Vlad the Impaler's dungeon discovered
The dungeon in which Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned by the Turks has been found at Tokat Castle.
Back at the beginning of the 15th century Wallachian Prince Vlad III, the real-life inspiration behind Bram Stoker's character Dracula, was held captive by the Ottoman Turks for twelve years.
Now archaeologists believe that they have discovered the very prison in which he had been held captive deep beneath Tokat Castle in northern Turkey. The dungeons were found following the discovery of a secret tunnel that was unearthed while restoration works were being carried out on the building.
"The castle is completely surrounded by secret tunnels. It is very mysterious," said archaeologist Ibrahim Çetin. "It is hard to estimate in which room Dracula was kept, but he was around here."
Despite his extended incarceration it is believed that Vlad went on to reclaim the Wallachian throne before eventually dying during a battle with the Ottomons in 1476. Read more at Yahoo
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Andy Kaufman didn't die in 1984...but died a few years later
A friend of Andy Kaufman claims the iconic comedian is still alive. Kaufman's writing partner, Bob Zmuda says 35-year-old Kaufman faked his own death in 1984 and will be returning sometime in the near future. In his new book Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally
Zmuda and Kaufman's former girlfriend, Lynne Margulies, detail the comedian's long-time obsession with the idea of faking his own death.In the book, Zmuda recounts one night in particular when he received a call at four in the morning from Kaufman, asking him to meet at a Los Angeles diner. It was there Kaufman admitted he thought faking his death would be the ultimate joke, however, it was a joke Zmuda wanted no part of.
Zmuda believes that Kaufman found a body-double who was actually dying of cancer, shaved his own head and lost weight, then switched places with the man after he died.
The only reason he's breaking his "longtime code of secrecy" is because Kaufman hasn't held his end of the deal. In the book's final pages he writes, "The only reason I'm giving it up now is that Andy set a time limit on this one. Thirty years. So I've kept my part of the bargain and kept my mouth shut. But no more. The prank's over. I want him back and he's coming back."
Only the book's co-author doesn't think he'll be coming back. Margulies writes that a friend told her Kaufman moved to San Francisco after faking his death, only to die of AIDS a few years later.
Regardless, Kaufman's prank (whether it happened or not) continues to fool with fans. Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally
goes on sale October 7th.**********
Girl dies of burn injuries under mysterious circumstances
Kanpur: An 18-year-old girl died after suffering burn injuries under mysterious circumstances in Auraiya district on Saturday. Police have started a probe. According to police the victim, a resident of Mada Ka Purwa under Achalda police station, had gone to answer nature's call at a nearby field in the village on Saturday morning. The locals of the area were working in their farms when they heard her loud shrieks. They rushed to the spot and found herin flames. They tried to douse the fire by wrapping a quilt around her. She was immediately taken to a health centre and then to the district hospital. Later, the doctors referred her to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (RIMS), Saifai but she died on way to the institute. Doctors said that she had sustained major burn injuries.
Station officer Achalda said that the police are probing all angles. The victim's body was later shifted to mortuary for post-mortem examination. - Times of India
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'The Black Eyed Child' Returns
A leading paranormal investigator has scoured a Staffordshire beauty spot following chilling sightings of a spectre known locally as The Black Eyed Child.
Lee Brickley launched an in-depth investigation of Cannock Chase after reports that the ghoulish apparition has returned to the sprawling heathland.
The child was last spotted 30 years ago, sparking worldwide interest – and is today a cult internet sensation.
Latest descriptions of the girl, who has coal-black pits for eye sockets, are identical to those chronicled in the early 1980s.
Lee, author of books about the paranormal, was stunned recently when he received a new eye-witness account of the Black Eyed Child.
Alerted by what sounded like screams, a shocked woman came across the wandering, sightless spectre while walking Birches Valley.
“We instantly started running towards the noise,” she said. “We couldn’t find the child anywhere and so stopped to catch our breath.
“That’s when I turned round and saw a girl stood behind me, no more than 10 years old, with her hands over her eyes.
“It was as if she was waiting for a birthday cake.
“I asked if she was OK and if she had been the one screaming. She put her arms down by her side and opened her eyes.
“That’s when I saw they were completely black, no iris, no white, nothing.
“I jumped back and grabbed my daughter. When I looked again, the child was gone. It was so strange.”
On his paranormal website, Lee, 28 and himself from Cannock, said the woman’s experience mirrors the earlier sighting.
“In the summer of 1982, my aunt was 18 years old, and she and her friends would often meet on Cannock Chase in the evening time, probably in much the same way many teenagers still do today.
“One evening, just before dark, she heard a little girl frantically shouting for help. Rushing to locate the sound, she stumbled upon a dirt track and caught sight of the girl, about six years old running in the opposite direction.
“When my aunt caught up, the girl turned around and looked her in the eyes, and then ran off into the dark woodland. Her eyes had been completely black with no trace of white.
“There was a police search but to no avail. At the time, no-one had any reason to believe anything paranormal was going on. The girl certainly appeared to be of flesh and blood.”
There have been similar sightings of Black Eyed Children around the world.
“Some people believe them to be extra-terrestrials, vampires or ghosts,” said Lee. “But there is one big difference between the sightings around the world and the stories coming out of Cannock Chase.
“Only on Cannock Chase do the sightings consistently happen during the daytime.
“In the US many reports suggest that black-eyed children often appear in groups, regularly knocking at the door of unknowing victims and asking quietly if they may come inside.” - Birmingham Mail
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