Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Daily 2 Cents: Monster Mutant Fish Near Chernobyl -- Summer of the Shark -- Bobby Mackey's Tour Guide Resigns

Fishermen Hunt Monster Mutant Fish Near Chernobyl

A Russian fishing blog has sent local anglers scrambling for their rods after reporting that giant mutant catfish were growing in the waters that flow through the exclusion zone established around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

In order to convince people that the claims by local fishermen are true, the blog that has now been quoted on other Russian media even included a picture of one catfish which locals are calling Borka, and which they claim is over two metres long.

Access is limited to the area because of the risk of radiation poisoning and all fishing for food purposes in local waters has stopped. But now there is renewed interest from sporting fishermen keen to land the catch of their life after it was alleged in blog that giant fish were being caught in the Pripyat River.

Prypiat was a city in Ukraine which was closed after the nuclear disaster in 1986 and the Prypiat River which runs over 473 miles and flows through the exclusion zone, also flows through parts of the Ukraine and Belarus that are not in the exclusion zone. According to fishermen brave enough to risk the fact that it has been confirmed the river is polluted with radionuclides, there are reportedly giant fish to be had.

Local fisherman Kondrat Yudin, 38, said: "I have heard a lot of stories about bodies being washed from local cemeteries that were of course no longer maintained after everyone left, and the bodies that were floating free ending up being eaten by the catfish – but as far as I'm concerned it's just nonsense.

"I suppose radiation could play a role but I reckon radiation is more likely to give them extra eyeballs and two heads rather than simply making them enormous in size.

"I think the reason is a lot more simple, the bottom line is that nobody is fishing these waters - and that has meant with no natural predator, the catfish has been able to grow to an enormous size. For years they haven't had a problem with fishermen and they are just there for the taking."

According to the website local scientists have confirmed the increase in the size of the catfish, and tests are reportedly being carried out to see if they might have excessive radiation levels which in turn could be responsible for their large size.

Chernobyl was evacuated in 1986 owing to the Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and resulting deaths. The incident is one of only two classified as a level 7 event, the maximum classification on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other incident being the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. - Austrian Times

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Summer of the Shark

Is this the summer of the shark — or is it just another case of great white hype?

A swimmer who came face to face with a great white shark this weekend told NBC News that he's lucky to be alive. But, really, he's unlucky to have been attacked by a shark in the first place. Steve Robles, 50, was swimming in Southern California, where shark attacks are relatively rare.

"Apparently the shark was very agitated, and I happened to be coming at that exact moment,'' Robles said Monday. "I came very close to dying."

In 2013, the International Shark Attack File, maintained at the University of Florida, recorded 125 incidents around the globe, including 72 "unprovoked attacks" by sharks on humans. That was down from a record 81 unprovoked attacks the year before. Forty-seven of the 2013 attacks occurred in U.S. waters, down from the 2012 record of 54.

So far this year there have been six shark attacks in the U.S., none fatal — but beach season is just beginning. Read more at NBC News

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Pub Ghost Blamed For Flying Pints

The owners of a 17th century pub were left spooked when a pint mysteriously slid off the bar on its own.

Jenny Heard and Martin McConn hadn't taken much notice of the spooky tales surrounding Cornwall's Crow's Nest Inn when they first took it over, but within the space of only a few days the pair had become convinced that something unusual was going on.

The strangeness began when a pint of beer that had been perched on the bar suddenly slid off the counter and on to the floor seemingly of its own accord.

Rushing over to examine the mess the couple were stunned to discover that the glass had somehow managed to land upright on the floor without spilling a drop.

The Crow's Nest has long been associated with tales of the paranormal including a bell that supposedly rings on its own, a clock that always remains ten minutes fast and the sighting of four different ghosts thought to haunt the property including that of a woman who was murdered in 1844.

"A house doesn't get to be this old without retaining a few of its more peculiar features," said Jenny. "There's room for all of us here and we're looking forward to meeting more of our special guests properly." Read more at Plymouth Herald

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Bobby Mackey's Tour Guide Resigns

The most haunted nightclub in the world loses its ghost hunting tour guide after she calls it quits after a decade of service. Paranormal tour guide Wanda Kay posted her letter of resignation from Bobby Mackey's Music World on her Facebook page yesterday.

"As of today July 7-2014 I no longer represent Bobby Mackey's. Due to the dangerous conditions both normal and paranormal I refused to run tours or oversee anymore investigations. I have also quit my 10 year position as DJ for the nightclub. Thank God and Greyhounds I'm done!!!" Wanda Kay said via a status update on her Facebook page.

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