Phantoms and Monsters |  |
| Posted: 28 May 2011 02:33 PM PDT  The Blue Ridge Mountains area was settled by German immigrants beginning in the 1730s. Early accounts describe the community being terrorized by a monster called a Schneller Geist, meaning "quick spirit" in German. It has been suggested the legend was resurrected in the 19th century to frighten freed slaves. Reports of a strange flying beast known as the Snallygaster first appeared in Frederick County in early February, 1909. The story was carried prominently in Middletown's Valley Register, a weekly newspaper, for about a month, when the story mysteriously died. In the early issues, the flying beast seemed to be everywhere at once: New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, and headed this way. It was reported to have created quite a stir in New Jersey, where its footprints were first discovered in the snow. The first person to see it, James Harding, described it as having enormous wings, a long sharp beak, claws like steel, and one eye in the middle of its forehead. He said it made shrill screeching noises and looked like a cross between a tiger and a vampire. A vampire may have been a good description, for it was reported to have killed a man, Bill Gifferson, by piercing his neck with its sharp bill and slowly sucking his blood. It was also seen in West Virginia, where it almost caught a woman near Scrabble, roosted in Alex Crow's barn, and laid an egg near Sharpsburg, where it was reported some men had rigged up an incubator to try to hatch it.  Sure enough, the Snallygaster was first sighted in Maryland by a man who fired a brick-burning kiln near Cumberland. The strange beast was seen cooling it's wings over the outlet of the kiln. When the beast's sleep was disturbed by the man, it emitted a blood-curdling scream and angrily flew away. It was also shot at near Hagerstown, sighted south of Middletown at Lover's Leap, and seen flying over the mountains between Gapland and Burkittsville, where it was reported to have laid another egg...big enough to hatch an elephant. Sightings of the Snallygaster were creating such a commotion that at one point it was reported that President Theodore Roosevelt might postpone a trip to Europe so that he could lead an expedition to capture it. Apparently the Smithsonian Institute was also interested in the beast. From the description provided by a sighting at Shepherdstown, West Virginia, they determined the strange beast was a Snallygaster. The last sighting in Frederick County in 1909 occurred near Emmitsburg in early March. Three men fought the terrible creature outside a railroad station for nearly an hour and a half before chasing it into the woods of Carroll County. Twenty-three years passed before the Snallygaster appeared again in Frederick County. First reports were received from just below South Mountain in Washington County. Eyewitness accounts claimed that it flew toward them from the Middletown Valley. The beast was often seen flying back and forth over the area and was described as being as large as a dirigible, with arms resembling the tentacles of an octopus. The creature appeared to be able to change its size, shape, and color at will. Although the creature made no attempt to harm any of the residents of the Valley, most people sought the safety of their homes as it flew overhead. All descriptions seemed to indicate it was the Snallygaster, last reported in these parts on March 5, 1909. As the life expectancy of a Snallygaster is only about twenty years, the most logical explanation seemed to be that the latest sighting was the offspring of the 1909 creature, possibly hatched from one of the eggs laid near Burkittsville. Since the Snallygaster appears so rarely, the Middletown Valley Register requested that local residents sighting the creature provide as accurate and detailed a description as possible for scientific purposes.  The Snallygaster finally met his end in a way some might envy. The creature was flying near Frog Hollow in Washington County when it was attracted by the aroma of a 2500-gallon vat of moonshine. As the beast flew overhead, it was overcome by the fumes and dropped into the boiling mash. A short time later, revenue agents George Dansforth and Charles Cushwa arrived on the scene. They had received information about the still, but were rather startled at the sight of the dead monster in the vat. The two agents exploded five hundred pounds of dynamite under the still, destroying the remains of the Snallygaster and John Barleycorn's workshop. A great deal has been written about the Snallygaster since 1909. It has appeared in countless articles in the Middletown Valley Register, Frederick News Post, and other area newspapers. Is has also appeared in the Baltimore Sun, National Geographic, and Time Magazine. In 1976, the Washington Post sponsored an unsuccessful search for the Snallygaster, as well as other strange Maryland creatures. -----  Tales exist around the South Mountain region where the Snallygaster is a monstrous bird preying on young children. Literary accounts of the Snallygaster were printed in the local newspapers. These narratives were most likely invented tales by two rival editors. To end the rivalry caused the Snallygaster demise; sent plummeting headlong into a boiling vat of whiskey. Such a just end for this unseen spirit. Of interest to scholars is the nature of the various tales likely invented, those which were patterned after Dragonlore, the absence of Native American influence, and its connection to Pennsylvania Dutch lore. NOTE: even though the Snallygaster is said to be the 'Maryland Monster' you rarely hear much about it...though there have been a few 'hunts' conducted within the Patapsco and Cunningham Falls State Parks in recent years. I even heard that a Snallygaster den was located near Camp David at one time. Believe what you may...Lon Sources: "Ghosts and Legends of Frederick County" - Timothy L. Cannon and Nancy F. Whitmore www.monstropedia.org www.pantheon.org "Don't Eat the Devil: A Dirty Hands Guide to the Meat of Baltimore" - 1998 - Rob Wallace and Chris Lease www.baltimoremd.com www.unknown-creatures.com americanmonsters.com "Weird Maryland: Your Travel Guide to Maryland's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets" - 2006 - Matt Lake       |
| Fortean / Alternative News: UFO Spooks Russian Military, Mexico 'ExtraNormal' and Rapture Death Posted: 28 May 2011 02:37 PM PDT   Russian Military Spooked by UFO openminds - by J. Antonio Huneeus - A news report broadcast by Gubernia TV in Russia about a multiple-witness sighting of a large UFO—posted on YouTube on May 12—has elicited considerable attention in several ufological news forums, particularly in Italy, but little else in the Western mainstream media. The case occurred in the village of Lesopilniy in the Khabarovsk region in Russia's Far East and it involved dozens of witnesses, including soldiers at a military base nearby who fired artillery shells at the UFO without harming it. The case seems highly interesting, although at this point we are still unable to verify much of the information beyond what was broadcast by Gubernia TV. According to the website OstaMyy.Com, which covers TV and Radio Channels in Russia, "Guberniya 'TV' is the first TV network boundary, the Far East's largest television station, which is among the ten regional leaders of electronic media in Russia. The potential television audience exceeds 1500000 people." Despite the Google translate flavor, you get the idea that Gubernia TV is a mainstream network in Russia, which can also be observed in the straight new formatting of the UFO broadcast itself. The UFO story, which lasts 3:07 minutes, located and interviewed several eyewitnesses, including a boy who tried to photograph the object with his cell phone. Some sketches of a classic saucer-shaped object are shown on camera. A summary of the Gubernia broadcast was published by several Italian UFO news forums and shorter versions appeared on some English-speaking forums like Above Top Secret. Here is a partial summary of the broadcast as published in the Italian news forums, which we have edited a bit from the rough Google translate: The villagers of Lesopilniy have witnessed the sighting of a giant UFO, which hovered above their village. What they saw – they say – does not resemble anything known to human science. Local residents were shocked by the sight of the object and fell into a panic. The object, according to witnesses, had a diameter of about 200 meters and was much larger than a passenger plane. Most of the people in the course of the sighting returned home in fear and put a "courageous" sentinel to watch the craft. A little boy tried to shoot the object with his cell phone, but without success. The video footage did not show anything, just a black screen. He decided to draw on a piece of paper what he saw. The object was seen with the naked eye even from people at a military base nearby, but was not detected by radar. The military thus decided to fire artillery shells at the UFO if it became hostile. But, apparently, the mysterious aircraft would then start up quickly and disappear from view. Despite the terror of the witnesses, we have had conventional explanations of the sighting by scientists and government authorities. Here they are listed below: Meteors or other atmospheric phenomena that are not recognized by witnesses, reflections of light in water, marsh gas, swarms of insects with brilliant backs. The witnesses did not accept the hypothesis of the government spokesmen and tranquilizers and are certain of what they saw. And then we wonder: is it possible that so many witnesses, including soldiers, have been misled by a swarm of giant insects…? Some thoughts on the case We contacted our friend and Open Minds contributor Dr. Vladimir Rubtsov from the Ukraine, a scientist who was involved in official scientific UFO investigations in the old Soviet Union, about his thoughts on the Lesopilniy case. His brief response sent by email was that, "as for the UFO observations in Lesopilniy, my only conclusion may be just that: information insufficient. The eyewitnesses seem to be sincere and they most probably saw something strange – but what was it remains more than vague." A few more tentative observations can be made about this case. One, as pointed earlier, is the straight news formatting of the Gubernia broadcast and the fact that all the people they interviewed seemed to be direct eyewitnesses. Another are the ludicrous explanations offered by Russian government spokesmen: marsh gas and swarms of insects with brilliant backs! Give me a break. The last time a government spokesman tried to use swamp gas in a high profile case was when Dr. Hynek offered it as a possible explanation for the UFO sightings in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1966. The good doctor had to spin this answer for the rest of his life. As for swarms of glowing insects, even the last line in the Gubernia TV broadcast made fun of this hypothesis. Reflections of light in water doesn't make any sense either since the Khabarovsk region is nowhere near the coast. Now, it's not clear that these lame explanations were offered specifically with regards to the Lesopilniy case or were just culled from earlier general pronouncements about UFOs/IFOs by Russian skeptics. I tend to go for the last option, as I remember reading in an old Sputnik magazine (the equivalent to Reader's Digest in the old USSR) the theory about the glowing insects. A final point worth mentioning concerns the rich history of UFOs in the Russian Far East. In the current issue of Open Minds magazine I wrote a story about a somewhat famous and highly puzzling crash of an unknown object in Dalnegorsk in 1986. The January 29 crash was followed by a large UFO wave which was documented by Dr. Valery Dvuzhilny, a scientist with the Far Eastern Commission on Anomalous Phenomena. One of the biggest cases during that wave occurred on November 28, 1987 when, wrote Dvuzhilny, "33 UFOs were flying at a low height over the Eastern coast of Primorye. Their flights took place between 9:10 pm and midnight. They were of different shape: cylinder, cigars, globes. They were flying over five regions and twelve settlements." Let's hope that someone of the caliber of Dvuzhilny or Rubtsov will investigate and follow up the Lesopilniy incident. Click for video **********   Fairies and Ghost Monks in Mexico I've seen several clips from the Mexican paranormal TV show ExtraNormal...but these are a bit more questionable than most. Tell me what your think...Lon Click for video - ExtraNormal: Finca con fenómenos Extranormales ********** Newly Found Species of Bacteria Lives On Pure Caffeine A newly described species of bacteria has joined the ranks of those of us who depend on caffeine for survival. The little microbe, Pseudomonas putida, uses specialized enzymes to break the precious compound into carbon dioxide and ammonia, scientists say. Previous research had noted microbial consumption of caffeine, which is found naturally in soil and in the seeds, leaves and fruit of several plants, serving as a natural pesticide. But this is the first time researchers figured out just how a microorganism breaks it down. The discovery of these specialized enzymes could help lead to treatments for various diseases, according to the American Society for Microbiology. That's because byproducts of the caffeine breakdown process are natural building blocks for drugs used to treat asthma, improve blood flow and stabilize heart arrhythmias. These compounds are hard to produce in the lab, so using the bacteria's special enzymes could simplify pharmaceutical production, microbiologists say. Caffeine, for all its utility in keeping your eyes open throughout the day, is just a cluster of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. It is built of three methyl groups, which consist of one carbon and three hydrogen atoms each. The bacteria has enzymes that break down these methyl groups, allowing it to feast on the chemical constituents. The enzymes were named N-demethylase A and B. Researchers isolated the genes they thought were responsible for producing these enzymes, and put the genes into E. coli to test them out. The bacteria produced NdmA and NdmB, according to a report in Scientific American. Researchers found P. putida living in a flower bed at the University of Iowa. "This work, for the first time, demonstrates the enzymes and genes utilized by bacteria to live on caffeine," said doctoral researcher Ryan Summers, who presented his research at the 111th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans. It's still unclear whether caffeine gives the bacteria afternoon jitters, however. - popsci ********** Investigators Suspect Harold Camping's End of the World Prediction to Blame for Fla. Man's Death Investigators looking into the circumstances of the death of a young man from Florida are suspecting Harold Camping's rapture prediction and the publicity generated by the Family Radio man's followers may have pushed him over the edge. Victor Frasno, 25, described by investigators as very religious, was staying with family in California when he became hysterical as Harold Camping's Judgment Day was about to arrive hours later. Despite the fact that he couldn't swim, he jumped into the huge reservoir in Contra Loma Regional Park, Antioch saying he had to "get to God." Frasno's body was recovered from the reservoir just moments before midnight as May 21st, Camping's predicted day of rapture, was about to arrive. Investigators are suggesting that the aggressive global advertising campaign and vast coverage given to Camping's prediction is to blame. Detective Holly Sontag, told the Contra Costa Times, "I believe it probably had something to do with the rapture because this wasn't his normal behavior." On May 20th, Frasno visited the park with family when he started to gradually behave more and more erratically. Detective Sontag stated, "He (Frasno) started talking about God profoundly, but nothing abnormal at that point." The group then went back to an apartment where Frasno watched a video about UFO's while quoting verses from the book of Ezekiel. Frasno then insisted the group return to the park. Detective Sontag said, "He told his family that he now understood the Bible and that God was going to come to see him." At that point he dived into the reservoir saying that God was waiting for him on the other side. Frasno's brother and his wife jumped in to rescue him, but although they were able to initially drag him out, the disturbed man managed to jump back in and tried to take his brother with him. Detective Sontag explained that Frasno had not been drinking, and was not taking any prescription drugs, and had no history of mental illness at all. She concluded, "The family never said anything related to rapture, but our sense is that was probably what happened." - christianpost  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!  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