Phantoms and Monsters

A President, Forsaken Spirits Haunt Old County Hall
The New International Arms Race Has Begun
The Kelly Cahill Alien Encounter / Abduction
First-Time Video of a Sundaland Clouded Leopard

A President, Forsaken Spirits Haunt Old County Hall

Posted: 13 Feb 2010 04:17 PM PST

wgrz - It was the city's darkest moments, and it may be the explanation for one of Buffalo's most unique hauntings in one its most unique places - Old Erie County Hall.

"It's a spectacular building an a spectacular sight designed by a couple of monumental architects from Rochester, whose buildings all do tend to get ghost stories," said local author and supernatural historian Mason Winfield.

Wedged between a mass of taller buildings in the heart of downtown Buffalo, Old County Hall is one of the region's architectural gems.

But those of you headed there to attend a court hearing or to file paperwork with the clerk could bump into an uninvited guest, who passed away violently more than a century ago.

On September 6, 1901 President William McKinley was in Buffalo for the Pan American Exposition. After he entered the Temple of Music, assassin Leon Czolgosz shot him with a gun hidden in a bar towel. McKinley died from infection eight days later. In a noble procession, McKinley's flag-draped casket was brought to Old County Hall, where was was laid in state for all to see, including the man who murdered him.

"The assassin was tried and convicted here, and he was led by the body in state several times on his way to a court appearance, as if to shame him, looking at the very noble man, beloved president that he shot," Winfield said.

William McKinley (January 29, 1843 - September 14, 1901) was the 25th President of the United States. He was was assassinated in 1901 at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley's death mask is pictured

More than 150,000 people passed through the lobby of Old County Hall to pay their final respects to the fallen president. But, rumor has it, long after they moved his body out of this building, people continued to see him.

"There have been people reporting that occasionally they see a body on a table laid out in state, and as many of them are unaware, this is where President McKinley was laid out, the sightings are a little more convincing." Winfield said.

Today, a small plate on the floor surrounding by two flags in the lobby marks the sad moment in American history. But Winfield also believes the old building might be a portal for all sorts of paranormal activity because of what happened on its grounds before it was built in 1876.

"First of all, it's located on top of Franklin Square, which is an old cemetery," Winfield said. "Many victims of the burning of Buffalo in 1813, and veterans of the War of 1812 were buried there. There's a lot of trauma, a lot of sudden deaths. And the graveyard was theoretically relocated, I think in 1875, to Forest Lawn. We know there are still bodies under there."

Perhaps Old County Hall's most famous deceased visitor isn't the only one still roaming its halls, long after their time on Earth.
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THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT WILLIAM McKINLEY

At the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, an assassin, Leon Frank Czolgosz, shot President William McKinley twice at close range with a .32 caliber revolver. One bullet grazed McKinley's sternum (breastbone) and another penetrated his stomach.

A hastily assembled medical team, headed by a gynecological surgeon, operated immediately at the small Exposition hospital, but the second bullet could not be found. After cleaning the stomach cavity, the surgeon closed the incision with black silk thread and a straight sewing needle. A worried McKinley aide sent word to inventor Thomas Edison to rush an X-ray machine to Buffalo to find the stray bullet. It arrived but wasn't used.

The medical team reported that the president was improving. McKinley's family, Congress, and the public believed he was going to recover. Instead, he died the morning of September 14. At the autopsy, physicians found that the unrecovered bullet did not cause the death of the President through loss of blood and resultant shock. Instead, gangrene had developed along the path of the bullet, and McKinley died of septic shock due to bacterial infection.

A funeral was held at the Milburn Mansion in Buffalo, after which the body was removed to Buffalo City Hall where it lay in-state for a public viewing. It was taken later to the White House, United States Capitol and finally to the late President's home in Canton for a memorial.

Sources:
www.wgrz.com
en.wikipedia.org
politicalgraveyard.com
www.buffaloah.com

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The New International Arms Race Has Begun

Posted: 13 Feb 2010 12:26 PM PST

U.S. Successfully Tests High-Powered Airborne Laser Weapon

reuters - The agency said in a statement the test took place at 8:44 p.m. PST (11:44 p.m. EST) on Thursday /0444 GMT on Friday) at Point Mugu's Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division Sea Range off Ventura in central California.

"The Missile Defense Agency demonstrated the potential use of directed energy to defend against ballistic missiles when the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) successfully destroyed a boosting ballistic missile" the agency said.

The high-powered Airborne Laser system is being developed by Boeing Co., (BA.N) the prime contractor, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Boeing produces the airframe, a modified 747 jumbo jet, while Northrop Grumman (NOC.N) supplies the higher-energy laser and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) is developing the beam and fire control systems.

"This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform," the agency added.

The airborne laser weapon successfully underwent its first in-flight test against a target missile back in August. During that test, Boeing said the modified 747-400F aircraft took off from Edwards Air Force Base and used its infrared sensors to find a target missile launched from San Nicolas Island, California.

The plane's battle management system issued engagement and target location instructions to the laser's fire control system, which tracked the target and fired a test laser at the missile. Instruments on the missile verified the system had hit its mark, Boeing said.

The airborne laser weapon is aimed at deterring enemy missile attacks and providing the U.S. military with the ability to engage all classes of ballistic missiles at the speed of light while they are in the boost phase of flight.

"The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers (miles), and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies," the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said.

*The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser (ABL) weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It is primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.

NOTE: IMO, this is more than a missile defense system. I've been told the current technology allows this laser to reach 60 miles. Adapt one of these for fighter jets and it's lights out. Below is a statement placed on Wikipedia...I'm not buying the 'defense only' song and dance...Lon

*In theory, the ABL could be used against hostile fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, or even low-earth-orbit satellites (see anti-satellite weapon). However, as they are not its intended target, the capability against them is unknown. The ABL infrared target acquisition system is designed to detect the hot exhaust of TBMs in boost phase. Satellites and other aircraft could have a much lower heat signature, making them more difficult to detect. An analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists discusses potential ABL use against low earth orbit satellites.

Use against ground targets seems unlikely. Aside from the difficulty of acquiring and tracking a ground target, firing through the dense atmosphere would weaken the beam. Ground targets such as armored vehicles are not fragile enough to be damaged by a megawatt-class laser. Another program, the Advanced Tactical Laser, envisions air-to-ground use of a megawatt-class laser mounted on an aircraft better suited for low altitude flight.

The Kelly Cahill Alien Encounter / Abduction

Posted: 13 Feb 2010 11:28 AM PST

Summary:

In August 1993, 27-year-old Kelly Cahill, her husband and three children were driving home after a visit to a friend's house.

Their routine journey would soon become a harrowing trip into an unknown world of strange beings that occupied space but were void of color as we know it. The Dandenong foothills, near Belgrave, Victoria, Australia would have its location forever linked to one of the most unusual sightings of a strange creature in Ufology archives.

Journey Home:

After midnight, the Cahills were on their journey home when they first noticed the lights of a rounded craft with windows around it.

It silently hovered above the road. Different colored lights were clearly visible on the bottom of the object. The UFO was so close to the ground that Kelly thought she could see people through the window openings.

As she began screaming to her husband what she was seeing, the craft zoomed off to their left, disappearing as quickly as it had made itself known.

Blinding Light:

Continuing their drive home with a renewed interest in the sky, they suddenly came upon a light so bright they were practically blinded.

Shading her eyes from the intense light with her hands over her eyes, Kelly begged of her husband, "What are you going to do?" Her husband, now frightened to death by the glowing presence before them, replied, "I am going to keep on driving." Within what seemed only a second or two, Kelly was now very relaxed, suddenly calmed by the absence of the UFO.

Click for video

Missing Time:

The first words out of Kelly's mouth were, "What happened, did I blackout?" Her husband said nothing, as he had no answer to give his wife. He cautiously drove his family home.

Upon their safe arrival Kelly could smell a foul odor, like vomit, and she suddenly felt as though something was missing from their drive home. Something was missing... an hour or so of time had vanished from her and her family's life.

That night as Kelly undressed for bed, she noticed a strange triangular mark on her navel-a mark she had never seen before.

It must have been created early this every night. But how? And why? And most importantly, by whom? Kelly suffered from general malaise for the next two weeks, and was taken to the hospital on two occasions, one for severe stomach pain, and another for a uterine infection.

Walking Toward a Giant Craft:

Kelly would recall the object they had seen in a slightly different place than she first remembered. It was hovering in a gully, and the UFO was big. She estimated it at 150 feet in diameter.

She could also recall that when the object was first spotted, her husband had stopped the car, and both her and her husband had gotten out of the vehicle, and walked in the direction of the massive craft.

Not Having a Soul:

To their surprise, they noticed another car stopped on the side of the road. As they walked toward the craft, they saw a creature unlike either of them had ever seen before.

It was black, not a black color but black as if all matter was removed where its presence was. Kelly would later describe it as "not having a soul." Kelly's words for the alien were "void of color." The black alien entity was taller than an average man, about 7 feet tall, according to Kelly.

Aliens Moved Effortlessly:

After being mesmerized by the sight of the being, she saw more of them. "Heaps of them" is how Kelly described them as she stared into the open field. The aliens were out there in the field, beneath the immense flying craft.

The beings seemed to congregate in small groups, and one group glided toward Kelly and her husband, covering a hundred yards in a mere few seconds. Another group was approaching the other car which sat motionless near the hovering craft.

Second Family Abducted:

Her great fear and dread would cause her to scream at the alien-looking entities to leave them alone. She remembered going unconscious, and then... she was back in their car. As strange as this encounter seems, it was not without corroboration.

The occupants in the other car would come forward and tell almost an exact story, a story of abduction, mind control, and embarrassing medical procedures.

Conclusion:

This particular case is the only one to my knowledge to describe such a being, although there are some very strange aliens described in various accounts. We have no reason to discount the Cahill account, and it remains one of the best cases of alien abduction on record.
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ANOTHER SUMMARY AND INTERVIEW

In August of 1993, the then 27 year old, Kelly Cahill was traveling in a car with her husband and her three children in the Belgrave area of Australia. This should have been an average car journey through the Dandenong foothills for Kelly Cahill and her family but it turned out to be about as far removed from normal as could ever be possible.

At some point beyond midnight the Kelly Cahill family were struck by the sight of a glowing and rounded craft that had windows where Kelly Cahill can recall seeing the shapes of bodies that she now believes were alien bodies.

As they continued on their car journey the craft returned and the lights on the possible UFO got brighter and brighter. Kelly Cahill then went limp in the car and eventually 'woke' back up and asked her husband if she had blacked out. He didn't answer and they continued home.

On the nights that followed her possible UFO sighting, Kelly Cahill began to suffer a number of odd illness, often gynecological in nature and have flashes of what she could only conclude was an alien abduction. These symptoms included the sudden appearance of a strange triangular shape around her navel.

Kelly Cahill finally started to speak to 'officials' about the possible UFO sighting and alien encounter and it was then that she discovered that she had not been the only person to have had the same experiences.

Other women had reported the same experiences on the same night and even drew the exact same type of space craft even though they had never met each other.

Click for an in-depth video interview with Kelly Cahill. Another interesting account can be found here

Sources:
www.ufoworldnews.com
www.proofofalienlife.com
en.wikipedia.org
Hair of the Alien: DNA and Other Forensic Evidence of Alien Abductions - Bill Chalker
www.forteantimes.com

First-Time Video of a Sundaland Clouded Leopard

Posted: 13 Feb 2010 10:31 AM PST

Click for video

Video footage of a big cat species caught on camera in the wild in Borneo has been made public for the first time.

Scientists came across the Sundaland clouded leopard while working in the Dermakot Forest Reserve in Malaysia.

The elusive species, discovered to be a distinct type of big cat only two years ago, is one of the least known in the world. It is thought to have been filmed once before by a tourist, although the footage has never been released.

The team, which included Andreas Wilting of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin and the Malaysian field scientist Azlan Mohamed, published its findings in the latest issue of Cat News, the newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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I thought the following deserved inclusion...Lon

Malawian Jailed For Casting Spell To Block Rain

A court in drought-plagued Malawi has jailed a man accused of casting a spell that blocked rain from falling on his neighbor's field, police said Friday.

The court sentenced Chikumbeni Mwanatheu, 35, to two months in prison with hard labor after he admitted a charge of witchcraft, police spokesman Augustus Nkhwazi told AFP.

Mwanatheu had pleaded guilty to a charge of "conduct likely to cause a breach of peace" after he boasted that he had prevented rain from falling on his neighbor's field, the spokesman said.

Magistrate Lameck Mkwapatira ruled he "needed to be given a custodial sentence to let the community enjoy peace in his absence and for his own safety."

The poor tobacco-producing southern African country has suffered drought since last year.

Belief in witchcraft and magic runs deep in Malawi. The practice is punishable by up to five years in prison and suspects are often killed by mobs.

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