Video: Haunted Borley Rectory / Church - Borley, Essex, UK

On this occasion I decided to check out a location regarded as the most haunted house in the world. The now demolished Borley Rectory was investigated by the renowned Harry Price in the 20`s and 30`s.

Join me afterwards as I investigate Borley Church which is believed to be haunted by spirits previously active in the Rectory.

This video contains an old video clip from a 1975 BBC investigation of the church. The clip is included under the fair trade provisions of the copyright act and is shown for comment or debate only. All copyrights are respected.

Chris Halton

Haunted Earth Internet Television

THE BORLEY LEGEND

Borley Rectory was built in 1863 by the Rev. Henry Bull in Essex, across the road from ancient Borley Church where he preached. (A church building of some kind had stood on the spot since the 12th century.) The new rectory was a Gothic mix of brick and stone and, in popular imagination, looked exactly like a haunted house ought to look.

Over the years, numerous unexplained incidents occurred in the house and the building became so infamous that in 1928 the current occupant of the rectory, Rev. Guy Eric Smith, contacted the London Daily Mirror asking for help. The Mirror sent a reporter, C.V. Wall, who patiently listened to the tales spun by the Smiths describing poltergeist activity in the house. The Smiths told of moans, of hearing footsteps, of dodging small pebbles hurled by unknown assailants and, of course, of seeing the ever-present apparition of the nun. When the report was published in the paper, two things happened. The first was that gawkers arrived in droves with their incessant demands to see the inside of the rectory, which worried the Smiths nearly to death. The second thing that happened was that famed ghost hunter Harry Price came to call.

Price spent the next ten years investigating the house and wrote two books on the subject. When the Smiths were forced to move out of the house because of the flood of unwanted publicity, the Rev. Lionel Foyster and his wife, Marianne, moved in. For some reason the presence of Marianne caused the ghostly activity to increase. The nun even attempted to contact Marianne by scrawling pleas to her on the walls. Much of the writing looked like the scribbling of a child, but sometimes the message was clear. “Marianne... please help get...”, said one. Marianne wrote beneath it in reply, “I cannot understand. Tell me more.” Unintelligible gibberish was written beneath that.

Price had a theory as to why the nun haunted the house and recounted an old legend to back up his argument. Before Henry VIII of England broke with Rome in 1534 and established the Anglican Church, England was a Catholic nation. A Priory once stood on the exact spot where Borely would be built. According to the Church, both nuns and priests were to remain celibate under pain of excommunication, or worse. But love did blossom.

A novice (a nun who had not taken her final vows) of the Nunnery of Burnes seven miles away, fell in love with a young monk of Borely. Their meetings, by necessity, were clandestine lest their superiors discover their sacrilege.

But suspicions were aroused in both camps and word leaked back to the authorities. Traps were laid and the lovers were discovered. The terrified couple tried to get away. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough and both were captured trying to flee in a carriage driven by a friend.

The young monk was put to death along with the coachman. The nun suffered an even more horrible fate. She was walled up alive, to serve penitence and to die, in the vaults below the Priory. It was her ghost, as well as the monk's, that walked Borley Rectory.

Between 1930 and 1935, Price said that he recorded at least 2,000 paranormal events in the house, including pebble-throwing, cold spots, wall writing, objects being moved and the mysterious appearances of an ancient Catholic medallion. Critics accused Foyster and Price of conspiring to make Borley Rectory a kind of Amityville. In fact, much of Price’s investigations were later discredited and he was branded a charlatan. While Price was alive (he died in 1948) he swore that his research was authentic and that he would haunt Borley himself to get the facts and then share them with the world from beyond the grave. (It was reported that he did just that, through a psychic).

Captain W. H. Gregson bought Borley Rectory in 1937, knowing full well its haunted reputation. He enlisted Price to investigate the house further. Gregson even wrote a few articles about the place on his own. Then, one night in 1939, Borley Rectory was consumed by fire. By the time the flames had run their course, only the study brick walls remained.

In any event, the ghostly nun of Borley Rectory was said to have migrated to Borley Church across the road after the fire. But her powers to appear to the living are apparently on the wane. Nowadays she is only seen occasionally.

Video: Haunted Borley Rectory / Church - Borley, Essex, UK
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MUFON Report / Photo: Circular UFO With Blue Lights - Pennsylvania

Round approx. 200 ft dia. probably 1200-1400 feet in air silent, lt. blue light in center surrounded on preiphery by smaller blue lights. 12-23-2008 - undisclosed location in Pennsylvania.

Statement: I took our dog out to do her business before retiring for the evening.
I happened to look up and saw what appeared to be a weird circular
formation of stars. As I watched, I realized it was one big object and there were smaller light blue lights on the object's periphery slowly revolving around a bigger light blue light in the center. I ran in the house, grabbed my digital camera, turned the flash off and took a quick picture.
As I was preparing to take a second shot, the UFO disappeared straight up in the sky at an unbelievable speed.
Location: my back driveway
Camera: Canon Powershot S-50 5.0 megapixel
Object: was moving south-east to north-west at a very slow rate directly over our neighborhood.
Noise: absolutely none

MUFON Report: Circular UFO With Blue Lights - Pennsylvania
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18th Annual International UFO Congress Convention and Film Festival

Laughlin, Nev. (PRWEB) January 7, 2009 -- The International UFO Congress, a leading organization for the research and documentation of UFO and related information, today announced their 18th Annual UFO Conference and Film Festival. Featuring more than 30 speakers from around the globe, the conference will be held at the newly renovated Aquarius Resort and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada from February 22nd through February 28th.

New events of the convention this year include healing sessions with renowned Croatian prophet Braco, and nightly skywatch trips with night-vision equipment led by veteran UFO spotter Ed Grimsley. Convention mainstays such as the Speaker Cocktail Party, the UFO Film Festival, and the EBE Awards Banquet will also be a part of this year's conference. Experiencer sessions will be led this year by Barbara Lamb.

The IUFOC is very pleased to welcome two new speakers this year: renowned UFO researcher and author Stanton Friedman will join us for the first time ever, and Marisa Ryan is welcomed as the first Medium ever to speak at the International UFO Congress. Jim Marrs returns this year with his new book, The Rise of the Fourth Reich; and Joshua P. Warren will teach you how to tell whether a UFO photo is real or hoaxed. All in all, more than thirty researchers and authors from around the world will be here for this one amazing week to bring you the best of all the new research relating to UFOs and the paranormal.

Early registration for the All-inclusive Full Package start at only $499 (per person, double occupancy) until January 19, 2009. After that, rates will increase. This includes admission to all presentations, the EBE Awards Banquet, and Meet the Speaker Cocktail Party, Experiencer Sessions, Skywatch Trips as well as eight nights accommodations at the Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada.

If you can not attend the conference for the full week, A la Carte Tickets and Hotel Room accommodations are also available.

This is the one UFO Event of the Year that you can not afford to miss!

For More Information, Contact:
International UFO Congress
67 S. Higley Rd. #103-408
Gilbert AZ 85296

Phone (602) 889-3083
Fax (480) 632-0535

18th Annual International UFO Congress Convention and Film Festival
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Video: 3-Eyed Domestic Cat

Not much information with this video though, it's a bit short but does look to be authentic. Take it for what it is.

Video: 3-Eyed Domestic Cat

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A&E Adding 'Paranormal Cops' To It's Lineup

A&E is seeking to one-up Sci Fi's "Ghost Hunters" with a new series that blends paranormal investigation with law enforcement.

"Paranormal Cops," tentatively slated to premiere this year, will feature a group of Chicago police officers who moonlight as ghost chasers at night. Given the team's law enforcement credentials, the concept seeks to add a new layer of credibility to a genre that has featured ghost hunting teams founded by professional plumbers, college students and academics.

The police group includes four officers, two tech assistants and a "medium." The ghost-chasing group existed before the show's producers came along, a network spokesman said, and the officers' respective departments have approved the venture.

The network also announced a third season of its similar show, "Paranormal State," which features a group of Penn State University college students.

The ghost-hunting genre shows no signs of slacking on cable, with ratings continuing to grow for several shows. In addition to A&E's ramp-up, Sci Fi recently ordered a new "Ghost Hunters" spinoff.

A&E Adding 'Paranormal Cops' To It's Lineup
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Paranormal Activity at Minnesota Courthouse Subject of Documentary

The Freeborn County Courthouse will soon be the feature of a documentary that includes an investigation into paranormal activity.

In action during the Tuesday Freeborn County Board of Commissioners meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to allow the television show “Dead Reckoning” to come to Albert Lea and do a story about the Freeborn County Courthouse.

Warren Anderson, a cast member for the show, said the people involved with the show have heard for many years that there is paranormal activity that takes place in and around the courthouse that is possibly linked to a suicide from the 1930s.

As part of the visit, Anderson said, his team would like to do a full story about the courthouse from the time it was built to the present and will try to focus on the history of the property. The other part of the show includes a full paranormal investigation by six investigators working in groups of two, who use scientific equipment to document any kind of paranormal activity present.

He said the team uses equipment such as night vision cameras, digital voice recorders and electromagnetic field detectors. The show is being looked at by several TV networks, one of which is the Learning Channel.

Its cast members have done three previous episodes in Minnesota, including the historic Mounds Theater in St. Paul, the Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre and the Wabasha Street Caves in St. Paul.

The show’s tag line is “raising history from the dead,” Anderson said.

Commissioner Dan Belshan asked whether there would be any extra expenses incurred on Freeborn County because of the visit.

Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever said he was told there would not be.

Kluever said he assumes most of the work will be done after sunset, and he recommended that Randy Jensen, the county’s building maintenance manager, be involved with the television show as he has interest in that realm.

Jensen said he would make sure someone from the county is with the TV crew at all times.

Paranormal Activity at Minnesota Courthouse Subject of Documentary
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Phantom Hitchhiker Sighting Causes Traffic Problems In Northern Ireland Town

This time of year is traditionally associated with high spirits as revellers welcome in another year.

However, a spirit of a different kind has been causing a bit of a commotion outside Coalisland in County Tyrone.

An apparent sighting of a ghost has led to crowds of people descending on the Brackaville area over the holidays.

"At one point, there was a line of up to 60 cars on the Mullaghmoyle Road with people trying to spot it," said Sinn Féin Councillor Desmond Donnelly.

"It wasn't just one night, it was going on for a week or so over the holidays. I'm not sure how it all started - I wouldn't be one for ghosts, but you know how this type of thing spreads.

"If you ask me, it's more likely to be a reflection of the moon on the river that flows through the area. Although the talk is that what was seen was in the shape of a person."

Pat Hughes, speaking at the Central Bar in Coalisland, said the sighting had certainly got people in the town talking.

"Everybody's been talking about it in the bar and it has also caught the imagination of young people," he said.

"It has got to the stage where it's a bit like a drive-in movie."

As with these sorts of things, rumours about what was or was not seen quickly spread. It was claimed the apparition was a woman who had lived locally.

Warren Coates of the Northern Ireland Paranormal Research Association (NIPRA) said he was aware of "previous paranormal activity" in the area.

"It related to a phantom female hitchhiker, but if anybody down there would like us to investigate this latest sighting, we'd only be too happy to help," he said.

Phantom Hitchhiker Sighting Causes Traffic Problems In Northern Ireland Town
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Videos: MUFON Investigation - UFOs / Lost Time - Cape Fear River, NC

A Hope Mills man was recently on the Discovery Channel after claiming to see UFOs while fishing at the Cape Fear River.

Christopher Bledsoe Sr, former owner of Bledsoe Properties, was the centerpiece of a documentary-style show on the cable channel called, UFOs over Earth.

The show, which ran on Dec. 13, featured UFO investigator interviews with Bledsoe, who claimed he, his son and three friends saw three bright yellow circular objects hovering over a wooded area as they were fishing on the Cape Fear River in 2007.

Producers with the show flew from California in June and spent several days videotaping and doing interviews.

The experience moved the Fayetteville native from being a skeptic to now, devouring any bit of information about extraterrestrial life, he can, Bledsoe said Sunday.

“Imagine seeing something as big as a school bus hovering in the air,” Bledsoe, 47, said Sunday. “It scared the bejesus out of me.”

Several years ago, Bledsoe grappled numerous lawsuits and community scorn from scores of angry homeowners and suppliers who accused his company of unfinished repairs, unpaid for work. Eventually, Bledsoe quit the construction business and paid out thousands in liens and settlements.

Although he is unemployed, Bledsoe’s reputation seems be on the upswing.

Since the broadcast, hundreds of messages of support and interest in his UFO claims have crowded his Google e-mail account from places as far as Canada, Poland and Sweden. A wave of attention has beset the Bledsoe household. Last month a specialist in hypnosis spent days talking with Bledsoe about a possible book, he said.

Bledsoe is also in demand as a speaker on UFO sightings.

“I’ve never believed in UFOs and I never thought of such stuff,” Bledsoe said. “But now, this might become one of the biggest cases in the world.

Videos: MUFON Investigation - UFOs / Lost Time - Cape Fear River, NC
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Frightening Text Messages Being Forwarded Around NY Jews

NOTE: I noticed this in 'The Yeshiva World' and thought I'd post here for comment- Lon

1/2/09 - 3:00PM EST: [UPDATE BELOW] With the situation in Gaza deteriorating by the day, and anti-semitism rampant around the world, thousands of NY Jews were frightened upon receiving the following text message which has been going around on Friday afternoon:

“A Jewish woman gave a tip to a Muslim taxi driver and out of appreciation he warned her not to go to Manhattan next week Wednesday.”

YWN has reached out to high-ranking members of the NYPD, and have stated that although they received the same text message, “there are no credible threats to be concerned about - and don’t even know where this text message originated from”.

The only message that they do have for the public is the same message that they have been saying since 9/11. That message is “always be aware of your surroundings, be vigilant, and if you see anything suspicious contact the police department immediately to report what you have seen”.

UPDATE 3:50PM EST: YWN has just spoken with NYS Assemblyman Dov Hikind who tells us that he has received various reports regarding this ‘threat’ and has personally contacted the FBI who is currently investigating them.

He thanked YWN for our alert to calm the public, and echoed the call for calm and vigilance at anytime and any location. “If you see something, say something,” Hikind said.

“The FBI and the NYPD take these types of threats very seriously, and investigate them thoroughly to ensure the safety of the public.”

May Hashem protect us from no harm - no matter where in the world we are located.

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Biochemist Creates Oranges Containing THC

In the summer of 1984, 10th-grader Irwin Nanofsky and a friend were driving down the Apalachee Parkway on the way home from baseball practice when they were pulled over by a police officer for a minor traffic infraction.

After Nanofsky produced his driver’s license the police officer asked permission to search the vehicle. In less than two minutes, the officer found a homemade pipe underneath the passenger’s seat of the Ford Aerostar belonging to the teenage driver’s parents. The minivan was seized, and the two youths were taken into custody on suspicion of drug possession.

Illegal possession of drug paraphernalia ranks second only to open container violations on the crime blotter of this Florida college town. And yet the routine arrest of 16 year-old Nanofsky and the seizure of his family’s minivan would inspire one of the most controversial drug-related scientific discoveries of the century.

Meet Hugo Nanofsky, biochemist, Florida State University tenured professor, and the parental authority who posted bail for Irwin Nanofsky the night of July 8, 1984. The elder Nanofsky wasn’t pleased that his son had been arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, and he became livid when Tallahassee police informed him that the Aerostar minivan would be permanently remanded to police custody.

Over the course of the next three weeks, Nanofsky penned dozens of irate letters to the local police chief, the Tallahassee City Council, the State District Attorney and, finally, even to area newspapers. But it was all to no avail.

Under advisement of the family lawyer, Irwin Nanofsky pled guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia in order to receive a suspended sentence and have his juvenile court record sealed. But in doing so, the family minivan became “an accessory to the crime.” According to Florida State law, it also became the property of the Tallahassee Police Department Drug Task Force. In time, the adult Nanofsky would learn that there was nothing he could do legally to wrest the vehicle from the hands of the state.

It was in the fall of 1984 that the John Chapman Professor of Biochemistry at Florida State University, now driving to work behind the wheel of a used Pontiac Bonneville, first set on a pet project that he hoped would “dissolve irrational legislation with a solid dose of reason.” Nanofsky knew he would never get his family’s car back, but he had plans to make sure that no one else would be pulled through the gears of what he considers a Kafka-esque drug enforcement bureaucracy.

“It’s quite simple, really,” Nanofsky explains, “I wanted to combine Citrus sinesis with Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol.” In layman’s terms, the respected college professor proposed to grow oranges that would contain THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Fourteen years later, that project is complete, and Nanofsky has succeeded where his letter writing campaign of yore failed: he has the undivided attention of the nation’s top drug enforcement agencies, political figures, and media outlets.

The turning point in the Nanofsky saga came when the straight-laced professor posted a message to Internet newsgroups announcing that he was offering “cannabis-equivalent orange tree seeds” at no cost via the U.S. mail. Several weeks later, U.S. Justice Department officials showed up at the mailing address used in the Internet announcement: a tiny office on the second floor of the Dittmer Laboratory of Chemistry building on the FSU campus. There they would wait for another 40 minutes before Prof. Nanofsky finished delivering a lecture to graduate students on his recent research into the “cis-trans photoisomerization of olefins.”

“I knew it was only a matter of time before someone sent me more than just a self-addressed stamped envelope,” Nanofsky quips, “but I was surprised to see Janet Reno’s special assistant at my door.” After a series of closed door discussions, Nanofsky agreed to cease distribution of the THC-orange seeds until the legal status of the possibly narcotic plant species is established.

Much to the chagrin of authorities, the effort to regulate Nanofsky’s invention may be too little too late. Several hundred packets containing 40 to 50 seeds each have already been sent to those who’ve requested them, and Nanofsky is not obliged to produce his mailing records. Under current law, no crime has been committed and it is unlikely that charges will be brought against the fruit’s inventor.

Now it is federal authorities who must confront the nation’s unwieldy body of inconsistent drug laws. According to a source at the Drug Enforcement Agency, it may be months if not years before all the issues involved are sorted out, leaving a gaping hole in U.S. drug policy in the meantime. At the heart of the confusion is the fact that THC now naturally occurs in a new species of citrus fruit.

As policy analysts and hemp advocates alike have been quick to point out, the apparent legality (for now) of Nanofsky’s “pot orange” may render debates over the legalization of marijuana moot. In fact, Florida’s top law enforcement officials admit that even if the cultivation of Nanofsky’s orange were to be outlawed, it would be exceedingly difficult to identify the presence of outlawed fruit among the state’s largest agricultural crop.

Amidst all of the hubbub surrounding his father’s experiment, Irwin Nanofsky exudes calm indifference. Now 30-years-old and a successful environmental photographer, the younger Nanofsky can’t understand what all of the fuss is about. “My dad’s a chemist. He makes polymers. I doubt it ever crossed his mind that as a result of his work tomorrow’s kids will be able to get high off of half an orange.”

Biochem 101: How to design a Cannabis-equivalent citrus plant

Step One:
Biochemically isolate all the required enzymes for the production of THC.

Step Two:
Perform N-terminal sequencing on isolated enzymes, design degenerate PCR (polymerase chain reaction) primers and amplify the genes.

Step Three:
Clone genes into an agrobacterial vector by introducing the desired piece of DNA into a plasmid containing a transfer or T-DNA. The mixture is transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a gram negative bacterium.

Step Four:
Use the Agrobacterium tumefaciens to infect citrus plants after wounding. The transfer DNA will proceed to host cells by a mechanism similar to conjugation. The DNA is randomly integrated into the host genome and will be inherited.

Biochemist Creates Oranges Containing THC

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Salem Commission Tells Ghost Hunters 'No Thanks'

This old city, some say, is locked in an eternal wrestling match with itself. Is this the historic seaport of art and culture, or the "Witch City" of psychics and ghost tours?

The Park and Recreation Commission ventured into that quicksand this week when it denied a request by a group of paranormal investigators from Rhode Island to search for ghosts in the Witch House, the former home of Jonathan Corwin, an infamous judge during the Witch Trials of 1692.

In essence, a majority of the board — only three of the five members were present — said it would be in bad taste to allow ghost hunters to go inside an historic, 17th-century house that is tied to such an important and tragic event.

"We have to have respect for the gravity of the injustice that occurred in 1692," member Chris Burke said.

After the rejection, Spirit Finders Paranormal Investigators said they were "severely disappointed."

They asked questions that others have asked: How could a city that licenses psychics, sends its children to Witchcraft Heights School and sells official Salem blood during Halloween turn down a "scientific" investigation of one of its most historic witch properties?

Where does Salem draw the line?

In an interview after the meeting, there was even a suggestion that the city is being hypocritical for calling this 9 North St. property the "Witch House."

"Then don't call it the Witch House anymore," said Eric Fraize, the self-proclaimed "Witch King of Salem," who represented the paranormal group at the meeting. "Call it the 'Jonathan Corwin House.' You can't have it both ways. ...

"If they wanted to have respect, they'd take the witch off the police cars. ... They'd stop calling it 'The Witch City,' and Haunted Happenings would shut down."

Spirit Finders was certainly caught off guard by the board's decision.

After all, only a few weeks ago, they got a warm welcome when they first presented the idea to the board.

In fact, Chairman James Shea, who was absent this week, seemed downright enthusiastic back then.

"I think it could help sell tickets," said Shea, who knows something about selling tickets. His family runs the Salem Wax Museum.

On Tuesday night, Fraize tried to persuade a board that did not include Shea that news of a ghost hunt could only boost attendance at a city tourist attraction that does not draw big crowds.

"It would generate more revenue," he said. "I'm not sure why anybody would say no to money."

A similar spirit search proved to be good business for the Hawthorne Hotel, which was visited by the reality TV show "Ghost Hunters" more than a year ago.

"When people call to make reservations, we ask how they heard about the hotel," said Juli Lederhaus, general manager of the Hawthorne. "Lots of people tell us they saw us on 'Ghost Hunters.'"

(For the record, "Ghost Hunters" failed to find any ghosts in the Hawthorne Hotel).

While not as successful as the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch House is not exactly a loser. It made a profit of $175,000 this year.

"We always like a bigger pie, but it's certainly not insignificant," said Commissioner Laura Swanson.

Board member Maryann Curtin was strongly opposed to opening their doors to a group armed with night-vision camcorders, electromagnetic-force readers and tape recorders.

"I don't see what benefit the city would get from people finding spirits there," she said.

Swanson said she feared that this paranormal activity "has the possibility to overshadow or maybe distract from the historic significance we look to promote."

Since news reports first appeared of Spirit Finders, the board said it has been contacted by two other paranormal groups. If they approve one ghost hunt, one member asked, how can they turn down others?

The board also said it investigated references from Spirit Finders and found that some of the historic properties had mixed experiences.

In his pitch to the board, Fraize said that Spirit Finders is a nonprofit group interested only in scientific inquiry. He said he believes so much in this group that he allowed them to conduct a paranormal investigation of his own home.

"Interestingly enough," he said, "they found nothing."

Salem Commission Tells Ghost Hunters 'No Thanks'
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Courtney Love's Album Delayed Because Of 'Paranormal Events'

Courtney Love has pushed back the release of her new album after ghostly goings-on in the studio delayed the recording.

Nobody's Daughter, the follow-up to 2004's America's Sweetheart, was due for release through the rocker's website on January 1.

But it is now scheduled for next month after "paranormal" events forced the album's producer Michael Beinhorn to abandon the studio.

In a posting on her MySpace.com page, a representative for Love writes, "The studio that Courtney and her band were using to record had some paranormal technical issues and had to be moved from one studio to another studio right around the holidays due to some technical sound issues that Beinhorn, who is a master and a genius, was not happy with.

"The room was a paranormal issue; Courtney and crew could not hear between guitars. Sound and vocal mixings have to be completed still to perfection. If Courtney had it her way she would have the studios sound-checked first but it was originally use (sic) as a hip-hop rap studio so the acoustics were all f**ked up."

Courtney Love's Album Delayed Because Of Paranormal Events

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Video: UFO Over Bradford, West Yorkshire - 1/1/09 at 00:12 AM Local Time

A mum had an unforgettable start to 2009 when she spotted a UFO over Bradford.

Clare Harris, 30, of Low Moor, was with four friends at a house when they spotted a flickering ball, orange or white in colour, moving slowly across the sky.

She immediately grabbed her mobile phone and captured a fascinating video sequence showing the movements of the object.

She said: “It was just after midnight on New Year’s Eve. I was not drinking due to my daughter being ill. We were round at a friend’s house on Sal Royd Road in Low Moor and we had been sat around talking.

“My partner was looking out of the window and shouted for me to come and look. The more we watched the more it seemed strange.

“It was round in shape and was orange, flickering white, and it was moving sideways. It was very far away, over towards the Odsal Top direction.

“None of us could explain what it was and it stayed in the sky for a long time, then disappeared into the distance. We kept looking and about three or four minutes later another one appeared but only stayed for a little while.

“There may be a very simple explanation and I am sure everyone thinks I am a crackpot. I am not saying it was little green men, just that we don’t know what it was. Some people have mentioned those Chinese lanterns that people set off, but it seemed too far away and too bright to be one of those.”

This is not the first UFO sighting in Bradford in recent months.

In September, Richard Ing, of Westminster Avenue, Clayton, reported seeing a “massive fireball half the size of an aeroplane” from the balcony of his house.

Mr Ing’s description of the object prompted three other people to contact the Telegraph & Argus saying they had seen a similar object on the same night.

One of them, who did not wish to be named, said: “At about 10pm we were all sat outside in the garden when an orange ball-like object came towards my home from a southerly direction.

“It seemed to look as though it was hovering over the top of Wibsey. There was no noise coming from the object. The ball seemed to change shape widening and decreasing from time to time, then it seemed to reverse back and the light went out.”

Video: UFO Over Bradford, West Yorkshire - 1/1/09 at 00:12 AM Local Time
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Photos: UFO Over Victoria, Argentina - January 2, 2009

Statement: On January 2, 2009, we had a considerable number of sightings beginning at 2300 hours, involving Laguna del Pescado. A very large luminous object emerged from this body of water at incredible speed, heading toward the fields of Victoria until it vanished. Half an hour later, at 23:30 hours, an immense white light appeared in the sky, parallel to the moon, in the vicinity of Laguna Grande. It turned toward the west (heading toward the city of Santa Fe) and vanished in an upward direction.

Minutes later, another even brighter object appeared at the same location, making exactly the same movement. This occurred five times in succession. The only variation consisted in the various tones of the lights, which ranged from bright white to blue, red, orange, and finally yellow. We are attaching photographic samples.

A considerable number of witnesses were on hand from the summit of Cerro La Matanza, citizens of Victoria, and from the city of St. Nicholas in one Buenos Aires.

Silvia Perez Simondini

Photos: UFO Over Victoria, Argentina
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Spiritual Sights and Smells Continue at Literary Agency

The 150-year-old Milford house where the Virginia Kidd Literary Agency resides looks haunted — and is — according to Christine Cohen and Vaughn Hansen, the agents who have worked there for 10 and 20 years, respectively.

Phantoms dressed for other eras appear; distinct aromas occur without cause; objects disappear, and then, upon polite request, reappear.

But, Cohen said, "The ghosts are harmless." She is accustomed to feeling that the science fiction and fantasy novels the agency has represented for almost a half century are sometimes barely ahead of real life. Their phantoms and advanced technology echo in her brushes with ghosts and the way the Internet accelerates her days.

She is merely amused by the clue she found one morning that the ghost of Virginia Kidd, who died five years ago, had stopped by. A photo of Kidd seemed to have escaped from its frame, leaving the surrounding cardboard and plastic undisturbed.

"That's just Virginia," Cohen said.

In the 1940s, the mercurial Kidd wrote short science fiction stories while sharing a Manhattan apartment with another science fiction writer, Judith Merril. Kidd realized then that she "didn't have a novel in her," says Hansen. However Kidd's knack for guiding writers to the right magazine or editor for their work prompted Merril to tell her that being an agent was her real calling.

And talented science fiction writers did call her. Early in the science fiction career of Ursula Le Guin, an editor urged her to accept a publisher's stingy offer for "Left Hand of Darkness," but LeGuin turned to Kidd, who immediately made an advantageous deal elsewhere. For about 30 years, Kidd and LeGuin corresponded, though rarely seeing each other, and after Kidd's death in 2005, LeGuin wrote a tribute.

Of the Kidd agency, she says, "I caught a couple of glimpses of the labyrinthine psychological complexities of the establishment. It seemed a bit like a performance of Marat/Sade crossed with Der Rosenkavalier. "

The drama's cast became more populous as, like Kidd and her husband, science fiction writer James Blish, other science fiction writers began finding New York too expensive for their bohemian lifestyles. They drifted west to Milford in the 1950s, forming an active writers' colony that often gathered at Kidd's house, called Arrowhead because of the way the intersection of the Delaware River and Sawkill Creek shape the estate.

Their collusions spawned the Science Fiction Writers of America and a method of critiquing each other's work now called the "Milford method." And they call their annual conference the Milford Conference, though it may take place in any Milford around the world..

Kidd became a full time agent in the mid-1960s and she left many prominent clients to her protegees, Hansen and Cohen; their list includes Le Guin, Harlan Ellison and Damon Knight, among others.

Hansen, who grew up in Westfall, and Cohen, from Wallenpaupack, spend their days answering queries, coping with copyrights, and managing the impatient communication technology has wrought.

"Before e-mail we had a grace period," said Hansen. "We had six weeks to answer queries and teacher requests. Now people want to hear next week."

They also try to handle mail sent by the reading public to writers to guard their authors' writing time. Le Guin, now near 80, once replied to a reader, "Consider that words in my next novel are answers to you."

Alan Dean Foster often tries to answer his own mail, but he travels extensively, said Cohen, "to anywhere the mosquitoes aren't bigger than the birds."

As to fantasies that their lives as agents are exotic, spending their time at publishing parties and writers' conventions, Cohen demurs.

"We do get to know writers and editors. It's a close community. But for parties we have to be on our best behavior."

And the science fiction conventions may demand superhuman powers. For instance, publishing companies often schedule readings at times that would trouble normal humans, like at the moment their plane lands, said Cohen. And though they travel, they see little, they say: They saw Disneyland from a hotel window, and a lost van driver accidentally drove them around Chicago, then disappeared, not to be seen again.

But says Cohen, "I couldn't exist in a high rise office. I like unconventional surroundings." She and Hansen guard their working time, as well as the authors', in their office with its old flowered wallpaper and couch, bookcases devoted to individual authors, banging radiators, and Boise, a white cat with a strange gait and dark, studious eyes. They prefer their clients to be further than driving distance away to ensure visits will be rare.

Still, intrusions come from seemingly nowhere. Recently, they received a call from a 12-year-old, demanding to know when the next Ursula Le Guin novel would come out.

"How did she find us?" marvels Cohen.

The chocolate chip cookie smell keeps returning to the top of the stairs. But the recurring odor of cigarette smoke, which they believe accompanied the ghost of Kidd's last business partner, James Allen, was last smelled in the sanctuary of Milford Episcopal Church when Virginia Kidd was buried.

Spiritual Sights and Smells Continue at Literary Agency
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For the Person Who Has Everything...How About a Celebrity Used Burial Casket?

The Big Bopper’s body (incidentally, if you don’t know who The Big Bopper is, please consult Wikipedia.) was exhumed and moved to a more visible location. With the family’s consent, forensic experts were also able to perform an autopsy on the 50’s singer.

Jay Richardson, the son of the legend, plans to sell the used 48-year-old casket on eBay to raise money for a musical show about his father to keep his memory alive.

What do you think? Think they’ll have any takers? Or is this just too morbid? Would you want to be the one that says, “I own The Big Bopper’s used casket”?

The Big Bopper's Used Burial Casket

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Video: Demon Girl Apparition

This interesting video was supposedly taken in early December 2008. No location was given.

Video: Demon Girl Apparition
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7 Bizarre Unsolved Mysteries

7 ) The Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter

Not all alien invasion stories are created equal. In fact, all of them pale in comparison to the Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter because it involves rednecks, alien goblins, and guns. On the night of August 21, 1955, a Kentucky farmer went outside to get a drink of water and claimed to have seen a “flying saucer” crash in a nearby gully. Everyone laughed at him and suggested that he was either lying or hallucinating.

The Bizarre:
A few minutes later the group saw a three foot tall creature glide towards them. It had an over-sized head, pointy ears, glowing eyes, was dressed in silver metal, had large talons on its hands, and had them raised towards the sky. The group responded like any of us would: they grabbed their guns and started shooting at it. But it just somersaulted away and for the next few hours the group was harangued by a group of goblins that didn’t get hurt by gunfire and seemed to just want to peer inside the house.

Possible Explanation:
The best explanation is that they were shit-faced on moonshine and were shooting at owls. But the police was very adamant in stating that the group was not under the influence of alcohol and drugs and “sincere and sane and that they had no interest in exploiting the case for publicity.”

6 ) The Dancing Mania of Aachen

Not the Tito Puente album, but a craze that swept across Europe and lasted for about 300 years. On June 24, 1374, a large group of people started dancing through the streets of Aachen, Germany, engaging in orgies and screaming about visions. They foamed at their mouths, talked in tongues, and kept dancing even after collapsing from exhaustion. It quickly caught on and rapidly spread through the rest of Europe.

The Bizarre:
Obvious Thriller joke aside, what made the entire scenario even better was the fact that the first solution was to attempt to pray away the mania. Large religious ceremonies were staged on counter the movement because it was thought to be a form of demonic possession. When that failed, anytime a dance mania would kick off musicians would accompany the afflicted in hopes that it would “treat” them.

Possible Explanation:
There are a few: Michael Jackson turned into a werecat after asking his girlfriend to go steady, ergot poisoning, or mass delusions. You decide which one you like better.

5 ) The Dyatlov Pass Accident

In something that the Blair Witch Project apparently ripped off, nine Russian cross-country skiers went on a trek through the Ural Mountains in 1959. They were forced to set up camp during a snow storm but something scared them enough to make a mad dash through the harsh subzero weather towards a nearby forest wearing practically nothing. Not surprisingly, all were found dead afterwards. None of them had any signs of outward trauma.

The Bizarre:
Since no Cher CDs were found it is unknown why they would dash into the snow to die, but other hikers in the area swear there were strange lights in the sky. Five were found to have died of simple hypothermia - it appears that they just ran out into the cold and froze to death - but four were found in strange circumstances: two had crushed ribs, one had a crushed skull, and one was missing her tongue. These four were dosed with radiation and families swear that their skin turned orange and their hair white.

Possible Explanation:
No tongue? Aliens! Buzz-kills want us to believe that an avalanche or a weapons test gone wrong caused the deaths, but there is no evidence of either, and most records were lost after the fall of the USSR or are still sealed.

4 ) The Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 Hijacking

On November 24, 1971, a man that resembled Michael Douglas’ character in Falling Down sat down and requested a bourbon with soda. The man is D.B. Cooper and he is about to become an American legend. After lighting a cigarette he passed the stewardess a note saying that he’ll detonate a bomb if he isn’t given $200,000 in cash and four parachutes.

The Bizarre:
After the FBI gives him the money and parachutes, he straps it to himself and asks for the plane to go to Mexico City. After 45 minutes in the air he offers each of the stewardesses a $2,000 tip, opens a door in the back, and bails into the darkness and rain.

Possible Explanation:
He had balls that were made of diamonds. Expert experienced paratrooper and skydivers swear that there is no way he could have survived the jump but no body is ever found. A few people come forward, either claiming to be D.B. Cooper or claiming to know who he was, but DNA evidence disproves their claims.

3 ) The May Day Mystery

Every May 1st since 1981, a cryptic ad has been placed in the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

The Bizarre:
At first glance they are just gibberish, but analysis by fans has revealed that they seem to be laying out a story that involves The Orphanage, a secret society that is placing the ads, that wants to give away The Prize, which is a reward that is in a safe deposit box for whoever solves the mystery. The Orphanage transports White Rabbit/Wonder Bread, which are unknown items, and seem to have some obsession with Martin Luther because his image appears on a lot of the ads.

Possible Explanation:
The super-model-sexy explanation is that there is a super secret society that is trying to see if anyone out there is smart enough to crack their code. The seeing-your-grandmother-naked explanation is that the ads are placed by Robert Truman Hungerford, an eccentric lawyer that claims to be the legal counsel for “The Brotherhood”, and that he is bat shit insane.

2 ) The Max Headroom Signal Piracy Incident

On a typical Chicago night on November 22, 1987, someone wearing a Max Headroom mask managed to hijack a broadcast signal twice - once CBS and once PBS. Pirating a broadcast signal is incredibly hard. According to the FBI the cost of doing something like this could range from a couple thousand dollars to over $25,000.

The Bizarre:
The first intrusion took place while CBS was going through sports scores. “Max” appeared for about 30 seconds and swayed in front of a corrugated metal sheet until CBS killed his signal. The second intrusion took place while PBS was showing an episode of Doctor Who. “Max” appeared around 11:15 PM and started dancing around while saying random phrases. He then decided to moon the viewers and was spanked by someone wearing a dress with a flyswatter. Then the signal blacked out. It pissed off Doctor Who fans to the point that one remarked: “I got so upset that I wanted to bust the TV set… I really did.”

Possible Explanation:
The most badass one is that it was a bored hacker that wanted to show off his abilities. The not as awesome, but still interesting one is that someone had a grudge against the CBS station. The philosophical one is that he used Max Headroom because it was set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by TV corporations and freedom fighters spread their message by hijacking TV feeds. But either way, no one knows, because “Max” covered his trail extremely well and there is practically no evidence anymore.

1 ) The Lead Masks Case

Some crazy shit happens in Brazil, there are parts of Rio de Janeiro where pilots refuse to fly over out of fears that slum lords will shoot them down. So, it is only natural that mysterious deaths have to involve UFOs. On August 20, 1966, in Niteroi, the bodies of two healthy men in their 30s were found on a hilltop. Both men were wearing half-masks made of lead that covered the upper half of their faces. A notebook keeping diagrams and partially coded notes along with a strange letter was found with the bodies.

The Bizarre:
Lead masks aside, the autopsies revealed that both men were healthy and had died when their hearts just stopped beating. The notebook contained references to the Ohm equation and the letter appeared to be instructions to appear at the hilltop, swallow orange capsules, and to wait for the “promised sign.” Naturally, people came forward to claim that strange orange objects were hovering over the hilltop the same day. When investigators searched one of the men’s workshop they found a book that discussed scientific spiritualism in which passages dealing with masks and intense rays of light were marked.

Possible Explanation:
Theories about aliens, psychics, cults, etc started to spread but none had any evidence. The police closed the investigation saying: “I have no doubt they died of an experiment with psychic forces, for which they were ill-prepared and which turned out to be fatal.”

Bizarre Unsolved Mysteries
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Video: Is the Elephant Afraid of the Mouse?

Well, this was totally unexpected! I'm glad I didn't place a wager on the results.

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The Kremlin's Ruling Spirits Stay Active

The Kremlin in Moscow has always been a shadowy place, steeped in mystery. Myths and legends grew up around it - including some blood-curdling ghost stories. A new book aims to throw some light on the Kremlin’s secrets.

Can you imagine the Moscow Kremlin’s famous red-brick walls painted grey, or a trolley bus trundling through its serene courtyards? No, well at some point it could have become a reality.

The Kremlin that we know was built in the decade between 1480 and 1490, according to a new book called "Moscow Kremlin - Russia's citadel", which includes documents previously unavailable to the public.

One of these documents reveals that in the 1930s there were plans to lay tram lines across the old fortress’s territory, to transport people from one part of the site to another. Considering today's limited access to the area, such an idea is almost unthinkable.

"The decision has been made but not fulfilled," Sergey Devyatov said, PR director of Federal Guard Service, whose specialists carried out much of the research for the book.

He said that in the turbulent 30s the authorities considered repainting the Kremlin grey instead of red.

"It is very fortunate that there was not enough grey paint," Devyatov said. "When they estimated how much paint would be needed, it turned out that the entire Soviet fleet would be left unpainted. It was a difficult time and the idea was put aside."

Stars & eagles

The famous Kremlin stars, seen for miles around, also have a unique history. The star was part of Soviet propaganda symbolising the hero. Several of the Kremlin’s towers were supplied with them.

The first star appeared on Spasskaya tower (the one with the clock) in 1935. It substituted the tsarist double-headed eagle. These stars were made of steel and included the Soviet symbols of the hammer and sickle inlaid with gems and plated with gold.

Soon, however, dust covered the gems and gold and the luxury stars were changed for more practical red glass ones with light bulbs inside.

Mysteries of the citadel

The Kremlin, where in recent times the President of Russia has had his offices, is the oldest part of Moscow. It’s right at the heart of the capital, in the geographical, historical, political and cultural sense.

Along with Moscow itself, the Kremlin dates back to the 12th century. Moscow was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1147. Initially the Kremlin was the fortification of the settlement which appeared on the Borovitsky hill, where the Neglinnaya river flows into the Moskva river.

In the 13th century the Kremlin became the residence of Moscow's princes. For ages it remained the home of the country’s leaders – from the tsars and the Soviets right up to modern times.

Given this long history, it’s hardly surprising that the Kremlin is associated with many myths and legends. One of these suggests the site is haunted.

The most famous ghost stories about the Kremlin concern three leaders: Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who reigned Russia in the 16th century; Vladimir Lenin, who led the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution; and the notorious Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

Some people say Ivan’s shadow can be seen and his footsteps heard in Kremlin’s Ivan the Great Bell Tower. There are also reports that his spirit visited the last tsar, Nikolay II and his wife, on the night before Nikolay’s coronation. This was viewed in some quarters as an omen that the Romanov royal dynasty would collapse.

Does Lenin really rest in peace in his mausoleum?

Lenin is also thought to be a frequent ‘guest’ in the Kremlin. According to some historians, Lenin’s ghost was first seen by a security chief in October 1923, even though he was still alive at that time (he died three months later). The official wondered why Lenin came with no guards accompanying him, but he was told on the phone that in fact Vladimir Ilich was in Gorky at that moment.

Later, other witnesses came forward who saw Lenin in the Kremlin that night. And discrepancies in their accounts have only added to the mystery. Lenin was very ill at the time and couldn’t walk without a stick and moved very slowly, but those who claimed they saw him in the Kremlin that night said he had no stick and was walking very quickly.

But Joseph Stalin remains the most frequently seen Kremlin ‘shade’. Some say his ghost wants to ‘establish order’ in the country, and thus usually appears when Russia is hit by deepest crises. One of the signs that Stalin is stalking the Kremlin, legend has it, is when the room suddenly gets cold.

UFO above the Kremlin?

Archive notes from the 19th century claim a strange object was seen above the Kremlin. It stopped before a sudden flash of light lit up the sky. It then flew up and away, the documents say. Modern observers say these accounts resemble those of modern UFO sightings.

The Kremlin's Ruling Spirits Stay Active
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Airliner Troubles Reported Over Australian UFO Hotspot

Recently, there was a report regarding two passenger airplanes that experienced equipment failure and faulty indications that resulted in loss of control of aircraft. One incident occurred in October 2008 the other in August 2005 and in both cases the airplanes plunged steeply. Both incidents occurred in almost the exact same spot over the mysterious town of Exmouth in Western Australia. The town happens to contain two highly restricted military bases as a well as the Learmonth Solar Observatory which is also used for planetary defense including ionosphere monitoring and meteor detection and tracking: A great cover for actual UFO related activity. Within the solar observatory exists the barely acknowledged Learmonth Magnetic Observatory, which was established by S. Pete Worden of NASA's Ames Research Centre who have as one of their stated goals the search for life outside earth.

In a remarkable turn of events it is now being widely reported that a third aircraft has experienced the same problems a week ago. On Saturday 27 December 2008 Qantas flight 71 with 277 passengers aboard going from Perth to Singapore was forced to turn back after its autopilot disconnected following faulty information being delivered to the crafts computers. The airplane in question was an Airbus A300-330 and the event took place about 350 nautical miles from Exmouth.

The report mentioned that Geoff Thomas referred to the previous flights events as an ‘extra-ordinary’ co-incidence. He might now review that opinion. The Naval Communications Station Harold E Holt is notoriously secretive regarding its activities and reportedly denied any connection to the events. Even Less is known about the RAAF base Learmonth or the very secretive Learmonth Solar Observatory: tellingly managed by the US Air Force. Almost nothing is known of the NASA established Learmonth Magnetic Observatory, now also under US Air Force control.

With the admission by senior politician Malcolm Turnbull to an All News Web reporter that UFO related activity is ‘Above top secret’, and Australian Aviation's prior reluctance to link the first two incidents we won’t be getting to the bottom of these events any time soon. The question must be asked: Is Exmouth Australia’s Area-51 and are UFO’s either being monitored from here or even using a landing base in the region as a stepping stone for exploring earth.

In the meanwhile airlines would be best advised to re-route and avoid Exmouth in Western Australia.

Airliner Troubles Reported Over Australian UFO Hotspot
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Video: Assassin Bug

The nymph of the Assassin Bug needs to feed on the blood of vertebrates. In a cave, these newly hatched nymphs feed on sleeping Fruit Bats as well as turning the tables on Vampire Bats.

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Videos: Haunted Collectibles

A pair of videos on haunted collectibles and antiques and the problems associated with these items. Personally, I have had cases that involved collectibles that where 'imprinted' with spirit energy that was either benign or troublesome...especially personal items like photos, letters and mementos.

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'Ghost Hunters' Video: Fort Delaware Collar Tugging Incident

Here is a video of one of the better 'occurances' on the Ghost Hunters series.

The crew was at Fort Delaware attempting to prompt a spirit to respond with a sound or a physical act or manifestation. Grant's collar was tugged at least 3 times during the segment. The three tugs that can be seen at .34 sec, 1:24 and 2:46 in the video. There have been some questions about this incident but I feel it is probably valid.

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Filipino Workers Shelter in Saudi Arabia 'Possessed'

What’s with the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah that the Filipinas staying at the shelter for distressed workers keep being supposedly “possessed" by evil spirits?

Members of the Filipino community in Jeddah are asking the question once again after four of the wards of the so-called Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) acted like they were under demonic spell two days before New Year’s Eve.

Welfare officer Nini Lanto said it was about 9 p.m. last Monday when the four women identified as Jocelyn Zeromines, Farhana Umba, Fatima Jimlan, and Usman Gloria started getting agitated and hysterical.

The shelter being maintained by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) serves as a temporary refuge for Filipino women, mostly domestic helpers, who escape from their employers either because of they are abused or are not being paid their salaries.

“Nagulat talaga ako sa nakita ko ibang-iba ang kanilang mga itsura at nakita ko ang takot sa lahat ng mga nandoroon (I was shocked when I saw how they looked like; I saw fear in the faces of everyone who witnessed it)," Lanto told GMANews.TV.

In a separate interview, Zeromines said trouble started on Monday morning when one of their companions got angry upon finding her SIM card missing.

“Sa bigla pong pagkawala ng kanyang SIM card ay may isa po kaming kasama ang nagsabi na may nakita syang babae na nanalamin bandang alas-tres ng madaling araw ng sya ay pumunta sa palikuran," (When she started looking for her SIM card, one of the wards claimed to have seen a woman looking at herself in the mirror at about 3 a.m. as she was about to go to the bathroom)," Zeromines said.

She said the description that the person by the mirror looked like one of their companions who was actually fast asleep caused an argument among the wards.

Jennebel Cuaresma, another ward, said that she got angry at the ruckus brought about by the argument, prompting her to say something that she never thought would happen.

“Narinig ko kasi ‘yung isa na nagsabi na bakit daw nagpapaniwala do’n kaya sinabihan ko talaga sila na kung hindi kayo maniwala sige tingnan nyo mamaya may sasaniban para mapatunayan kaya nagulat talaga ako na nangyari nga (I heard one of them complaining why the others couldn’t believe her story so I told them that if they don’t want to believe it, someone might get possessed, and I was surprised that it really happened)," Cuaresma said.

Zeromines said that when Umba looked like she was being “possessed," she got goose bumps, so she returned to her room. However, she said she suddenly felt her brain being squished while her stomach and chest began to hurt.

After that, she said that all she remembers was asking help from her companions to help pray for her.

Lanto said that when she saw the women being possessed one by one, she immediately asked help from some “Born Again" Christians to help pray over them.

“Malakas daw ang nakatira doon sabi ng mga nag pray over (According to those who prayed over them, the spirits residing there were pretty strong)," he said.

Moreover, most of those affected apparently lost consciousness during the time they were “possessed."

“Ang pagkakatanda ko nang nanunumbalik na ang malay ko ay don na ako nagsusuka. Hindi po talaga ako naniniwala sa mga sapi sapi nay an pero sa nangyari sa akin ngayon ang masasabi ko lang ay tutuo pala talaga iyon (I remember that when I regained consciousness, I threw up. I really do not believe in being possessed but when it happened to me, I can now honestly say that that kind of stuff really does happen)," said Zeromines.

Not the first time

Similar incidents were reported by a Jeddah-based news daily in 2007.

In its report titled “OFWs at Consulate in Jeddah ‘Possessed’ for 4th Straight Night" on Nov. 25, 2007, Arab News said:

“Believe it or not, the welfare office of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah is facing a strange problem that doctors said they are not capable of treating: Distressed women workers ‘possessed by the devil.’

“Last night, Arab News and reporters of two Philippine TV networks were asked to come to the shelter for distressed women workers at the consulate and witness the phenomenon.

“Five women, all runaways, were sporadically doing weird and scary things, such as crying or screaming in voices not theirs. One would plead for mercy, another would answer in a strange voice, and still another kept laughing like the crazy woman often portrayed in ghost movies.

“The apparently possessed women would start running helter-skelter and would need to be restrained by welfare officers and other wards who were not affected.

“Witnesses said one of the women at one point ran outside and climbed a balete tree behind the shelter while calling on someone unseen, ‘sasama ako, huwag mo akong iwan (I’m coming with you, don’t leave me)."

The report quoted Labor Attaché Adam Musa saying those “possessed" for each night were different victims, both Christians and Muslims.

He said the victims during the first night were brought to a hospital but the doctors could not find anything wrong with them and Saudi government doctors who came to the shelter to investigate recommended that an exorcist may be needed.

Musa himself was reported describing the weird happenings as a “paranormal" occurrence.

A report by Arab News the next day said welfare officers tapped Born Again Christians to pray over the wards and the balete tree at the back of the shelter, but the weird happenings continued in the next few nights and later stopped.

As in the Philippines, balete (scientific name: Ficus indica) or banyan is believed by Saudis to be the home of “evil and vengeful spirits."

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UFO Disclosure Predicted During Obama's Presidency

Predictions are increasing that President Elect Barack Obama will release secret UFO files to the public. Nearly 40% of all UFO-related news articles archived by Paradigm Research Group over the last 13 years occurred in 2008. The astonishing news coverage and the events themselves prompted the predictions.

In January 2008, major UFO sightings in Stephenville, TX drew global attention. The flip-flopping attempts by confused Air Force personnel to discredit the witnesses failed in light of FAA radar reports. In April, the proposed ballot initiative to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission in Denver started another global media blast.

On May 13, Vatican astronomer Father Funes declared that it's OK to believe in extraterrestrial beings as 'our brothers and sisters' and that such beliefs are not in conflict with faith in God. On May 14, Britain released more than 1,000 documents on UFO sightings from the 1970s and 1980s. Also on May 14, a UFO crashed south of Las Vegas near Needles, CA that immediately attracted “men in black” and a secret military operation. The May 30 Denver press conference showing of Stan Romanek’s “Alien-in-the-window-video” became a smash Internet and news hit and even broke page view records at DenverPost.com.

On July 23, former astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell shocked the world with his interview on Kerrang Radio by proclaiming that the Roswell extraterrestrial UFO crash was real and so are government cover-ups of UFO phenomena. Further proof of this cover-up was the Oct. 20 release of more UFO files in Britain that included the story of US airman Milton Torres who was told to shoot down a UFO in 1957 near England.

Finally, on November 5, President Elect Obama announced that John Podesta, an advocate of UFO disclosure, would co-manage the White House transition team. Podesta has stated publicly, "I think it's time to open the books on questions that have remained in the dark on the question of government investigations of UFOs. It's time to find out what the truth really is that's out there. We ought to do it really because it's right. We ought to do it because the American people, quite frankly, can handle the truth. And we ought to do it because it's the law."

Other key White House Cabinet members are like-minded. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, home of the 1947 Roswell extraterrestrial vehicle crash, has stated that “The federal government has not come clean on all that issue [Roswell UFO] and should.” The Rockefeller Initiative briefed Senator Hillary Clinton on the UFO issue. Gov. Napolitano of Arizona surely knows that former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington has admitted to seeing the “Phoenix Lights” UFO. He said he thought it was “some sort of alien spacecraft”. Symington also believes the government has used dis-information tactics to try to discredit thousands of other witnesses.

Confidence that the Obama administration will release the UFO files has also encouraged Jeff Peckman to temporarily suspend his ballot initiative campaign to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission in Denver.

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The 'Lake Michigan Triangle' Mystery

The Lake Michigan triangle is said to have similar characteristics of the Bermuda Triangle and is said to be a place of ghost ships, strange disappearances and even UFO sightings.

"There's been some strange disappearances out there, there's been many ships that have been lost that haven't been found."

Bill Wangemann is a historian from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He's spent a lifetime gathering tales about the Lake Michigan triangle.

According to author Linda S. Godfrey in her book 'Weird Michigan' (2006), the Michigan Triangle starts from the town of Ludington to Benton Harbor in Michigan; another links from Benton Harbor to Manitowoc, Wisconsin; the final side connects Manitowoc back to Ludington.

But the legend doesn't end with sunken ships; nearly 40 planes have disappeared over Lake Michigan too. Probably the most famous is northwest airlines flight 2501 that took off from New York City headed for Minneapolis in June of 1950 and plunged into Lake Michigan just off Benton Harbor. No one survived.

Then, there are the sightings of UFO's and other strange anomalies in the sky. In fact there have been so many sightings of strange objects and phantom planes that the Federal Aviation Administration created a special lake reporting service to catalog the reported sightings.

And yet still, thousands make the journey through the Triangle every season.

Captain Kevin Fitch of the Badger Ferry has been sailing Lake Michigan waters for nearly 30 years, "I've heard of it, I don't put a lot of faith in it but I have heard of it. Little bits and pieces here and there."

He says in the thousand trips he's made across the lake he's never seen anything strange. "I can't think of anything that didn't have an explanation of some kind."

So Captain Fitch continues to guide the ferry through what Wangemann says is considered the most dangerous part of the triangle.

"There's dozen's of these stories about different things that have occurred out there and people that have been lost and sailors that have disappeared off of ships and some people claim that there is something supernatural going on out on the lake," says Wangemann.

The wreck of the schooner Rosa Belle and the loss of 11 crew members and passengers, all members of the Benton Harbor cult House of David, shocked the nation in the fall of 1921. The wreck was discovered on Oct. 30, floating upside down by the Grand Trunk car ferry Ann Arbor No. 4. The captain of the ferry said it appeared as if the schooner had been in a collision with another vessel. But no other ship was found to have been in a collision that week. The aft section was smashed, the cabin was wrenched away from the deck and the ship’s rigging was floating loosely about the hull. The mystery of what happened to the Rosa Belle was never solved.

Strange too was the fact that it was the second almost identical wreck for the Rosa Belle. The vessel capsized in the same area and drifted ashore near Grand Haven, Michigan, in August, 1875. Ten crew members were lost. The wreck was recovered at that time and rebuilt.

Among the strangest of the mysteries was the disappearance of the schooner Thomas Hume, which disappeared without a trace in a Lake Michigan gale on May 21, 1891, while sailing empty from Chicago to Muskegon, Michigan to pick up a load of lumber. Seven sailors, including Captain George C. Albrecht, were lost with the ship. Even though the lake was searched thoroughly, not a stick of lumber or piece of flotsam from a wreck was ever found. Old sailors speculated that the Hume, a wooden vessel, could not have sunk without some wreckage floating away. To this day, the Hume’s disappearance remains unsolved.

One of the most famous stories of disappearing crew members includes the freighter O.M. McFarland.

In April 1937, Captain George Donnor was heading to Port Washington, Wisconsin, "He decided to retire to his cabin for a nap, and he gave orders to be aroused about 6pm. And they went to his cabin and he was gone. The story was the cabin was locked from the inside and nobody knows what happened to him till this day," says Wangemann.

During the time of Captain Donnor's disappearance the McFarland was crossing through the nexus of the Lake Michigan triangle along the same course of the Badger Ferry.

As the Badger Ferry continues on its journey, passengers are unaware of what might lurk in the deep lake waters. John Fangman: "I know there's a lot of mystery about the great lakes and legend and folklore."

Bill Wangemann says there are some tails of sea monsters. "Many years ago there were people that swore they saw sea monsters on the shore here," says Wagemann.

And some of the witness have quite a bit of credibility, "A Catholic priest went for a walk he saw this beast on the shore he said it was big and the color green," says Wangemann. (See videos below - mysterious footprints on shore (alien?)

Sea monsters, ghost ships, disappearing planes and crew members, unidentified flying objects. It's the making of a good science fiction movie or a good legend.

Either way it certainly gives you something to think about as you look out onto Lake Michigan wondering what secrets she's keeping in her deep dark waters.


Here are 2 videos of some strange tracks that where made on one of the Lake Michigan shores

Radar 'Ghost Planes' - Report: May 22, 2000

For the past five weeks, air traffic controllers at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois have been seeing images of "ghost planes" on their radar sets, usually in the skies of the Lake Michigan Triangle. The Triangle is an area of Lake Michigan which runs from Ludington, Michigan south to Benton Harbor, Mich., then across the lake to Manitowoc, Wisconsin and then back to Ludington.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "False radar images have been popping up on the screens of O'Hare International Airport's air traffic controllers, forcing pilots to take sudden turns unnecessarily."

"At least a dozen 'ghost planes' have been reported during the last few weeks, the newspaper said, citing documents from the Terminal Radar Approach Control Center in Elgin, Illinois (population 78,000)."

"Controllers said that at least a few times they have ordered pilots to take sudden turns to avoid what appeared to be planes on their radar, potentially putting passengers at risk."

"'The ghosting is a complete terror for air traffic controllers,' said Charles Bunting, president of the Elgin local the National Air Traffic Controllers Association."

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Tony Molinaro "said there have been 13 ghost images in the last five weeks rather than the usual eight or nine the FA would normally expect in this time period., 'meaning we shall need to look into them.'"

"But Mike Egan, vice president of the controller's union at Elgin, accused the FAA of playing down the problem. 'Maybe 130, but not 13,' Egan said Friday (May 19, 2000). 'We had a couple of them today, as a matter of fact. They know there's a problem.'"

This all adds to the mythology of the lake, which is not prone to reveal its secrets. Lake Michigan is a treacherous lake and continues to be a source of fascination and inspiration for our collective imaginations.

Sources:
www.wzzm13.com
www.suntimes.com
www.w-files.com
www.greenbaypressgazette.com
www.absolutemichigan.com

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