Saturday, July 31, 2010

Phantoms and Monsters

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Cryptid Mystery, Man Missing - Salla, Lapland Region, Finland

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 10:00 AM PDT


I received the following report from a regular contributor, Igor, in reference to a strange missing person case in the Lapland Region, Finland:

Hey, Lon...I thought you might be interested in this:

Last Monday, a Thai man working in Salla, Lapland as a berry picker was waiting for a lift back to his apartment. He called his contact and during this conversation he stated "Something weird is following me, it's like a dog or something" after this despite being afraid of the weird creature he hung up and immediately his cell phone was switched off either because he ran out of battery or he turned it off. After this the man disappeared without a trace. Police stated they haven't found any tracks whatsoever from the area he disappeared from, human or animal like. Despite happening this week, police announced today that they are stopping all efforts to find the man except starting an "official investigation"? The man in charge of the operation first made a statement that this is a total mystery but later stated that it is an animal attack and nothing else, almost wanting everyone to lose their attention to the story and called back all the search parties from the area. The parties were mainly made of Finnish military and police personnel and just a few of co-workers were allowed to contribute in the search despite knowing the man and speaking his language. Later they were all called back to work and for the last few days it seems to have been strictly a military/police operation. They found a berry bucket and intact clothes identified as belonging to the man at the scene but the police quickly announced that they had been brought there by the man's co-workers which seems a bit odd...why not just hand them over to officials instead of taking them into the deep forest and just leaving them there? They found no trace of the man, no blood, no tracks, nothing. No one has any clue what could have happened to the man. The particular area has some bears and wolves but bears usually tend to avoid humans instead of following them and wolves hunt in packs. So what was this weird creature he saw and why did he hang up the phone call despite being afraid of this creature? Only specs of this creature so far is "a large, dog like dark animal". There is no information whether it was bipedal or not. The Finland national broadcast network YLE (owned by the Finnish state with a 99.98% share) has removed all stories related to case from their website. Finnish media have been very quiet about this except for tabloids which is rather strange because our country is so small that even small events make it to national news. For example, just a week ago every paper was reporting about a "hippie camp" with "hundreds of naked hippies" in southern part of Finland and they covered it for days.

Here are some articles related to the case (in our moon language X__x), my story above has been translated from these articles and the paper version of two of them (the words "something strange is following me and all descriptions of the creature were exclusively on the paper versions, I guess only because they cannot be erased after printing, like from the YLE site.)

http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2010073012119054_uu.shtml
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/uutinen.asp?id=2229073&ref=lk_is_ko_1
http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/1135258866357?ref=lk_hs_ko_1

P.S. Now this could be just an animal attack but it's really a strange one if it is. For example, ending the phone call to his Finnish contact person who is from the area and is familiar with the local fauna, the heavy military presence, removing the information from the news and ending the search in just a few days. Also, the description of the creature does not make any sense, or the lack of tracks. Only logical options for a large dark creature on that area are a bear and maybe a moose and as I stated before bears don't attack people often, I personally can't remember any cases. In all the cases involving bears the bear has stumbled upon someone and then left the scene very quickly.

If there are any more information or possible remains or tracks found, I will let you know.

Igor V.

NOTE: I hope to receive follow ups to this case. Many thanks to Igor! Lon


Cryptid Mystery, Man Missing - Salla, Lapland Region, Finland

Fortean / Oddball News - 7/30/2010

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 09:39 AM PDT


Great Britain Facing Possible Tarantula Invasion

telegraph - The RSPCA has issued an alert urging people to be on their guard amid fears a large batch of the spider has escaped in the north of the country.

The alert came after two separate incidents involving 10cm-wide Chilean Rose tarantulas in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

The rare arachnids, capable of blinding people by spitting hairs in their eyes, were both found in back gardens within two miles of each other.

Both spiders are the same age, breed and gender.

Experts said it suggested they could be part of a larger batch. The slow-moving large spiders from South America are a popular breed among collectors.

Lisa Broad, 20, found the first spider in her garden on the Oldhams Estate in Sharples.

She called the RSPCA, who re-homed the creature, named Fang, at Smithills Open Farm.

Three-and-a-half weeks later another woman from Lostock discovered another tarantula, which was sitting on her garden wall.

The woman, who did not want to be named, eventually trapped it under a plant pot on her path and alerted the RSPCA.

Derek Hampson, an inspector for the animal welfare charity, said: "We advised her to keep it under the plant pot until we arrived. They can quite happily go a week without food, so it was quite content.

"It got a bit aggressive when I picked it up. I wore safety goggles as these creatures can spit hairs which can blind you.

"It is possible there could be more out there, but unfortunately we havent got the resources to search for them."

He added: "It is up to members of the public to call us if they spot any."

Mr Hampson took the female, which is known to kill the male after mating, to Bugworld in Liverpool.

Jenny Dobson, the Bugworld curator, said: "It is rare for one of these to come in and we saw... there had been another with the same characteristics found outdoors.

"It is likely they came from the same place.

"It would be too much of a coincidence otherwise for two breakouts and they cant survive in the wild for long with the UK climate.

**********

Man Listed As Tokyo's Oldest Had Been Dead For Three Decades

mdn.mainichi - The skeletal remains of a man who was thought to be alive at the age of 111 have been found in a residence in Tokyo's Adachi Ward - an estimated 30 years after his death. Found dead was Sogen Kato, who was born in 1899. Police said that following the death of Kato's wife six years ago, family members had received a total of about 9.45 million yen in payments for a survivor's mutual pension. Law enforcers are investigating the family's actions on suspicion of fraud and negligence as guardians resulting in death.

Kato's 53-year-old granddaughter, who had lived with him, reportedly told police that he shut himself in his room about 30 years ago, refusing to take food or water, in line with the doctrines of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Kato had lived with his daughter, 81, son-in-law, 83, and two grandchildren, aged 49 and 53. In June this year, officials from the Adachi Ward Office approached police saying they wanted to see Kato, but family members wouldn't let them.

When a police officer visited the home on July 26 with ward officials, the 53-year-old granddaughter said, "My grandfather is well but he's refused to meet with anyone." However, two days later, one of the grandchildren visited Senju Police Station and told police, "He shut himself in a first-floor room about 30 years ago in line with his doctrines, refusing to take food or water. When we looked inside the room in March this year, we saw the skeletal remains of our grandfather."

Police later checked the room and found Kato's body. Investigators said that Kato's wife died in August 2004, and between October 2004 and July this year, about 9.45 million yen was paid out for a survivor's mutual pension. Family members are believed to have withdrawn a total of 2.7 million yen from Kato's bank account over six occasions in mid-July.

**********

Galactic Thunderbolts

thunderbolts - Consensus astronomers look at individual points of light and discover the most massive stars. Electric Universe observers look at the entire complex of filaments and discover the characteristic features of a galactic thunderbolt.

"Mass" astronomy posits a relationship between mass and luminosity. By observing a double star system in the cluster shown at the top of the page, astronomers were able to calculate a baseline for the relationship and extrapolate the masses of brighter stars. They found some that were nearly twice as massive as they had thought possible. Although, since theories are often adjusted to explain any observation, failures of expectations cannot be equated with falsifications of theory.

Plasma astronomy posits a relationship between electrical stress and luminosity. Gravity, and consequently mass, is a weak manifestation of electrical stress. In regions that are relatively insulated from the primary effects of electricity (within stellar sheaths, such as the Sun's heliosphere), gravity will largely determine orbital motions.

However, the mass that is calculated from analysis of the orbits is a result of the charge contained, not of the quantity of matter as is commonly assumed. In an Electric Universe, there are no maximum or minimum sizes for stars.

The objects of interest to plasma astronomers are the helical filaments that give the regions around the clusters their characteristic electrical structure. In the far view (left), arcs of parallel filaments appear to wind around kinked tubes that converge on the cluster, evidence for large plasma discharge channels.

Where channels intersect (center view), the stress increases. Bubbles form (exploding double layers, similar to coronal mass ejections), secondary discharges are induced, and instabilities pinch plasma into stars. The observed large outflow of material, mischaracterized as mass (and misnamed "wind"), is the electrical current flow coursing through the region like a galactic lightning bolt.

Instead of a random scattering of gravitationally collapsing clouds shaped by hot winds, these regions are unitary plasma discharge formations better called galactic thunderbolts.

**********

Early Warning! Asteroid Heading Towards Earth... ETA: 2182


discovery - This isn't an urgent call to arms, but it's certainly a future date to consider. In the year 2182 -- 172 years time -- there's the possibility that we might be hit by an asteroid with potential to cause some significant global turmoil. This long-distance forecast could help mankind determine whether asteroid deflection techniques are warranted, especially when given nearly two centuries of lead time.

The not-so-romantically named (101955) 1999 RQ36 -- discovered in 1999 -- measures approximately 510 meters in diameter and is classified as an Apollo asteroid. Apollo asteroids pose a threat to our planet as they routinely cross Earth's orbit.

With a one-in-a-thousand chance of 1999 RQ36 hitting Earth -- with half of this probability indicating a 2182 impact -- the threat might not sound too acute.

But compare this with the panic that ensued with the discovery of 99942 Apophis in 2004. Initially, it was thought there was a 1-in-233 chance of Apophis hitting us in 2029. This estimate was alarming; it was the first time an asteroid had been promoted to "Level 4" on the Torino Scale -- a near-Earth object (NEO) impact hazard categorization method.

After further observations, the threat of an Apophis impact was lowered, and now the chance of the 270 meter space rock hitting us in 2029 is zero. The probability of impact during the next fly-by, in 2036, has recently been downgraded to a 1-in-250,000, and a third pass in 2068 has a tiny one-in-three million chance.

Despite these shrinking odds, Apophis remains "the" doomsday asteroid in the public mindset -- a situation that certainly wasn't helped by the initial 1-in-233 odds and subsequent media frenzy.

"The total impact probability of asteroid '(101955) 1999 RQ36' can be estimated in 0.00092 -- approximately one-in-a-thousand chance -- but what is most surprising is that over half of this chance (0.00054) corresponds to 2182," explains María Eugenia Sansaturio, of Spain's Universidad de Valladolid (UVA) and co-author of the international NEO study.

Recently published in the journal Icarus, this impact probability was calculated using two mathematical models to assess potential threats to Earth in the 22nd Century. 1999 RQ36 was singled out at the biggest threat.

ANALYSIS: Will An Asteroid Hit Earth?

Of course, a lot can happen to an errant space rock in 172 years, hence the odds of one-in-a-thousand. Although gravitational influences on the asteroid's trajectory can be fairly accurately calculated, other mechanisms acting on the rock are not so easily modeled.*

The message to come out of this study is that potentially hazardous asteroids are out there and we are getting better at identifying which known asteroids pose the greater risk. But at what point do we decide to take action? 172 years into the future is a long time, and humans aren't exactly well-known for preparing for future events over those kinds of time scales. But time is one thing we'll need if we are to protect future generations from a potentially catastrophic impact event.

"If this object had been discovered after 2080, the deflection would require a technology that is not currently available," said Sansaturio. "Therefore, this example suggests that impact monitoring, which up to date does not cover more than 80 or 100 years, may need to encompass more than one century."

"Thus, the efforts to deviate this type of objects could be conducted with moderate resources, from a technological and financial point of view."

**********



Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery Solved?


The recent decoding of a cryptic cup, the excavation of ancient Jerusalem tunnels, and other archaeological detective work may help solve one of the great biblical mysteries: Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The new clues hint that the scrolls, which include some of the oldest known biblical documents, may have been the textual treasures of several groups, hidden away during wartime—and may even be "the great treasure from the Jerusalem Temple," which held the Ark of the Covenant, according to the Bible. Continue at Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery Solved?

Fortean / Oddball News - 7/30/2010

Strange Phenomena in Old South Carolina Church

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 08:58 AM PDT



Check out the owls eyes, they glow in every picture I took this is the only picture the red slash appears. It is on the wall and it is red but doesn't show in the rest of the pictures. In the second photo, the red slash is missing and was taken right after the one with the red slash..VERY STRANGE - Pam Bowen

chronicle.augusta - My son and I went to South Carolina to visit his godmother Joy and her husband last weekend, Joy is also a believer in the paranormal and there is a church that is on a one lane dirt road out in the middle of no-where called Horns Creek Baptist Church dated back to 1790. There is a small cemetery on the side and a few graves in the back. All seemed to be dated in the 1800's and in need of repair. One is a little girl who died at age 2. Very sad. Anyways, we pulled up and got out of the truck and walked up the wooden steps into the church. What caught my eye was what appeared to be 2 peep holes. I made comment about it and took a picture of it. There are painted pictures of angels in each corner and pentagram (I think that's what it is) in the middle of the ceiling. Around the angels the paint seems to be coming off the ceiling but the angels are in good shape to be so old and untouched. I have heard that "orbs" isn't really a dependable thing to count on being paranormal but in a few of the pictures only 1 "orb" is there or not at all. The shadow of the "owl" seems to be embedded into the wall, not sure where that comes from but it is interesting and the glowing eyes are really strange. My son used his phone to ask questions to see if we could possibly get a recording of anything. Sure enough when we listened to it we hear a strange message that says something over him which sounds like Help me and then the word 'Open' at the end. We need to have it analyzed to be sure of what we heard, however there was nobody there but us 4 and we didn't hear anything. We went back 4 times just to be sure what we saw is what is on the camera, each time we went back we took the same picture and every picture is different. Is this to say the Church has paranormal activity? I don't know but something creepy and yet interesting enough to make me want to go back and find out more about what is going on with the church.

Strange Phenomena in Old South Carolina Church


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Friday, July 30, 2010

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Ghost Tale Continues to Haunt Kansas State Campus

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 12:32 PM PDT


kstatecollegian - A dead student's ghost has haunted K-State's Purple Masque Theatre for more than 30 years, spilling paint cans, stealing costumes and flickering lights.

Ask anyone familiar with Nick the ghost, and you'll hear some story of misfortune or odd occurrence. Many believe he is still at large today.

But with plans to move the Masque, and build a new Welcome Center in its place, what will happen to Nick? Will his soul still linger beneath the stone seats of East Stadium, or will he follow the Purple Masque to its new location?

Alexis Warden, freshman in theater, said she thinks Nick will stay in East Stadium.

"His connection isn't to the theater itself, it's the connection to that area on campus," Warden said. "I don't know if he will stick around and 'haunt' the new Welcome Center or not, whether he sticks around or not just depends on him, I guess."

Warden has been a part of multiple shows in the Purple Masque and said she believes that Nick's ghost currently haunts the theater.

"There are times in which I have been alone in an area of the Masque and had the sudden feeling that someone was there with me," Warden said. "That's usually the feeling I get when a ghost is near me."

Warden said ghosts haunted the last theater she worked in and she was really excited to hear about Nick when she came to K-State. Upper classmen who worked on set with her told Warden about the legend.

According to University Archives, Nick is the spirit of a football player who was injured during a game in the 1950s. He was carried into the cafeteria of the athletic dormitory where the Purple Masque is located today. After the game was over, a coach came back to check on Nick and found him dead.

Some say that Nick died from the injury while others say Nick died of an intuitive shock he felt when his parents, who were on their way to the game to watch Nick play, died in a car accident. According to the legend, Nick haunts the Masque because he is waiting for his parents to arrive.

While there is no record of a football player named Nick dying on the football field, there may be factual basis to Nick's story. The legend of Nick could be based on one of two K-State students, John M. Holden or Bob Mayer, who died around the same time as the supposed ghost.

Whether Nick is real or not, the thought has intrigued theater and non-theater students for years, according to Charlotte MacFarland, associate professor in the department of communication studies, theater and dance.

"There were séances galore," she said. "People would go in and take in candles and meditate and chant and call on Nick and make up stories about him to see if they could create his essence."

MacFarland said strange things would never happen to the people who wanted to see Nick, but rather to the people who didn't believe in any of the stories. She was one of those people.

MacFarland said her experience with Nick occurred in the 1970s, during an Ebony Theatre production of "Nobody Like Us."

MacFarland said she saw an outline of a man appear in the stage doorway while watching rehearsal one rainy evening.

"The only way I can describe it is it looks like a man, it was the outline of a man," she said. "He stepped right in front of the light and he was just standing there ... a silhouette."

When MacFarland got up and walked toward the stage, the man disappeared.

MacFarland said she and her stage manager searched the entire building, looking under boxes and checking every corner, but no one was there. The doors were locked.

MacFarland said that it wasn't until she was walking back to her car alone that she thought it might not have been an actual person standing in the doorway.

"I never bought into that kind of stuff, I just said it was theater people loving drama," she said. "But on the way back I thought, 'I think I'd rather it be a ghost than a person.' I don't like to think there was some creepy guy."

The next day, MacFarland told the story to her Fundamentals of Acting students, a class held in the Purple Masque.

"I said, 'Nick, you really scared me last night. It doesn't matter because the truth is: I still don't believe in you.' And the work light just over my head burst. It exploded," MacFarland said.

After that event, MacFarland wouldn't go into the theater alone. She said if she was early for class, she would wait for a student to come along before she went in.

"I just always felt like there was something there, I really did. A lot of it was just left over from my experience, but I really did feel like something was going on," she said.

That feeling no longer lingers for MacFarland.

"There was a point where I'd go in and I thought, 'Nah, it's just a theater,' which I feel right now," she said. "It doesn't make me nervous at all."

Like Warden, MacFarland does not think that Nick will move with the Masque.

"Whatever that entity is has a special feel for that particular place, so I'm not sure that these things will happen," MacFarland said. "I think that either they would not happen at all or suddenly people wouldn't feel comfortable in the welcome center. Maybe chairs will move and faces will appear in the welcome center, which might not be such a good idea."

***********

Deceased Football Player Still Haunts Campus



Kansas State's East Stadium was used as the college's athletic center, throughout the 50's. After a new athletic center was built, The Purple Masque Theatre made its home on the first floor East Stadium rooms. This theatre presents plays which are produced, directed, designed and performed by K-State theatre students. Up until May of 2008, The Purple Masque Theatre was located in the East Stadium rooms 109 and 121, which now is the home of Telecommunications and Computing and Network Services, and the Technology Service Center, "to better serve the state university." The Purple Masque Theatre now uses much better stage areas set up for the other theater groups on campus.

Several ghostly manifestation have reported during the time that the Purple Masque Theater was located in the East Stadium.

The mischievous spirit of the deceased football player, known as Nick got his chuckles at the expense of the living. The ex-football player died in the building in the 1950's, when it was still used as an athletic center. He was injured one day during a practice and brought into the building, where he died soon after. His playful spirit has been here ever since, stomping up and down hallways, on staircases and on the theater stage. He also moves chairs and hides theater props at night but he is most famous for the levitation's! Wooden boxes that have been stacked in the dressing room have jumped to the floor and then re-stacked themselves... before the startled eyes of several witnesses. There is also a report of a fire extinguisher that was seen spinning around in mid-air, spraying white foam as it traveled. Nick's voice has also been caught on tape.

Recently, a female witness and her boyfriend while standing in the hall behind the East Stadium seating heard the sound of someone walking in football cleats behind them. When they turned around, they both saw the back of Nick's apparition, dressed in 1950's football gear walking down the hall towards the main floor of what was the activity center in the 1950's.

An apparition of a man dressed in a Confederate Civil War uniform, has long been seen, sitting in his own phantom chair in the theater and stage area.

Unless Nick was released from this world by a parapsychologist, he is still haunting the East Stadium, not willing to accept his death which wasn't supposed to happen, cutting short his plans for his life. He may follow the thespians over to the main theater, but he has been seen recently at the East Stadium by two eye witnesses.

The entity of the Confederate soldier seems to be haunting the land, and will probably be seen again as he doesn't care what department is using this space, which was probably originally the site of his home.

Sources:
www.hauntedhouses.com
www.kstatecollegian.com
www.strangeusa.com
www.prairieghosts.com


Ghost Tale Continues to Haunt Kansas State Campus

Frenzied and Dog-Eating Alligators!

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 11:40 AM PDT



Click for video

CNN - A voice heard on an amazing video of 300 feeding alligators says it all.

"I ain't never seen so many gators in my life."

Ray Cason's biggest catch earlier this month, when he went fishing at Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia, was two videos that have made a splash on Facebook and YouTube. As of Tuesday night they had garnered nearly 100,000 page views, according to YouTube.

One of the videos looks like something out of an "Animal Planet" special. Alligator heads bob on the surface while others, in the background, gyrate and thrash in the water as they snap at mudfish, also known as bowfin.

The alligators are jammed in a canal perhaps 30 feet wide.

"With a high population of mudfish you can almost smell them," said Art Webster, supervisory refuge manager at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

"I've never seen footage like that before," said state wildlife biologist Greg Nelms who, along with other wildlife officials, told CNN this rare "cooperative feeding" happens once every three or four years.

Stephen C. Foster park manager Travis Griffin believes it last happened in 2007.

Griffin, who was not at the park the weekend of the event, said rangers saw alligators congregating about 10 p.m. July 9 near the quarter-mile-long canal that leads from the Foster boat area into open water near Billy's Lake.

No one had any idea of the scene that would greet Cason, 39, of Homerville, Georgia, on the morning of July 10.

"When I put the boat in you had the awfulest ruckus," Cason said. Many alligators were in the boat basin.

He headed out in the early morning light with another boat close behind. Moments later, they realized they had about 150 alligators in front of them and 150 behind.

Cason said the teeming alligators were hunting together. Many formed a reptile wall beyond the canal.

"They would converge together," Cason said. "I saw gators pushing them [the fish] back [into the canal]. I saw them push them to the bank and eat them."

Cason returned to the park the next morning, July 11, and shot more video. He said about 175 gators were visible.

The alligators were gone by 8 a.m., according to Griffin. Although he and other wildlife officials said the waters are safe for boaters, the state park waited to be sure that wild morning.

"I wouldn't rent my boats out until they were gone," he said.

Stephen C. Foster State Park covers 80 acres. It is a small portion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge's 401,000-plus acres. Webster estimates the refuge is home to about 11,000 alligators.

He said he was concerned that Cason and the other boater may have been pushing the gators along and might have hurt them. "This was potentially not a safe thing to do."

But Cason said he waited several minutes for most of the alligators to clear before he proceeded. An alligator bumped the boat behind him but wasn't injured, Cason said.

The videos were posted by the Clinch County News. Cason said he hopes to show additional footage to school groups.

"By no means is the swamp dangerous," he said. "It's probably something I never will see again."

Cason had additional luck that Saturday, catching his limit of jackfish and warmouth perch.

Life has almost returned to normal at Stephen C. Foster State Park, which is near the town of Fargo. Alligator sightings are at normal levels, it's hot and the park's beauty awaits visitors.

Griffin isn't sure whether Cason's encounter will bring more campers and boaters, but it sure has raised interest in the behavior of alligators.

"You can never predict what they are going to do," Webster said.

*********

Dog-Eating Alligator in Florida Wanted 'Dead or Alive'


Florida officials have put out the word that an urban alligator who has been eating dogs and other pets and terrorizing a neighborhood is now wanted, dead or alive.

Gary Morse of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told AFP the state agency has taken the unusual step of authorizing an alligator hunter to shoot and kill the three-meter (10-foot) long animal.

But finding this alligator, on the loose for two years in the St. Petersburg area and stalking pets around the city's canals, may not be easy, Morse said.

"Alligators regularly use the drainage system to travel. When you are trying to target a specific gator is really difficult to catch it," Morse said.

Tensions mounted on Monday night, when residents reported that the alligator ate a mixed breed dog who was running free near the canal. Then, the alligator was reportedly glimpsed the next morning near Tony's Meat Market.

But when Charles Carpenter, the alligator hunter, arrived on the scene, the culprit was nowhere to be seen.

Morse said some people have been reportedly feeding the renegade gator, making his capture even more complicated, because he is eluding bait traps.

"He's not hungry and he's got a lot of places to hide."

Carpenter told the St. Petersburg Times he plans to use a hunting rifle or semi-automatic pistol to take down his prey.

"He's good at not getting caught," Carpenter said.

Frenzied and Dog-Eating Alligators!

Fortean / Oddball News - 7/29/2010

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 10:51 AM PDT




Rare Display: Leaping Manta Rays

dailymail - They could be mistaken for strange-looking birds but these creatures are actually manta rays, leaping a staggering nine feet in the air.

The plucky animals, which measure just over three feet wide, demonstrate their acrobatic skills by bursting out of the water.

Once airborne they to flap their impressive fins in what looks like an attempt to fly.

And, if they're feeling particularly playful, some even manage a somersault before plummeting back into the water with an impressive splash.

Photographers Roland and Julia Seitre captured the spectacle off the coast of Costa Rica, Central America.

The French couple had sailed six miles out to sea in the hope of catching sight of some whales but were also treated to this extraordinary rare acrobatic display.

Mr Seitre said: 'The males jumped clear out of the water, up to three metres [9ft] high.

'They flapped their wings during the few seconds of flight, before hitting the surface with a loud banging noise.

'Some think it is a way to attract female attention as we saw pairs close by.

'Numerous males take off and land one after another.

'The bangs are so loud it's like you're being close to a hunting party with guns.

'Occasionally one seems to have even more fun by doing a somersault.

'This kind of behaviour is extremely unpredictable and incredibly rare to witness.

'We were so lucky, it was a complete coincidence that we were there in the first place.'

He added: 'These manta rays are beautiful.

'Their large wing-shaped bodies and slow motion make them excellent sea gliders.

'They not only impress with their size but also with their very elegant flight into the blue oceans.'

The manta ray is the largest of the all the rays.

They can grow up to 25ft across and weigh around 5,100lb.
Graceful: Looking as though it's flapping its 'wings' the amazing animal leaps through the air

Graceful: Looking as though it's flapping its 'wings' the amazing animal leaps through the air

The species are found in tropical waters and feed mostly on plankton, which is filtered into their bodies through their gills as swim.

Perfectly stream-lined for gliding through the water, the manta ray can reach speeds of up to 7mph.

They are often spotted swimming with divers and will sometimes surface alongside boats.

**********


New World's Smallest Man

orange - A 40-year-old from a village in south west China is hoping to claim the title of world's shortest man.

At just 76cm (just under two foot, six inches) Huang Kaiquan is only 1.4cm higher than previous record holder He Pingping, who died in March aged 21.

Huang, who smokes heavily and is a former magician, is the height and weight of an average three year old.

In Sanjiang village, Huang is known to locals as 'Short Brother'. He still lives with his mother Cheng.

She said: "He didn't grow at all one month after birth. We thought it's just late development and didn't pay enough attention.

"When Huang was three, he still wore the clothes of a one-year-old. It was then we noticed his unusualness."

**********

Zebra, Donkey Hybrid Born in Georgia

gainesville - In all his years running the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve, C.W. Wathen has never seen it happen. But five days ago, a zedonk was born.

"The animals have been running (in the fields) together for more than 40 years, but this is the first time that this has happened here," said Wathen, the preserve's founder and general manager. "We never suspected that they (had mated), so it was quite a surprise when the zedonk was born."

The animal is a mix between a zebra and donkey. With black stripes prominently displayed on her legs and face, her zebra heritage is readily apparent, but her slender face and spindly legs are more donkeylike.

"White tigers are more of our calling card, but this is one of the most unique animals that has ever been born here," Wathen said.
While she was born to a donkey mother, the baby zedonk's instincts are all zebra.

"Usually, a foal will lay over on its side, sunning itself," Wathen said. "But the zedonk sits up at all time — like she's on alert looking out for predators. She's still got some of her wild instincts."

Although it's uncommon for donkeys and zebras to mate, it isn't unheard of. In 2005, a zebra gave birth to a zedonk in Barbados, according to the news website, Science Daily. And in the 1970s, three zedonks were born at a European zoo to a donkey mother, according to the Colchester Zoo's website.

In about two weeks, the 5-day-old zedonk will begin roaming the property with the rest of the animals — including a camel, a donkey sibling, her zebra father and a 40-year-old miniature donkey.

Once the zedonk gets a little older, Wathen said she'll be able to go out for off-site visits like some of the other animals on the preserve.

"The kids (visiting the preserve) have been going crazy about the zedonk," he said.

Other animals on the 25-acre nonprofit preserve include giant tortoises, colorful macaws, white tigers, black leopards and a 2-month-old wolf.

"We keep all the animals fed really well, so a lot of the animals that would normally be predators in the wild run together in the same areas here," Wathen said. "In the wild they are competing for food, but here they don't have to compete, so there's no fighting."

**********

Baby Drowns After Baptism in Moldova


ninemsn - A priest in eastern Europe has been accused of drowning a baby boy as he baptised him.

Police are investigating Father Valentin for accidential homicide after witnesses at the ceremony said the priest did not cover the baby's mouth during the ritual, The Sun newspaper reports.

Father Valentin had denied being responsible for the baby's death during the baptism in Moldova.

The six-week-old baby died on the way to hospital and an autopsy found he had drowned, the baby's dad Dumitru Gaidau told Romania's Publica TV.

Mr Gaidau, 36, said his son was clearly in distress during the ceremony.

"He couldn't inhale, his face turned blue and he was foaming at the mouth. He [the priest] said we should not interrupt this their ritual," he said.

"We couldn't believe it that he just put his hand over his belly and over the head and submerged him three times in the water."

Water was found in the baby's lungs.

The baby's godmother, Aliona Vacarciuc, said the baby had been crying as the priest submerged him in the water.

"We couldn't believe it but we thought the priest must know what he's doing, but he didn't. When we got him back there was nothing that could be done anymore," The Sun quoted her as saying.

When the baby's angry relatives confronted the priest, he told them he knew what he was doing and was experienced at baptisms, Ms Vacarciuc said.

If found guilty of accidental homicide, Father Valentin could spend three years in jail.


Click for video

**********

Man Killed Wife During Exorcism


oaoa - For the past 29 months, Jan David Clark has sat in an isolation cell in the Ector County Detention Center wondering how things could have gone so awry.

Though he admits to killing his wife during an attempted exorcism in February 2008, he maintains he never intended to harm the woman he "loved and spoiled" for 17 years.

"That was not a willing thing that took place," Clark, 63, recalled in a jailhouse interview Tuesday. "As far as I'm concerned, it's still a supernatural thing."

After more than two years of delays, Clark is scheduled to be tried this fall on murder charges in connection with the death of 59-year-old Susan K. Clark. About two dozen subpoenas were mailed Tuesday to various investigators and law enforcement officials, ordering them to appear for trial Sept. 13 in Judge Stacy Trotter's 244th District Court.

Clark was unaware of the trial date before the interview but said he is more than ready. "I've waited long enough," he said, adding he has not ruled out testifying in his own defense.

Authorities say Clark killed his wife in their Ferguson Avenue home in West Odessa. According to court filings, Clark told investigators he held his wife's face to the floor of their bathroom when the exorcized spirit from her body entered his, causing him to kill his wife.

Investigators found Susan Clark wrapped in a bed sheet on her back with a cross and a sword atop her body. Preliminary autopsy results revealed she had been suffocated, court documents show.

Clark said he regrets attempting the exorcism alone, noting a group effort would have been more appropriate.

"My intention was to confront a demon I thought she had," Clark said. "I had a pretty arrogant attitude about the whole thing."

Clark acknowledged Tuesday that he did not have "all my oars in the water" at the time of his arrest. But he insisted that murder is the wrong charge because he "did not willingly" kill his wife.

"That ain't right," Clark said of the murder charge. "Never has been."

Asked whether he should be accountable for his wife's death, Clark said he feels he has already paid his penance by spending more than two years behind bars.

"I feel like I have been held accountable already," Clark said.

Clark said he has bided his time by watching television and reading his Bible. Sgt. Gary Duesler of the Ector County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Clark has been held in "separation" because "we don't want him around other people."

"The man allegedly committed a heinous crime," Duesler said.

Clark's defense attorney, Lawrence Barber of Odessa, declined to comment on the case. District Attorney Bobby Bland, who is trying the case for the state, also declined to comment.

Over the past several months, Clark said he has grown accustomed to isolation. He said Tuesday he wouldn't join general population even if given the chance. His only complaints are the quality of the food and the temperature of his cell.

"You could hang meat in my cell," Clark said with a laugh.

Fortean / Oddball News - 7/29/2010

Legendary Green Lady Headstone Theft - Burlington, Connecticut

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 09:37 AM PDT

bristolpress - State police continue to investigate the theft of the "Green Lady" headstone from the cemetery on Upson Road.

The theft occurred during the overnight hours of July 20-21 and that more than one person was involved due to the size of the stone, according to a police press release.

A passerby reported the 200-pound headsone for Elisabeth Palmiter, who is known as the Green Lady, as is the cemetery, was missing.

Local folklore has it that Palmiter's spirit appears in a greenish mist, but with a well-defined body. The oft-vandalized site attracts paranormal investigators and youths.

Palmiter died in 1800 at age 30. The headstone is from the 1970s and replaces her original headstone, the report says.

**********

THE GREEN LADY OF BURLINGTON


Known throughout the Avon-Burlington-Simsbury region as the "Green Lady of Burlington," this restless spirit always appears in the form of a greenish mist, but with a well-defined body and a soft, pretty face lighted by an enigmatic smile.

Perhaps because of her generally happy features, quiet ways and non-threatening actions, stories about the Green Lady usually contain some imaginative explanation of her continuing presence in the town cemetery and speculation about her identity. Also, because she may be Connecticut's most boring ghost, her legends are almost always endowed by the story-teller with elements of violence or catastrophe, using motifs well-known by folklorists to "migrate" from one supernatural legend to another. So far as they can be reasonably established, however, her identity and motivations remain a total mystery. She just materializes unexpectedly, glows green for a time, smiles her sweet smile and then disappears.

Like most ghost stories, tales of the Green Lady of Burlington are most prominent in the legend repertoire of young people ranging in age, say, from early adolescence through the mid-twenties. This age group has been both active in seeking out the ghostly figure in green and in passing along accounts of her appearances. The versions of the Green Lady legend printed below were all told about twelve years ago by a student at Eastern Connecticut State College (now University), who, in characteristic fashion, was not an eyewitness to any of the things recorded in the stories. Rather, he had heard them from others and then tried to repeat what he had heard as accurately as possible.

The legends are set down here exactly as the student informant tape-recorded them, because with all their grammatical slips, digressions, repetitions, abrupt shifts in subject matter and gaps in continuity, they illustrate well the style of oral story-telling. In short, they reveal what legends really sound like at the point of transmission, before some writer has intervened to pretty them up for a reading audience. Even so, a reader of these verbatim transcripts should be able to get to know the Green Lady of Burlington and to sense the fun of immediate participation in the traditional lore she has inspired.

This is a story that concerns a lot of the people around Burlington, Connecticut. I don't live too far from there. I live in Simsbury. Most of the people around the area know the whole story. People have kept clippings, newspaper clippings, about it, since this has been going on a hundred years now. It happens at a gravesite in Burlington. It's near a dump and it's in the backwoods. It's a well-known place to go. It's closed off now. The police patrol the area and they have a fence around it, and people that are caught in the graveyard were persecuted [sic] by the police department. Of course, with so many deaths in the graveyard and people getting killed, murdered and so forth, they had to close it off for security sake. I've been down there about twice.

The story that I've heard is that the lady who used to live near the graveyard -- and this happened in the 1800s -- was drowned. There's a swamp or small lake near a house there (or a pond) and she was drowned mysteriously. I don't know if her husband had done it or someone in the area. Supposedly on her grave, she does have some remarks, but I don't quite remember what they were. Something about if you disturb her grave, she will haunt you, or whatever. She'll haunt you until she comes back -- or something like that.

But she is supposed to be green. It was a swamp area and when she had risen from the swamp, she was covered with this green slime. It looks like a green mist. Kids have been in there. There's a house right next to where she used to live. There's no lights of course. It's a back road. It's a small cemetery. And there's a story, if you were caught around her grave, something will happen. Quite a few people have seen her.

* * * * * There's numerous stories about the graveyard and this is just a story about what happened to two or three kids -- two kids, as a matter of fact -- that were in the graveyard. They were playing around the graveyard and they got startled and scared. There's two huge oaks in front of the graveyard and you can drive your car into the graveyard. They drove their car in the graveyard and they must have gotten so scared they didn't know what they were doing, apparently, and hit one of the oaks and they were killed instantly.

* * * * * The house is right near the graveyard that she [the Green Lady] used to live in and if you pass near there, there's her portrait in the window! There's only one light on in the house and that's a light on the portrait. Of course, they never have the shade [drawn]. The shades are always open and the picture may be seen from the road. She was buried right near the swamp.

* * * * * This story concerns the Green Lady, also. My brother was in there [the graveyard] once. It was about midnight or afterwards. It was in the early morning. He was in the graveyard with some of his friends. Out of nowhere a guy, apparently, with a lantern had chased them from the graveyard, screaming. Of course, they didn't wait to find out what did happen. But they did run. That, of course, is an unknown story, too. It may have been her husband or someone. I don't know. He has supposedly gone, like, mad. Also, if you bring a girl with you into the cemetery, the precaution you 're supposed to take is to cut the girl's fingernails beforehand, 'cause the Green Lady may possess her body and turn on you. And this is also another story that goes along with her.

So, there are some of the things that they say about the Green Lady of Burlington. Just remember, if you ever chance to be driving along that back road in Burlington by the town cemetery and see a lighted portrait in a window of the house nearby, don't turn in at the graveyard before clipping your fingernails. And if you do happen to come face to face with the misty-green ghost, watch out for those oaks when you leave. After all, the lady really means no harm.

Source: 'Legendary Connecticut' - David E. Philips


Legendary Green Lady Headstone Theft - Burlington, Connecticut


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