Thursday, January 20, 2011

Phantoms and Monsters

Phantoms and Monsters

Link to Phantoms and Monsters

Edgar Allen Poe Toaster May Be 'Nevermore'

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 12:30 PM PST

A Jan. 19, 2008 file photo shows the original grave of Edgar Allan Poe, with a bottle of cognac and roses left by a mysterious visitor in Baltimore

baltimoresun - Maybe the time for nevermore is finally here.

For the second year in a row, the mysterious Poe Toaster failed to show up at his namesake's Baltimore grave this morning. And the curator of the Poe House, who has spent years protecting the famed writer's legacy and fanning the flames of the toaster's legend, is about ready to give up on the ghost.

"I will be here in 2012, but that will be it," said a weary Jeff Jerome, who stayed by Poe's gravesite until 5:45 a.m. waiting for the toaster. "If he's a no show, I will officially pronounce the tradition dead."

Not that Poe, dead for 161 years, or the toaster, missing for two, are without fans — or potential successors. Jerome said four toaster wannabes showed up at the gravesite with the requisite cognac and red roses. But all, he insisted, were pretenders to the tradition, not the real thing. Even though the toaster's identity has remained secret — even Jerome swears he never knew a name or clearly saw a face — his general appearance remained constant. None of the four who showed up this morning matched it.

"They were not our boy," he said. "We can usually tell within a few seconds. We've been seeing this guy for a number of years, and I could tell just by looking at them that they were not the real Poe toaster."

For some 60 years, the toaster would appear every Jan. 19 to pay tribute to Poe, a Boston native who died on Oct. 7, 1849 in Baltimore under circumstances that have never been fully explained. Arriving at the gravesite without fanfare, he would leave behind three red roses and a bottle of cognac, then quietly disappear into the night.

Last year's no-show was the first since at least 1949. Speculation over the true identity of the Poe toaster has raged for years. Many names have been floated, including a Fells Point prankster who died in 2010, an ad man who said he started the tradition as a publicity stunt, a father-and-son team, even Jerome himself.

But Jerome, who has been shepherding the tradition since 1977, insists it's not him. And none of the other possibilities have conclusively panned out.

About a dozen people waited outside the gates of the Westminster Burying Grounds on Fayette Street this morning, but as dawn approached, it was clear the true toaster would not be showing up. Jerome eventually opened the gate and allowed the visitors to leave their own tributes on Poe's grave.

Interest in Poe, the writer of such mystery and horror classics as "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat," remains strong. Here in Baltimore, there's an NFL football team that invokes the name of one of Poe's most famous poems, "The Raven," every time it takes to the field. More than 100 fans gathered at Westminster Hall in November to watch an evening of Poe-related films, and a new movie based on Poe's life recently finished filming in Belgrade, with John Cusack playing the melancholy author.

Jerome said he appreciated the enthusiasm of the four would-be toasters, each of whom made far-too-grandiose an entrance to be the real thing. But if the real toaster is gone, he said, it's time to let the tradition die.

"If it is over, let it die a noble death," he pleaded.

And if someone is intent on keeping the tradition going?

"After next year, they'll have to be climbing over the fence," Jerome said. "They'll have to wait until the cemetery gates open during the day."

-----------

Edgar Allan Poe to Receive the Funeral He Should Have Had


Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum looks over a replica of the body of Edgar Allan Poe, in Baltimore, Monday, Oct. 5, 2009. The Poe House will host a viewing of a replica of the body of Poe on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, followed by the funeral he never had on Sunday.

yahoo.com - For Edgar Allan Poe, 2009 has been a better year than 1849. After dozens of events in several cities to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth, he's about to get the grand funeral that a writer of his stature should have received when he died.

One hundred sixty years ago, the beleaguered, impoverished Poe was found, delirious and in distress outside a Baltimore tavern. He was never coherent enough to explain what had befallen him since leaving Richmond, Va., a week earlier. He spent four days in a hospital before he died at age 40.

Poe's cousin, Neilson Poe, never announced his death publicly. Fewer than 10 people attended the hasty funeral for one of the 19th century's greatest writers. And the injustices piled on. Poe's tombstone was destroyed before it could be installed, when a train derailed and crashed into a stonecutter's yard. Rufus Griswold, a Poe enemy, published a libelous obituary that damaged Poe's reputation for decades.

But on Sunday, Poe's funeral will get an elaborate do-over, with two services expected to draw about 350 people each — the most a former church next to his grave can hold. Actors portraying Poe's contemporaries and other long-dead writers and artists will pay their respects, reading eulogies adapted from their writings about Poe.

"We are following the proper etiquette for funerals. We want to make it as realistic as possible," said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum.

Advance tickets are sold out, although Jerome will make some seats available at the door to ensure packed houses. Fans are traveling from as far away as Vietnam.

The funeral is arguably the splashiest of a year's worth of events honoring the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth. Along with Baltimore — where he spent some of his leanest years in the mid-1830s — Poe lived in or has strong connections to Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Richmond.

With the funeral angle covered, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond staged a re-enactment last weekend of his death. Those with a more academic interest in Poe can attend the Poe Studies Association's annual conference from Thursday through Sunday in Philadelphia.

Visitors in Baltimore for the funeral can enjoy a new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art, "Edgar Allan Poe: A Baltimore Icon," which includes chilling illustrations to "The Raven" by Edouard Manet.

Baltimore has a decided advantage over the other cities that lay claim to Poe, notes BMA director Doreen Bolger. "We have the body," she said.

This week, that's true in more ways than one. Jerome said he's gotten calls from people who thought he was going to exhume Poe's remains and rebury them.

"When they dug up Poe's body in 1875 to move it, it was mostly skeletal remains," Jerome said. "I've seen remains of people who've been in the ground since that time period, and there's hardly anything left."

Instead, Jerome commissioned local special-effects artist Eric Supensky to create an eerily lifelike — or deathlike — mock-up of Poe's corpse.

"I got chills," Jerome said Monday upon seeing the body for the first time. "This is going to freak people out."

The body will lie in state for 12 hours Wednesday at the Poe House, a tiny rowhome in a gritty section of west Baltimore. Visitors are invited to pay their respects.

Following the viewing will be an all-night vigil at Poe's grave at Westminster Burying Ground. Anyone who attends will have the opportunity to deliver a tribute.

On Sunday morning, a horse-drawn carriage will transport the replica of Poe's body from his former home to the graveyard for the funeral.

Actor John Astin, best known as Gomez Addams on TV's "The Addams Family," will serve as master of ceremonies.

"It's sort of a way of saying, 'Well, Eddie, your first funeral wasn't a very good one, but we're going to try to make it up to you, because we have so much respect for you,'" said Astin, who toured as Poe for years in a one-man show.

The service won't be a total lovefest, however. The first eulogy will come from none other than Griswold.

"People are asking me, 'Jeff, why are you inviting him? He hated Poe!'" Jerome said. "The reason is, most of these people defended Poe in response to what he said about Poe's life, so we can't have this service without having old Rufus sitting in the front row, spewing forth his hatred."

Eulogies will follow from actors portraying, among others, Sarah Helen Whitman, a minor poet whom Poe courted after his wife's death, and Walt Whitman, who attended the dedication of Poe's new gravestone in 1875 but didn't feel well enough to speak. Writers and artists influenced by Poe, including Arthur Conan Doyle and Alfred Hitchcock, will also be represented.

Jerome expects to cry — one reason he won't be speaking. Even his rivals are impressed with the scale of the tribute.

"Annoyed as I am with Baltimore sometimes, I have to give them credit," said Philadelphia-based Poe scholar Edward Pettit, who argues his city was of greater importance to Poe's life and literary career. "Baltimore has done an awful lot to maintain the legacy of Poe over the last 100-some years."

NOTE: The Poe House has a variety of paranormal activity. I've been there for a seance several years ago and I have talked to several mediums who have gone through the house. Poe's spirit definitely lingers in the area and a dark cloaked apparition is seen moving along the streets at night. As far as the house, the activity seems to be that of a female spirit who is known to appear during tours on occasion.

-----------

THE EDGAR ALLAN POE HOUSE AND MUSEUM

baltimorestories.com - Every city has a great deal of history, but Baltimore in particular has a lot of haunted history, which makes it the perfect place to be on Halloween. For those looking to celebrate Halloween in a more historical way, the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum holds a special performance in honor of the fall holiday.

The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum is located in the city, not far from Poe's actual gravesite. It is a small house that consists of five main rooms: an entranceway room, a kitchen and three bedrooms. Poe's bedroom is located in the attic of the house, and the tiny home includes no bathrooms of any sort.

"Poe's room, as well as the house, can be so small because people used to be a lot shorter back when he was alive," said Jeff Jerome, the curator of the museum. "Poe was 5-foot-8-inches, which was tall back then. The average height of men was 5-foot-5-inches."

The staircase leading up to Poe's attic can barely fit one person at a time. Everything about the house where Poe grew up reeks of a time when things were different, when Baltimore wasn't even a city.

"When Poe lived here, Baltimore was very country. When he looked out his window he saw fields," said Jerome.

That was back in the 1830s. Today, 175 years later, Baltimore is a completely different place. However, the Poe house still stands and other than a small addition to the kitchen and some missing furniture, it stands in the same condition as it did back when Poe began to write short stories.

This timeline tells more about Poe's history in Baltimore.

The tour of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum is mostly self-guided, but Jerome, who has been curator since 1979, is more than willing to answer any questions.

"I just hate when people who have visited the house ask me if I live here. There's just no way that I could."

Instead, Jerome resides in Anne Arundel County.

"Many people think that I live and breathe Poe," he said, "but really, I'm just good at what I do. I don't think I'll ever reach a point where I can say that I know all there is to know about Poe. It's like any job, and I like that I'm always learning new things."

Jerome was surprised to find out that Poe enjoyed the story of "Frankenstein," and that he was allergic to perfume.

Before becoming curator of the museum, Jerome did volunteer work for the city.

"I really like Baltimore because of the people here. Everything in this city is nearby, as opposed to a big city like New York," he said. Jerome also said that the house is interesting for any visitor.

"I don't suggest kids coming to the Halloween performance though."

The play can be pretty scary. It's held in the overcrowded bedroom of Virginia Poe, Poe's cousin who was also his wife.

"When Poe married his cousin, she was 13 years old and he was seven," Jerome said. "This may sound weird, but applying today's social standards to a time when things were different is unfair. Consider that women during this time had a life expectancy of about 25 years, and in Maryland law even today it is legal for cousins to get married."

People back then married inside of their families because of money.

"It was a way for them to keep their money," he said. "But Poe didn't have any money, so in his case it must have been love. Even people that hated Poe could not say anything about him and Virginia because they really were in love."

The Halloween play does not capture this romance. It is actually an acting out of one of Poe's poems. This year, local actor Tony Tsendeas performed "A Tell-Tale Heart." Tsendeas has been performing for the Halloween play on and off for 20 years.

"We started the play in 1983 because people were asking for a Halloween event," said Jerome. "Since then we have decided that A Tell-Tale Heart,' is the best poem to perform because it's quick and easy to follow along with."

Some years, when Tsendeas doesn't perform, a Poe look-a-like comes in and performs monologues from Poe's point of view.

"Either way it's good way to get the local talent out there," Jerome said.

Every year, the play is performed throughout the day on the Saturday and Sunday before and after Halloween.

As for whether the ghost of Poe comes out during the season, Jerome really has no comment.

Fortean / Alternative News: Japan's Rabbit Paradise, Potato Gun Maiming and Companies Who Support Internet Censoring

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 11:59 AM PST

Imperial Army Poison Gas Facility Now Japan's Rabbit Paradise

mainichi - An island here which used be a poison gas production site for the Imperial Japanese Army is gaining popularity as a rabbit paradise.

Many visitors to Okunoshima Island, located some three kilometers off the Hiroshima Prefectural city of Takehara, are bringing their cameras to take photographs of the rabbits, next year's zodiac animal, for their New Year's greeting cards and personal blog sites. Today, there are some 300 rabbits living on the island.

The small island of about four kilometers in circumference used to be a base for the Imperial Army's lethal gas production between 1929 and 1945. It was once erased from the map of Japan for security reasons.

The poison gas produced at the site took the lives of many people in China and other battlefronts, and former facility workers are continuing to suffer from health ailments caused by the gas.

Today, the island is uninhabited, but the remains of the facility buildings, including gas containers and a power plant, are still there.

It is believed that rabbits were first taken to the island in 1971, after an elementary school in Takehara found it difficult to keep the animals at school. According to the Kyukamura Okunoshima resort hotel, most of the visitors to the island consisted of students on school study trips and senior tourists.

However, as the island became known as a rabbit habitat, the hotel began to receive more reservations from young women and families. The rabbits became popular for their adorable gesture asking for food.

Since this autumn, the number of tourists to the island increased sharply, and the ferry connecting Takehara and the island had 1.4 times more passengers in November compared to the previous year.

The Kyukamura resort hotel held a design contest for New Year's cards featuring the rabbits and issued a dummy residence certificate for the island to its frequent visitors while offering free ferry rides to them.

A woman from the prefectural city of Onomichi, who visited the island with her two daughters, said, "I learned about the island on the Internet, and it is my first visit. I've taken about 200 photographs, and would like to introduce them on my blog."


Click for video

**********

The Bountiful, B.C. Cult

ctvbc - The isolated polygamous commune of Bountiful, B.C., is a "cult" where religion is used to control residents and take away their rights, says the brother of one the community's leaders.

Truman Oler, whose brother James leads one of two divided factions within Bountiful, left the fundamentalist Mormon community in southeastern B.C. several years ago and has rarely seen his family since.

Oler, now 29, testified Tuesday at a B.C. court case examining Canada's anti-polygamy law, describing a community where children are taught from an early age that anything less than complete obedience -- including entering into polygamous marriages-- would mean an eternity in hell.

"My thinking about Bountiful and the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) has evolved the longer I have been away from the community," Truman said in a written affidavit filed in advance of his testimony.

"I now think that the FLDS is like a cult and that it is damaging for children to grow up in that environment. The FLDS does not permit anyone free choice. You are told what to do."

Residents of Bountiful follow a fundamentalist version of Mormonism that has long been rejected by the mainstream church, practising polygamy as a tenet of the faith.

Oler grew up outside Bountiful in nearby Canyon, living in a large house with his father, his father's many wives and dozens of brothers and sisters. His father, Dalmon Oler, eventually had six wives and 47 children.

While his home was outside Bountiful, Oler's life was steeped in the community and its religion.

His uncle is Winston Blackmore, who was the local bishop until James Oler took over in 2002. He attended the FLDS church and was educated in an FLDS school, where he was taught religion for up to two hours a day.

And whether in church or school, he said there was one constant theme.

"I recall it was said we have two choices: the first choice is we could live this way and have eternal life and get to the highest level of heaven, and if we don't live this way, we're going to be damned and go to hell forever," he said in the witness stand.

"As a small child, I don't think that second choice is a choice at all."

Religion controlled every aspect of life, said Oler, and children were told to be prepared for whatever the church leadership asked of them.

Marriages were arranged. Children and young adults were moved to and from the U.S. to work or marry. Boys, including him, dropped out of school to work in the community's timber and logging businesses.

He said boys were taught to treat girls as "dangerous snakes" whose role was to become wives and produce babies.

Oler said he began to have doubts about the religion as he approached adulthood, and those feelings were solidified after the community bitterly divided in 2002 between followers of Winston Blackmore and James Oler.

Families were broken apart, relatives were forbidden to speak to each other. Oler concluded it wasn't "Christ-like," and he left.

Oler now lives in Marysville, a small community about a two-hour drive north of Bountiful, where he said he recently completed a heavy-duty mechanic course and plans to obtain his high-school equivalency soon.

Speaking in a slow, soft voice, often pausing for nervous breaths between sentences, Oler teared up when discussing the family he left behind. He said he hadn't seen most of them in years.

He now has a wife and two young children, and it is the contrast between them that appears to have affected him most.

"It (having children) has changed me so much now that I look back, the way the kids were ... they (men) don't spend any time with their families," said Oler, struggling to finish his sentences during his emotional testimony.

"I can't think of anything more important, spending the time I do have with my children."

The constitutional case was prompted by the failed prosecution of Blackmore and James Oler in 2009. They were each charged with practising polygamy, but the case against them was thrown out for technical legal reasons.

Next week, the case hears from women currently living in Bountiful, who will be allowed to testify anonymously.

**********

The Tylenol-Benadryl-Sudafed Recall, Part 2

January 14, 2011

McNeil Consumer Healthcare INITIATES Voluntary Recall of CERTAIN OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) PRODUCTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Fort Washington, PA (January 14, 2011) – In consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. is voluntarily recalling, at the wholesale level, certain lots of TYLENOL® 8 Hour, TYLENOL® Arthritis Pain, and TYLENOL® upper respiratory products, and certain lots of BENADRYL®, SUDAFED PE®, and SINUTAB® products distributed in the United States, the Caribbean, and Brazil. These products were manufactured at the McNeil plant in Fort Washington, PA prior to April 2010, when production at the facility was suspended. The company is initiating the recall as a precautionary measure after an extensive review of past production records found instances where equipment cleaning procedures were insufficient or that cleaning was not adequately documented. It is very unlikely that this impacted the quality of these products.
McNeil Consumer Healthcare is also initiating a voluntary recall of certain product lots of ROLAIDS® Multi-Symptom Berry Tablets distributed in the United States, in order to update the labeling. The company initiated the recall after determining that the product labeling does not include the language "Does not meet USP" as required by regulation.

Both of these recalls are being initiated at the wholesale level. No action is required by consumers or healthcare providers and consumers can continue to use the product. These actions are not being undertaken on the basis of adverse events.

McNeil identified the inadequacies as part of a thorough, proactive product quality and process assessment of all McNeil produced products. As previously announced, McNeil has been implementing a Comprehensive Action Plan at its U.S. manufacturing facilities to improve the quality systems at those sites. This product assessment is a key milestone in the implementation of that plan, and the actions being undertaken as a result of the assessment are part of McNeil's ongoing commitment to ensure that all its products meet the high quality standards that consumers expect.

Consumers can access full product details and other information about the recall on the www.mcneilproductrecall.com website or by calling our Consumer Care Center at 1-888-222-6036 (available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET and Saturday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern Time).

Any adverse reactions may also be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

* Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
* Regular Mail: use postage-paid, pre-addressed Form FDA 3500 available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm. Mail to address on the pre-addressed form.
* Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178

**********

Potato Gun Severely Maims Man

journalnet - Paul Dial attributes his training as an Eagle Scout in his youth for the calm and cool approach he exhibited following the potato gun explosion that severely injured his neighbor, Idaho State University student Derek Schaible, Sunday afternoon.

Dial said he was watching television when he heard the boom. "It was very loud. It shook the pictures on the wall," said Dial. Running outside to the house next door, Dial heard a woman screaming and when he came upon Schaible and the woman, there was a pool of blood forming.

When Schaible turned to face Dial he was covering his mutilated right hand with his left hand, saying, "What have I done, what have I done."

Dial said that he also observed shrapnel wounds in Schaible's right leg and three fingers were missing, his little finger, ring finger and middle finger.

Dial told the woman to get a towel, a chair and to call the police. She told Dial that she didn't have a phone so Dial ran home and told his wife to call 911.

Dial said that Schaible was bleeding profusely and was beginning to go into shock.

Dial said he wanted to keep him outside because the cold weather would stall the effects of shock.

Dial said that he held onto Schaible's arm and applied a tourniquet with his hands to stop the bleeding.

"I told him to keep his arm above his shoulder, to keep it above his heart," said Dial.

Dial said that his training as an Eagle Scout taught him that "you just have to use your common sense. Determine what the situation is and then react."

Schaible was rushed by ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition Sunday night following surgery.

The residents of the University Neighborhood at the corner of South 13th Avenue and East Lewis Street found their quiet on a rainy Sunday afternoon suddenly shattered by the percussive blast of the explosive device believed at first to be a pipe bomb but later determined to be a potato gun. Schaible had filled the gun with black powder and lit it, triggering the explosion, police said.

Jeannie Vahsholtz, who lives across the street from Schaible, said she and her daughter had just finished watching a movie when she heard a loud explosion. Vahsholtz thought it was a gunshot and described it as loud as a sonic boom.

"I looked out a window and I saw a man with a gun," said Vahsholtz, "and then he put it down and walked between the house and the garage."

Vahsholtz saw her neighbor, Dial, run out of his home to assist the man she later found out was Schaible.

Rick Ross and Bret Davis were watching the New York Jets-New England Patriots game on television when they heard the explosion.

"It was like an M-80," said Ross. "We got up and observed the individual running around the side of the house holding his hand in the air."

Davis said he saw a plume of smoke and Schaible was standing as if in a daze before he went around the side of the house.

Schaible is an Idaho State University student majoring in music performance, according to ISU's Web site. He was scheduled to play piano at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at the nearby First United Methodist Church on Sunday night.

The Rev. Janie Gebhardt, minister of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, asked those in attendance at the MLK celebration to say a prayer for Schaible.

Gebhardt said that Schaible would often play piano at local church services. "I'm heart sick that this happened to such a talented young man," said Gebhardt.

**********

The Companies Who Support Censoring The Internet

techdirt - A group of companies sent a letter to to Attorney General Eric Holder and ICE boss John Morton today (with cc's to VP Joe Biden, Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano, IP Czar Victoria Espinel, Rep. Lamar Smith, Rep. John Conyers, Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Charles Grassley), supporting the continued seizure of domain names they don't like, as well as the new COICA censorship bill, despite the serious Constitutional questions raised about how such seizures violate due process and free speech principles. While many reporting on this letter refused to actually post a copy of the full letter, kudos to Greg Sandoval over at News.com for doing so (full text also included after the jump on this post).

The companies try to present a united front that censoring the internet is a good thing. It includes the usual suspects of Viacom and NBC Universal on the content side and Louis Vuitton and Tiffany on the counterfeiting side, but there are a few other interesting names: such as Monster Cable (never met an IP law it didn't want to abuse, apparently), the NBA, MLB and NFL (sports leagues unite in censorship!) as well as Voltage Pictures, famous for suing thousands of fans for downloading Hurt Locker. Activison, which has become increasingly aggressive on IP issues lately is on the list as well, of course. Anyway, here's the full list of companies that support censoring the internet, because they're too lazy to compete in the marketplace or innovate when that market changes:

* Nike - Beaverton, OR
* Achushnet - Fairhaven, MA
* Curb Music Publishing - Nashville, TN
* NBC Universal - New York, NY
* Viacom - New York, NY
* Callaway - Carlsbad, CA
* Cleveland Golf - Huntington Beach, CA
* Rosetta Stone - Arlington, VA
* Activision - Santa Monica, CA
* Adidas Group - Portland, OR
* Xerox - Norwalk, CT
* Hastings Entertainment, Inc. - Amarillo, TX
* Fortune Brands - Deerfield, IL
* Coty Inc. - New York, NY
* EDGE Entertainment Distribution - Streetsboro, OH
* Oakley, Inc. - Foothill Ranch, CA
* PING - Phoenix, AZ
* Louis Vuitton - New York, NY
* D'Addario and Company - Farmingdale, NY
* Monster Cable Products, Inc. - Brisbane, CA
* Tiffany and Co. - New York, NY
* Farouk Systems, Inc. - Houston, TX
* Beam Global - Deerfield, IL
* Chanel USA - New York, NY
* True Religion Apparel, Inc. - Vernon, CA
* Concord Music Group - Beverly Hills, CA
* Village Roadshow Pictures - Beverly Hills, CA
* National Basketball Association - New York, NY
* National Football League - New York, NY
* The Collegiate Licensing Company/IMG College - Atlanta, GA
* Anderson Merchandisers - Amarillo, TX
* Trans World Entertainment Corporation - Albany, NY
* Timberland - Stratham, NH
* Major League Baseball - New York, NY
* Lightening Entertainment/Mainline Releasing - Santa Monica, CA
* Sierra Pictures - Beverly Hills, CA
* Voltage Pictures LLC - Los Angeles, CA
* Worldwide Film Entertainment LLC - Westchester, CA
* Nu Image, Inc. - Los Angeles, CA
* Burberry Limited - New York, NY
* Big Machine Records - Nashville, TN
* The Little Film Company - Studio City, CA
* Columbia Sportswear Company - Portland, OR

These companies are clearly trying to protect their own business interests, but it seems reasonable to let them know that you don't appreciate them seeking to censor the internet. If you haven't been following this story, and want to understand the details, we've discussed why COICA is all about censoring websites without due process and in violation of the First Amendment. We've also discussed how the ongoing (pre-COICA) domain name seizures were riddled with serious errors that appear to violate the law as well, including seizing the domains of blogs regularly used and recognized within the music industry based on evidence involving songs sent by the record labels themselves.

And, of course, none of this is to say that violating copyright or trademark laws should be allowed. But we have a system to deal with such things: you file a lawsuit, you have an adversarial hearing in a courtroom (i.e., due process) and you let both sides present their case. COICA and these domain seizures look to avoid all of that. And that's a big, big problem. That these companies would support such censorship and leapfrogging over due process suggests that they're companies not worth doing business with.

Update: Dogman Entity - Stephens County, Texas

Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:51 PM PST

On January 11th, I posted Dogman Entity - North Central Texas - SRI that included the background and remote view log conducted on a 19 acre ranch in Stephens County, Texas. Since then, we decided to conduct a 2nd remote view session in order to gather further insight as to what is transpiring at this location. You can following SRI cases at Astral Perceptions...though, you must register to access and discuss the information...Lon

2nd Remote View - January 17th

Irene and I conducted a 2nd remote view on this case yesterday, 1/17/11. Joe M. also followed the session.

Irene set the target coordinates for me and monitored the session. We systematically executed 4 phases in order to perceive the target and to gather as much information possible. This session would be a bit different than previous remote views due to the large area involved as well as the uncertainty as to what we were hoping to perceive. NOTE: A second set of coordinates was developed after the 4 phases were completed for reasons that will be explained later.

In Phase 1, the coordinates (a set of two - four digit numbers) were given to me...from which an ideogram (a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept) was developed. The target was a chosen point in real time which may have been related to the sightings at the location. By probing the ideogram, 'descriptors' (the function of describing) were used to determine the nature of the target. Several attempts with the same target coordinates are performed in order to get an average assessment. In this case, the descriptors were varied but Irene observed (without my awareness) that a portal ideogram had developed in two separates attempts.

In Phase 2, the target vignette was narrowed by probing for sounds, textures, temperatures, colors, luminescence, contrast and smells. By using this matrix, I was able to focus in on any verticals, horizontals, diagonals, topography, mass and energetics as well as my overall 'feeling' of the target. As in Phase 1, my sense of the target was varied and unclear though a few bits of information were coming into view. I did perceive a 'grinding' sound and that I was near a small building that seemed to be a workshop. (the client verified later that her husband was in this building attempting to start a pickup). There was a vertical and diagonal shape as well but I didn't recognize what this was until later in the session. I also sensed movement to the east / southeast of the location but I could not determine the distance. There was a tan-brown mound that stood out from the remaining topography as well as something moving near it...then suddenly, everything disappeared.

In Phase 3, I made a rough sketch or drawing of what I was perceiving. At this point, the sketch was of the building and the land expanse to the east / southeast. I was unable to focus on anything else...I felt like I was being pushed away in order to stop my observation.

In Phase 4, I went into a deeper perception of the target. This included sense, magnitudes, emotions, physicals, subspace, viewer feeling, concepts and deductions. My comprehension of the target was still confusing so Irene directed that I focus, in real-time, the last area I identified...which was the area where I had noticed the mound. There was a small clearing present with nothing remarkable. Irene instructed me to perceive this target from above at an altitude of 1000 feet. As a I focused in on the area I realized a dark opening that would open, then close...back and forth. Irene instructed that I move closer to the opening...then instantly, I was in darkness. I was in a great expanse with barely enough light from above to see where I was. It was obvious to Irene that I had entered a portal...coinciding with the ideogram from Phase 1.

At this point, I started to notice that I had grasped onto scenes from an earlier time...but these scenes would fade in and out, mingling with other events and time periods. Irene ended the session.

We agreed that we needed to go further in order to find out what had really happened at this location. So we continued with a new session.

Another set of coordinates (a set of two - four digit numbers) were given to me...from which an ideogram (a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept) was developed. The ideograms again pointed towards a portal. As we proceeded into the 2nd and 3rd phases, I was beginning to get a handle on the scenes before me.

There was no continuity but I did perceive several covered wagons and tall human beings with wolf-like heads attacking these wagons. This scene did not last very long when I was then directed back to an area near the client's home. There was frantic movement and tall diagonal shapes with shadows all around (these diagonals were tee-pees that I had sensed in Phase 2). As I started to focus in, I recognized that this was a Native American camp...though I could not pick up on any sounds (which was a blessing I later found out). I observed people bound to a long wooden rail and sensed their intense fear and dread. I also sensed the murderous frenzy and excitement of the captors. I smelled and tasted blood...a sickly sweet sensation as well. I witnessed and experienced horrific scenes of torture and death.

As we proceeded to the next phase I eventually found my way to a building on the client's property. I entered the doorway into a kitchen and dining room. (I was told later by the client that this was the house of friends who live on the ranch).

As I observed the inside of the home I was greeted by a young girl who asked 'where is father?' She was about 7-8 years old and wore a blue and white pattern smock dress with a full-body off-white apron. She also wore a blue bonnet tied under her chin.

She motioned to the door behind me and moved past me...we both passed through the door to the outside. It was getting dark and cooler. The girl pointed to the area east / southeast of the property and said what sounded like 'Mr. Joe....' It was hard to understand what she was trying to tell me...I didn't know if she was referring to the client's husband, Joe M. who was following the session or someone else.

Within seconds we were standing in the area where I had observed the portal. At this point, the girl looked up at me and presented her arms to me with her palms up. I was immediately shocked at what I was seeing...both arms had deep, open cuts that ran from the shoulders to the hands. As I looked in horror she began to wave her arms in circular motions as if she was in a trance.

Not long after she began her wild movements I heard a crackling and scratching sound. To my right, the dogman entity meekly brushed by. It approached the little girl and laid down beside her. She dropped to her knees and placed a confident arm firmly around the beast. This was her protector...Lon

**********

A note from the client that was received after the 2nd remote view:

When Joe and I moved here back in 2004, I perceived that someone had been killed, or at least buried on our property, or very near here. Later I discovered an old hair ribbon, partially buried in the soil, near the SE corner of our old house. I knew then that it was a young girl. I do not how she died, only that she is here. I asked her to talk to me but so far she has only called out to me, "hello". Joe has never seen, nor heard her, never felt her presence but he heard the music box this evening when I did, while you were remote viewing. I do know that back in the 1800s, settlers here had a rough time with Comanche raiders.

Spirit Rescue International
Providing no-cost professional spiritual help, personal support and guidance
Take the first step towards genuine peace of mind


Have you had a close encounter or witnessed something unusual?
Send us an email


'Phantoms and Monsters' - Now Available on Kindle



New Items - Strickler's Celebrity Autographs


Photobucket
ANOMALIST BOOKS
Works on maverick science, unexplained mysteries, unorthodox theories, strange talents, and unexpected discoveries. Please check out their excellent and diverse catalog



The 'C' Influence
Actualizing Esoteric Discussion


Become a fan of 'Phantoms and Monsters' at Facebook
Photobucket



"The latest news from beyond the mainstream"
Join Ben & Aaron for their weekly podcast!
Check out Mysterious Universe Plus+ all access format!


Photobucket
Spirit Rescue International
Providing no-cost professional spiritual help, personal support and guidance
Take the first step towards genuine peace of mind

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK


Join the
Phantoms & Monsters Wiki
A NETWORK OF INVESTIGATORS, ENTHUSIASTS AND THOSE SEEKING THE TRUTH
THROUGH PARANORMAL EDUCATION AND DISCUSSION



Astral Perceptions - Discussion of interterrestrial and multidimensional phenomena including
conversations on the proficiency of remote viewing


PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS
SUPPLY BASE

Buy alternative supplies and gifts
CLICK HERE!



Photobucket

No comments:

Post a Comment