Phantoms and Monsters

The San Pedro Poltergeist
Fortean / Alternative News: New Jerusalem UFO Video and the UK Opposed United Nations UFO Initiative
Elizabeth Taylor: The Michael Todd Burial Mystery

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 09:54 PM PDT

'Jackie Hernandez' during the investigation

One of the more infamous haunting investigations was the San Pedro Haunting or the Jackie Hernandez case. Dr. Barry Taff got involved in the case, along with cameraman Barry Conrad, in 1989 when he was asked to look into a house in San Pedro, California that was allegedly being haunted. The owner of the house was Jackie Hernandez, a young woman who also had some emotional problems in the past.

Recent images of the San Pedro, CA poltergeist house

The investigators were told of strange smells, unexplained sounds, moving objects, apparitions, a glowing cloud that tried to suffocate her (and which had appeared in front of other witnesses) and actually witnessed a peculiar, dripping substance dripping from the kitchen cabinets.

Barry Conrad hanging from a cord attached to a nail in the attic. This was the result of an attack by the entity

The events in the house grew stronger and even followed Jackie from place to place. Taff began to believe that she was creating the phenomena unconsciously because of her emotional problems and what became a strong romantic attachment to Barry Conrad. It seemed that anyone who might be perceived as threat to Jackie's relationship with Barry ended up on the end of a violent attack by the poltergeist.

However, there are problems with the theory that this was strictly a haunting brought on by living subject. The unexplained lights are certainly odd and so would be the reports of male apparitions from witnesses. Also, as Taff found out later, Jackie's house continued to be reported as haunted long after she moved out. According to the owners, no subsequent tenants stayed there for longer than 6 months. Could this be merely some residual from Jackie's presence there or was there really a bonifide malevolent spirit?

Here is a link to a recent interview with Barry Conrad: 3-18-11 - San Pedro Haunting & Open Lines - Barry Conrad

Click for video

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Here is another brief version of the investigation:

On the night of August 8, 1989, Barry Conrad along with friend and photographer Jeff Wheatcraft, and Dr. Barry Taff, formerly with UCLA's parapsychology lab and principal investigator of the now famous "Entity" case, would be witness to some of the most compelling and disturbing paranormal activity. Hernandez had told them stories of flying lamps, oozing blood-like gelatin from the walls, an apparition of a decaying old man, an invisible force that would hold her down as though trying to smother her, as well as a floating disembodied head in her attic. So before they left that evening Conrad suggested that Wheatcraft check out the attic. Not long after crawling through the small hole in the ceiling, Jeff's camera was ripped from his hands into the darkness of the attic. Expectedly, quite shaken he bolted from the attic. Later he would venture back up into the attic in hopes of retrieving the camera. As he searched the empty attic he found an old dusty grape box, which when opened contained his camera, but strangely no lens. Continuing his search he found the surprisingly undamaged lens behind the trap door to the attic. Jeff decided to see if he could get a couple more shots before leaving. But as he began shooting a foul stench began to permeate the attic and without warning he was shoved by an invisible hand into the rafters. And this wasn't the worst of the activity.

A month later on September 4th, they would be called back by a frantic Jackie Hernandez. The activity was escalating and getting more violent. Arriving around 1am, Jeff and friend Gary decided they should investigate the attic again. Jeff would pay for it, as he was attacked more brutally than the first encounter. Conrad down below with Hernandez heard a loud moan, it was Jeff. Something had grabbed Jeff by the neck and pulled him into the rafters. Somehow able to pull himself free, Jeff and Gary exited the attic. It was then that they all noticed an old cord wrapped around Jeffs neck. It was then that Gary explained that he actually had to pull Jeff off a nail in the rafter and if he hadn't been there Jeff might have been strangled to death. But there was a plus to the attack, Gary snapped off a photo at the precise moment of the entity yanking Jeff into the rafters.

Jackie Hernandez would eventually move out of the house after the activity became so dangerous that she felt her children were in danger.

NOTE: I attempted to contact the current occupants of the house....no dice. I can understand their reluctance to comment...Lon

Fortean / Alternative News: New Jerusalem UFO Video and the UK Opposed United Nations UFO Initiative

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 12:49 PM PDT

New Jerusalem UFO Video Pops Up

Click for video

The video was forwarded to me by Rick Phillips at UFO Disclosure Countdown Clock. Is this a hoax?

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New British documents show UK attempted to derail UN UFO initiative

Among the thousands of pages in the latest badge of UFO documents released and posted online by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), there are two dozen pages of memos and telexes dealing with the UFO motion at the United Nations undertaken by the government of the Caribbean island of Grenada in the late 1970s. This effort, spearheaded by the late Prime Minister of Grenada sir Eric Gairy (1922-1997) in the period between 1976 and 1979, culminated with the UN General Assembly Decision 33/424 of December 18, 1978, "Establishment of an agency or a department of the United Nations for undertaking, coordinating and disseminating the results of research into unidentified flying objects and related phenomena."

The Grenada UN initiative remains one of the big milestones in the international diplomatic history of UFOs. Here you have the head of state of a member country making speeches, seeking experts and convening hearings to bring the subject of UFOs and alien visitations into the official agenda of the United Nations, so the subject can be dealt in a coherent and coordinated global manner. Real exo-politics at the highest level! I know this subject particularly well for this was one of the very first UFO stories that I covered professionally as a journalist. I attended the famous UFO Hearing at the Special Political Committee on November 27, 1978, where I had the opportunity of meeting Gairy himself as well as the experts who testified in the hearing like Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Dr. Jacques Vallee and Stanton Friedman. I wrote a long feature article on the third issue of Open Minds magazine (August/September 2010), "The True Story of the United Nations' UFO Hearings," where I provided a lot of history and background. Although Decision 33/424 was never implemented—the UFO effort died out after Gairy was overthrown from power in March 1979—the idea of a small UN UFO agency or department is still technically in the books, waiting for another country to take the torch and proceed from there. Continued reading at New British documents show UK attempted to derail UN UFO initiative

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South Africa euthanises famous mugger baboon

news.com.au - South African officials have euthanised the country's most famous baboon, known as Fred, who was well-known for raiding cars and frightening tourists along Cape Town's scenic route.

Fred was the ringleader of a group of baboons infamous for breaking into cars to chow down on sandwiches and snacks.

Cape Town's baboon management group said he was euthanised overnight because he was becoming increasingly aggressive.

The group said Fred attacked and injured three people in 2010.

"The decision to have him euthanised was not taken lightly and not without extensive discussions between all role players involved," the group said in a statement.

"This baboon's aggression levels had recently escalated to the point where the safety of tourists, motorists and other travellers along the road past Smitswinkel Bay was being threatened."

In 2009, Fred led a group of 29 baboons in a four-car raid outside Simon's Town, a small coastal neighbourhood.

The baboon chief used his signature tactic of opening unlocked doors and jumping through windows to search for food, while the rest looked for access inside from car roofs and bonnets.

There are more than 400 baboons roaming Cape Town's outskirts, particularly the popular scenic route to the Cape of Good Hope.

Baboons are a protected species under South African legislation but their aggressive pursuits of food have led to conflicts with residents.

Cape Town's baboon management group said as baboons are exposed to human food, rich in carbohydrates, they are becoming increasingly intent on getting more of it - and increasingly dangerous.

People caught feeding baboons are liable for a fine of 1500 rand ($215).

"Unfortunately, this baboon's demise can be contributed mainly to the continuous misguided efforts by humans to befriend and feed baboons," the group's statement said.

"Because people want to love, laugh at and be entertained by baboons, they start a cycle of events that can lead to tragedy, as in the case of this baboon."

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Chinese sheep gives birth to puppy

A Chinese farmer claims that one of his sheep has given birth to a puppy. The 'puppy' has wool like a lamb but it's mouth, nose, eyes, paws and tail look more like a dog's. Vets say it is impossible for a sheep to give birth to a dog - but people have been flocking to Liu Naiying's farm to see the animal for themselves.

Liu, of in Fugu County, Shaanxi Province, says his 'sheep dog' even plays like a puppy. He told how he found the unusual baby animal shortly after it was born in one of his fields.

"I was herding the sheep, and saw a sheep licking her newborn lamb on the grassland. The lamb was still wet," he said. "When I went up close to check on the lamb I was shocked because it looked so weird, like a cross between a sheep and a dog. I was a bit frightened, as I've been raising sheep for 20 years and had never seen such a creature."

Yue Guozhang, a researcher at Xi'an City Animal Husbandry Technology Centre, said sheep and dogs were different species. "It's not possible that a sheep could become pregnant with a puppy," he said. "It's likely that this is just an abnormal lamb."

Elizabeth Taylor: The Michael Todd Burial Mystery

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 11:19 AM PDT

Elizabeth Taylor had seven husbands, but only one of them was dug up in Chicago. It was also the case that launched a notorious Hollywood private eye's career.

So when Hollywood makes a movie about the life of the (second) most beautiful woman in the world, the director had better focus on some intriguing Chicago lore.

The story involves husband No. 3, producer Michael Todd, and two Chicago Outfit types who dug up his body at Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park in 1977.

Legend has it they were searching for a 10-carat diamond ring. And legend says they never found it.

The story also involves private eye Anthony Pellicano, a human ferret and convicted eavesdropper who often bragged about his Outfit connections.

He used the Michael Todd grave-robbing caper to launch himself right out of Chicago and into Hollywood, where he became Private Eye to the Stars. Without Todd's remains being dragged around that cemetery, it's possible that Pellicano would still be working divorces in Chicago, peeping through keyholes.

"It was a difficult thing for Elizabeth Taylor to go through," said Arthur Bilek, executive vice president of the Chicago Crime Commission, "but for Pellicano, it was the beginning of the rest of his life."

These days, Pellicano, 67, sits in a federal prison in Safford, Ariz., convicted in 2008 on federal wiretapping and racketeering charges. His schemes helped some top Hollywood figures and hurt others, including Sylvester Stallone, Garry Shandling, and developer Robert Maguire.

Pellicano will be in his mid-70s when he walks in 2019 (his scheduled release date), and so far, he's keeping his mouth shut. But if he ever decides to get gabby at the end, I'd love to buy him a cup of tea and ask if he used his Chicago Outfit connections to find Todd's remains.

It begins in 1958 when Todd was on board his airplane, the Lucky Liz, and died in a fiery crash.

Taylor wanted a closed casket, and he was buried in a simple grave at Waldheim. But there wasn't much of a body for Taylor to bury.

"There was ash, bits of burned clothes, and a piece of a seat belt, that's all," said Bilek.

And 19 years later — in June of 1977 — the grave robbers dug up what was left of Todd. A Chicago Tribune article described the crime:

"The grave robbers dug down several feet, then pried open the coffin lid. They smashed through a glass case inside to get to a rubber bag containing what remained of Todd. Police said they were 'baffled' by the crime.

"'It could be the work of sick pranksters,' speculated Sgt. Richard Archambault, of the Forest Park police.

"'It might be a possible extortion attempt,' Archambault said. 'Or it might have been the work of an anti-Semitic organization that wants to attract attention to its cause. Who knows? Maybe someone thinks he can make some money selling the remains.'"

Then Pellicano — who had steadily been building media contacts in Chicago and who was working on a tip from an "informant" — showed up at the cemetery. He wasn't alone.

With Pellicano was WBBM-TV news anchor Bill Kurtis and a camera crew. They were soon joined by police.

It must have been dramatic, the cops and the private eye walking around the grave, trying to find Todd.

"They go off so many feet one way, then so many feet the other way," Bilek said. "Then Pellicano walks off into the bushes, and yells, 'Hey, I got it!'" - ChicagoTribune

Click for video

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Streetwise Gumshoe to the Stars

When Hollywood's A-list wants protection from gossip and lawsuits, they put Anthony Pellicano on the case. Some see him as a pushy showoff, but he says he likes to play hardball.

Saturday September 11, 1993

Chicago Sun-Times

By SHAWN HUBLER and JAMES BATES, TIMES STAFF WRITERS

......Then there was the matter of producer Michael Todd's bones, which disappeared in 1977 from a Forest Park, Ill., cemetery. Todd had been married to actress Elizabeth Taylor when he died in a 1958 plane crash.

The grave robbery made headlines. Police scoured the cemetery in vain. Then a phone rang in the detective division. Pellicano said he had an informant; he knew where the bones were buried. Police met him at the graveyard. Pellicano had an anchorman in tow.

Todd's remains--a few bones and a melted belt buckle--were right on the cemetery grounds, under a pile of leaves and dirt about 75 yards from the grave. The grave robbers, Pellicano told police, had been after a 10-carat diamond ring, a gift from Taylor that they mistakenly had believed was inside Todd's casket.

A 1983 government sentencing report maintains that a mobster-turned-informant told authorities that two mob figures were the ones who exhumed Todd. But the story making the rounds in Chicago even today is that Pellicano orchestrated the event to gain publicity in hopes of being hired to help find Chicago candy heiress Helen Brach, who disappeared in 1977.

"I've been hearing that story for years. It's a great story, but there's no way I would know if it's true. The guy is a legend here," said lawyer Glen Crick, former director of enforcement for the state agency governing private investigators.

But Pellicano's critics--Chicago archrival Ernie Rizzo among them--gleefully refer to him as "the grave robber." And police say the story has become part of the city's detective lore although there is no evidence linking Pellicano to the disappearance.

Pellicano--along with his defenders in Chicago--says the tale is fueled by professional jealousy.

"Ernie Rizzo is a fruit fly," Pellicano said in one of his more printable comments about the man.

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