Phantoms and Monsters

MUFON Responds to Posts
Penguin-Like Bird in Indiana Identified
People Living in Cages in Hong Kong
Video: Multi-Colored UFO - Moscow, Russia - 12/21/09
Ugh! 10 Historically Bad Christmases

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 10:11 PM PST

I received the following comment Friday evening:

With all due respect...

Slow down Lon!

This only proves that you are more concerned with stirring up conspiracy theory than reporting the truth of the matter.

For the record, BAASS is not involved in any way with the management of MUFON, nor is MUFON involved with the management of BAASS.

MUFON has been independently investigating UFOs since 1969. BAASS has recognized that MUFON investigates with scientific protocol and a strict code of ethics.

MUFON's finest Certified Field Investigators are finally being respected and rewarded for their talent, persistence and professionalism.

BAASS is only one of many benefactors who have recognized MUFON as the leading UFO investigative organization on the planet. MUFON is thankful for the support received from all of our benefactors and members.

I for one am pleased that MUFON finally has funding and state of the art equipment to properly investigate reports of unexplained aerial phenomenon in a thorough and timely manner.

I remember when everyone bitched that there needs to be "serious funding" for true and professional UFO investigation and research.

Now that MUFON has access to the needed resources to independently and properly investigate, the poles are automatically shifted to make a positive into a negative.

Am I the only one to notice this?

The UFO phenomenon has not gone away. And it still brings out the good, the bad and the ugly in everyone.

By the way, my name is Mark Easter and I am the International Director of Public Relations for MUFON.

Is anyone interested in the positive things happening at MUFON?

There are many!

This is Mr. Easter's contact information:

Contact: Mark Easter, MUFON International Director of Public Relations
Phone: 775-358-9205
E-mail: mufonpr@gmail.com
Web: www.mufon.com and www.nevadamufon.org
Blog: www.mufonpr.blogspot.com

NOTE: Obviously, my 2 posts in regards to MUFON are getting some reaction...good! Here are the links to those posts MUFON: Who Are They...Really? and Press Release Proves MUFON and Feds Connected. Since the first post, I have received comments from the MUFON International Director of Public Relations, another MUFON Public Relations staff member, 2 MUFON State Directors and numerous former State Directors, field investigators and rank & file members. Honestly, not all the comments I received were favorable and/or defending of MUFON. My blog posts, on most occasions, reflect the opinions of readers and those who want to be heard. It's obvious that MUFON feels I'm stirring up a conspiracy theory. It is not my intention to get into a pissing contest with this organization...but I'm not going to sit back and be bad mouthed either. If MUFON has concerns, then let them take the initiative and answer their critics and follow up with their witnesses in a more conducive manner...Lon

BTW...here is an interesting post by Joe Capp at UFO Media Matters - MUFON's 600 lb Gorilla: Common Sense. I want to thank all of those who have responded to me on this manner...Lon

Penguin-Like Bird in Indiana Identified

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 01:53 PM PST

post-trib - No, you're not seeing things if you spot what looks like a small penguin along the Lake Michigan shore.

State park naturalist Brad Bumgardner says it's an ancient murrelet, a cousin of the puffin that lives in Alaska and winters in the Pacific Northwest.

"For a lot of birders, this was their Christmas gift," he said.

According to Bumgardner, Valparaiso birder John Kendall, who set the state record for spotting bird species, saw the football-sized bird floating with a grebe in the water Dec. 18 off the breakwall at the Port of Indiana.

He was joined by about 20 other spotters, and by Saturday morning, others were braving the winter storm and roads to drive in from as far away as Indianapolis.

"This would be only the third murrelet spotted in Indiana. It may be the same one that was seen in the harbor at St. Joseph, Mich., last month. It's kind of small, so it gets picked on by the gulls and other birds," Bumgardner said.

There's no explanation why the bird is so far from home.

People Living in Cages in Hong Kong

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 11:28 AM PST

Click for video

During this holiday season, please reflect on how lucky many of us are as compared to the millions of people who are homeless and destitute worldwide. Though these people are not living on the streets, their situation is still a far cry from decent and not conducive to health habitation.

Hong Kong is a vibrant city chock-full of people — so much so that the quality of life for those at the bottom tier is atrocious. And I'm not talking about, "Oh my goodness, I have to share a bathroom with my brother and sister." I'm talking about up to 18 strangers being smashed into a tiny 625 square foot flat with just one toilet to share.

One such former cage-dweller is Chau Kam-chuen. Mr. Kam-chuen used to be one of over 400,000 working poor who paid approximately $167.6 USD to live in such an environment. According to him, it's extremely uncomfortable, especially if you get the top bunk: "You hit your head on the ceiling."

The way it works is that a flat is chosen and then partitioned into multiple cubicles, each composed of wooden planks and wire mesh. Each cubicle then becomes home to one resident.

The cage that the woman sits in above contains all her possessions, from clothes to cooking supplies and even family heirlooms. Realistically speaking, the cage is smaller than a jail cell; yet, these cages house thousands of poverty-stricken men and women who have nowhere else to turn.

And they aren't comfortable either. Oftentimes, the air-conditioning and heating doesn't work. Or if it does work, it rarely gets turned on before 9pm. As Lai Man-law, an employed man from Hong Kong explained, "It's dirty and hot. There are cockroaches and bedbugs, and the air-conditioning doesn't work."

One wonders though why someone would choose to live like this. Most of these people have no alternative option. These are normal everyday citizens who befell upon hard times and ended up unemployed, homeless, and struggling to make ends meet. The horrific floods of 2008 didn't help either, as it forced many into homelessness and poverty.

Video: Multi-Colored UFO - Moscow, Russia - 12/21/09

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 10:40 AM PST

Click for video

NOTE: UFO captured over Moscow in area of "Falcon Mountain" (Sokolinaya Gora) on December 21st, 2009 at 22:01 (Moscow local time). There have been a lot of sightings over Moscow lately, but I have to say that this one has potential as an authentic anomaly. BTW, Moscow has a very strict ordinance on the use of RC, lanterns, laser pointers, fireworks, etc. ...anything that floats, propels, shines or flies...Lon

Ugh! 10 Historically Bad Christmases

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 09:55 AM PST

toptenz - Most people think of Christmas as a joyous day. Whether as a time for celebrating the birth of their savior or as an excuse to get together with loved ones for good food and drink, Christmas is generally a day to look forward to.

But not everyone's Christmas turns out so well. Before you complain about the uncle who always gets drunk or your slutty cousin, consider these Christmases and how bad they were.

Christmas 1261: Blinded by Power

Poor John IV Lascaris, things started out well enough for him, as he was born on Dec. 25, 1250, and inherited the throne of emperor of Nicaea at the age of seven, when his father died. Unfortunately, in a plot that could be described, well, as Byzantine (get it? Nicaea was formed from fragments of the disintegrated Byzantine Empire), aristocrat Michael Palaiologos finagled his way into the court and managed to declare himself co-emperor. Michael VIII was actually John's second cousin 12 times removed or something. After Michael conquered Constantinople, though, he left John behind and then ordered him blinded on his 11th birthday. That would be Dec. 25, 1261. Being blind was a deal-breaker for being an emperor and so was deposed. Fortunately, people didn't really like this, Michael VIII was excommunicated and John became a monk named Joasaph, Michael's son lager sought his forgiveness and he eventually was recognized as a saint. Things turned out OK and all, but that birthday/Christmas in 1261 was pretty crappy.

Christmas 1621: No Games Allowed

Gov. William Bradford, leader of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, forbade game playing on Christmas Day in this year. Imagine if the Governator in California did that this year? There'd be a riot! But back in in the day, people actually did what their governors told them and feared not obeying. And Christmas, at this time, was a very holy day. And Bradford still hoped, at this point, for Plymouth Colony to be that Shining City on the Hill, a beacon of religious freedom – emphasis on the "religious." One might imagine that Christmas in Plymouth Colony, if you were a young one, was not so enjoyable and festive. No games for you!

Christmas 1776: A Christmas Surprise

Christmas Day this year was a turning point in the American Revolution and is remembered quite fondly by many in the U.S. who've studied their history. However, for the Hessian soldiers defeated at the Battle of Trenton, that was one lousy Christmas. On Christmas, you see, no one expected a surprise attack. OK, you might argue that no one ever expects a surprise attack, but when you're at war, you generally don't let down your guard. On Christmas, though, it was expected that everyone would take the day off from fighting and that you could let your guard down, if only for a moment. Bad idea. American Gen. George Washington was counting on that and crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania, surprising the Hessians (who were German soldiers of fortune, hired by the Brits to battle the upstart Colonials) and capturing almost 900 of the 1,500 men.

Christmas 1914: Lost at Sea

The S.S. Therese Heymann set sail from the Tyne in Britain on Christmas Day, with a cargo of coal. It was never seen again. Though it wasn't officially classified as "missing" until the following March, it was never heard from again shortly after setting sail. It was suspected she was one of several ships sunk by mines in the area at the time. No one ever found the wreckage or any bodies from her crew. No word if Santa hijacked the ship because he had an extra lot of naughty names on his list.

Christmas 1941: Deadly Christmas

The Battle of Hong Kong ended on Christmas Day, resulting in the surrender of the British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong – the Royal Rifles of Canada (a regiment from Quebec) and the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Of the two regiments, 290 were killed and 493 wounded, and the survivors all got to spend the rest of the war in Japanese POW Camps. I'm thinking the soldiers felt rather like the Hessians did back in 1776.

Christmas 1953: A Volcanic Eruption

Not all bad Christmases had man to blame. In 1953, activity of the Ruapehu volcano caused the worst rail disaster in New Zealand's history, with 151 people killed. A barrier of volcanic debris and ice collapsed, sending boulders, sand and other debris into the Whangaehu River, along with 1.6 million cubic meters of water from a lake. The subsequent flood lashed the piers of a rail bridge as a Wellington-Auckland passenger train was crossing. The force was too much and the piers buckled, sending the engine and six passenger carriages to plunge off the bridge. The accident happened on the night of Dec. 24, Christmas Eve. For the families of those lost in the disaster, this surely was a horrible Christmas.

Christmas 1974: Tracy Visits and Leave a Mess

Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, Australia on Christmas Eve and Day. Almost the whole city was destroyed – more than 70 percent of the city's buildings, including 80 percent of the housing. This left more than 20,000 people homeless; 71 people died. Damage was in the hundreds of millions of (Australian) dollars. People didn't have much of a chance to mourn the loss of their Christmas gifts; they were too busy mourning the loss of the family, friends, homes and livelihoods. One might imagine the memory of this cyclone cast a pall on quite a few subsequent Christmases.

Christmas 1989: A Firing Squad for Christmas

After 15 years as president of Romania, Nicolai Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed at the end of a televised "trial." The two-hour trial followed a military coup, but it is apparent that he was either in complete denial of the dire situation his nation faced or he didn't care. Romanians stood in bread lines for food and Ceausescu would show up on TV talking about the high standard of living his citizens had achieved. People who believed their leader simply was unaware would send and hand him written appeals, but it became dangerous to do so, as those people soon found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Though he technically was kicked out of office through a military coup, that was merely the capper to days worth of rebellions that had spread throughout the entire nation like wildfire – through word of mouth. The members of the firing squad were so eager to do their jobs, they didn't even wait for the couple to be tied up and blindfolded before they began shooting. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Romanian today who mourns the loss of the Ceausescus.

Christmas 1990: The Third Time Was Not a Charm

Christmas Day was becoming, at this point, the biggest movie day of the year. Studios saved blockbuster releases for premieres on Christmas Day each year and many looked forward to seeing what just might be the best movie of the year six days before said year came to a close. And what movie could be expected to be more of a blockbuster than "Godfather III"? The final movie in the brilliant saga, still starring Al Pacino and with a young Andy Garcia in what promised to be a breakthrough performance. Then people saw the film. It consistently crops up on "worst movies in the history of mankind" lists. It's a good bet that the three hour crap-fest ruined more than one person's Christmas Day.

Christmas 2009: Caught a Tiger by His Tail

Festivities at Tiger Woods' home are unlikely to be very … festive this year.
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AMAZING!

Click for video

Ho...Ho...Ho! We got you everything you own!

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