Phantoms and Monsters

Legendary Humanoids - Tikbalang, the Demon Horse
Upcoming Press Conference: UFOs Shut Down Nuclear Weapons
Fortean / Oddball News - 7/15/2010
STOP Killing 'Blue Dogs'!
Pennsylvania MUFON - Philadelphia UFO Awareness Day 2010

Legendary Humanoids - Tikbalang, the Demon Horse

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 11:16 AM PDT

Some mythical creatures have their origin in tradition and tales from the distant past. However, each culture is associated with a multitude of interesting and odd creatures, many of these beings are humanoids. One of these legendary humanoids is the Tikbalang.

The Tikbalang (many different spellings are used - translates as 'demon horse') is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and forests of the Philippines. It is generally described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down. It has the head and feet of an animal, most commonly a horse. It has been compared to the half-man, half-horse centaur from Greek mythology. It travels at night to rape female mortals who will then give birth to more Tikbalang. It is sometimes believed to be a transformation of an aborted fetus which has been sent to earth from limbo.

Tikbalangs are very playful with people, and they usually make a person imagine things that aren't real. Sometimes a Tikbalang will drive a person crazy. Legends say that when rain falls while the sun is shining, a pair of Tikbalangs are being wed. Since horses only arrived in the Philippine archipelago during the Spanish invasion, there is a theory that the image of a half-horse, half-man creature was propagated by the conquistadors to keep the natives afraid of the night. There are stories claiming that the Tikbalang are actually half-bird, half-man creatures, much like the Japanese Tengu.

A traveler who finds himself lost and suspects that a Tikbalang is leading him astray may counteract it by wearing his shirt inside out. Another countermeasure is to verbally ask permission to pass by, or to avoid making too much noise while in the woods so as not to offend or disturb the Tikbalang.

Folklore says that one can tame a Tikbalang and compel it to be one's servant by plucking three golden hairs from its mane. There are also stories where a Tikbalang asks its intended prey a riddle. Someone who manages to answer correctly will be rewarded with a pot of gold.

Other legends depict the Tikbalang as a monster of the night, with eyes that glow red. This version of the Tikbalang casts it as a fearsome creature, a real danger to people. It is believed that when it is angered - and it is easily angered - it stomps on people with its hooves until they die. In these tales, the Tikbalang is always accompanied by the stench of burning hair and smokes great big cigars.

It is said that delirious town folk who have stumbled their way into town after long absences tell of how an apparation resembling a Tikbalang pushed and slapped them, often knocking them over and not allowing them to right themselves; all the while shaking with nervous, childish giggling. People say that the cessation of resistance or protest will suddenly lead a victim to find themselves alone in the woods, plunged into darkness; the sun long set. The path home, recalled by the few who return after a disappearance, is hampered by a severe sense of disorientation and a forest that seems to curl in on itself repeatedly.

Sources:
www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.wisegeek.com
www.monstropedia.org
www.theequinest.com

Legendary Humanoids - Tikbalang, the Demon Horse

Upcoming Press Conference: UFOs Shut Down Nuclear Weapons

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 10:38 AM PDT

technorati - Despite the U.S. military's insistence that UFOs ceased to be of any scientific or national security interest after publication of the Condon Report in 1968, nuclear missile installations around the world have been a frequent target of UFO activity and, in some cases, otherwise inexplicable shut-downs.

This is a fact verified by both government documents obtained through FOIA requests, as well as eyewitness testimony.

One such incident occurred at Malstrom AFB, home of the 341st Missile Wing in central Montana. On the morning of March 16, 1967, Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander (DMCCC) Robert Salas was on duty inside Malstrom's subterranean Oscar-Flight Launch Control Center (LCC) capsule near Roy, Montana when he received a call from a "clearly frightened" topside security officer reporting that a UFO was hovering over the front gate.

Alarms sounded moments later as, one after another, up to eight Minuteman missiles went into "no-go" (inoperable) condition.

On September 27 of this year, Robert Salas, together with UFO researcher Robert Hastings, will host a press conference at the National Press Club addressing the issue of UFO interference with nuclear missile facilities over the years.

This interference, widely-known and well-documented, is glaringly inconsistent with the U.S. military's repeated statements that it has no interest in UFOs. According to Hastings, more than 100 former U.S. Air Force nuclear weapons installation personnel have come forward with information that contradicts the military's no-see-um stance.

Upcoming Press Conference: UFOs Shut Down Nuclear Weapons

Fortean / Oddball News - 7/15/2010

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 09:53 AM PDT

British Boy Lands 5 lb Goldfish

When schoolboy angler Nick Richards felt a tug on his fishing line, he was hoping it was a carp. However, the 16-year-old was amazed when he reeled in a 5lb goldfish, which was 16ins long. The whopper is thought to be the biggest ever in Britain. It is thought that the fish was abandoned in the lake in Poole, Dorset, by its owner after outgrowing its tank and has rapidly expanded in size since. Nick, from Camberley, Surrey, who has just finished taking his GCSEs at Collingwood College, Camberley, said: 'I had gone to the lake to fish for carp – I'd heard rumors there might be some big carp there and thought I'd see for myself. 'I was there for two days running and caught some big common carp. 'Then suddenly I saw this big orange fish cruising along the top of the lake. 'I was using a rod and line intended to catch carp, so it wasn't exactly a fair fight – I wasn't too much trouble to reel it in.'

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Cuban Picked Up in Styrofoam Raft Off the Keys

A Cuban man's journey to freedom took quite a bit of ingenuity and nearly ended his life.

On Tuesday, U.S. Coast Guard officers rescued a severely dehydrated man from a homemade boat made mostly of Styrofoam near the Florida Keys.

The unidentified man told authorities he had cast off from Havana on June 20. A picture of the white boat shows a few pieces of metal helped outfit the vessel and a plastic gallon jug was still inside.

The amazing voyage comes just days after the Cuban government began releasing political prisoners in a move that was viewed internationally as a sign things were getting better on the island.

The fact that someone was willing to risk their life on a raft made of Styrofoam might prove otherwise.

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How In Hell Did He Survive That! ^

kcoy - Not much is left of a Santa Maria Police cruiser after it was wrapped around a tree early Sunday morning.

The powerful impact nearly split the squad car in two stopping just short of the officer sitting behind the wheel.

"That car is the worst police traffic collision I have seen here at this police department in 35 years", says SMPD Chief Dan Macagni.

Macagni says Officer Damon Badnell was responding to a call for help from another officer on foot chasing a burglary suspect in the north end of town.

"It had just rained, the roads were slick and for unknown reasons he lost control of the car at Main and Broadway", Macagni says.

Officer Badnell is being treated for broken bones at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where doctors are optimistic about his recovery.

A three year veteran of the Santa Maria Police Department, Damon Badnell is a husband and father who grew up in the area and was just awarded by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for making the most DUI arrests in the city.

"It's unbelievable he's alive and survived this crash", adds Chief Macagni.

In a separate incident earlier that same Sunday morning, Summer Ramirez and her family were awoken by the sound of a suspected stolen car crashing into the first grade classroom at St. Mary's school in Santa Maria.

"If it had happened during the day time it could have killed a bunch of children", Ramirez says holding her young daughter.

It was a dramatic end to a high speed police chase that began in Pismo Beach after a report of a stolen car in Shell Beach.

"Grateful that since 1938 nothing like this has ever happened at the school", says St. Mary's principal Carmen Vadillo, "so I guess once every 72 years isn't such a bad record."

Insurance is expected to cover the cost of repairing the school classroom.

But cash-strapped St. Mary's will have to scrape up the $2,500 deductible and then get the green light from the city to have the work done in time for the start of school next month.

20 year old Marcus Lee Williams was arrested after the high speed chase and booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail with bail set at $25,000.

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Russian Boy Dies During Exorcism

WashPost - A four year-old boy with pneumonia suddenly died after his parents took him to a spiritual healer in an attempt to cure him, investigators in Russia's Far East said on Wednesday.

Traditional shaman healers, who have practiced in some areas of Siberia and the far east for thousands of years, have experienced a revival since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union ended repression by the Communist authorities.

Identified by Russian media as Dmitry Kazachuk, the boy's family brought him to a female shaman in his village in the Pacific Ocean region of Primorsky Krai on Sunday, where the ancient shamanic practice of mediating between the human and spiritual worlds is common.

"The investigation has established that the child died during non-traditional medical treatment," said Avrora Rimskaya from the Prosecutor General's investigative committee, adding that the exact cause of death remains unknown.

State television Rossiya 24 showed a picture of the smiling, black-haired boy, who was from the village of Sergeyevka, 135 km (84 miles) north of the regional capital Vladivostok.

Pavel Astakhov, who oversees children's rights in Russia, blamed Kazachuk's parents for his death, who acted out of "arrogance and irresponsibility," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Popular Russian tabloid Tvoi Den said the boy was left alone with the shaman after the family were hypnotized. When the parents returned to the room the boy was dead, the report said.

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'Trigger' Sold to Nebraska TV Station

A Nebraska cable TV network ponied up $266,500 for Roy Rogers' stuffed and mounted horse, Trigger, at an auction in New York City on Wednesday.

The movie cowboy's faithful companion was bought by the cable company RFD-TV in Omaha, Neb., at a Christie's auction of items from the now-closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Mo.

Trigger's sale price outpaced the estimated $100,000 to $200,000 it was expected to fetch, with many other items also selling far above estimate.

RFD-TV's chief financial officer Steve Campione says Rogers reflects the company's values. The network airs mainly agricultural, equine and country living programming.

The company's owner, Patrick Gottsch, wanted to buy the whole Rogers collection but didn't have time to work out the deal, Campione said.

"It came to our attention a little too late," Campione said. "By the time we lined up the right financing and kind of got our arms around the value of the collection, it was literally 24 hours ago."

Auctioneer Cathy Elkies said it was the "most colorful, emotional and sentimental" sale she had experienced in her 20 years at Christie's. Many of the bidders in the packed hall came in Western attire and cowboy boots, and there were more than a few tears.

Rogers' son Roy Jr. cried at the beginning of the sale as he spoke of the family's decision to auction Roy's belongings.

"We hope you get a piece of Roy and Dale and take it home and you'll get to pass it on to your children," he said.

There also were strong emotions among Jamie Nudie, Mary Lynn Cabrall and Julie Ann Ream, who flew in from Los Angeles to reclaim a piece of their personal history.

Nudie's grandfather was the "rodeo tailor" who designed Rogers' colorful Western outfits, as well as Rogers' silver-dollar encrusted 1964 Bonneville convertible that sold for $254,500 on the auction block.

The three women have carried on Nudie's Western tailoring business, and they were there to reclaim the Nudie trailer shaped like a covered wagon that the tailor had given to Rogers as a gift in the 1960s. Ream broke down in tears when her paddle went up and she got the trailer for $3,000 without a fight. The trailer was expected to fetch between $5,000 and $8,000.

"For it to come back into our family — it's amazing," she said.

Ream, the niece of another famous singing cowboy, Rex Allen, said her family was close friends with the Rogers' family. She said some of Rogers' children didn't support the auction, and she didn't think Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans, would have wanted the collection dispersed either.

"They are spinning in their graves right now," she said.

Cabrall, also a family friend, had another take on Rogers' wishes.

"Roy always said, `When I'm dead, skin me and put me up on Trigger,'" she said. "It's a famous quote. If he got his wish, he'd be up here for sale today."

Rogers had Trigger preserved with taxidermy and mounted rearing on its hind legs in 1965. The presale estimate for the horse was $100,000 to $200,000.

Roy Jr. said it was difficult to put the collection up for auction, but he said Rogers had told the family to sell the museum collection if it stopped making money and became a burden.

"You're smiling out of one side of the face and crying out of the other," he said.

As for Trigger's new owner, Campione says RFD-TV hopes to start its own Western museum and is looking to buy more Rogers items.

In the meantime, Trigger will be put to pasture at either the network's office lobby or Gottsch's house until final plans are made.

Other items auctioned Wednesday included Roy's first guitar, which sold for $8,750, compared to an estimated high of $3,000; his first boots, which sold for $7,500, compared to an estimate of $4,000; and a charm bracelet that sold for $20,000, compared to an estimate of $9,000.

All sale prices include the buyer's premium of 25 percent for most items, or 20 percent for prices in excess of $50,000.

The auction was to continue Thursday with more than 1,000 items, including the Rogers' family dinner table, toy six-shooters, Rogers-themed tin lunchboxes and the Jeep "Nellybelle" from the Roy Rogers TV show.

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Tiny Mushroom Blamed For Mysterious Deaths In China

BBC - A tiny mushroom, little known to scientists, is behind some 400 sudden deaths in China, experts say.

For 30 years, during the rainy season, scores of villagers in Yunnan province have died suddenly of cardiac arrest.

Following a five-year investigation, researchers from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Beijing say they have the culprit.

The mushroom, know as Little White, belongs to the Trogia genus and has three toxic amino acids, experts say.

Researchers found that the deaths, known as Yunnan Sudden Death Syndrome, occurred almost always during rainy season (from June to August), and at an altitude of 1800-2400m (5900-7900ft).

"We heard amazing stories about how people would drop dead in the middle of a conversation," Zhang Shu, a cardiologist who took part in the CDC study, told Science magazine.

"About two-thirds of victims, in the hours before death experienced symptoms such as heart palpitations, nausea, dizziness, seizures and fatigue," he said.

The investigation was initially hampered by language barriers, and the remote locations of the Yunnan villages.

However, in 2008, the scientists noted that the Little White mushroom was often found in the homes where people had died.

Yunnan province is well-known for its wild mushrooms, many of which are exported at high prices.

Families, who make their living by collecting and selling the fungi, eat the Little White as it has no commercial value - it is too small and turns brown shortly after being picked.

A campaign to warn people against eating the tiny mushrooms has dramatically reduced the number of deaths. There have been no reported deaths so far this year.

However, the scientists are carrying out further tests to find out why the mushroom is so lethal, as testing found the mushroom contained toxins, though not enough to be deadly.

"What's happening in Yunnan isn't expected from any other mushroom toxin," said Robert Fontaine, a US epidemiologist who took part in the investigation.

"What we have here is a toxin that is picking off vulnerable people," he told Science.

He suggested that the toxins could be acting together with high concentrations of barium, a heavy metal, in the local water supply.

Fortean / Oddball News - 7/15/2010

STOP Killing 'Blue Dogs'!

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 08:27 AM PDT

Click for video

Click for video

NOTE: These creatures are not 'chupacabras'. Most likely, these 'blue dogs' are a hybrid species of Mexican wolf and another canine species. Ken Gerhard and Jon Downes have done extensive study and have written about this cryptid canine. I just wish people would stop killing the 'blue dog' just because it's been given the 'chupacabras' moniker. Below are previous posts on this cryptid...Lon

STOP Killing 'Blue Dogs'!

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Searching For 'Texas Blue Dogs' Facts

kdnews - Mystery and science fiction novels are a weekend hobby for some, but one local couple is turning their free time to attempting to solve strange mysteries in nature.

Richard and Naomi West just returned from a weeklong trip around Texas collecting pictures and video based on reports of strange blue-skinned, dog-like animals around the state that some have called the answer to the "chupacabre."

The Wests, along with the founder of a British nonprofit supporting cryptozoology, hope their reports from the expedition will help them gain support for a more in-depth mission to study and hopefully capture what they believe is not a being of folklore, but a new species of canine similar to a coyote.

"It is a very weird and very interesting member of the dog family; it has nothing to do with this weird folklore," said Jonathan Downes, a former zoological journalist and self-taught amateur "cryptozoologist" from West Devon, England.

Almost 20 years ago, Downes founded the Centre for Fortean Zoology, a nonprofit devoted to cryptology with more than 400 amateur and professional members interested in cryptozoology, the study of unknown species.

Naomi West, an English teacher at Copperas Cove High School, said she was always interested in reading about mysteries and strange phenomenon, but two years ago she joined the student book club and ran across an interesting book during "books with bite" week. While her students were reading about monsters and vampires, Naomi found a somewhat fictionalized account of Downes' cryptozoological expeditions to find new species, "Three Men Hunting Monsters."

She was hooked and contacted Downes about her interest. Eventually, Naomi and her husband began helping Downes by tracking down through the grapevine and media reports of the blue-skinned chupacabre creature.

The media have reported from Elmendorf to Blanco to Cuero about sightings of a mysterious blue-skinned creature as a possible chupacabre.

The chupacabre is a Spanish folklore creature that sucks the blood of livestock, and has been reported in various kinds of animals from small and reptilian to the blue-skinned canine all over the world from Russia to Puerto Rico to Texas.

John Young, the non-game mammologist with the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, is the state agency's expert on the Texas chupacabre reports of strange blue-skinned animals. His responsibilities cover the state's cats, bats, rats and other smaller mammals.

Texas Parks and Wildlife's take on these reports has been simpler than a new animal or a mythological beast.

"None of them have been confirmed as anything other than a coyote or a fox," Young said.

Even though people may know what coyotes look like normally, Young said a severe case of mange can cause a coyote or fox to lose all of its hair, sometimes leaving just a strip along the back.

Without fur to protect its skin, the coyote is exposed to sun and elements that can give them a blue or blue-black appearance over time. The sickness can cause the animal to act strangely, and once it has died from the mange the animal's skin pulls back giving it the appearance of larger teeth than normal.

Of course, there are also some people who have attempted to create their own chupacabre creatures, Young said, but most people aren't doing that.

"The majority of people … they're honestly seeing an animal that baffles them," he said. "But we have yet to have found one that didn't tie back to a coyote or one of our other native canines."

Downes said that coyotes with mange are the solution to several of the reports, but there is also another unknown creature that deserves to be studied to identify a potential new species.

Downes and the CFZ believe there are physical differences, particularly visible in one blue-and-black skinned creature that was shot and stuffed in Cuero that show the creature nothing like a coyote.

The main point of Downes' trip to Texas with his wife, Corinna, and their expedition with the Wests has been to prove that there is a potential new species that deserves to be studied.

"What they are, why they are like that and where they fit into the ecosystem," he said. "I spend a lot of time trying to convince people this is a canine that is deserving of being studied."

Attempting to stir up interest

For now, the Wests and the Downes are just trying to stir up interest. And in their recent trip, Richard West said they found a lot of interest in cryptology and other weird phenomena that they want to encourage.

Naomi West wants to start a Web site aimed at children to help use their interest in new species and mystery creatures to get them interested in sciences and mysteries.

"It's something I'm interested in and it's something the kids are always interested in," she said. "There's a gap in the sciences and I have a sincere interest in helping the science aspect of it."

NOTE: there certainly have been many reports of these creatures just to simply state these are coyotes with mange. I heard that Mexican Wolf DNA turned up in one of these animals....but I can't confirm that. Is this a strange hybrid or possibly a new species. The fact that Jonathan Downes of the Centre for Fortean Zoology and Texas Blue Dogs, who I have considerable respect for, is investigating these creatures adds credibility to this study...Lon

Searching For 'Texas Blue Dogs' Facts

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Bizarre Animal Captured In Oklahoma....Blue Dog?

bin - A bizarre-looking animal that has been roaming the countryside of rural Mayes County has been captured and turned over to wildlife experts in Claremore.

Jeremy Scheffel says he first encountered the creature on his back porch a few weeks ago. When he turned on the outside light he saw the animal scurry away. It looked so strange, he says he thought he was losing his mind.

Scheffel decided to try to capture it. His friend Josh Cook set out a trap and within 24 hours had succeeded."It looks like a huge rat. It's kind of creepy," Scheffel said.

He says it's known as the Dry Gulch chupacabra, after the legendary animal that supposedly sucks the blood of goats.

NOTE: Possibly a 'Blue Dog', though this one seems to be smaller...check out Jonathan Downes' Texas Expedition 2010 blog.

Bizarre Animal Captured In Oklahoma....Blue Dog?

Pennsylvania MUFON - Philadelphia UFO Awareness Day 2010

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 08:05 AM PDT

PA MUFON PRESENTS PHILADELPHIA UFO AWARENESS DAY 2010
The PA Chapter of the Mutual UFO Network is holding a free Public UFO Awareness Day on Sunday, July 18, 2010 from Noon until 6:00 pm GERM Books & Gallery in Fishtown.

Increased awareness leads to increased reports of UFO activity. Since the now famous Bucks County UFO incidents of 2008, Southeastern PA has become a hotbed of increased reported UFO activity. For the third consecutive year, The Pennsylvania Chapter of the Mutual UFO Network (or PA MUFON) is hosting "Philadelphia UFO Awareness Day" at GERM Books & Gallery, 2005 Frankford Avenue in the heart of Fishtown, Philadelphia, PA. Headlining this year's free event of speakers is Dr. David M. Jacobs of Temple University. Dr. Jacobs, accomplished scholar and author, is the foremost authority on UFOs & Alien Abductions. Speaking along with Dr. Jacobs are 5 of the area's authorities on UFOs & Alien Abductions: PA MUFON Chief Investigator, Bob Gardner; PA MUFON State Section Directors, Mike "Doc" Melton & Bill Weber; and independent UFO researchers Mark Passio & Chris Augustin. PA MUFON Field Investigators will also be on hand to take confidential reports of UFO activity from the public.

GERM Books, which has sponsored the monthly Philadelphia UFO MeetUp Group for the last 5 years, is a truly alternative independent bookstore that provides access to ideologically unpopular books addressing difficult social topics. MUFON established in 1969 is one of the oldest and the largest UFO investigative organizations in the United States. MUFON has more than 3000 members worldwide with a majority of its members in the USA. MUFON operates a worldwide network of Regional & State Directors and certified Field Investigators to confidentially investigate UFO sighting Reports.

For more information about this event or to schedule an interview with a PA MUFON representative, please call Bob Gardner at cripplers08@aol.com.

Regards,

Bob Gardner
PA MUFON Chief Investigator
MUFON Field Investigator #12347
MUFON STAR Team Member
Philadelphia, PA

www.mufonpa.com

www.mufon.com

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