Just the Facts?: 'Dog-Headed Pig Monster!' -- The Gods Are Calling -- Jesus' Real Tomb Found?

'Dog-Headed Pig Monster' Sightings Reported By Namibian Villagers

Some say it's a witch doctor, a warlock, or a work of black magic. Others say it's a hybrid animal somewhere between a dog and a pig. But whatever it is, residents in Namibia are saying the strange creature they've seen wreaking havoc on their villages is nothing they've ever encountered before, according to the website Life's Little Mysteries.

Villagers living near the Kalahari desert in northern Namibia have reported seeing an odd creature with a head like a dog and the shoulders of a pig, mostly white in color and with hairless spots on its back, according to the site.

They say the beast has been attacking dogs, goats and other domestic animals seemingly out of nowhere, as the region's arid landscape is sparse in trees and shrubbery where animals might hide.

"This is an alien animal that the people have not seen before. We don't have a forest here, only bushes. So, this must be black magic at play," Andreas Mundjindi, a Namibian official, told the newspaper Informante.

One resident who spoke with Informante said villagers are taking precautions against the creature by staying in groups, and that many believe it's an intelligent being that came from the house of a grey-haired man.

"Everyone believes it is his beast and even he knows that we think so," the villager told Informante. "When it comes our side in the night, all the dogs are barking, but if it goes back west, then it’s all hush. People must be safe. We don’t want to be mauled by things we don’t know."

The sightings follow a number of reports out of Africa in recent years involving alleged sightings of strange creatures. In 2009, the Namibian newspaper New Era reported that a number of villagers had filed complaints with police stating that a mysterious tiger-like creature had been sucking blood of their livestock.

Police spokeswoman Christina Fonsech told the paper that police tried to track the creature's footprints, which were doglike, though bigger.

"We followed them but they walked until a spot where they just vanished," Fonesch told New Era. "It’s difficult to explain what happened to those footprints because they looked as if they climbed onto something but it was in an open space, so we don’t know what happened."

One elusive creature of legend from the Congo region, known as the "Mokele-mbembe," has intrigued myth hunters for years. Believed by some to be the surviving ancestor of a dinosaur, similar to the rumored Loch Ness Monster, the animal has been reported in sightings as far back as 1776, according to research by cryptozoologist William Gibbons.

Gibbons published a description of the creature, written by a German captain during a colonial expedition of the Congo in 1913:

The animal is said to be of a brownish gray color ... its size approximating that of an elephant. It is said to have a long and very flexible neck. Some spoke of a long muscular tail like that of an alligator. Canoes coming near it are said to be doomed; the animals are said to attack the vessels at once and to kill the crews but without eating the bodies. The creature is said to live in the caves that have been washed out by the river in the clay of its shores at sharp bends. It is said to climb the shore even in daytime in search of its food; its diet is said to be entirely vegetable. - THP

**********

Asteroid 2011 AG5 May Pose Threat to Earth in 2040

Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades.

The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet (140 meters) wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.

Talk about the asteroid was on the agenda during the 49th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), held earlier this month in Vienna.

A UN Action Team on near-Earth objects (NEOs) noted the asteroid’s repeat approaches to Earth and the possibility — however remote — that 2011 AG5 might smack into our planet 28 years from now.

The object was discovered in January 2011 by Mount Lemmon Survey observers in Tucson, Ariz. While scientists have a good bead on the space rock's size, its mass and compositional makeup are unknown at present. Continue reading at Asteroid 2011 AG5 May Pose Threat to Earth in 2040

**********

'Divine Jehovah, raise up': Does discovery of this 1st Century coffin lid prove the resting place of Jesus is under Jerusalem tower block?

Archaeologists exploring a 1st century Christian burial chamber have discovered an ancient inscription on a coffin lid which they believe could prove the site is the final resting place of Jesus.

Using a remote-controlled camera connected to a robotic arm to probe below a tower block in Jerusalem, the archaeologists were staggered to discover a set of 1st century 'bone boxes'.

The lid on one of these limestone boxes, also known as ossuaries, carries an inscription in Greek which could be translated as 'Divine Jehovah, raise up, raise up'.

Another carries a drawing of a fish with a stick figure in its mouth which is believed to refer to the story of Jonah and the Whale - one of the very first biblical stories.

The find is 200ft away from an earlier discovery known as the Jesus Family Tomb, which caused a huge amount of controversy after it was uncovered in the 1980s.

Archaeologists then claimed it contained ossuaries inscribed with names associated with Jesus's family.

That discovery sprouted amazing theories including one that maintained Jesus had been buried there alongside Mary Magdalene who he had married and raised a family with.

However many leading theologians and archaeologists rubbished such claims as being completely unfounded.

The Jesus Family Tomb was only examined briefly before protests by Orthodox Jews, concerned about the disturbance of a grave site, ended the excavation.

It was then sealed up, and a tower block built over it.

However James Tabor, a scriptural scholar at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici were determined to continue the research.

The pair obtained permission from the Israeli government in 2010 to use the robotic arm to drill holes allowing them to explore the surrounding area.

This led to the discovery of a separate chamber which they named the 'Patio Tomb', as it sits almost directly below the patio of the building.

It was inside the Patio Tomb that they found the inscriptions.

The pair claim the inscriptions discovered inside the patio tomb greatly increase the likelihood that the 'Jesus Family Tomb' is indeed, the resting place of Jesus.

They argue believe both tombs are part of the same complex which may have been the property of Joseph of Arimathea, who, according to the gospels, buried Jesus.

One of the limestone ossuaries carries a Greek inscription calling on God to 'rise up' or 'raise up' someone.

Another shows the image of a fish with a stick figure in its mouth which Tabor has suggested could represent the prophet Jonah.

Mr Tabor said: 'This inscription has something to do with resurrection of the dead, either of the deceased in the ossuary, or perhaps, given the Jonah image nearby, an expression of faith in Jesus' resurrection.

In the earliest gospel materials the 'sign of Jonah,' as mentioned by Jesus, has been interpreted as a symbol of his resurrection.

Jonah images in later 'early' Christian art, such as images found in the Roman catacombs, are the most common motif found on tombs as a symbol of Christian resurrection hope.

In contrast, the story of Jonah is not depicted in any first century Jewish art and iconographic images on ossuaries are extremely rare, given the prohibition within Judaism of making images of people or animals.

The tomb in question is dated prior to 70 CE, when ossuary use in Jerusalem ceased due to the Roman destruction of the city.

If the markings are Christian, the engravings represent the earliest archaeological record of Christians ever found.

So the engravings were most likely made by some of Jesus' earliest followers, within decades of his death, predating the writing of the gospels.

'If anyone had claimed to find either a statement about resurrection or a Jonah image in a Jewish tomb of this period I would have said impossible -- until now,' Tabor said. 'Our team was in a kind of ecstatic disbelief, but the evidence was clearly before our eyes, causing us to revise our prior assumptions.'

The publication of the academic article is concurrent with the publication of a book by Simon & Schuster entitled 'The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find That Reveals the Birth of Christianity.' A documentary on the discovery will be aired by the Discovery Channel in spring 2012.

The findings and their interpretation are likely to be controversial, since most scholars are skeptical of any Christian archaeological remains from so early a period.

Adding to the controversy is the tomb's close proximity to a second tomb, discovered in 1980. This tomb, dubbed by some 'The Jesus Family Tomb,' contained inscribed ossuaries that some scholars associate with Jesus and his family, including one that reads 'Jesus, son of Joseph.'

'Context is everything in archaeology,' Tabor pointed out. 'These two tombs, less than 200 feet apart, were part of an ancient estate, likely related to a rich family of the time.

'We chose to investigate this tomb because of its proximity to the so-called 'Jesus tomb,' not knowing if it would yield anything unusual.'

Among the approximately 2000 ossuaries that have been recovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority, only 650 have any inscriptions on them, and none have inscriptions comparable to the team's finds.

Less than a dozen ossuaries from the period have epitaphs but, according to Tabor, these inscribed messages usually have to do with warnings not to disturb the bones of the dead. In contrast, the four-line Greek inscription contains some kind of statement of resurrection faith.

Tabor noted that the epitaph's complete and final translation is uncertain. The first three lines are clear, but the last line, consisting of three Greek letters, is less sure, yielding several possible translations: 'O Divine Jehovah, raise up, raise up,' or 'The Divine Jehovah raises up to the Holy Place,' or 'The Divine Jehovah raises up from.'

'This inscription has something to do with resurrection of the dead, either of the deceased in the ossuary, or perhaps, given the Jonah image nearby, an expression of faith in Jesus' resurrection,' Tabor said.

The ossuary with the image that Tabor and his team understand to be representing Jonah also has other interesting engravings. These also may be connected to resurrection, Tabor notes. On one side is the tail of a fish disappearing off the edge of the box, as if it is diving into the water.

There are small fish images around its border on the front facing, and on the other side is the image of a cross-like gate or entrance—which Tabor interprets as the notion of entering the 'bars' of death, which are mentioned in the Jonah story in the Bible. - dailymail

The Empty Tomb: Jesus Beyond the Grave

Buried Hope or Risen Savior: The Search for the Jesus Tomb

**********

Medieval medallion found in baby shark in Malaysia

A baby shark being prepared for lunch gave a Malaysian family a big surprise - an ancient artifact believed to be dated long before the Portuguese conquest of Malacca. Housewife Suseela Menon, from Klebang, made the priceless discovery while filleting the fish for lunch.

It is believed to be a medallion worn by the Portuguese soldiers, presumably as a divine protection, during their conquests in this part of the world in the 16th century. One side of the medallion is a profile of a woman's head with a crown and encircled by a halo and an inscription that is unclear. The other side is a crucifix with an engraved inscription that reads ANTONII.

Checks with a local historian revealed the head engraving could be that of Queen Elizabeth, the consort of King Denis I of Portugal during his reign from 1271 to 1336. Suseela said she immediately cleaned the medallion and preserved it in a box. “I bought two sharks from the wet market and was taken aback upon discovering the object inside the stomach of one of the fishes,” said the 47-year-old mother-of-two.

Suseela had wanted to prepare shark curry for her husband. “Finally, my husband decided not to eat the fish as the object seems to be a religious item,” she said. The medallion is 7.4cm long, 6cm wide and weighs 10g. “My husband feels it is a blessing for the family to have the medallion coming to our home from beneath the sea. We will always cherish it,” said Suseela.

**********

The Gods are calling at El Castillo

When Hector Siliezar visited the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza with his wife and kids in 2009, he snapped three iPhone photos of El Castillo, a pyramid that once served as a sacred temple to the Mayan god Kukulkan. A thunderstorm was brewing near the temple, and Siliezar was trying to capture lightning crackling dramatically over the ruins.

In the first two images, dark clouds loom above the pyramid, but nothing is amiss. However, in the third photo, a powerful beam of light appears to shoot up from the pyramid toward the heavens, and a thunderbolt flashes in the background.

Siliezar, who recently shared his photographs with occult investigators, told Earthfiles.com that he and his family didn't see the light beam in person; it appeared only on camera. "It was amazing!" he said. He showed the iPhone photo to his fellow tourists. "No one, not even the tour guide, had ever seen anything like it before."

The photo has surfaced on several Mayan doomsday discussion forums. But was the light beam a sign from the gods — a warning about Dec. 21, 2012, the date that marks the end of the Mayan calendar cycle, and when some people fear the world will end? Or is it simply the result of an iPhone glitch?

According to Jonathon Hill, a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, which operates many of the cameras used during NASA's Mars missions, it is almost definitely the latter. Hill works with images of the Martian surface taken by rovers and satellites, as well as data from Earth-orbiting NASA instruments, and is fully versed in the wide range of potential image artifacts and equipment errors.

He says the "light beam" in the Mayan temple photo is a classic case of such an artifact — a distortion in an image that arises from the way cameras bounce around incoming light.

It is no mere coincidence, Hill said, that "of the three images, the 'light beam' only occurs in the image with a lightning bolt in the background. The intensity of the lightning flash likely caused the camera's CCD sensor to behave in an unusual way, either causing an entire column of pixels to offset their values or causing an internal reflection [off the] camera lens that was recorded by the sensor." In either case, extra brightness would have been added to the pixels in that column in addition to the light hitting them directly from the scene.

Evidence in favor of this explanation is the fact that the beam, when isolated in Photoshop or other image analysis software, runs perfectly vertical in the image. "That's a little suspicious since it's very unlikely that the gentleman who took this picture would have his handheld iPhone camera positioned exactly parallel to the 'light beam' down to the pixel level," Hill told Life's Little Mysteries.

It's more likely that the "light beam" corresponds to a set of columns of pixels in the camera sensor that are electronically connected to each other, but not to other columns in the sensor, and that this set of connected pixels became oversaturated in the manner described above.

"That being said," Hill said, "it really is an awesome image!"

Just the Facts?: Massachusetts UFO Probe -- Hitler's French Son -- Students Attempt to Poison Teacher

Probe started on Massachusetts UFO

Volunteer UFO investigators would like to learn more about a strange object they said a passing motorist reported and photographed at the Acton/Littleton line last July.

Steve Firmani, director of the New England Mutual UFO Network, confirmed the organization received a report and photograph depicting an object a motorist reported seeing over Route 2 near the Acton and Littleton town lines on July 31.

In the report, the unnamed motorist described seeing a “reflective, black tube-shaped object traveling in an easterly direction.” The driver, headed west on Route 2, stopped at the Newtown Road exit to take a picture.

The object is described as about 30 feet long and six feet in diameter and was perhaps 200 to 300 feet in the air when first spotted.

At this time, the motorist said the object was now about 1,000 to 1,500 feet high and still traveling east.

The photo attached to the report was taken with a 35-millimeter film camera, the report said.

The report describes the model of camera and speed and type of film used, as well as the zoom of the camera used to take the photo.

The Mutual UFO Network, commonly known as MUFON, is a multi-chapter organization of volunteers that fields reports of unidentified flying objects and other mysterious sightings.

Volunteer investigators interview those who report sightings and may call in expert help to examine evidence that is offered, such as photographs.

Firmani, of Leominster, said his MUFON chapter hopes to assign an investigator to the report soon.

Ruling out possibilities

Firmani said the majority of sightings received by his and other MUFON chapters turn out to be ordinary objects.

“Right now, you could say, this case is ‘up in the air, 'pending assigning an investigator and asking some questions,” Firmani said.

“The first thing we do is try and contact the witness and set up a phone interview.”

He said, “Eighty-five to 90 percent of UFO sightings can be explained as manmade or natural phenomena – such as stars, planets, even birds. We have had situations where a sunlight is reflecting off a bird.”

Firmani said satellites are another common source of so-called UFO sightings. In strictest terms, "UFO" simply means "unidentified flying object," with no implications as to its origin.

Firmani said in recent years, a commonly reported sighting is that of triangular lights; a tubular object such as the one described in the report is less common but not unheard of.

In UFO lore, one celebrated case describes a glittering, tubular-shaped object crashing into windmill in Aurora,Texas in 1897.

Firmani said regional differences in linguistics or descriptions can make it difficult to tell if viewers in different parts of New England or the country have seen the same or a similar object.

Acton police said no one called to report an object like the one the MUFON report describes.

As with most police departments, Acton police receives calls from time to time about unusual or erratic lights or objects, but generally receives these reports at night.

One such report concerned a gleaming light a caller saw early in the morning but that turned out to be light reflecting off a hot-air balloon.

In popular culture, the sightings of UFOs have been linked to a belief in extraterrestrial crafts or visitors.

Firmani said the investigators at MUFON strive to examine such reports objectively and without bias.

“Just because we can’t find an explanation for the sighting, it doesn’t mean it is some kind of alien space craft,” Firmani said. - wickedlocal

**********

United Arab Emirates laws you must know to stay out of trouble...and even jail

The UAE Ministry of Interior’s ‘999’ magazine recently published research that stated 72 per cent of expats in the UAE lack knowledge of local customs and traditions.

In addition, only one-third of the 2,000 respondents surveyed said they to set aside any time to find out more about local culture.

This kind of complacency, according to the article, results in “Many expats enduring court trials, facing social embarrassment and suffering a long list of inconveniences –simply due to not knowing the rules.”

Ignorance of the country’s moral boundaries is resulting in an increase in incidents of expats falling foul of the law.

Emirates 24|7 listed ten rules that have often cropped up in cases where expats have claimed ignorance of the law, but not escaped its effects.

No kissing, no touching

If you have been residing in the UAE for a while, you might already have figured it out. Holding hands may be OK, but kissing and petting is not. Expect a tap on your shoulder, or a correcting finger reminding you to abide by the local customs, deeming this behavior inappropriate.

No swearing/making indecent gestures

Not everybody will be offended by it to the same extent, but in the UAE it is forbidden. “No swearing and no indecent gesturing” is the warning in many tourist guidebooks as it has occurred in the past that unaware foreign visitors or residents have been fined or imprisoned for expressing themselves in a way that is not be appreciated in the UAE.

Giving the finger, pulling out your tongue and even a somewhat aggressive hand move are all considered indecent.

Moving your thumb up and down hoping to catch a hitch hike is not done and pointing at something or someone is considered impolite.

No taking pictures of others without permission

Again, it will most likely involve the innocent, unaware tourist who likes to capture images of everything looking just a little different than back home. Forget about it. Any person being captured on camera in any public space in the UAE can bring the photographer to court.

Especially women and families are sensitive towards the issue. Fines are the result.

Disrespecting any religion

Religious values are widely respected in the UAE. As such, committing blasphemy or sacrilege against any religion is considered deeply offensive.

Islam being the official religion of the UAE, some simple rules are followed in order to show respect and avoid misunderstandings, states the Code of Conduct.

It is important to be aware of these rules, as religious values may not be the same all over the world. When a newspaper contains the name of the Prophet (PBUH), do not use it as wrapping paper. When you hear the call for prayer, do not disrupt its sound in an obvious way. Do not forget that during Ramadan rules are different all together.

No sharing private space with opposite sex

Strictly speaking, sharing a private space with a member of the opposite sex when not related by family ties or marriage is forbidden. Private space would be a house, room, hotel room and even car.

However, certain behavior is tolerated. Hotel reservations are easily made for unmarried couples wanting to share a room and there are many cases of single men and women sharing a villa, apartment and even a room. Any punishment depends on the situation.

No indecent clothing

Another way the UAE decency law may affect the unsuspecting resident is by the guidelines it puts on clothing. Summer heat may tempt you to pull out the most exotic outfit you have to parade and mingle in the place where it’s all about the looks. Wrong again.

In public places, guidelines say shorts and skirts need to be of appropriate length not to indecently expose parts of the body, be transparent, or display obscene or offensive pictures and slogans. On beaches rules are more lenient; swimwear is accepted but should be appropriate. Top-less sunbathing or the wearing of a thong is not allowed.

**********

NC man loses $49k collection of poisonous snakes, reptiles

A North Carolina man is losing his exotic reptile collection worth $49,000 after police found dozens of venomous lizards and snakes in his home.

Fifty-one-year-old Walter Kidd of Hendersonville pleaded guilty Friday to 30 misdemeanor charges of possessing endangered animals and failing to properly label containers of poisonous snakes.

Police seized the reptiles in August after Kidd was bitten by an exotic venomous snake and rushed to a hospital. Officers said his mobile home was packed with snakes in plastic containers.

Kidd's attorney says the reptiles were not a danger because they were kept inside his home.

The creatures were taken to the state natural sciences museum in Raleigh. - abclocal

**********

Students Poison Teacher's Coffee, Cupcake In Fifth Grade Class

Teachers beware: The bad apples in your classrooms may be the ones left on educators' desks.

One instructor at Balderas Elementary in Fresno, Calif., learned this lesson first-hand as three fifth grade students were expelled Saturday for attempting to poison their teacher.

According to Fresno TV station CBS47, two boys and one girl attempted to feed their teacher rat poison in a cup of coffee and, later, in the frosting of a cupcake. The CBS affiliate reported that the plot was uncovered two months after an attempt when "a parent was bragging that her son saved the teacher's life by preventing her from drinking the poisoned coffee." The boy in question was allegedly the one who came up with the idea in the first place.

The incident occurred the week before the school's December vacation, after the young boy urged a female classmate to bring in some rat poison leftover from work being done at her home. KMJ News reported that the boy told her to "Bring some of that, we have rodents too."

Fresno Teacher's Association President Greg Gadams told KMJ News that "a systematic 'lack of action' on the part of Fresno Unified breeds these problems because they 'provide nothing for these students beyond disciplinary action.'"

The three students -- two age 10 and one age 11 -- have been transferred to the Phoenix Academy, which Raw Story reported regularly enrolls expelled students. According to the website, at least one teacher at their new school is openly concerned about the children.

"I believe the police should press criminal charges against these students," teacher David Cross told Raw Story. "They've openly admitted they've done it."

Gadams expressed similar sentiments, telling KMJ News that the students should be charged for their actions as the alleged poisoning attempt was clearly premeditated.

A sixth-grader at Balderas Elementary School told CBS47, "I heard that they reason why they did it was because they didn't like the teacher... Because [they're] strict." - THP

**********

Hitler had son with French teen

Jean-Marie Loret, who died in 1985 aged 67, never met his father, but went on to fight Nazi forces during the Second World War.

His extraordinary story has now been backed up by a range of compelling evidence, both in France and in Germany, which was published in Paris's Le Point magazine.

Hitler is said to have had an affair with Mr Loret's mother, Charlotte Lobjoie, 16, as he took a break from the trenches in June 1917.

Although he was fighting the French near Seboncourt, in the northern Picardy region, Hitler made his way to Fournes-in-Weppe, a small town west of Lille, for regular leave.

There he met Miss Lobjoie, who later told their son: "One day I was cutting hay with other women, when we saw a German soldier on the other side of the street.

"He had a sketch pad and seemed to be drawing. All the women found this interesting, and were curious to know what he was drawing.

"I was designated to approach him."

The pair started a brief relationship, which resulted in the birth of Jean-Marie, who was born in March 1918 after being conceived during a 'tipsy' evening in June 1917.

Miss Lobjoie later told Jean-Marie: "When your father was around, which was very rarely, he liked to take me for walks in the countryside.

"But these walks usually ended badly. In fact, your father, inspired by nature, launched into speeches which I did not really understand.

"He did not speak French, but solely ranted in German, talking to an imaginary audience. Even if I spoke German I would not be able to follow him, as the histories of Prussia, Austria and Bavaria where not familiar to me at all, far from it.

"My reaction used to anger your father so much that I did not show any reaction."

Jean-Marie was, like thousands of other French children with German soldier fathers, badly treated by his peers at school.

He was referred to as 'the son of the Boche', and often had fights as he tried to defend his father, who had by now disappeared over the border back to Germany.

Miss Lobjoie, meanwhile, refused to discuss Jean-Marie's father, and ended up giving her only son away for adoption in the 1930s to a family called Loret.

His real father would not recognise Jean-Marie, but continued to stay in contact with Miss Lobjoie.

Incredibly, Mr Loret went on to fight the Germans in 1939, defending the Maginot Line before it was bypassed during the Nazi invasion which resulted in France being occupied from 1940 until 1944.

Mr Loret even joined the French Resistance, and was given the codename 'Clement'.

Just before her death in the early 1950s, Miss Lobjoie finally told Jean-Marie that his father was arguably the most infamous dictator in human history.

Mr Loret said: "In order not to get depressed, I worked non-stop, never took a holiday, and had no hobbies. For twenty years I didn't even go to the cinema."

Mr Loret began investigating his past in great detail, employing scientists to prove that he has the same blood type as Hitler, and that they even have similar handwriting.

Photographs of the two also reveal an astonishing resemblance.

Other elements which corroborate the story are official Wehrmacht, or German Army, papers which show that officers brought envelopes of cash to Miss Lobjoie during the Second World War.

When Miss Lobjoie died, Mr Loret also found paintings in her attic which were signed by Hitler, who was an accomplished artist.

In Germany, meanwhile, a picture of a woman painted by Hitler looked exactly like Miss Lobjoie.

Francois Gibault, Mr Loret's Paris lawyer, said: "He first came to see me in 1979, but was a bit lost and did not know whether he wanted to be publicly recognised as Hitler's son, or to erase all that completely.

"He had the feelings of many illegitimate children: the desire to find a past, however heavy, but also the fear of returning to the old routine.

"I talked with him a lot, playing the role of psychologist rather than lawyer."

Mr Gibault said that Mr Loret's own children might now be in a position to claim royalties from Mein Kampf ('My Struggle'), Hitler's famous book which has sold millions of copies around the world.

Mr Loret wrote a book called 'Your Father's Name Was Hitler' in 1981, and it is now set to be re-published with all the new evidence.

Hitler, who was born in an Austrian village, frequently spoke of his love for France, and especially for Paris.

In December 1940, he paid an emotional visit to the capital city, where he was pictured saluting Napoleon's tomb in front of his bemused generals.

More intriguingly still, Hitler transferred from Vienna part of the remains of Napoleon II, Napoleon Bonaparte's son with Marie Louise of Austria.

Hitler often enthused about the greatness of Napoleon, saying that he wanted to have as big an impact on history as the Frenchman.

Although he never officially had any sons or daughters of his own, Hitler often spoke of his love of children and animals.

He married his mistress, Eva Braun, as the Red Army shelled his bunker in Berlin, in 1945, and committed suicide shortly afterwards. - telegraph

**********

Flatworms could hold key to immortality

British researchers believe that the worms, which live in ponds and lakes, could live forever after examining their ability to repeatedly regenerate.

Experts from Nottingham University managed to create a colony of more than 20,000 flatworms from one original by chopping it into pieces and observing each section grow into a new complete worm.

They believe that it could help scientists develop new methods to allow humans to stay younger for longer.

"Our data satisfy one of the predictions about what it would take for an animal to be potentially immortal," Aziz Aboobaker, who led the research.

"The next goals for us are to understand the mechanisms in more detail and to understand more.

Flatworms, known as planarian worms, have long fascinated scientists because they have an extraordinary ability to regenerate.

A planarian worm split lengthways or crossways will regenerate into two separate living worms.

The researchers found that flatworms can continuously maintain the length of a crucial part of their DNA, known as telomeres, during regeneration.

Dr Aboobaker's team studied two types of planarian – those that reproduce sexually, like humans, and those that reproduce asexually by simply dividing in two.

Both types appear to regenerate indefinitely by growing new muscles, skin, guts and even entire brains again and again, but the asexual ones also renew their stocks of a key enzyme which may mean they can be immortal, the study said.

Scientists know that one of the key factors associated with ageing cells is telomere length.

Telomeres are sections of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from damage and the loss of cell functions linked to ageing.

Shorter telomeres are thought to be an indicator of faster ageing. - telegraph

**********

Ricky D is on a stake out!

Ricky D is reporting (while camouflaged) that he received a report from police that a Bigfoot was spotted on a bridge nearby. Since Ricky D is undercover no location was disclosed. He says he will stay out all night and will shoot the Bigfoot...already has permission from the land owner. He is confident that the media will pick up on his quest very soon and report that 'Gonna Get Me A Bigfoot' is the best Bigfoot killers in the world!

Just the Facts?: 'Spring Heeled Jack' Returns? -- UK-Cyprus Flight UFO -- Favorite Ghost Ships

The return of 'Spring Heeled Jack?'

A taxi ride home on Valentine's night turned into a nightmare when a family were confronted by a terrifying apparition that looked and moved like the legendary Spring Heeled Jack.

Scott Martin and his family were travelling home by taxi from Stoneleigh on Tuesday, February 14, at about 10.30pm when they saw a mysterious ‘dark figure with no features’ dart across the road in front of them before leaping 15ft over a roadside bank as they approached Nescot College on the Ewell bypass.

Spooked by their seemingly supernatural experience the couple’s four-year-old son, Sonny, was too scared to sleep on his own that night, while the petrified taxi driver admitted he didn’t want to drive back alone.

Mr Martin, 40, the manager of a building company who lives in Blue Cedars in Banstead, said: "We were driving down the Ewell bypass and saw a man on the other side of the road. We didn't pay much attention until he started crossing over to our side of the road, the next thing he jumped over the centre fencing in the road and ran across our two lanes. On the side of our road is a bank easily 15ft in height and this figure crossed our road, climbed this bank and was gone from sight all in about two seconds. All four of us were baffled and voiced our sighting straight away with the same detail. A dark figure with no real features, but fast in movement with an ease of hurdling obstacles I've never seen. My last image was of him going through the bushes at the top of the bank. I'm not usually one to be freaked by these sightings but the cab driver was petrified. He didn't want to drive back alone. I am honestly baffled by this sighting and we are intrigued by it because it was so real but so strange."

His wife Sacha, 37, who is an accountant added: "It was more that someone was trying to cross the road of a dual carriageway that was weird. My little boy was really freaked out."

The family has since likened the figure to the legendary Spring Heeled Jack - a mysterious dark figure reported to be responsible for a string of attacks in the 1800s and known for his ability to leap great heights first sighted in Wandsworth in 1837.

Mary Stevens was walking home along Lavender Hill when a tall figure leapt out grabbing her and firmly kissing her before releasing her with a loud laugh, leaping high into the air and disappearing.

Sightings continued across Victorian London, others describing Jack’s red flaming eyes and claws, so much so that in 1938 the Lord Mayor of London declared him a public nuisance leading one vigilante group to attempt to capture him, albeit unsuccessfully.

However there had been no reported sightings in Epsom and Ewell, the last sighting recorded in Birmingham in 1986.

Mr Martin added: "It was something we all saw and it wasn’t imagination. I’m quite a sensible man but I have never seen anything move that quickly across the road and not been startled by the fact that we were driving toward him. It's the first time we have ever seen anything like this. If it was a burglar it is the fastest I had ever seen anyone run. That's the only other explanation. But it was just too quick."

Both Surrey Police and Nescot College confirmed they had received no reports of unusual incidents or sightings in the area that night.

Have you had a similar experience? - yourlocalguardian

**********

Don't mess with 'Rocky'

It wouldn't be a good idea to get into an arm wrestling match with Rocky, the largest recorded lobster ever caught in Maine. So watch out if you're planning on doing any swimming in New England this year.

A shrimp trawler caught Rocky, who measures 40 inches and weighs in at 27 pounds off the coast of Cushing, Maine and donated him to Maine State Aquarium in West Boothbay. Maine fisherman aren't allowed to keep lobsters that are more than five inches from eye stalk to tail, and Rocky was returned to the chilly bosom of the Atlantic on Thursday.

Even though, according to Elaine Jones, education director for the state's Department of Marine Resources, Rocky could break a person's arm, he's a shrimp compared to the Guinness Record-holder for largest lobster ever caught. That would be the monster caught off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1977. That sucker weighed a whopping 44 pounds and was probably the subject of big fish stories for decades afterward. - io9

**********

Strange lights / UFOs observed on UK-Cyprus flight

1. We where on a flight from the UK to the Island of Cyprus. The event happened more then half way through the flight and we took pictures and videos.

2. I was filming the view from the plane when i heard people talk about the object behind me.

3. I had no idea what it could have been when i first saw it.

4. The object flew fast next to the plane then slowed its speed to match the plane. two beams emerged from the object that seemed to be scanning the plane (evident in picture) Then the object suddenly changed direction in very fast speed.

5. When I first saw the object i was scared as i didn't know what it was. the whole plane apx 100 people saw the objects and started to panic. the captain then asked everyone to fasten their seat belts and not to panic.

6. we lost sight of the object when it flew away in a speed much faster then our plane.

There are more pictures and a short video I just didnt get a chance to load them to the PC - MUFON CMS

**********

The Strange Sea – A Few of Our Favorite Ghost Ships

In 1880, the future King George V of England and his brother Prince Albert Victor (incidently a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case) saw a ghost ship while serving in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Bacchante. It appeared around 4 AM off the coast of Australia, glowing with red light with all sails set. The Princes, along with eleven others, momentarily saw the ship off their port bow at a distance of about 200 yards before it vanished as quickly as it appeared. The next day, the seaman who first sighted it fell to his death in an accident. King George V is the most noteworthy person out of hundreds said to have seen the Flying Dutchman.

The story behind the Flying Dutchman is unfortunately convoluted and colored by the exaggeration of centuries of sailors. The earliest written accounts describe a ship lost with all hands off the Cape of Good Hope. Another story describes a Captain Fokke, who made a deal with the devil to increase the speed of his ship. Then there’s the famous Captain van der Decken, who pushed his ship too hard, cursing at the wind to change direction, promising to push his ship forward until judgement day. It is unknown if all of these accounts describe the same ship, or different ghost ships, but the sightings are always said to herald disaster.
The convoluted story of the Flying Dutchman is just one of many stories about ghost ships. Off the coast of England, near a treacherous area called the Goodwin Sands, a ship wrecked in 1748 appears once every fifty years. Coming from the fog, the ship, called the Lady Luvibund, will appear with full sails set until ultimately making a suicidal turn toward toward land. The story goes that the first mate of the ship, a man named Rivers, snapped during the Captain’s wedding party, killed the helmsman and turned the ship toward land where it was smashed with all hands lost. It was seen in 1798, when it almost ran down another ship, the sounds of the party below decks could still be heard. It was seen again in 1848 when it was mistaken for a ship in distress, and again in 1898. Sadly, the ship has not been seen in recent times.

Another story involves the vessel Palatine, that appears off the coast of New England as a burning ship with a screaming lady standing on the deck. There are several versions of the story, most involving an unrescued crazy woman accidently left on board when the ship was burned. One version states that people on shore had loured the ship into the rocks with lanterns, where they robbed and murdered the crew and passengers before setting the ship alight to cover the evidence, leaving the raving woman onboard to burn.

The Caleuche is a ghost ship sighted off the coast of Chile, and has an even more wildly varying set of attributes than theFlying Dutchman. Some state that the ship is helpful, appearing to ships in distress. Another legend tells of its crew, who drowned when the ship sank, still trying to provide for their families from the grave. Yet another tale weaves a picture of a ship full of shapeshifting ghosts who can appear as men, or fish, or birds. And finally, another states that anyone who unwittingly harms the ship will sail for eternity as a slave working in the galley.

Some ghost ships aren’t ghosts at all. They are abandoned vessels that ply the waters without a crew, sometimes for decades. The Baychimo was a cargo steamer that became trapped in the arctic pack ice in 1931 carrying a load of furs. The crew was forced to abandon the ship, but it broke free several days later and the crew returned, only to get it stuck again in the ice. Left with a skeleton crew that took shelter on land until the ship could melt free, they awoke one morning to see that the ship was gone. Assuming that it had sunk, the crew prepared to go home until the ship was sighted adrift in open water some miles away. They retrieved the valuable cargo and assumed the Baychimo was too damaged to save. Apparently it wasn’t, since the ship would be sighted floating around the area for the next 38 years. The last sighting was in 1969, but some speculate that the ship may be locked in the ice again, waiting to break free and be seen again.

The oddest story of a ship without a crew, at least a live one, is the tale of the Ourang Medan. A very difficult to substantiate account, if true it could overtake all other cases as the strangest story to have come from the seas. In 1948, distress calls were recieved by several ships identified as coming from the Ourang Medan, a Dutch freighter. The transmissions told of most of the crew being dead, then a series of garbled messages, followed simply by the words “I die”. The ship was located drifting off the coast of Indonesia, and a boarding party found the crew laying on the deck facing the sky with horrified looks frozen on their faces, some with their arms in a position of pointing at some unknown horror. Even the ship’s dog was seen to be bearing its teeth in death, as if ready to attack. Shortly after, the ship caught fire, the boarding party escaped and the vessel exploded and sank.

The sea is full of mystery, so the next time you opt for a vacation cruise, if you’re lucky – or unlucky as the case may be – you might just see a ghost ship.

Forwarded by and reprinted with permission from Paranormala

**********

SHOCK! 10 years after burial, body remains fresh

Ten years after Imam Sheez Adeyemi died and buried beside his mosque in Shogunle, Lagos, his body was exhumed recently revealing another miracle of life after death. The sand and stones were lifted from the grave, the planks which were used as cover were all rotten.

The white cloth used in wrapping the body remained even whiter, and the dangling body was brought out intact as though it had just been buried. There was no slightest trace of an unpleasant smell let alone any decay of his body.

It was a surprise to many of them who were present at the scene, yet, a miracle to others. In a jiffy, the news permeated every nook and crany of the area and poeple trooped to the venue to see for themselves how a body buried ten years after was still fresh.

Son of the deceased, Imam Abubakar Sheez Adeyemi who had buried him ten years ago and led the team that carried out the exhumation while speaking with Saturday Vanguard noted that the body did not only decompose but was fresh as if he had just died; the way it was on July 23, 2003.

He said he opened the white cloth which showed no stain and gave the corpes a kiss on the head. After a couple of hours contending with the mamoth crowd that sought to witness it, the body of Imam Sheez Adeyemi was placed on a mat and taken to another site for burial.

Why the body was exhumed

Imam Abubakr Sheez Adeyemi explained that the present owners of the land had put it up for sale and demolision occured which affected the mosque where he was buried, mainly as a result of its proximity to the Agege Motor Express way.

He said: “In the early 60s, the former Baale built the mosque, being the owner of the land. Adeyemi Alhaji Momoh Wosho, Late Ibikunle, and Kadiri, Mustapha Akanni families had close relationship with my family. My late father, Sheikh Muhammad Sheez Adeyemi became the Imam of the msque.

Long after, he requested to be buried there after he died. The request was granted by the then owners of the land. He died on July 23, 2003, and he was buried there.”

He continued: “Sometimes last year, we heard that the present owners of the house behind the mosque which are the grand children of the former Baale, had put it up for sale and that the mosque would be demolished because of the closeness to the road, (Agege Motor Road).

The name of the mosque was Sharafudeen, and it was pulled down recently. So, our family now decided that we had to exhume the body of the late Imam and rebury in my site at Ayobo, Lagos.”

“We went there that early morning after we had secured a police report for the exhumation. Our intention was to gather whatever we could gather to Ayobo for re-burial. But to our outmost surprise, we met the body intact. The white cloth with which he was wrapped ten years ago was clean; we only removed the sand on it leaving no stain.

We used to hear such thing, and I have also read it, but I have just seen it real now. I have also read as proven by some scientists that if a particular soil has some specified chemical components, there is the likelihood that the body will not decompose.

But we are surprised that the wooden plank used as cover had all decay. I was the one who supervised the the process when the body was commited to the grave in July 2003, ten years ago. So, on November 23, 2010, his body remained as it was when he died.

Again, the perfume we sprayed on him was still smelling and the white cloth with which we wrapped the body was as clean as it was ten years ago.”

“What I noticed was that when we started digging, the soil was dry and before we got to the depth of the grave where he laid, the soil became moisturised. It was so soft that, you will think they had poured water therein. It was the white cloth we saw first, then I ordered that they should use their hands since they were wearing hand gloves.

Behold! we carried the body out intact. We were speechless but we glorified Allah; we took the body to my site at Ayobo, offered prayers for him and re-buried the body.

His life

Baba was known for his devotion to Allah. He committed himself to fasting, night prayers, and recitation of the Qur’an. For over thirty years before his death, which I know, he did nothing other than fasting and prayers. Throughout the year, we discovered that he did not fast for about 90 days.

Sometimes, we quarreled with him on the prolong fasting because of his age, he needed to eat as an when due, but he would not listen. What we noticed in him was that if we force him to abandone fasting, he would be sick, but he was always happy and healthy when he fasted. Most often, he ate vegetables and fruits and little of other foods.

I think God is reminding us that it is good to do good and carry out our duties to Him; and for those who can shun worldly things, the reward is bountious. Baba was not after material things, he did not build any house, he did not have a car, and he was not rich; but he dedicated his life to God and was nice to people. Truly, if one worships God in truth and do good to people, if such person dies, he will not rotten.

I joined in carrying the body, says Awolowo Olatunde Bodunrin

When I heard the body was going to be exhumed, I told the son that it was going to bring out the name of the family. But I didnt know how. That day, I returned from work early in the morning after a night duty, I decided to go through the back and I saw them digging the grave.

So, I decided to wait. By the time they dug deep, we saw the white cloth, and behold!, the body was brought out, we were all looking at ourselves, speechless. Then, I reminded the son what I had told him about the exhumation that it will bring out the family’s name.

I am a christian and this is what is called sainthood in christianity. It is happening all over the world to people who actually did what God wants. To those people, termites, insects have no power over their bodies when they die. In fact, I had to join them in carrying the body. I carried the head, holding the head to the back and the body was dangling as if he had just died. The crowd was wholesome.

Ganiyu Ibikunle, Shogunle resident

He was known throughout this Shogunle, he gave what he had to any one who needed it. When he was alive, he was a source of inspiration to so many young people for doing what is good. When he died ten years ago, the youths and some people in the neighbourhood came together and organised a a 7-day lecture in his honour, because we knew he was a man of God.

So, for me, I was not surprised. But, it is a wake-up call for all adherents of the religion. No matter what people say, just do what is right. It also show that there are other things after death.

Alhaja Qamuriat Bello Owosho

When he came to Lagos, he worked in the aviation sector and retired gloriously. He was a maison. He was known for good deeds, although he was not rich, but he impacted on people’s lives so much that we can not mention.

But those who benefitted from his good works know. There was nothing he had he could not give away. He died ten years ago and we buried him at the mosque based on his wish. When I heard the news that his body remains intact, I was full of praises, I immediately went there to see for myself.

By the time I got there, I saw a mammoth crowd. People began to extol his virtues and the street boys immediately coined a cliche from the incidence. ‘Sherere o’ Do good. It is now a norm in the area where young boys will say it to one and other. - vanguardngr

**********

UPDATE: Ricky D and the 'Gonna Catch Me A Bigfoot' Team

Ricky D is upset. 'Team Tazer Bigfoot' has declared themselves the 'Best Bigfoot Trackers in the World'. In fact, the guy at 'Team Tazer Bigfoot' refers to Ricky D as 'Freezer Boy.' But Ricky D later laments that "he has allowed the Bigfoot community to get him upset". Regardless, he and the 'Gonna Catch Me A Bigfoot' team have been in the media worldwide...."people know my face!"

Ricky D has returned to his secret lair somewhere in Arkansas awaiting the signal to start his next trek into the unknown. Meanwhile, Ricky D tries to keep a smile on his face and the dream of a dead Bigfoot in his heart...

Estella and the Haunted Mill

One of the early settlers in New York's Adirondacks, was Henry Clymer, who hailed from Brooklyn. Clymer ventured to Little Black Creek and tried to make a farm out of the gnarly, stumpy land; but being a green hand at that sort of thing, he soon gave it up and put up the place near Northwood, locally referred to as the haunted mill.

When the first slab was cut, a big party was on hand to cheer and eat pie in honor of the Clymers, for Mr. Clymer, who was a dark, hearty, handsome fellow, and his bright young wife had been liberal in their hospitality. The couple had made some talk, they were so loving before folks...most thought too loving to last. It was evident that Mrs. Clymer was used to a better station in life than her husband. It was while the crowd was laughing and chattering at the picnic table of new boards from the mill that Mrs. Clymer stole away to her modest little house, and a neighbor who had followed her was an accidental witness to a singular episode. Mrs. Clymer was kneeling beside her bed, crying over the picture of a child. Mr. Clymer entered unexpectedly and attempted to take the picture from her.

She faced him defiantly. "You kept that because it looked like him, I reckon," he said. "You might run back to him. You know what he'd call you and where you'd stand with your aristocracy."

The woman pointed to the door, and the man left without another word, and so did the listener. Next morning the body of Mrs. Clymer was found hanging to a beam in the mill. At the inquest the husband admitted that he had "had a few words" with her on the previous day, and thought that she must have suddenly become insane. The jury took this view.

News of the suicide was printed in some of the city papers, and soon after that the gossips had another sensation. A fair-haired man, also from Brooklyn, arrived at the place and asked where the woman was buried. When he found the grave he sat beside it for some time, his head resting on his hand. The man then inquired for Clymer, but Clymer, deadly pale, had gone into the woods as soon as he heard that a stranger had arrived.

The newcomer went to Trenton, where he ordered a gravestone bearing the single word "Estella" to be placed where the woman's body had been interred. Clymer quickly sold out and disappeared. After that, the mill never prospered, and has long been in a ruinous condition. People of the area think that the ghost of Mrs. Clymer (if that was her name) still troubles it....they pass the place with quickened steps. - revised from 'Myths and Legends of our Own Land' - Charles M. Skinner

Myths and Legends of Our Own Land - Complete

Tunguska Incident: Was There UFO Evidence?

Near Vanavara, Evenkiya, Krasnoyarsk region, East Siberia, Russia - 1988 - daytime

This case was mentioned by a geologist, a member of a prospecting party looking for deposits of Islandian feldspar. The base camp of the geologists was located in the small hamlet of Vanavara not far from the impact site of the famous Tunguska space body, which exploded close to Earth on June 30 1908. This was 80 years after the Tunguska catastrophe.

One day the geologist was hunting in the taiga and had followed a wounded elk deep into the dense forest. He followed the animal but soon the tracks had disappeared, evidently the wound had not been mortal. Preparing to return to camp, his compass needled began to spin wildly (indicating some type of magnetic anomaly) and suddenly he stumbled upon the remains of an old hunting stand. Several stones were positioned on the ground in the form of a circle indicating that there once had been a bonfire there. He also found an old rusty rifle that disintegrated with his touch. He also found the decayed remains of several men, mostly bones and bits of clothing.

Who were these men - it remains unknown today...but inside an old rucksack the geologist found a strange object which to him resembled some kind of “space helmet." It was smaller in size and not round but slightly oval in shape. The strange helmet was made out of some material resembling glass and metal, and was very heavy and, incredibly, without the slightest trace of rust. The “helmet” looked brand new. The geologist then placed the helmet in his rucksack and continued his way.

However he soon was stuck in heavy mud (quagmire) which was very difficult to overcome, because of the weight. He first discarded his rifle and then the rucksack along with the strange find. He understood that he probably had been carrying a priceless item, possibly the solution of the whole entire Tunguska epic, but he had no choice, he could either sink in the mire or discard the heavy helmet, so he discarded the heavy find. Eventually the witness made his way to a camp of prospectors. He only told this story in 1998 while living in Moscow.

Source: “Mir Zazerkalya” Moscow 4 - 2006 / Forwarded by Albert Rosales

Type: H - When there is a report of an alleged crash or forced landing of a UFO with recovery of its occupants, or when an anomalous entity is captured or killed either by a witness or military personnel.

Albert's comments: Was the strange helmet part of the crew of the “spacecraft” that crashed in Tunguska in 1908, was it really a spacecraft?

NOTE: here are a few links that pertain to the Tunguska incident - Russian Scientist Claims Alien UFO Collided With Tunguska Meteorite and Space Shuttle Science Proves Comet Caused Tunguska Explosion. Personally, I think it's odd that very little evidence has ever been found at the location that could be used to bolster any of the theories, though...do we really know what was actually recovered by the Russians? Lon

The Tunguska Mystery (Astronomers' Universe)

Secret Files: Tunguska

UFO Secret: Tunguska - The Russian Roswell

Just the Facts?: The 'Battle of LA' Was Real -- Ghost Wants Justice -- Bigfoot Buffoonery

The "Battle of LA," 70 Years Ago: 5 Irrefutable Arguments Why It Was Actually a UFO Attack

Seventy years ago, the Battle of Los Angeles occurred, a vicious fight that resulted in three civilian deaths.

Haven't heard of it? We're not surprised.

The U.S. government said what happened was nighttime antiaircraft crews protecting Los Angeles got nervous -- it was just two months after Pearl Harbor -- and opened fire on a weather balloon.

The crews also set off flares, and all the confusion just built on itself. So we're told.

Others say the night featured an attempted UFO landing, in which the valiant gun crews fought aliens trying to land.

It's pretty obvious the latter is true.

Obviously the aliens not only attempted to land, they succeeded. Just look at what's happened in Hollywood since then. The logic becomes inescapable.

5. The quantity of UFO/alien movies has increased dramatically
Between 1911 and 1941, UFOs and flying saucers were occasionally a subject for films. Since then -- especially since the 1950s, after a necessary period of time to learn the equipment and infiltrate studio management -- movies about UFOs exploded. Coincidence? who's being naive, Kay?

​4. The quality of UFO/alien movies has increased dramatically
In the 1930s, UFOs were laughably portrayed on screen, obvious frauds. While it understandably took a decade or two to import the necessary technology from the home planet to Earth, all of a sudden you got Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Independence Day and the Transformers series. The aliens' unstinting desire for complete accuracy in movies is inspiring

3. Very, very strange people like Tom Cruise and Arnold Schwarzenegger have reached the pinnacle of Hollywood success
One fiercely believes in aliens and Xenu as if he knows it was true and the other became an influential box-office legend despite documentaries that proved a) he could barely speak English, and b) he was a cyborg sent from the future to kill a specific human. Luckily for the U.S. -- and the world -- the aliens overreached when they had him elected California governor as a first step towards getting his finger on the nuclear button (Yes, their plans included overturning the "natural born citizen" section of the Constitution.)

2. The attacks suddenly stopped
If it was a case of "itchy trigger fingers," why weren't there countless more up and down the coast? Answer: Because the aliens had succeeded in landing and needed no more attempts. Sherlock Holmes's "dog that didn't bark" theorem FTW, bitchaz.

1. They never found the "weather balloon" that started it all
The feds would have you believe the following:
1) A weather balloon was shot at by a lot of antiaircraft guns
2) It, or its pieces, fell to the Pacific Ocean.

If that's true, why couldn't they produce the balloon? Surely the balloon (or the pieces thereof) would have floated in the Pacific for some time, and the Pacific is known by oceanologists to be, as they say, "not very big."

So why couldn't the government find this alleged "balloon"? - houstonpress

**********

Real-Life 'Barbie'

Everyone meet Dakota (at least I think that’s her real name), she’s a 16-year-old girl who goes by KotaKoti and looks a lot like a Barbie doll. Recently, photos of her have gone viral on several Asia and Arabic social sites because of her incredible resemblance to Barbie.

I stumbled upon some photos of KotaKoti while browsing a popular Vietnamese site for weird stories (yes, I do actually visit a lot Vietnamese sites, where else do you think I find all this crazy stuff) and was stunned by the resemblance between this girl and the popular Barbie doll. I mean, in some photos Iwas having trouble figuring out if she is actually a real person or just a life-size toy. I wasn’t able to find a lot of info on her, as she doesn’t seem to be as popular on western websites, and although she has her very own blog, it doesn’t have an “About” page or anything like that.

KotaKoti incredible resemblance to Barbie has made her very popular in countries like Japan and China, where she has been featured on several news stations. Considered a cosplayer by a lot of her fans, the 16-year-old says she dresses like this pretty much all the time and she doesn’t mind it when people look at her funny. I seriously think she should move to Japan, I bet they would worship he there.

**********

The voice of God...'don't steal my roof'

Hundreds of churches are to have “voice of God” alarms fitted to their roofs deter thieves from stripping off lead and copper. Special movement sensors are to be hidden in spires and finials triggering a booming voice to take intruders by surprise warning that they have been detected and that security guards are on their way. The initiative, backed by the Church of England, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office, comes after the rate of metal thefts reached “catastrophic” proportions in some dioceses with an average of seven churches targeted every day.

An insurance company has donated £500,000 to pay for hi-tech alarms to be fitted in 100 churches in England, Scotland and Wales judged to be most at risk. But organisers hope that hundreds of other parishes will raise funds themselves to fit the devices – adapting the traditional church roof appeal model to cope with the metal theft crisis. The soaring cost of metal during the global economic crisis has helped fuel a surge in metal thefts, triggering chaos on the rail network when copper signalling cables are taken. But churches in particular have been viewed as a soft option by thieves, often poorly guarded and situated in all of the most crime-ridden areas of the country.

Last year alone the insurance firm Ecclesiastical – which provides cover for 96 per cent of Anglican churches – received 2,600 claims for metal thefts, the highest ever in a single year. The Church of England, which alone is responsible for almost half of all grade one listed buildings in Britain, has admitted the task of maintaining its buildings is becoming impossible. Metal theft is now being viewed as a treated as a serious threat to Britain’s national heritage. A security campaign called “Hands off Our Church Roofs” is being backed, in traditional style by an actress and a bishop: Liz Hurley and the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres.

The bishop said: “Since the metal vandals have descended in such hordes over recent years our duty of maintenance has become nearly impossible. New Government legislation will undoubtedly help, but we all need to remain vigilant and try to get a step ahead of these well-organised raiders.” Miss Hurley said: “Beautiful old churches are at the heart of so many of our communities and I find it truly shocking that anyone would steal lead from a church roof. I heartily endorse the campaign to have alarms fitted.” She added: “Beautiful old churches are at the heart of so many of our communities and I find it truly shocking that anyone would steal lead from a church roof.”

**********

Ghost wants justice,‘possessed’ claims

A ghost seeking justice?

A 24-year-old woman from Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines who is employed as a salesgirl at a department store in Bacolod City claims she has been possessed by the ghost of a 13-year-old girl who was brutally killed in the city.

The salesgirl, whose name is being withheld by the DAILY STAR, said she has been seeing the ghost of the girl in her work place since December 13, and that she has experienced a lot of unexplained events.

She cited an incident when she had her picture taken, and when it was developed, a dark image could be seen beside her. When a computer technician tried to edit the photo and erase the image, her own face became distorted, the salesgirl said.

In December, while she was at her workplace, the girl’s ghost appeared to her again and, all of a sudden, she felt heavy and lost consciousness, she added.

Her co-workers told her that her voice changed and that she became unruly. Seven security guards tried to subdue her but could not pacify her, she said.

At her boarding house, on Valentine’s Day, she again fainted and could not remember what happened.

A man, who witnessed the alleged possession, said the ghost who possessed the salesgirl introduced herself as “Lina,” who saidshe was killed by construction workers in 2003 and her body was buried in what used to be a vacant lot in Bacolod, but is now occupied by a business establishment.

The ghost told them that her parents are “Lucito” and “Menita”, the witness said.

The salesgirl, accompanied by a friend, went to Brgy. Ma-ao, Bago City, where they sought the help of an “albolaryo (quack doctor)”, who told her to always wear a crucifix.

Father Felix Pasquin, rector of the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, said the salesgirl should seek spiritual help if she is indeed being possessed. - visayandailystar

**********

Ricky D and his new buddy speak out

Ricky D and the 'Gonna Catch Me A Bigfoot' team continue on their trek despite burning up the RV. In his latest report, Ricky D states that the "Bigfoot community can kiss my ass." I suppose this was a response to Shawn at Bigfoot Evidence repeating new Bigfoot buddy Tim's statement that Ricky D is "trying to rebuild his reputation in the Bigfoot community."

Ricky D wants everyone to know that he has a television show in production and that one of his 'Gonna Catch Me A Bigfoot' team is in Canada 'right now' attempting to bag a Bigfoot.

Also, Ricky D's new buddy Tim is ranting about some bullshit - "...let me tell you something. Everyone in Bigfoot...and I mean everyone, KNOWS WHO I AM!" Well, I guess they do now...just another knucklehead tag-teaming with Ricky D - Fasanotampa responds to Bigfootevidence.com community

New Flying Manta Ray Sighting - Lynchburg, VA

Witness' rendering of the Ashton, WV flying manta ray

I received the following report Tuesday evening...the day of the sighting:

On February 21, 2012, I was driving home after a workout and some grocery shopping. I was driving down highway 460 East in Lynchburg, VA when something flew in front of my car, swooped upwards and then was gone. I actually asked myself, "was that a freaking sting ray?" It was smooth, white and about 3 feet wide, maybe wider. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life. I am not a believer in aliens, paranormal, etc., but I know I saw something, and it wasn't normal at all. I wonder how many other people have seen this creature. - MEF

So far, this is all the information I have on this particular sighting. After plotting the locations on a map there does seem to be a 'pattern' or general overall location of most of these sightings. So far, I have received reports from:

- Near Ashton, WV
- Hampton Bays, NY
- Near Bluefield, WV
- Hebron, KY
- Elk River, Clay County, WV
- Lynchburg, VA

UPDATE: More information from the witness:

It was between Lynchburg, VA and Concord, VA - approximately 1/10 mile from Falwell Airport. You can search for Falwell Airport, Lynchburg, VA on Google Maps. There is a small patch of trees between the airport and a small plaza. This is where I saw it.

This creature was solid white, and as I said, about 3 feet wide, but may have been wider. There were no feathers to suggest it was a bird. I was trying to find owls online that have this similarity, but couldn't find any. There was no head and was very smooth - unlike a sting ray, I did not notice a tail/stinger. It swooped down in front of my car and then up over the windshield and disappeared into the night. It was approximately 9:15pm EST.

I looked for it coming home today and didn't see it! It was the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life! MEF

-----

Here is a possible related sighting that was originally reported to MUFON in December 2011. I was eventually contacted by the witness after MUFON refused to investigate. Here's the original unedited MUFON CMS report:

Case Number: 34033
Log Number: US-12152011-0005
Submitted Date: 2011-12-15 09:52 GMT
Event Date: 2011-12-07 00:00 GMT
Status: Assigned
City: Greeneville
Region: Tennessee
Country: US
Longitude: -82.8309861
Latitude: 36.1631574
Shape: Other
Distance: Unknown
Description: I was taking a picture of the pretty night farmland at night.The dark mountains and the blue sky with the lights of the farm houses lit up here and there. It was a beautiful scenic shot. When I looked back on the back of the camera to see what I'd gotten and if I wanted to try another angle,...there was a 'pink drape' hanging down close in the air.Because I have hundreds of pictures over the past three years in this entire viewing area, I was amazed but not surprised when something was there but the object was something I hadn't exactly gotten before.I have however, gotten three other 'cloaking or shields' in the last two months.One was a huge triangle of light over the mountain and the other two look like a thick bed sheet doubled over hanging in the air.(You can see the fold where the back on one side is off from the front.)I showed that to the 'local' mufon guy) I didn't see the object with my eyes so by the time I saw it on the camera it wasn't there.I don't know how or where it disappeared.However,I then took pictures of the night view in the opposite direction and got the neighbors double lighted two lampposts in their drive.The first came out perfect and then the next I got a very strange contortion of lighting...It formed a thin see through substance in the form of a tent and the top folded over like a four fold envelope. Both of these images can be seen on the local Sky Watchers facebook sight.There are about eighteen people who joined together to share the stuff we see. Several of us have cameras and we are getting a lot ogf the same stuff as far as various bright lighted 'balls' in a lot of colors.Sometime alone other times joined with one to five others.For the 'pink drape' I am the only one to see it...(actually I didn't even see it...the camera picked it up)So the answer below to witness is not how many are seeing the other things...That is at least ten I'm not sure how to attach the photos.If you have more than four or they don't match the descriptions above,delete them and get back with me I haven't sent the other 'shields or 'cloaking' as I'm not sure these are going to go through(not too computer savvy)

-----

I have had the images that were supplied by the witness analyzed by two independent specialists...neither could verify what the anomalies were though they both thought the orange back light may have contributed to some of the anomalies. I can't say if these are anyway related to the flying manta ray sightings but I decided to attach it with the new report anyway. I will say that the witness has been persistent and frustrated by the lack of answers to this point. All I can do is offer it 'as is'. The witness has requested I make these available to the readers and public in order to obtain their opinions...Lon

Monsters of West Virginia: Mysterious Creatures in the Mountain State
Many of 'Phantoms and Monsters' cryptid reports are included in Rosemary Ellen Guiley's new book