Phantoms and Monsters |  |
- The Parque Forestal Humanoid Photograph - Santiago, Chile
- Fortean / Alternative News: The Real Men in Black and 'Anonymous' UFO Hack
- Update: Llanelli, South Wales Haunting - Spirit Rescue International
| The Parque Forestal Humanoid Photograph - Santiago, Chile Posted: 20 May 2011 11:28 AM PDT   On May 10, 2004 Civil Engineer Germán Pereira was taking photographs of the Carabineros (state police) on horseback in the Parque Forestal of Santiago, Chile. One of the photos, after being downloaded from his digital camera, showed the image of a possible alien being. CIFAE Chile interviewed the witness and analyzed the photograph. I decided to look back at this incident by presenting all the anecdotal evidence reported. Thanks again to Scott Corrales of INEXPLICATA - The Journal of Hispanic Ufology -----
Report from the witness, Civil Engineer Germán Pereira: I'm from Concepción and have been working in Santiago for little over a a year. On May 10 this year I decided to take some photos at Parque Forestal, taking some 10 shots which I downloaded to my PC the following day . I thought it would be interesting to photograph a group of Carabineros (state police) on horseback patrolling the sector. The photo was taken at 17:40 hrs approximately from the corner of JM de la Barra and Av. Cardenal José María Caro, in front of bellas Bellas Artes and looking east. It was a cloudy day and the sun was hidden, for which reason my digital camera ( Kodak DX6490) adjusted to low speed (1/10 seg.. This is the reason why the photo shows motion (those knowledegable about photography will know the reason why)Furthermore, the Carabineros were som 20 meters distant, and I employed the camera's optical zoom (10x) which added to the blurred result. The fact is that I am very impressed by this image. I attest to the fact that it is not a fraud nor anything similar. For this reason I have made it public and I contacted the staff of CIFAE Chile. I would like to know the true nature of the image that appears in it and if anyone has ever caught anything similar in a photo. Nothing more. Germán Pereira A. Ing. Civil Mecánico Germán Pereira / Corporacion de Investigacion de Fenomenos Aereos (CIFAE), Chile Translation (c) 2004. Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU). Special thanks to Liliana Núñez O. -----  
Restoration of the Parque Forestal Image (CIFAE Report) In regard to the analysis of the Parque Forestal photograph, CIFAE delivers this interesting report by our scientific director to the international UFO research community. In this work we shall present a brief introduction to the restoration of images by means of deconvolution, which is the only correct technique for eliminating certain defects from images. We also attempt to restore the Parque Forestal image, although in this case it isn't possible to obtain very good results. We are not trying to debate what the subject of the photo is or is not, nor if it is of interest to ufology. The main subject under discussion here (restoration) should be of interest to any researcher who works with images. An image distorted by being out of focus, astigmatism, "motion blur", atmospheric disturbances, etc. is mathematically represented as the convolution between the non-defective image and a PSF (point spread function). PSF is a function that can be interpreted as the distorted image of a white spot on a black background, and each image can have a different PSF depending on the camera and the conditions under which the image was acquired. In order to restore the image and to eliminate these defects, one must perform the reverse operation, in other words, deconvolute the distorted image against the corresponding PSF. Deconvolution isn't hard to achieve, but the deconvolution algorithms tend to be sensible to the image's "noise" (fluctuations) and iterative methods can easily diverge. The worst problem arises when the PSF isn't known a priori, and in this case it is necessary to develop some method that can extract the PSF from the defective image, what is known as blind deconvolution. This problem can be hard to deal with, and may be considered as one of the great challenges of the field of image analysis. It is also interesting to note the recent work of Alfred Carasso, who has achieved very impressive results, although the applicability of his methods is limited. It is hard to find commercial software capable of performing blind deconvolutions. Some programs like AutoDeblur have been specifically developed for microscopy. The Unshake program is a general purpose one, but is based on a very simple method that doesn't always work well. Other software packages like Iris are only useful in astrophotography. The majority of the available programs require a priori knowledge of PSF, such as Unblur, which is general purpose. FocusFixer is only useful in dealing with out-of-focus image and Focus Magic corrects simple out of focus and motion blur. For the time being we do not have access to a better commercial software package, therefore the Parque Forestal image was restored searching for PSF by simpler means. Knowing the basics of deconvolution, it is possible to know something about PSF by simple inspection of the photo. One can see that it appears in motion blur at angle of some 150 degrees. Using the Fix Motion Blur filter in Focus Magic at this angle, the distance could be established through trial and error, and turned out to be 11 pixels. In other words, the PSF that accoutns for the motion blur would be a straight line with a length of 11 pixels at an angle of 150 degrees. Upon eliminating the motion blur, it can be seen that the image is folded in the same direction (150 degrees) and at a distance of 17 pixels. In other words, the PSF that acknowledges this unfolding is two points at a distance of 17 pixels and at an angle of 150 degrees. The PSF was built using this inforamtion and the image was deconvoluted using Unblur. Focus Magic could not correct the unfolding. The result is shown in Figure 2, where it is noted that the image is partly restored, but with an increase in the amount of "noise". Contrast was not augmented artificially. The original photo has a lower contrast because the colors and shapes are mixed when an image is hazy, and upon restoring it, the colors and details of the real scene are also recovered. According to expert James Caron, this image has several difficulties that do not allow for its full restoration: -Due to poor lighting, a weak signal was obtained with excessive motion blur due to the long exposure time (0.1 seg). -The object of interest is moving and has a different, more sever motion blur than the static objects in the scene. -The image is compressed, which truncates the information necessary for its restoration. In other words, the photo is compressed in the JPG format, which eliminates part of the information contained in the original image in order to reduce the storage size. The lack of lighting brings as a consequence an excessive amount of noise, especially in the restored image. This implies that there isn't a single PSF for the whole photo, which makes restoration difficult. On the other hand, any evidence of motion may be useful in intepreting the image. In our restoration, at least, some details and colors can be distinguished, and from the photo analysis point of view, it is the best that could be done in this case. Regarding the possibility of fraud in this photo, it would be easy to dot. The figure could have been pasted on the photo and the resulting borders could ahve been erased through motion blur. On the other hand, the photo's EXIF could have been edited in order to simulate an original photo. But the fact that it is easy to forge does not constitute evidence of a hoax, although it could provide good grounds for ignoring this case or not taking it seriously. We have hitherto not received any valid arguments supporting the hoax hypothesis. Some have said that some lines or squares of well-defined borders can be noted, but this is only a defect of the JPG format. In closing, something should be said about other image processing techniques. Some effects that highlight the image's details are very common, such as contrast and saturation, sharpening, unsharp mask, border detection, emboss, solarizing, etc. But it is obvious that none of these filters would be capable of restoring an image such as the one in Figure 1. many of these filters are deceptive because they alter the image, giving the false impression of having improved it, but they are at times only useful for aesthetic purposes. It is advisable not to employ a filter if the basics of its operation are unknown. As an example of a poor job, we mention the one created with a fantasy filter at the request of the IIEE in Figure 3 A, which could be interpreted as a dog. The idea is not to argue if the subject is a dog or not; all that is shown here is that this particular work is poorly executed. The diagonal lines that betray the presence of motion blur are highly visible, and one of the legs is unfolded in the same way as in the original photo. Overall, this image has the same geometry as the original, but different coloring. In other words, there is no evidence of restoration in this retouching. The way in which the colors have been altered is also noticeable. Investigation conducted by physicist Andres Duarte, Scientific Director of CIFAE CHILE. ********************* A Report from KODAK Chile The Kodak report, while not certifying the process of "acknowledgement of objects or external elements within a digital photo" by company policy, has been an important source document in this research. Some parts of this report contain the following information: The information confirms that the photo was indeed taken using a Kodak DX 6490 camera. Dimension 1656x1242 pixels Color depth 24 bpp Density 96x96 dpi Subsampling 2:1:1 Color space YCbCr Mode Baseline Compression JPEG Exposure time 0.1 sec F-Number 3.6 Exposure prog Normal program EXIF ver 2.2 Time original 2004:05:10 17:40:18 Time digitized 2004:05:10 17:40:18 Component conf YCbCr Shutter speed 197121 s Aperture 3.6 Exposure bias 3.6 Max aperture 3.6 Metering mode Pattern Light source Unknown Flash Focal length 52.6 mm Maker note KDK0101IDX6490 FlashPix ver 1.0 Colorspace sRGB XY Dimension 1656x1242 pixels Exposure index 140 Sensing method One- chip color area sensor File source DSC Scene source Directly photographed image Sincerely, Kodak Chile The CIFAE Report Among some of the conclusions that can be drawn from the CIFAE report, we can say that the procedures applied up to now in analyzing the image of Parque Forestal, and in which some have thought to see a dog, are mistaken. At least in the positions know. In other words, if this image in fact corresponds to a canine, the superficial analyses performed until now have NOT proved it. CIFAE shall continue to analyzing the image and we shall continue to keep our readers abreast of further developments. Andres Duarte, Scientific Director, CIFAE Chile, June 17, 2004 Translation (c) 2004. Scott Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to CIFAE. INEXPLICATA - The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - July 18, 2004 ----- Interview with Germán Pereira, the photographer of the alien photo in Parque Forestal, Santiago, Chile **Germán Pereira: "One can see something walking and has arms and a head, but I don't know what it is."** Text by Luciana Lechuga "I have no opinion on the nature of what came out on the photo, or else I'll just keep it to myself," said Germán Pereira. The engineer is startled by the stir caused by his snapshot and says that the has received phone calls from Spain, Colombia and Argentina. Pereira, a civil engineer, says that he had to turn off his cell phone in order to concentrate on work, since the instrument did not stop ringing after it was learned that he was the author of a the surprising photo of an alleged alien in Parque Forestal. He's only been a week at his new job and his co-workers don't know that he has been on television and in newspapers, and has recieved calls from Colombia, Argentina and Spain, whose news media want to know more about his story. "I have no knowledge of this, but from what Erick Martinez (of the Corporacion de Investigacion de Fenomenos Aereos--CIFAE) tells me, it seems that it is one of the clearest photos ever taken. It is surely for this reason that it has had such an impact," he speculated. Pereira, 33, is a graduate of the University of Concepción and came to Santiago a little over a year ago. He is an amateur photographer and owns a Kodak DX6490 digital camera. On Monday, May 10 he had the afternoon off, so he got on his bicycle with the camera and went off to Parque Forestal. He took ten photos and was "rewarded" with the image of a tiny grey being walking between two Carabineros (state police) on horseback. This is the image that has gone around the world thanks to websites on paranormal phenomena. -- What was it about that shot that drew your attention? --Look, first I took a photo of the Carabinero patrol that was coming over the nearby bridge. Then, since I was riding my bike, I headed for the northern sector. I took another photo of them from that point, and that's the one on the Internet. --Did you see the alien in the [digital camera's] screen? --No, I saw it the next day, when I downloaded the photo. --And what did you think? --I was impressed, that's all. I saw it with a colleague and we found it odd. I thought that it was the same impression everyone else who saw the photo must have had. It's rather shocking. The fact of the matter is that I didn't see it when I took the picture. --Do you recall seeing anything odd at the time? No, nothing at all. And I also asked myself that when I checked the photo, I tried to recall what was there. It would have been ideal to have seen it when the photo was taken, by I saw nothing strange. I was interested in taking a photo of the mounted patrol. --If it was an alien it should have come out in the other photos you took that day. --Yes, it could have come out, but it appears in that one only. Now, the other (photos) are from other areas. --Had you ever had any similar experience? --In fact I'd never had any experience of this type, nor was I very involved in UFO or alien matters. I don't know it that's the true nature of the matter, and that's why I stepped back from it and turned it over to people who deal with the subject. All I know is that it isn't a photographic error. I also know that it isn't a hoax, because I'm not behind it. The photo is still there, still inside the camera. I haven't wanted to erase it. -- And why's that? --I want the Kodak people to see it. In fact, I have to phone them. --How did your photo reach the Internet? --What happened is that on Tuesday, when I downloaded it to my computer, I mailed it to a friend in Concepción. He sent it to the people of CIFAE and to another two parties. That very same day Erick and I met up, because they were the first to believe in the photo. --And what's your opinion of all this? --I have no opinionon the nature of what came out on the photo, or else I'll just keep it to myself. In any event, one can see something that appears to walk, has a arms and a head, but I don't really know what it is." --Are you into UFOs? Have you had "close encounters"? --No, no sightings. I don't lose any sleep over the subject, but I find it interesting. And with this stuff the same, if not more so. --Have your co-workers bothered you? --No. I think that maybe now the will. The day I took the photo I was with another company. I've only been here a week. They don't even know me. Las Ultimas Noticias (Santiago de Chile), June 5, 2004 (in INEXPLICATA, The Journal of Hispanic Ufology) Translation (c) 2004. Scott Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Liliana Núñez O. ----- 9 Possible Explanations For Alleged Alien In Chilean Photo June 8, 2004 SANTIAGO - The photo taken by German Pereira, showing a strange "character" walking across Parque Forestal, has gone all around the world, appearing in a variety of internet sites as well as news dailies and television. Despite the fact that the digital image has been studied in detail, no one knows what the curious phenomenon might be. However, the following theories have been put forth: I. THE ALIEN One of the better-known stories is the presence of an alien in the photo taken at Parque Forestal. The strange character that appears near the mounted policemen's horses is very similar to the "Greys", whether on account of its macrocephaly or its elongated arms. What is odd is the creature's size, since tests to the digital image show that its height would not exceed 80 centimeters. Some ufologists state that there is no precedent for such small extraterrestrials, therefore this possibility has been discarded. However, UFO research has always been based on eyewitness testimony and photo evidence, therefore a new concept of space beings, smaller in size than those hitherto known, would be a new line of research. II. THE IMP OR GNOME Without a doubt one of the most accepted theories by the public regarding the strange creature. Certainly the characteristics that can be made out on this entity are similar to the ones described by those who have seen imps, whether on acount of its size or its greenish hue. Furthermore, these mythical creatures are believed to inhabit places filled with trees and flowers, making it not at all strange that Parque Forestal should form part of their habitat. Experts in manifestations by these entities reinforce the theory that imps can only be seen by certain people, since they belong to another dimension, and that a digital photograph could be a good option for seeing them. III. A GHOST. Cyberspace is filled with countless photos showing specters or ghosts in poses similar to that of the Parque Forestal creature. Among thousands of photos, a good number of them are fakes, but an equally significant amount has not been dismissed as hoaxes. Therefore, within the possibilities of this image, the possibility of a ghost could easily coincide with many others of its type. IV. A TREE BRANCH. The trails of Parque Forestal are covered with many leaves and branches that constantly fall from the trees, especially during the fall. For this reason, one of the theories put forth explains that one such branch could have created the capricious image of a walking alien. The blurriness of the image could lend credibility to this explanation. V. A CHILD Another theory posited states that a small child was walking between the two Carabineros horsemen. This is not unlikely, since such things happen constantly in that area of the park. But upon studying the image and being's size, the child could not have been more than a year and half old. As the image shows, the creature walks erect and its body does not present the characteristics of a child of that age. Furthermore, there are no signs of clothing covering the body of the alleged child, and the neck is absent from beings quasi-deformed head. However, the sweep of the image deforms the possibility of evaluating details such as clothing or other traits that could make this the solution. VI. A MONKEY What would an ape be doing in the middle of Parque Central? Well, its one of many interpretations of this image. The characteristics of the "creature" could be projected on a small ape who had escaped at that time from the zoo or from a private home. What is odd is the color of the alleged ape, aside from the calm way it crosses between two animals of far larger size than its own. VII. LIGHTS AND SHADOWS For those knowledgeable in the subject, it is easy to capture a significant light and shadow play which can mislead us easily. Upon observing this photo, we can see that there are several patches of light between the leaves. These give the sensation of possessing a color that is similar to that of the strange being. We also see another light spot over the entity's body, suggesting an object on its back, which could be interpreted as a rucksack, but is only light play after initial analysis. Under this premise, we cannot dismiss the possibility that the phenomenon photographed by German Pereira is only the product of light and shadow play. VII. THE HOAX Under the magnifying glasses of several experts, the image from Forestal is no more than an absurd hoax to promote the subject of UFOs and aliens. However, we lack any proof that completely rejects the veracity of the alleged alien photo. The following are some possible means of hoaxing the image Superimposed Images One of the most common tricks when creating photos of this sort is the superimposition of images, whether through a computer or employing sophisticated design programs, which aid us in constructing photos with external elements. This can be done by taking a photo obtained by a conventional original (a traditional photo with a chemically-processed negative) which has been scanned and then digitized. Then, an external element is attached (as strange figure or other object. After printing it on a laser printer on high-quality paper, it can be photographed using a digital camera, obtaining the result we have come to know. El Barrido One of the photos limitations is the sweep generated by the digital camera, which blurs the image, making it impossible to make a firm conclusion. But the most curious detail is that these "sweeps" are hard to do with a digital camera. Digital cameras generally operate as sensitivities of 100, 200 and 400 ISO (standardized sensitivity units between ASA and DIN, which are the U.S. and German units, respectively). This means that the exposure speeds for an outdoor shot on a clear day (such as in this photo) would never be lower than 1/100th of a second. A sweep of such a magnitude could never be obtained at such a speed. The photo would be underexposed (in its original) for which reason the contrast (luminance) or colors (chrominance) cannot be fully seen, which are needed to distinguish capacity and depth in each cell. IX. A PRANK Another possibility is that it was all concocted at the site of the events, creating the impression of a being calmly walking among two mounted horses. When looking closely at the image, we can see that the at the second post to the left of the photo, there is a diagonal element supported toward the ground. This could be a stick, but its thickness could readily represent one of the legs of a tripod supporting the strange character. Camilo Valdivieso, Terra Networks Translation (c) 2004. Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU). Special thanks to Camilo Valdivieso, Terra Networks. NOTE: What's your thought on the photograph? I have always been leery of this image...thinking that is was actually something natural or simply an anomaly. Now, I'm not sure what to think. My enhancement of the enlarged image did not involve any pixels manipulation...Lon       | ||||
| Fortean / Alternative News: The Real Men in Black and 'Anonymous' UFO Hack Posted: 20 May 2011 10:34 AM PDT  Evidence, Famous Cases, and True Stories of These Mysterious Men and Their Connection to the UFO Phenomena Author: Nick Redfern Subject: UFOs ISBN-13: 978-1-60163-157-2 Pages: 256 Dimensions: 5.25 x 8.25 inches Format: Paper Price: $15.99 The Men in Black were elevated to superstar status in 1997 in the hit movie of the same name. Although the Hollywood blockbuster was fiction, the real Men in Black have consistently attempted to silence the witnesses of UFO and paranormal phenomena since the 1950s. In The Real Men in Black, author Nick Redfern delves deep into the mysterious world of these mysterious operatives. He reveals their origins and discusses classic cases, previously unknown reports, secret government files, and the many theories that have been presented to explain the mystery. Highlights of The Real Men in Black include: *The story of Albert Bender, the first man to claim an encounter with the Men in Black; *The involvement of the MIB in the Mothman saga that dominated the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the 1960s; *Encounters with the MIB at the site of one of the world's most famous monsters: Loch Ness; *Exclusive interviews with leading researchers of the MIB phenomenon. The Real Men in Black website You can order the book at New Page Books - The Real Men in Black Nick's website is at www.nickredfern.com. ********** FBI investigates Unabomber in '82 Tylenol deaths The FBI has requested a DNA sample from "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski as part of its investigation into the 1982 deaths of seven Chicago-area people who took cyanide-laced Tylenol from packages that had been tampered with, officials said Thursday. Kaczynski, who pleaded guilty in 1998 to setting 16 explosions that killed three people and is serving a life sentence in federal prison, has declined to voluntarily provide a DNA sample. Chicago FBI spokeswoman Cynthia Yates said the FBI is seeking DNA from Kaczynski and "numerous individuals," although she wouldn't provide details about any of the others. She declined to say whether the agency would try to compel Kaczynski to give a sample, but in a motion filed in California court, Kaczynski said he was told the FBI would try to force his hand. John Balasz, Kaczynski's attorney, said he thinks the FBI wants Kaczynski's DNA simply to rule him out as a suspect in the Tylenol case. "You've got to ask the FBI how serious they are. I think it's probably more that they want to exclude him," he said. Balasz said he's "completely convinced" that Kaczynski had no involvement in the case. The U.S. Marshals Service is currently auctioning off items seized from Kaczynski's home. Ahead of that auction, he filed the court motion in California asking the court to order the government to keep certain items taken from his cabin in 1996, including journals that could prove his whereabouts in 1982 and other evidence that could clear him in the Tylenol case. In a response filed Monday, federal prosecutors said the courts lack the jurisdiction to enter such an order. They also noted that Kaczynski hasn't been indicted in connection with the Tylenol investigation "and no such federal prosecution is currently planned." Kaczynski, who's in federal prison in Colorado, said in his motion that the officials who notified him of the FBI's request said the agency was prepared to get a court order to compel him to provide a DNA sample. He said he would provide one "if the FBI would satisfy a certain condition that is not relevant here," but doesn't elaborate. Balasz said he's told the government they'll have to get a court order to get the DNA sample. The Tylenol case involved the use of potassium cyanide and resulted in a mass recall. Kaczynski said he has "never even possessed any potassium cyanide." In a space of three days beginning Sept. 29, 1982, seven people who took cyanide-laced Tylenol in Chicago and four suburbs died. The deaths triggered a national scare and a huge recall, and eventually led to the widespread adoption of tamperproof packaging for over-the-counter drugs. In 2009, federal agents searched the Boston home of James W. Lewis, who served more than 12 years in prison for sending an extortion note to Tylenol maker Johnson & Johnson demanding $1 million to "stop the killing." Lewis has denied involvement in the poisonings. The Tylenol poisonings case has stymied investigators for all of its nearly 30 years, and no charges have ever been filed in the deaths. Helen Jensen, a former nurse who accompanied investigators to the home of one of the victims, said she hopes this latest news isn't a dead end like so many before. "It sure would be nice to finally get some end to the whole thing, for the people that are survivors," she said, adding that she still occasionally talks to the grandmother of a 12-year-old girl who died. "It's all very tragic; her whole family was destroyed by it." - nypost ********** 'Anonymous' UFO hack coming Online hacker group Anonymous has sent out a call-to-arms for its latest prank: attempting to convince the world (or alien enthusiasts, more like) of the existence of men form outer space. At 8pm on May 22, anyone in on the idea is encouraged to report the same UFO sighting ("a triangle of about 8 yellow lights in the sky") to the relevant hotline or website of their choice. The idea is that the sudden influx of identical reports will convince UFO buffs that contact is finally about to be made. Meanwhile, KISS star Gene Simmons has softened his opinion on the hackers, a direct contrast to his views when they hacked his site in October. "I think they mean well, I think it's misdirected," Simmons told defamer.com.au. "You're talking about very bright young people who really have a chance to enter the mainstream and make some money for themselves and climb the ladder of success. If you tear down the structure there's no where to go." Anonymous crashed the bassist's websites in revenge for a speech he gave urging artists to sue copyright violators into submission. According to Simmons' lawyer, the attack left his sites down for days and cost the rocker as much as $US25,000. His October threat read: "We will sue their pants off. "First, they will be punished. "Second, they might find their little butts in jail, right next to someone who's been there for years and is looking for a new girl friend. "We will soon be printing their names and pictures. "We will find you. "You cannot hide." Simmons said Anonymous hadn't attacked him again. "They know I'm being watched," he said in reference to a recent FBI raid on the home of a Washington 15-year-old boy suspected of being part of the group who attacked his site. "I have big watch dogs." ********** China Admits Problems With Three Gorges Dam The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project and a symbol of China's confidence in risky technological solutions, is troubled by urgent pollution and geologic problems, a high-level government body acknowledged Thursday. The statement came as technicians were certifying the very last of the dam's array of generators as suitable for hydroelectric generation, the final step in a contentious 19-year effort to complete the project in defiance of domestic and international concerns over its safety as well as threats to the environment, displaced people, historical areas and natural beauty. According to official figures, the venture cost China about $23 billion, but outside experts estimate it may have cost double that amount. The dam has been plagued by reports of floating archipelagoes of garbage, carpets of algae and landslides on the banks along the vast expanse of still water since the 600-foot-tall dam on the Yangtze River was completed in 2006. Critics also have complained that the government has fallen far short of its goals in helping to resettle the 1.4 million people displaced by the rising waters behind the dam. Continue reading at China Admits Problems With Three Gorges Dam ********** Japan Earthquake Shifted Seafloor by Record 79 Feet Japan's seabed shifted by as much as 79 feet (24 meters) in an east-west motion during the giant March 11 earthquake—the largest earthquake movement ever recorded, scientists say. But that doesn't mean that it's the largest such shift ever to have been caused by an earthquake, cautioned Chris Goldfinger, director of the Active Tectonics and Seafloor Mapping Laboratory at Oregon State University. The March earthquake was, however, the first time that scientists have directly measured such a slippage thousands of feet of underwater. "Any magnitude 9 earthquake will have similar values," said Goldfinger, who was not part of the study team. For instance, the 2004 Sumatra earthquake may have moved the seabed by as much as 100 feet (30 meters), he said by email. GPS Technology Tracks Fault Movements For several years, a team led by Mariko Sato of the Japan Coast Guard has been monitoring particular spots along the Japanese fault that produced the recent earthquake. Scientists had placed transponders on the seabed. Using high-precision sonar techniques, the researchers could then record the transponders' locations from research vessels, whose own locations were carefully tracked by GPS satellites. This two-step technique is necessary, because GPS signals cannot reach the seabed, Sato said by email. Shortly after the Japan earthquake occurred on March 11, the scientists returned to measure the changes. "This is the first time a great subduction earthquake has been directly observed in the submarine part of the fault, which is where most of the action takes place," noted Oregon State's Goldfinger. "We normally have to infer slips from onshore GPS," Goldfinger said. "Being able to measure it directly is very useful. It confirms the ability to model it from shore. It will help quite a lot in refining such models." Understanding Future Tsunamis, Earthquakes Overall, the more we learn about such earthquakes the better, Goldfinger added. Pre-2011 tectonic models, for example, did not predict a big earthquake around the site of the March epicenter near the east coast of Honshu island, Japan. (Read more about earthquake prediction.) Furthermore, such research is useful in understanding tsunamis, research leader Sato said by email. "It is important to continue monitoring seafloor movements in order to evaluate the risks of future earthquakes and tsunami." - NatGeo **********
Odd new species found in Kermadecs More new species - including a "straightened-out seahorse" - have been found in New Zealand's largest scientific expedition exploring the Kermadec Islands. Scientists say the pipe fish, a white creature with "striking" orange spots, is probably new to science and while only small, represents a significant find. "We have two species that I'm pretty confident are new to science - a little left-eye flounder and a pipe fish, Auckland Museum marine curator Dr Tom Trnski says. "We suspect the flounder doesn't grow very big as the largest one we have collected is just 10 centimetres long, but it's a pretty wee thing. "Probably the most exciting find is the pipe fish. Pipe fish are related to sea horses, and are really just like a sea horse that has been straightened out." The team, which includes experts from the Department of Conservation, Te Papa, NIWA and Australian Museum, have also recorded a number of species new to New Zealand. These include a shark, a zebra lionfish, a tropical banded eel, a blackspot sergeant and a tropical goatfish. New species have also been found on dry land. Department of Conservation botanist Dr Peter de Lange has found three species of filmy ferns that are new records for the Kermadecs. Confirming the new species may take months, as the material is sent to experts around the world to be identified. New Zealand's subtropical Kermadec Islands group lie 1000km north east of the North Island. The expedition has been focusing its attention around Raoul Island, and the small islands nearby, at the northern end of the Kermadecs. It will now move south to Macauley Island, and over the next eight days the expedition will carry out surveys around the four southern islands in the island chain. - stuff.nz     | ||||
| Update: Llanelli, South Wales Haunting - Spirit Rescue International Posted: 20 May 2011 09:12 AM PDT
Spirit Rescue International is continuing to work the haunting at the Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales residence. In the past week there has been another remote view conducted as well as two on-site sessions, one of which was a channeling and attempt to move at least one of the entities: Irene and I conducted a remote view on this case on Monday, May 16th. SRI team members JD, Karen and Joe listened to 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. 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 narrowed down to a structure then quickly to a room in the client's home. I was seeing black, orange and felt a smooth and fuzzy surface. This was most likely the sofa and cushions in the living room...the hot spot of the house. In Phase 2, the target vignette was narrowed by probing for sounds, textures, temperatures, colors, luminescence, contrast and smells. Through this information I was able to focus in on any verticals, horizontals, diagonals, topography, mass and energetics as well as my overall 'feeling' of the target. In this instance, I was quickly directed to another location where I sensed the smell of tobacco smoke and beer...also the taste of beer. People were talking and milling about. There was also a very long 'counter'...which I determined to be a tavern bar. In Phase 3, I made a rough sketch or drawing of what I was perceiving. At this point, the sketch included the bar, the people as well as machine of some type. There was also a dart board. In Phase 4, I went into a deeper perception of the target. This included sense, magnitudes, emotions, physicals, subspace and concepts. The observations are starting to come together into a primary deduction. I very soon went into a subspace perception mode...and noticed a older man sitting in a far table wearing a fisherman's hat, pipe in mouth, with a beer. He was looking at the people in the bar and was not happy about them been there. I truly sensed that the guy is upset about something while keeping his eye on certain people at the bar. The thought 'he took her' lingered in my mind. There was also a dirty, dampish smell and an emotion of jealousy. Very soon after noticing the male spirit, I perceived a women starting walking around. She was in her late 20's, wore a long purple dress with a white ruffle around the neck, maybe turn of the century time period. The women is showing me a young child in a postmortem photograph. The female child was in a white morning gown laying in a casket, lots of flowers....the dates of 1883/1885 were perceived. The women does not appear to be upset when showing the photo. The child has light colored hair and looked to be 2 or 3 years old. The woman seemed to be trying to tell me what happened to the girl but I can't make sense of it. She indicated that someone (the girl?) was very sick and suffered an agonizing death. The woman would continue to walk around the tavern and make it point that I look at the photograph each time she went by me. I then look out a window and notice a horse and wagon. The old man is very upset at someone. I was directed by Irene to conduct a time line exercise...starting at 1895 and ending at present day. I got to 2003 when the women showed the photograph of the girl again saying she suffered and needs to tell what happened to the girl. The old man says the client's name (the husband) seems to be blaming him for the little girl's death...I notice the client at the bar with his friends. The session was ended. The information was presented to the clients during an on-site visit on Wednesday, May 18th. Further proceedings will be posted as soon as new evidence is scrutinized...Lon Click for audio/video - Entity Investigation - Llanelli, South Wales - May 11, 2011 ----- I'm writing a synopsis of the on-site session on Wednesday May 18th because, frankly, Irene is literally wore out. JD, Karen and myself monitored through Skype. It was determined, as a result of the RV and team consultation, that an attempt to clear at least one of the entities was warranted...though, it isn't exactly clear what the situation is. There are many factors, as well as recent information, that need to be considered. The clients, including one of the children, have experienced spiritual encounters this week. We want to get this situation resolved but also want to make sure that it is done correctly and effectively. Irene did make an attempt to channel and possible clear one of the entities but there were elements that influenced the effort...including the unveiling of the negative force that took us by surprise. I was able to perceive the spirit as Irene started to channel...a female entity that came from a room upstairs and literally glided down the stairs to the living room. As soon as the entity entered the living room Irene started an extended, diabolical laugh as she was beguiled by this negative force. She later explained that she was overtaken by the odor of rotting flesh...understandable since the entity exhibited continued decomposition as it hovered behind Irene. There were other circumstances involved as well...but it was apparent that a connection was not going to be made that evening. This channeling session was audio recorded and embedded below...Lon Click for audio/video - Llanelli - May 18, 2011 - Channel Session It is our intention to go on-site ASAP in an attempt to clear the entities at this location. There are other videos posted at Spirit Rescue International YouTube channel and all SRI case logs at the Astral Perceptions forum  Spirit Rescue International™ Providing no-cost professional spiritual help, personal support and guidance Take the first step towards genuine peace of mind  The Spirit Rescue International™ Haunted Help Forum *Join Our Group On Facebook*  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   "The latest news from beyond the mainstream" Join Ben & Aaron for their weekly podcast! Check out Mysterious Universe Plus+ all access format!  Astral Perceptions - Discussing ultraterrestrial and multidimensional phenomena and the proficiency of remote viewing   Join Eric Altman, Lon Strickler and the crew LIVE each Sunday at 10 PM ET as we go Beyond the Edge!  Click here to check out Stan's most recent book!  Click here to check out John Ventre's most recent book! The Social - Paranormal Network  A NETWORK OF INVESTIGATORS, ENTHUSIASTS AND THOSE SEEKING THE TRUTH THROUGH PARANORMAL EDUCATION AND DISCUSSION  (410) 241-5974  Phantoms and Monsters Now Available on Kindle      |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Phantoms and Monsters To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment