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- Seeking the Ghosts of Duffy's Cut
- Fortean / Oddball News - 8/20/2010
- British Columbia UFO Flap Continues
| Seeking the Ghosts of Duffy's Cut Posted: 20 Aug 2010 08:43 AM PDT   philadelphiaweekly - This past spring, the Chester County Paranormal Research Society asked for permission to investigate the valley at Duffy's Cut. The Duffy's Cut Project research team is deeply divided about the scientific validity of paranormal investigations—Frank Watson (along with John Ahtes, before his death) believes they are in conflict with his religious beliefs and status as a clergyman; Bill Watson remains agnostic about their validity; and Earl Schandelmeier prefers to keep an open mind about the known unknowns that lie beyond the purview of scientific fact—but after some debate they gave the go-ahead.The CCPRS team brought with them an array of sophisticated ghost-busting equipment, including cameras equipped with motion sensors and night-vision capabilities, and several electromagnetic field meters. But the device that yielded the most startling results was something called a Frank's Box, a device that scans the AM radio band and acts like a ouija board, purportedly enabling a two-way conversation between the living and the dead. Duffy's Cut Project team members Earl Schandelmeier and Robert Frank accompanied the investigators from CCPRS and both men agreed to ask questions out loud that only the 57 Irishmen could answer during sessions with the Frank's Box. These attempts to communicate with the dead took place in three half-hour segments over the course of several hours. At first, there was not much response, but as the night wore on, things got interesting: Question: Do you know Duffy? Answer: Yeah, the devil. Question: What about those homes up there? Answer: Cursed. Question: Are you with God? Answer: No ... no ... abyss. To listen to a short audio response, go to Duffy's Cut Project audio Click for video Statement from the 'Duffy's Cut Project':  In June, 1832, a group of 57 Irish immigrants from Donegal, Tyrone, and Derry arrived in Philadelphia. They were brought to Chester County by a fellow Irishman named Philip Duffy as laborers for the construction of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, Pennsylvania's pioneering railroad. Within six weeks, all were dead of cholera and possibly violence, and were buried anonymously in a ditch outside of Malvern.The Duffy's Cut Project is an ongoing archival and archaeological search into their lives and deaths and seeks to provide insight into early 19th Century attitudes about industry, immigration, and disease in Pennsylvania. With the help of the Chester County Emerald Society, we obtained an official State Historical Marker for the site in March, 2004, thereby putting Duffy's Cut on the map of history. The marker was dedicated on June 18, 2004, and was placed by us at the intersection of King Rd. and Sugartown Rd. in Malvern. Mass Murder Now Suspected of Irishmen at Duffy's Cut From August 2010 - irishcentral - The mystery of Duffy's Cut, how 57 Irish immigrants died and were anonymously buried in the summer of 1832, could be coming to a close. Two new skulls unearthed show evidence of violence and possibly a bullet hole. In the summer of 1832 a group of 57 Irish immigrants came to the area west of Philadelphia to work on the construction of the railway line. Within six weeks the men, mainly from Donegal, Tyrone and Derry, were all dead and anonymously buried in a mass grave outside the town of Malvern. For some time it was thought that the mass grave was due to an outbreak of a dangerous disease such as cholera and this was simply a way of dealing with infection. However, the new evidence paints a different picture. While the two skulls found more recently show signs of violence and a bullet hole the previous skulls unearthed also showed trauma. These grizzly finds confirm what the two leading historians on the archaeological dig feared. "This was much more than a cholera epidemic", said William Watson. Chairman of the history department at Immaculata University, William Watson and his twin brother, Frank, have been working on this archaeological mystery for almost a decade. Since 2009 the Watson brothers have uncovered seven sets of remains. One of the victims has been identified, pending DNA tests. For seven years before the brothers found nothing at the site and the hypothesized had been that the group of men had died of cholera. The disease was rampant at the time and the mortality rate was between 40 and 60 percent. They theorized that some might have been killed by vigilantes due to the anti-Irish sentiment in the 19th century America, because of tensions between the poor transient workers and the affluent residents or an intense fear of cholera. It could have been a combination of all three. Now that the Watson brothers have four skulls all with evidence of trauma they show that the men were struck in the head. Janet Monge, an anthropologist working on the site, says that at least one of the men was shot. Monge said "I don't think we need to be so hesitant in coming to the conclusion now that violence was the cause of death and not cholera, although these men might have had cholera in addition." "They do have indications on their skeletons that life was not a bowl of cherries," said Monge who is the keeper of collections at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The bones show that the laborers were muscular despite having poor diets and their teeth show that they were not wealth enough to have afforded sugary sweets. They also found coffin nails among the corpse's bones which show that some of the bodies had received some kind of formal burial. The Watsons discovered the mass grave through the personal papers of their late grandfather who had worked on the rails long after the 57 men were killed. The projects name comes from the name of the man who hired the group of Irish men, Philip Duffy, and the part of the railroad that the men were hired to build, the cut. When the immigrants died, or were killed, in 1832, Duffy ordered the shantytown, where they had lived, to be burnt and their bodies buried in the railroad fill. The Watsons say the men's families were never told of their deaths. Four months before their deaths a passenger ship, the John Stamp, arrived from Ireland. The passenger list offers the possible identity of 15 workers from Donegal, Tyrone and Derry. The Watsons believe that they have been able to identify 18-year-old John Ruddy as one of the bodies found. They compared his bone size to the ship's manifest and also found a section of teeth with a rare genetic anomaly which they believe matched with an anomaly shared by some Ruddy family members in Ireland. The DNA results should be returned in six months. The 47-year-old twins both have doctorates in history but have nothing more that introductory biology. "It has been indeed a crash course…and it's been fascinating," said Frank. Monge said "They're as professional a team as anyone I've seen out there on a site." As well as being a way of documenting the early 19th century attitudes to industry, immigration and disease in Pennsylvania the brother's ultimate goal is to find all of the men's remains and property and inter them properly, either in the U.S. or Ireland. We see this more as a recovery mission," William said. "Get them out of this ignominious burial place." Click for video Seeking the Ghosts of Duffy's Cut  |
| Fortean / Oddball News - 8/20/2010 Posted: 20 Aug 2010 07:25 AM PDT  Giant Rats Invade West Yorkshire Housing Estate Click for video sky - Wildlife experts have said reports of a colony of giant rats need to be investigated after a huge rodent was shot dead on a West Yorkshire housing estate. The culled super rat measured 30in (2.5ft) - making it as big as a bulldog - and twice the size of a normal rat. Experts believe it could be a descendent of the coypu species, a large South American rodent not seen in Britain for two decades. Brandon Goddard, 31, who shot the rat, said voluminous vermin have been invading homes on the Ravenscliffe estate in Bradford. He saw four others of the same size as he fired on the group with an air rifle. Mr Goddard told The Sun: "They were more like Ratzillas than rats. "I got out of there as fast as I could. Who knows how many there will be if they've been breeding?" Brandon, a manager at a cleaning firm, said: "The first went right past, but we got the second one. Then three more got away. "I've seen thousands of rats during the course of my work and go shooting a couple of times a week. But I've never seen any as big as this. "The one I shot was absolutely terrifying. I was shaking. Goodness knows where the others went. I'm glad I don't live there." People living on the Ravenscliffe estate said large rats often invade their homes and council officials have been called out to eradicate the problem. Thanks to Anthony for the heads up! ********** UFO-Believing Group in Cairngorms Pilgrimage stv - A UFO-based religious sect are preparing for a pilgrimage to a Cairngorms peak in a bid to meet some higher beings. Members of the Aetherius Society will trek to Creag-an-Leth-Chain this month to visit one of their "shrines". They believe the mountain is charged with spiritual energy by a "Lord of Karma". The disciples of the sect, founded in 1955 by former London cabbie Dr George King, will then take their new found energy on the next stage of their pilgrimage - to Ben Macdhui. At the peak they believe they will come face to face with members of "The Spiritual Hierarchy of Earth - once human beings who have cheated death by reaching a higher state of being. Dr King founded the group in 1955 after he claimed to have been visited by aliens from Venus and Mars. He then relayed this energy to 19 mountains of religious significance around the world, including Creag-an-Leth-Chain. David Trimble, 71, will be leading the exhibition on August 28 and has welcomed any followers from the local community to join them when they pray for the end of global warming and world peace. He said: ""When we get up to the top we will be using a service called the 12 blessings. It is an extension of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount which the cosmic beings delivered through Dr King's voicebox as he was in a higher yogic trance. "We use this process and when we are on top of Creag-an-Leth-Chain we are able to tap into an incredible amount of energy." Mr Trimble then hopes the ascend to the next peak will be repaid with a meeting with the higher beings. He said: "They are people who have gone through a process of ascension and they have decided to stay on Earth to help out the human race." Mr Trimble also revealed his interest in UFOs and extra terrestrials came from his childhood when his parents revealed their own experiences. He added: "My father was on a shoot and saw some UFOs flying over the front line of the shooting party. My wife's mother had a similar experience when she was in the Bahamas and a craft came down to her eye level and she saw a smiling face in a window of the UFO." ********** Missing Vulture Could Pose Threat In Scottish Skies BBC - Warnings have been issued to Scottish aircraft after a bird of prey, which can soar at up to 37,000 feet, went missing. The Rueppell's Griffon Vulture was flying in a display in Cumbernauld when it was caught in a gust of wind. Its handlers at the World of Wings centre could only watch as their star attraction soared high in to the sky. It is feared the seven-year-old female, named Gandalf, could pose a threat to aircraft. David Ritchie, director of the centre, said: "These birds can soar higher than any other in the world, and have recorded heights of over 36,000 feet. "Gandalf is an absolute monster bird with a 10-and-a-half foot wingspan. She poses a genuine threat to airplanes." The bird has been the star at the centre since 2006, when she was brought from Africa as part of a breeding programme. World of Wings specialises in promoting the plight of vultures, which are becoming increasingly endangered. Rueppell's Griffon Vultures are native throughout the Sahel region of central Africa but the current population of 30,000 is in decline due to ongoing loss of habitat and other pressures. Along with other birds, Gandalf is let loose to fly every day for members of the public, to show the birds "in their full glory". Airport alert Mr Ritchie also said: "She was taking part in her daily display and started to soar. She got caught in the wind and just went higher and higher until she disappeared. "We would warn people not to approach her but to call the police. She has no fear of humans and she could give someone a very severe bite. Her beak is designed to tear flesh apart." Scottish airports, the police, the Scottish SPCA, Edinburgh Zoo and Blair Drummond safari park have all been informed. National Air Traffic Services confirmed that pilots taking off and landing at Scottish airports have been warned about the vulture. A spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: "It can be quite serious. All the operators in the area have been notified." A spokesman at Cumbernauld Airport said: "With a wingspan of 10ft, it could do a lot of damage to a large aircraft. But it's also half the size of some of our small training aircraft and it could take one of them, or even a helicopter, right out." ********** Saudi Arabian Judge Asks Hospitals To Paralyze Man guardian - A Saudi judge has asked several hospitals whether they would punitively damage a man's spinal cord after he was convicted of attacking another man with a cleaver and paralysing him, local newspapers reported today. Saudi Arabia enforces strict sharia law and occasionally metes out punishments based on the ancient code of an eye for an eye. Abdul-Aziz al-Mutairi, 22, was left paralysed after a fight more than two years ago, and asked a judge to impose an equivalent punishment on his attacker under sharia law, reports said. The newspaper Okaz said the judge in northwestern Tabuk province, identified as Saoud bin Suleiman al-Youssef, asked at least two hospitals for a medical opinion on whether surgeons could render the attacker's spinal cord nonfunctional. The attacker, who was not identified, has spent seven months in jail. The reports cited the letter of response from one of the hospitals and the victim. Two of the hospitals involved and the court were closed for the Saudi weekend beginning today and could not be reached for comment. Okaz reported that a leading hospital in Riyadh – King Faisal specialist hospital – said that it would not do the operation. The article quoted a letter from the hospital saying "inflicting such harm is not possible", apparently refusing on ethical grounds. The story was also reported by Saudi English-language paper Arab News, though neither paper carried any response from a second hospital that reportedly received the request, King Khaled hospital in Tabuk province. Sharia law in Saudi Arabia allows defendants to ask for a similar punishment to harms inflicted on them. Cutting off the hands of thieves, for example, is common. Under the law, the victim can receive blood money to settle the case. Human rights group say trials in Saudi Arabia fall far below international standards. They usually take place behind closed doors and without adequate legal representation. Those who are sentenced to death are often not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them, or of the date of execution until the morning on which they are taken out and beheaded. The headless body can then be crucified in a public place as a way to set an example, according to the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islam. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has been trying to clamp down on extremist ideology, including unauthorised clerics issuing odd religious decrees. Fortean / Oddball News - 8/20/2010  |
| British Columbia UFO Flap Continues Posted: 20 Aug 2010 08:55 AM PDT   vancouversun - Reports have been flying in of an unidentified flying object hovering over Cultus Lake in Chilliwack, B.C. on Tuesday night. The story broke on The Fox's Jeff O'Neil Show Wednesday morning during their Open Phones segment. 'Dallas' called into the show to report that his girlfriend spotted some eerie lights flooding the pitch-black sky [insert Twilight Zone music here]. "At around 2 a.m., she saw some crazy-ass lights hovering over the lake," Captain Scotty of the Jeff O'Neil Show recalled to The Sun. Then, the radio show received a text from 'Wally' in Chilliwack, saying he also saw the lights Tuesday night. Since posting this article to the Sun's website, further reports have been coming in about sightings. Alick e-mailed us to say he snapped photos of the "really bright object." "I thought I noticed something odd with a really bright object in the eastern south sky towards Chilliwack," said Alick. "I thought at first it was a star or satellite but it was way too big and way too bright and it moved too fast and steady to be a helicopter spotlight." Click for video Six unidentified flying objects moving in formation over the Ministry of Finance building in Victoria on the 8th of August 2010 at 23:38 PST. Note the two central craft moving upper right to lower left of screen at 0:21 Clear skies, no noise other than street traffic. bclocalnews - While many eyes were turned towards the heavens last week to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower, at least two sets of those eyes in Qualicum Beach saw more than they bargained for. Brian Vike, a Houston, B.C. resident who heads up Sightings.com, a UFO network, said he received a report of something even more unusual than meteors on Aug. 14. The time was 10 p.m. as the two residents, whose names Vike would not release, said they were watching the meteor shower when they saw two strange lights in the eastern sky. "They caught my eye, due to their obvious colour, which differed from the stars around them," the report said. "They were flickering and shifting from red to blue and then to white. They were about as far apart as a loonie coin held at arm's length and were pinpoints of light." The report went on to say the lights were moving in an odd manner. "I was surprised to note that the two points of light then began to rotate and switched positions gradually, with the 4 o'clock light moving to the 10 o'clock position and vice versa," the report said. "Then they began to move directly apart from the 10 and 4 o'clock positions, but very slowly. The top light began to gradually fade and the bottom light subsequently blinked right out and vanished suddenly." About 15 minutes later, the two lights re-appeared, creeping slowly across the sky towards the north star. When the lights got to the little dipper, they appeared to stop moving. "They remained motionless for about a minute and then the top light began to shimmer and shake, flashing blue, red, white colours very brightly," the report said. "Three blue streams or rays of light briefly shone out of this top light and pointed towards the bottom light." After a few seconds, the bottom light increased in brightness very rapidly and "departed with shocking speed to the west." The other light, the report continued, simply ebbed away and vanished without any apparent motion. Commenting on the report, Vike said the sighting will likely remain unexplained. "The idea of what we do is to find explanations for what folks see, but there are many times we are as stumped as the witnesses, and this sighting over Qualicum Beach is a strange one," he said. "It doesn't sound like stars of any kind and what I find very interesting about this report is that the witness does seem to know what he is talking about from how he wrote his report .., he has a good knowledge of the night sky. However, as of now, this sighting definitely is going to go down as unexplained." This wasn't the only sighting on Vancouver Island recently, Vike added. On July 24 he received a report from Victoria of a huge, planet-like UFO. "I saw what looked like a gas giant planet, looking east from Victoria," the report said. "I had never seen an object so large, especially with a very bright moon." On July 22, Vike received a report of lights chasing one another over Cassidy, south of Nanaimo. "There were three very, very bright lights," the report said. "Two of them looked like they were chasing each other in circles and they did about eight loops, then immediately stopped." The speed, the writer said, appeared to be nothing that could be matched by a known aircraft. "They all had odd patterns of flashing lights," nothing I've ever seen on a known aircraft and there were very large amounts of light coming out of the forest where I was sure they disappeared into." On July 3, at Honeymoon Bay on Cowichan Lake, a report came in of a bright light approaching from the west as a group of friends sat around a campfire. "When it was overhead we all noticed a smaller light trailing directly behind, which was too far back to be attached to any airplane that is known to man," the report said. "The lights proceeded east and disappeared beyond the horizon." Finally, a thin, curved object was reported over Victoria on March 8. "I was in the passenger seat of my friend's car when driving in downtown Victoria," the report said. I looked out over the inner harbour and in the sky was what I thought to be a flying V of geese at a weird angle. I kept looking and they weren't moving. I saw pedestrians pointing at it. I saw it between buildings for a total of about two minutes." NOTE: UFO Digest has just posted an article referencing the possibility of a Sasquatch / UFO connection. The examination is being done by Vancouver's TrailriderResearch. Here is a previous video from the group also...Lon British Columbia UFO Flap Continues Send us an email   New Items - Strickler's Celebrity Autographs   "The latest news from beyond the mainstream" Join Ben & Aaron for their weekly podcast! Check out Mysterious Universe Plus+ all access format!  Spirit Rescue International Providing professional spiritual help, support and guidance worldwide SPIRIT RESCUE INTERNATIONAL - HAUNTED HELP FORUM We created this community for people from all backgrounds around the world to discuss Spiritual, Paranormal, Metaphysical, Philosophical, Supernatural, Complementary Therapies, and Esoteric subjects. From Astral Projection to Pranic Healing, Angels to Reiki, all topics are welcome. 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