to come back and to look at what I was seeing but they never even noticed the thing and just drove off honking the horn good bye. I then turned my attention back to the object and started to walk towards the corn bin were it was hovering. I noticed it was very large and was triangle shaped. it looked bigger than the corn bin. It had some lights kinda pulsating around it. I thought what the heck. I had a beer in my hand as I walked up to it,( no I wasnt drunk ), I was seeing this thing. The beer was in my right hand because im right handed and always use that hand. Just as I was staring at this thing, BAM! this light hit's me like a spot light, very bright. I can't see anything now. Just that light. After I was hit with that light all I remember was the light going back up into the UFO and it just took off like very fast and was gone. Now this is the strange part. This all happened at around 2:00 a.m. and was dark outside of course. But now as im standing there the sun is comming up and it's just becomming dawn. And the beer I was holding was now in my left hand and I swear that I never switch it. Seem's four hours had passed and I dont remember what happened in between. I feel I was taken aboard or something, and then put back down. I have had bad dreams since then and always about being on some strange table being looked at by aliens. I just wanted to share this story since I feel maybe this may have happened to some one else perhaps and to let them know they are not alone. Thank you very much for reading my report. C. M. from Illinois. - MUFON CMS
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Cloaked Reptilian Abduction
Case Number 35123
Log Number US-01252012-0004
Date Submitted 01/25/2012 01:08 UTC
Date of the Event 01/03/2010 03:30 UTC
Disposition Unresolved
Summary 7 foot tall cloaked being, reptoid.
Tags abduction triangle
City Undisclosed
Region Illinois
Country United States
Latitude 40.6386449
Longitude -89.3934083
Location Resolution Approximate
Viewing Distance Unknown
Sighting Duration 00:00:30
Object Features Undisclosed
Object Flight Path Undisclosed
Object Shape Unknown
Weather Factors Unknown
My friend and I were scoping out a house where the occult practices from a fairly good distance, about 100 yards off. There was a field near by where cows are kept to feed on the field during the winter, and they were dead quite. So was everything else in the valley. Not a single sound. Except for a demonic roar, that was multi-pitched, and would come from about a hundred yards off about every other minute or so. We didnt really care though.....because we suspected we were well camouflaged and it was late enough at night to evade, which we had already done that night, if necessary. We were overlooking an embankment about 15 yards apart from each other. He was ahead of me. I was looking at him to get the go ahead to move because our presence was already known there. he suddenly froze, then started sprinting in my direction. Under his breath he told me to run, and run we did, for about 1.5 miles. Along the way we could hear the multi-pitched voice call to its buddies, and they would call back, in their multi-pitched voices. When we finally got out and got to have a cigarette, he told me what happened. The house we were checking had company. As ----- was checking out the house, a 8.0 to 8.5 foot tall cloaked being came to the window and looked directly at him. He said he froze from its stare, and then saw it make a go for the door of the house. He made for it when that happened and we both ran. He said the thing wasnt human, and wasnt very happy.....We didnt speak an entire word on the ride back. The feeling down there is death, and you have to accept it to face these guys. worst trepidation of my life...no joke. When we got back to __________, his eyes started to bleed. They bleed for about the next full day. Couldnt really find anything on the internet to collaborate this experience, but we did meet another group of 2 from the area that had the same exact thing happen to them, eyes bleeding and all. I have suspect evidence to believe that it was reptilian, from the near abduction instances from the triangles down there, and other personal witness of reptilians in the area. - MUFON CMS
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85-year-old woman fights off moose with a shovel
She may be 85 years old and weigh under 100 pounds, but an Alaska woman is being hailed as a hero after fighting off a moose. Dorothea Taylor was waiting in a pickup truck as her husband, George Murphy, 82, went to round up their dogs from their morning run when she heard the pets barking loudly.
She got out of the truck, saw a moose strike something with its hooves — and immediately knew something was wrong. "I thought he was trying to kill Fellar, the old dog," she said. She raced back to her vehicle, grabbed a shovel and took a swing at the moose, who was attacking the dog.
With a few more swings — and the help of a dog — she managed to get the moose to back away. "Then I saw it wasn't Fellar the moose was after at all," she said. "He was striking over the top of Fellar to get George." She immediately tried to stanch her husband’s bleeding as a good Samaritan dialed 911.
George Murphy was rushed to an Anchorage hospital, where he is resting with a gash to his head and a few broken ribs. And he couldn't be more proud of his wife of 40 years. "Jeez, that was a pretty hard thing for anyone to do, to walk up on a moose like that," he said. "Heck, all she had was a shovel."
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Blood bubbles out of drains in Polish town
After bubbling out through holes in the covers, the blood formed a river of red that flowed along a road in the Polish town forming large bloody puddles.
An investigation revealed that the blood had come from a meat processing plant and had seeped onto the streets because of a blocked drain.
“Police were called and we are investigating to find who is responsible for this,” said Janusz Matrejek, a spokesman for the regional police headquarters.
Confronted with pools of blood on their streets locals reacted with horror.
“There are two schools on the street where a large amount of blood was flowing,” wrote one angry resident on a news website. “The blood was also heading towards a local market. When you consider public health this situation is appalling.”
People also questioned as to how the blood had managed to leave the meat processing plant without any form of treatment, despite possible environmental risks.
A spokesman for the municipal authorities said the situation was now under control and that the blood had been removed from the streets. - telegraph
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Those are some low prices!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Things That Make Me Say 'Whoa'
THE NORWEGIAN SPIRAL
On December 9, 2009, a strange phenomenon was witnessed over Russia, and photographed in northern Norway and Sweden. The event began when a blue light soared up from behind a mountain in the north end of Russia. The light stopped in mid-air, and then began to move in circles. Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Once expanded, a green-blue beam of light shot out from the center of the object, lasting for ten to twelve minutes before disappearing completely. Thousands of onlookers described the event.
One account indicated that the object appeared as a giant fireball which traveled around in circles. It had a powerful light that surrounded its center, and some shooting star visuals. The pictures and video of the bizarre event quickly spread over the Internet, and were accompanied by many claims that the lights looked like a path to another dimension, similar to one that you would see in the movies. After the story was published all over the world, the Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged a failed test of a RSM-56 Bulava missile, on the day in question. It has been suggested that the phenomenon was the result of the failed missile test.
Apparently, the missile failure caused the exhaust of the projectile to travel out sideways, sending the object into an uncontrolled spin. However, people have proclaimed that the event looks like a wormhole opening up, and that the occurrence has been linked with the recent high-energy experiments undertaken at the Large Hadron Collider, in Switzerland. Many Intellectuals have voiced a problem with the official explanation of a failed missile launch, stemming from the fact that the event was sustained for so long. Some have gone so far as to draw connections with the famous Project Blue Beam conspiracy theory, which involves a NASA plan to trick the world population into believing in extraterrestrial life, using high powered lasers that are often mistaken for UFOs. Others suggest a secret government weapons test involving the HAARP program or a Russian equivalent. - ListVerse
JEREMY BENTHAM
The 18th-and-19th-century social philosopher left the world a rather odd bequest in his will: his preserved, clothed body. No one’s quite sure what Bentham was getting at with this “gift,” but since his 1832 death his clothed skeleton – topped with a wax model of Bentham’s head – has been preserved in a wood-and-glass cabinet known as the Auto-Icon. It now resides at University College London and is occasionally moved so Bentham can “attend” meetings.
Bentham didn’t want for the Auto-Icon to feature a wax head; he actually carried around the glass eyes he wanted used in his preserved face for years before his death. However, the preservation process distorted his face, so the wax replica had to stand in. For many years Bentham’s real head sat between his feet in the Auto-Icon, but it was such a target for pranksters that it eventually had to be locked away.
PARIS SYNDROME
Paris syndrome is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris, France. Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible. From the estimated six million yearly visitors the number of reported cases is significant. It is characterized by a number of psychiatric symptoms as acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution (delusional belief of being a victim of prejudice, aggression, hostility to others), a derealization, a depersonalization, anxiety, and also psychosomatic manifestations such as dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, etc..
The four main factors to cause the disorder are:
1. Language barrier – few Japanese speak French and vice versa. This is believed to be the principal difficulty and is thought to engender the remainder. Apart from the obvious differences between French and Japanese many everyday phrases and idioms are shorn of meaning and substance when translated adding to the confusion of some who haven’t previously encountered such.
2. Cultural difference – the authors state that the large difference between not only the languages but the manner in which Latin populations communicate on an interpersonal level in comparison to the rigidly formal Japanese culture proves too great a difficulty for some Japanese visitors. It is thought that it is the rapid and frequent fluctuations in mood, tense and attitude especially in the delivery of humor that cause the most difficulty.
3. Idealized image of Paris – it is also speculated as manifesting from an individual’s inability to reconcile a disparity between the Japanese popular image and the reality of Paris.
4. Exhaustion – finally, it is thought that the over-booking of one’s time and energy, whether on a business trip or on holiday, in attempting to cram too much into every moment of a stay in Paris along with the effects of jet lag all contribute to the psychological destabilization of some. - cogitz
THE GREAT BOSTON MOLASSES FLOOD OF 1919
The date was January 15, 1919, a Wednesday. It was about half-past noon. In Boston's industrial North End, folks were going about their business as usual. Only one small detail seemed out of the ordinary, and that was the temperature — unseasonably warm, in the mid-40s, up from a frigid two degrees above zero just three days before. The sudden thaw had lifted everyone's spirits. To anyone who was out on the street that day, it scarcely seemed a harbinger of disaster.
But trouble was brewing fifty feet above street level in the form of a cast-iron tank containing two-and-a-half million gallons of crude molasses. The molasses, owned by the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, was slated to be made into rum, but this particular batch would never make it to the distillery.
Sweet, sticky, deadly goo
At about 12:40 p.m. the giant tank ruptured, emptying its entire contents into Commercial Street in the space of a few seconds. The result was nothing less a flash flood consisting of millions of gallons of sweet, sticky, deadly goo.
The Boston Evening Globe published a description based on eyewitness accounts later that day:
Fragments of the great tank were thrown into the air, buildings in the neighborhood began to crumple up as though the underpinnings had been pulled away from under them, and scores of people in the various buildings were buried in the ruins, some dead and others badly injured.
The explosion came without the slightest warning. The workmen were at their noontime meal, some eating in the building or just outside, and many of the men in the Department of Public Works Buildings and stables, which are close by, and where many were injured badly, were away at lunch.
Once the low, rumbling sound was heard no one had a chance to escape. The buildings seemed to cringe up as though they were made of pasteboard.
The bulk of the devastation was caused by a "wall of molasses" at least eight feet high — 15, according to some bystanders — which rushed through the streets at a speed of 35 miles per hour. It demolished entire buildings, literally ripping them off their foundations. It upended vehicles and buried horses. People tried to outrun the torrent, but were overtaken and either hurled against solid objects or drowned where they fell. More than 150 people were injured. 21 were killed.
Negligence or sabotage?
The clean-up took weeks. Once that was done, the filing of lawsuits began. More than a hundred plaintiffs lined up to seek damages from the United States Industrial Alcohol Company. Hearings went on for six years, during which 3,000 people testified, including several "expert witnesses" for the defense who were well paid to argue that the explosion had been the result of sabotage, not negligence on the part of the company.
In the end, however, the court ruled for the plaintiffs, finding that the tank had been overfilled and inadequately reinforced. No evidence of sabotage was ever found. All told, the company was forced to pay out nearly a million dollars in damages — a bittersweet victory for survivors of one of the strangest disasters in American history. - About
PUBLIC DISSECTIONS
Thanks to advances in science and the relaxing of church and government laws, the dissection of human corpses came back into vogue in the 1300s. At first these dissections were performed in small rooms or houses for the benefit of a handful for medical students. Then, almost overnight, a bored and apparently pretty morbid public started clamoring to attend them as well.
Specially designed “anatomy theatres” were purpose-built in many of the major European cities; most could seat well over 1,000 people. Tickets were sold to the public and the prices often varied based on how “interesting” that particular corpse was. The most expensive tickets sold in Hanover were 24 Groschen to see a woman who died while pregnant. The audiences were so excited about what they were watching that as early as 1502 a surgeon recommended having guards present at each dissection to “restrain the public as it enters.”
While most etchings from the period show only men at the viewings, women attended as well. In 1748, the crowds to see cadavers dissected at the theatre in Dresden, Germany were so large that they started having “ladies only” viewings, during which the women were invited to touch the corpses.
In many countries, these viewings only happened three or four times a year due to a lack of available bodies. In Bologna, Italy, dissections became fancy events, with women wearing their best clothes to the viewing, and balls or festivals followed in the evening.
Then in England in 1751, Parliament passed the Murder Act, allowing for all executed criminals to be publicly dissected. The increase in the number of public dissections did not diminish their popularity, and thousands of people continued to attend them each year until they were finally outlawed in the 1800s. - MentalFloss
Dr Iain Ropner's Casebook of Strange Events and Unusual Phenomena
Historic Oddities and Strange Events.: FIRST SERIES
Guinness World Records 2012
NOTE: during the years of research and scouring the web I come across certain people and events that just make me say 'whoa'. So I place a bookmark thinking I may use the reference one day. These are just a few of those 'things'...Lon
Just the Facts?: Leper Boy Ghost? -- UFO Abductees Defend TSA -- Lady Gaga's Strange Rituals
Is this the ghost of the Whittington's 15th-century leper boy?
It looks like a blurred light or a badly taken photograph. But according to ghosthunter Leonard Low, this image taken in the basement of a London hospital is proof that it is haunted.
The 44-year-old builder was visiting his former partner who was having surgery at the Whittington Hospital in Highgate when nurses told him about a "strange presence" in the 19th-century arches.
Armed with a camera, Mr Low asked to be escorted into the basement to investigate. There he claims to have seen a "flashing trail of light".
He said: "We began walking down this long corridor with files all around us. We walked for five or six paces when we saw something down the corridor moving.
"There was something hovering in front of us, getting closer and closer. We saw this trail of light flashing all over the place. Then I saw the ghostly image of a young boy."
Mr Low, who owns a "haunted" medieval building in Scotland, added: "When I went down there I got a feel that there was something there. The hospital used to be a leper colony in the 15th century."
Although he took the pictures five years ago, he has only now released them after making new findings while researching his book, The True Story of the Pittenweem Tower Poltergeist, which features the Whittington ghost.
With the help of analysis from mediums, he believes that the pictures depict a 10-year-old boy called William suffering from leprosy. He said: "I would love to go back. I'm fairly convinced it's a ghost, the place is haunted. The stories I've heard were from nurses who have been there for 40 years."
He also told of the "extraordinary pain" he experiences in the presence of a ghost, adding: "I get pins and needles in the back of my head and I find it hard to see. It is as if my skin knows there is something there."
A spokeswoman for the Whittington Hospital NHS Trust said: "There have been ghost stories about sightings and feelings over the years. There is no evidence but the tale continues." - thisislondon
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Chinese Roulette
According to the training instructors of the People’s Liberation Army, it is an exercise that sharpens co-ordination, teamwork and mental strength. Six soldiers standing in a circle toss a satchel of live explosives between them, counting down until it detonates.
Just before it does, the last soldier drops it into a hole and the six men dive for cover. Any miscalculation would be fatal; there is enough explosive in the bag to blast a plume of earth high in the air. The exercise was staged during an exhibition drill in Hong Kong last month, as the island’s chief executive, Sir Donald Tsang, inspected the troops.
Click for video - Crazy Chinese Military Training
An elite garrison of 6,000 PLA troops, including three battalions of infantry, one artillery battery and a special forces company, is based in San Wai, a district of Hong Kong near the border with the mainland. In the past two years, the PLA said, the garrison has been upgraded with new weapons and vehicles to "better protect" the island. The soldiers who took part have an average age of 22 and can speak both Chinese and English, the PLA said, with one officer saying that the tasks were designed to improve “psychological strength” and to forge “fighting spirit” through the “near-impossible tasks”.
It is said the exercise would help the soldiers remain calm if they were confronted with a real emergency. "I'm pleased to see the high-spirited, well-trained and highly disciplined soldiers as well as the advanced weapons and equipment. It is obvious that the state can shoulder the responsibility of defending Hong Kong, and I feel really assured," said Sir Donald.
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UFO Abductees Defend TSA Probings as Necessary and Proven Security Measures
Much has been made in the news today about Fourth Amendment protections. In one instance, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that police must obtain a search warrant before attaching GPS devices to the vehicles of suspects. Law enforcement officials argued that drivers operating on public roads should have no expectation of privacy. Troubled by that rationale, the court unanimously determined that the Fourth Amendment's protection of "persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures" extended to automobiles. Republican Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), son of presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas), also invoked his reasonable expectation of privacy when he refused a TSA patdown Monday in Nashville after airport scanners reported an anomaly. Ron Paul responded with a harshly worded attack against the TSA, saying the agency "gropes and grabs our kids and our seniors and does nothing to keep us safe." But in a highly unusual turn of events, these invasive policies were resoundingly endorsed by a group of alien abductees who described the universe as a safer place because of austere screening procedures.
Accusations of Rogue Police State
During a senate hearing last June, Rand Paul argued that TSA Administrator John Pistole's random patdown tactics not only failed to ensure airline safety but demonstrated an appalling lack of education in anti-terrorism.
"This isn't to say that we don't believe in safety procedures," Paul said. "But I think I feel less safe because you're doing these invasive exams on a six-year-old. It makes me think you're clueless that you think she's going to attack our country and that you're not doing your research on the people who would attack our country."
Pistole replied by illustrating the threat a six-year-old girl could pose by boarding a plane with a lethal Build-A-Bear doll stuffed with bricks of C4 instead of "love" and weaponized vials of bio-agents in place of "cuddly wuddly hearts."
"From a TSA stance, Build-A-Bear's motto might as well be 'Where Terrorists are Made,'" Pistole said. "We can't presume the safety of everything brought on a plane, especially by children whose al Qaeda sympathizing parents are using them as weapons against their knowledge. I mean, all you have to do is configure a simple video game system into a detonator and the next time little Aaleyah tries to take out a pig with one of her angry birds, a fiery 777 destroys a neighborhood in Minnesota."
Paul also claimed that when TSA agents probe a passenger's cavity, which occurs about every seven seconds in the United States, they are mining DNA data that can be used as a digital signature. "It's just another type of GPS system, and they should be required to obtain a warrant from a judge," Paul added.
TSA agents at the Nashville terminal implied that Paul refused a patdown after being informed that sensors had discovered what appeared to be a female "marital aid" in his underwear.
Extra Security Measures Benefit Extraterrestrials
Amid the legal back-and-forth over privacy rights, a group of alien abductees rushed to the defense of those who support a rigid police state.
Hershell Turgafoy, a three-time alien abductee, called the highly criticized practice of anal probing by extraterrestrials a misunderstood security protocol.
"When the little gray visitors 'forcibly invite' you to be an 'indentured guest' aboard one of their vessels, the first thing they do is administer the anal probe," Turgafoy explained. "But it's not a physiological experiment. These beings have constructed craft capable of traversing infinite reaches of space and time. So doesn't it seem ridiculous to suppose they're going to learn something about us they didn't already know by ramming a metal rod up our butts? It's part of their security screening process. Basically, you're dealing with the alien version of a TSA patdown. And from what I know about our own TSA, it isn't much worse."
Turgafoy and his fellow abductees admitted that ET screenings can be uncomfortable and frightening, but they also described them as incredibly effective.
Turgafoy said: "It's a little spooky at first, sure. You can't speak their language, so you're not really certain what's going on. But then, I can't understand half the things those illiterate teens are saying at LAX. Plus, the ETs don't make us open our laptops, take off our shoes and belts and coats, place all our worldly possessions in bins, throw away liquids we might be carrying, or anything else. They just tug our drawers down a smidge and slip that probe up our backsides. They also attach a little monitoring device in there, and you never need to go through the process again once you're tagged. It's a lot more convenient. And, their machines never give false readings."
According to the group, nowhere else in nearby galaxies are terrorist attacks a concern.
"Collectively, we've been to Betelgeuse, Triangulum Australe, Ursa Major and the Draco system -- all of them have been perfectly safe," Turgafoy continued. "The anal probes are accurate tools for assessing harmful intentions, criminal pasts and violent proclivities. Credible threats have their brain functions suppressed and enter a state of a limbo where they experience only a passing awareness of their own existence. It's a lot like being Rick Perry. But you won't see terrorism or war outside our orbit. Rand Paul might not like having his personal space invaded, but if we just let the TSA really get their hands dirty, we could be living in a similar utopia. I'd bend over backward for that kind of peace of mind. Rand Paul should be willing to do the same."
Surprisingly, John Pistole and many congressional Republicans said they would be eager to explore the potential of anal probing alien technology. - benningtonvalepress
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Housekeeper outs Lady Gaga's strange rituals
Lady Gaga allegedly left "large amounts of blood" in a hotel bath.
The eccentric singer reportedly shocked staff when she checked out of London's lavish Intercontinental Hotel last summer and they discovered a pool of red liquid in the tub of her suite.
One housekeeper claimed the pop superstar was "bathing in blood as part of a Satanic ritual".
She told website Truthquake: "Lady Gaga left large amounts of blood in the suite during a stay this summer. The incident was reported to the concierge, who was told to put it out of her mind."
Other sources believe Gaga could have been using the red liquid as part of a "weird" stage costume or prop.
An insider said: "All of the hotel's staff are convinced she was bathing in it or, at the very least, using it as part of one of her new costumes or weird stage routines."
While it is unclear whether the liquid actually was blood or what the singer had been using it for, it is not the first time Gaga has been accused of unusual behaviour in hotels.
It has previously been claimed that she is terrified of evil spirits and reportedly has every hotel and tour venue scanned by a team of paranormal investigators before she will agree to stay there.
The 'Edge of Glory' hitmaker - who has previously said she believes she is inspired by the spirit of her dead aunt - allegedly splashed out £30,000 on state of the art Electro Magnetic Field meters to detect spectres.
A source said: "She believes in paranormal activity and won't take any risks when she is on the road. It's important to her to be safe from spirits." - independent
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