A New Mother's Concern

Last evening, I received a rather mysterious email from a woman (I'll refer to her as 'Lisa') who had a traumatic experience recently. Lisa didn't place much content in the email and attached a telephone number, so I called Lisa this morning. I attempted to write down notes as best as I could....she was very distraught. She gave me permission to post her account anonymously. I will state that she lives on the U.S. west coast. Before I go any further, this is one of the more unusual accounts related to me.

Two months ago, Lisa gave birth to a baby boy. She never mentioned anything about the child's father but I assumed by some of her comments that she was not in a relationship. Her pregnancy was uneventful though, the OB/GYN insisted that she remain at home for the last trimester. The reason he gave was that Lisa was slightly built and it would be better safe than sorry. She lived with her mother and sister so there was someone usually there to watch over her.

In those last months of her pregnancy, the OB/GYN told her he and a nurse would come to her mother's home for her exams instead of her coming to his office. She didn't give it much thought at the time, but did recognize that this was a bit unusual. The exams were not anything out of the ordinary except for one occasion when the nurse gave her an injection of a 'mild sedative' to relax her during a cervical exam.

I asked her what had happened during that exam and she whispered "I don't know". Lisa had fallen asleep or was under strong sedation but only remembers the nurse applying a cold compress to her forehead just before they got ready to leave. She said that she thinks that the examination lasted almost a full hour from what she could recollect about the time of day. I asked if her mother and sister were home but she said that both were at work that day.

In early November, Lisa gave birth to a 6lbs. 8oz baby boy at her local hospital. The labor and birth went easier than she had expected...her contractions lasted about 10 hours but she said it was more bearable than she had imagined it would be (this was her first child). The procedure was performed naturally without any pain medication though she said that she did suffer a slight infection a few days later which required her to remain in the hospital for 2 extra days. Her OB/GYN performed the delivery and the nurse who had come to her home was also present.

Everything was fine with the child and Lisa leading up to the holidays. She had taken the baby to another OB/GYN because her regular doctor was on a 'long vacation'...so another doctor in his clinic was taking care of his patients until he returned.

A few days before the New Year, Lisa was feeding her child when she noticed that the baby's eyes were a dark, almost violet color instead of it's normally blue hue. She said that the baby acted normal but she called the doctor's office anyway. She was told that infants' eye color can change fairly quickly and it was nothing to worry about...it was just part of the growing process. After a few days, the child's eyes seemed to lighten some...until New Year's eve.

It was late morning and Lisa was at home alone because her mother and sister were at a friend's wedding. She was in the living room when the baby started to suddenly scream...like it was being hurt. Lisa picked him up and noticed that his eyes were very dark violet but seemed to shine when the baby blinked. The baby continued to scream...then stopped on a dime. The child's eyes opened wide, looked directly at her and blinked SIDEWAYS! Membranes came across both eyes from the corners and blinked like, in her words, "...a lizard".

OK...I'm thinking "...was someone setting me up?" "Why was this woman telling me a story like this?"

I asked Lisa to continue her story. She said she immediately called the doctor's office and was told to go to the hospital since the doctor was on call. When the baby was examined, it was determined he was fine and that there was nothing wrong with the eyes. Then Lisa inquired to the emergency room doctor about her regular OB/GYN...she was told that someone would get back to her on that question.

About a half hour later, the OB/GYN who was on call and had filled in for her regular doctor came to the examination room. She said that she looked at the exam reports and everything was fine. Then Lisa was told, in a matter-of-fact manner, that her regular OB/GYN had quit his practice. Lisa asked about his attending nurse. The doctor looked at her like she was crazy and said "what nurse?". She described the nurse and was told that no one of that description worked at the clinic or the hospital.

Since that day, Lisa says her child's eyes are a light violet color and that she has not noticed the strange side-to-side blinking at all but swears there is something wrong. The child looks at her in a strange manner, with very wide eyes...then slowly closes his eyes and gives her an unsettling 'smile'. She said she has investigated the OB/GYN and has found that he was licensed to practice but is not anywhere to be found.

In the meantime, I'm still wondering if I was having my leg pulled. After some checking, Lisa is actually who she said she was...all the information I was given was true. I did asked her why she contacted me and was told that I was 'referred' to her and that I could give her some idea where to go. I gave her some contact addresses and links as well as assurance that I would remain available if she needed to contact me.

My last question to Lisa was "what do you think is going on?". As I expected, she tells me her theory of 'reptilians' and 'alien hybrids'....and that the OB/GYN and nurse may be aliens, etc. I'm not discounting any of her thoughts. But as with every other incident or case I research, I'm not taking all the information as fact. I truly believe Lisa is sincere and I will continue to keep in touch with her. But, in the meantime, I'll continue with an open and somewhat skeptical mind...Lon

BTW...if anyone thinks they can offer Lisa advice, I'm sure she will be checking the blog. Just leave your comments. Thanks...Lon

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Workers at Haunted Mansion Discover Hangman's Noose

camdenadvertiser - Studley Park House's reputation for being haunted has deepened after workmen responsible for repairing the old house made a disturbing discovery.

The men have been busy replacing parts of the iron roof and repairing the slate to make the 120-year-old Victorian mansion watertight.

But it's the interior that has had them buzzing after they stumbled on a hangman's noose dangling from the home's steeple roof.

Studley Park House the centrepiece of Camden Golf Course has long been regarded as one of Camden's most haunted abodes.

The haunting theories were spawned by several tragic incidents that occurred on the site like the drowning of a 14-year-old boy in the property's dam in 1909 and the death in 1939 of the son of then-owner Arthur Gregory, a sales manager for Twentieth Century Fox Australia. Mr Gregory's son reportedly died in the home's theatrette from appendicitis.

Rod Nash, director of Affordable Roofing, the company repairing the roof, said he had no doubt the house was haunted. Despite uncovering the hangman's noose, Mr Nash said he was keen to visit the house at night.

Studley Park House was built by Narellan grazier William Payne in 1889 for his bride but after running into debt he sold it to an architect.

The grand home changed owners several times over the years and has been used as a private residence, as Camden Grammar School and for army training during World War II.

Camden Historical Society's Ray Herbert researched Studley Park's long and interesting history.

``I've been in the house at all hours of the day and night and I haven't seen a ghost,'' he said.

The same can't be said for the four contestants who spent time isolated in the dormitory, cellar, theatre and tower for the 2001 filming of Scream Test, a psychological reality game show. The brave participants were locked in the house as cameras filmed their feelings, thoughts and any paranormal occurrences.

One of the contestants, who reported hearing voices, was too spooked to continue the challenge and another said he'd heard a baby crying from a corner of the room. ``Kids have said they've walked past the house and seen a lady looking out the window,'' Mr Herbert said.

``Someone once reported seeing the lights on in a part of the house where there were no lights. Another time when the fire brigade was called to investigate a report of lights being on, they checked the mains and found they were switched off.''
______________________

THE HISTORY OF STUDLEY PARK HOUSE

In October 1888, grazier and businessman William Charles Payne bought land near Camden in an area called Narellan in southwest Sydney. He named his newly acquired property "Studley Park", after the original Studley Park located in Yorkshire, England. In 1889, construction of a grand Victorian mansion began. Designed by A. L. & G. McCredie, a prosperous architectural and engineering firm, it became known as "Payne's Folley".

Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties, Payne was forced to sell the house to pay off his debt to the house's architect, a man named Francis Buckle. Buckle used Studley Park House as a weekend retreat until it was sold to Dr Henry Oliver, the headmaster of The Camden Grammar School in 1902. The school had originally been located at St Helen's Park House in Campbelltown.

On October 15, 1909, fourteen year old student Ray Blackstone and 5 of his fellow boarders decided to go for a swim in a nearby damn. Despite being told time and time again about the dangers of swimming in the dam, the boys ignored the warning. During an attempt to swim to one side of the damn and back, Ray began to struggle. Despite the assistance of his friend, Sydney Langford, the boy drowned. His lifeless body was brought ashore by senior students and it is reputed to have been stored in the cold, dark cellar of Studley Park House, awaiting burial.

The school was sold in 1919 to Reverend Charles Herbert Palmer and continued to operate until 1933 when it was packed up and moved to the home of Parliamentary Member for Sydney, William Bede Dalley, in Manly.

Studley Park was sold to Arthur Adolphus Gregory, sales manager of Twentieth Century Fox Australia. Gregory furbished Studley Park House in Art Deco style and converted the student's dining room into a theatrette. A keen golfer, he had a nine hole course designed for the land surrounding the house. A further nine holes were later added and the original stables block/classroom was converted into the golf club.

In 1939, tragedy struck when Gregory's son died in the theatrette from appendicitis.

When World War II began the property was taken over by the Department of Defence and became The Eastern Command Training School. Accommodation was increased to house the 280 staff and students attending the school's courses. Lieutenant A. R. Cutler, a future Governor of New South Wales, was one of the first students to graduate. In 1951 the first intake of the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps began their training at Studley Park.

Sources:
www.camdenhistory.org.au
www.paranormalaustralia.com
www.camden.nsw.gov.au

Children Used For Ritual Human Sacrifice In Uganda

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS MAY BE DISTURBING

webwire - The BBC has obtained first-hand accounts of human sacrifice in Uganda amid concerns that the practice is spreading – just as the country becomes more modern.

One witch doctor was filmed confessing that he had clients who captured children and brought their blood and body parts to his shrine.

Another former witch doctor, now campaigning to stamp out the practice, was recorded admitting to having murdered about 70 people – including his own son.

The Ugandan government told the BBC that human sacrifice was on the increase and public concern was now a major issue.

According to the head of the country’s Anti-Human Sacrifice Taskforce, the crime is directly linked to rising levels of development and prosperity – and an increasing belief that witchcraft can help people get rich quickly.

In the course of their investigation, to be broadcast tonight on Crossing Continents (BBC Radio 4) and Newsnight (BBC Two), the BBC team witnessed the ritual torching by anti-sacrifice campaigners of the shrine of a particularly active witch doctor in northern Uganda.

The witch doctor allowed the destruction after agreeing to give up the practice.

He told the BBC clients came to him in search of wealth.

He says: "They go and capture other people’s children. They bring the heart and the blood directly here to take to the spirits... They bring them in small tins and they place these objects under the tree from which the voices of the spirits are coming"

Asked how often clients brought blood and body parts, the witch doctor says: "They came on average three times a week – with all that the spirits demand from them"

The BBC saw a beaker of blood and what appeared to be a large raw liver in the shrine before it was destroyed, although it was not possible to determine whether they were human remains.

The witch doctor denied any direct involvement in murder or incitement to murder, saying his spirits spoke directly to clients.

He says he was paid 500,000 Ugandan shillings (about £160) for a consultation. Most of that money, he says, was handed over to his "boss" in a nationwide network of witchdoctors.

The head of the Anti-Human Sacrifice and Trafficking Task Force, assistant commissioner Moses Binoga of the Ugandan police, says there were 26 murder cases thought to be part of ritual sacrifice in 2009.

He says: "We also have about 120 children and adults reported missing whose fate we have not traced. From the experience of those whom we recovered, we cannot rule out that they may be victims of human sacrifice"

In 2007 there were just three cases. Earlier figures are not available.

Child protection campaigners believe the real number of cases is much higher, as some disappearances are not reported to police, and others cannot be fully investigated.

Polino Angela, former witch doctor turned anti-sacrifice campaigner, says he has persuaded 2,400 other witch doctors to give up the trade since he himself repented in 1990.

He told the BBC how he had first been initiated as a witch doctor at a ceremony in Kenya, where a boy of about 13 was sacrificed.

Polino Angela says: "The child was cut with a knife on the neck and the entire length from the neck down was ripped open, and then the open part was put on me"

He says that, when he returned to Uganda, he was told by those who had initiated him to kill his own son, aged 10.

"I was instructed... ’‘On reaching home, pick your own child, place him across the doorway, and on walking over him, cut him, kill him, sacrifice him.’ This very painful exercise made me so hardened, I had no mercy for anyone"

When asked how many people he had killed, he says: "It is difficult to remember exactly but I can say that even 70 can be a figure that is not too exaggerated"

Asked if he was afraid he might now be prosecuted as a result of confessing, Polino Angela says: "I have been to all the churches... and they know me as a warrior in the drive to end witchcraft that involves human sacrifice, so I think that alone should indemnify me and have me exonerated"
________________________

BODIES OF THREE CHILDREN MURDERED BY CULT EXHUMED IN UGANDA

allafrica - Police in Luweero on Monday exhumed bodies of three children who died under suspicious circumstances and were secretly buried at a home of a detained cult leader.

Two of the children were three years old, while the other was two years old.

The exercise at Nsozibbiri village on the outskirts of Luweero town, followed the arrest of four members of the Ttonda Bulongo cult.

The commissioner in charge of the prevention of human trafficking and child sacrifice, Moses Binoga, said the cult members do not dig, do not treat their sick and previously set fire on their belongings in preparation for 'a new life'.

The members, who belong to the same family, believe that they are immortal and they only disappear from the world, but do not die.

They were living in isolation in an impoverished home.

Those arrested included Grace Senfuma alias Kabaka wa bakabaka (supreme king) who is the head of the cult and Martin Kiyaga, an aide of Senfuma. Others were Juliet Nassuuna alias Ttonda (queen mother), who is Senfuma's mother and Hudson Mubiru alias Jajja Mukasa, a subject.

Also arrested was Edward Sekawunde alias Mulyannaka, the owner of the home, who is Senfuma's father and his subject.

The group said a woman called Nnalongo Senkaayi, who stays at Kawempe in Kampala, had initiated them into the cult.

After exhuming the bodies, Binoga said: "If we find that the children were strangled or killed in any other way, we shall charge him (Sekawunde) with murder.

He disclosed that Sekawunde allegedly used to bury the children single handedly, in the absence of any other person, and later declare that they had gone to heaven.

The Police deployed heavily during the exhumation to deter the angry residents from lynching Sekawunde, who was brought from the cell to help the Police locate the unmarked graves.

Binoga said the Police learnt of the cult after Sekawunde's daughter-in-law, Grace Nabbaale, complained about her 3-year-old child who had been buried secretly, after being removed from her when she fell sick.

"When I demanded to know where my child was, my father-in-law told me she had disappeared into heaven," Nabbaale said.

Nabbale said everybody in the home slept on the bare floor, except Senfuma who slept on a mattress.

'Skull & Bones' Skull to be Sold at Auction

AP - A human skull that apparently was turned into a ballot box for Yale's mysterious Skull and Bones society is going on the auction block.

Christie's estimates the skull will sell for $10,000 to $20,000 when it is auctioned on Jan. 22. Fittingly, the auction house has agreed to keep the seller's name a secret. On Monday, it described the person only as a European art collector.

The skull is fitted with a hinged flap and is believed to have been used during voting at the famous society's meetings. The auction house said it also may have been displayed at the society's tomblike headquarters on Yale's campus in New Haven, Conn., during the late 1800s.

Skull and Bones, an elite society founded in 1832, has closely guarded its members' names and its activities since the early 1970s. Prior to that time, the group published an annual roster.

Publicly known members, known as Bonesmen, include President William Howard Taft, both presidents Bush, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, businessman and diplomat Averell Harriman, publisher Henry Luce and author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr.

"I think it's a macabre artifact," Margot Rosenberg, head of Christie's American decorative arts department, said Tuesday. "It's an intriguing story tied to America, tied to Yale. I think it will generate interest for people who are former Bonesmen, people who collect Americana, people who are interested in history."

The skull is believed to have been owned by Edward T. Owen, who graduated Yale in 1872 and went to become professor of French and linguistics at the University of Wisconsin. The word THOR is etched into the skull; it may have been the nickname given to Owen or another society member.

The skull is being sold with a black book, inscribed with Owen's name, the year 1872 and the numeral 322, a reference to the society's year of inception and to the death of the orator Demosthenes in 322 B.C. It contains the names and photographs of about 50 Bonesmen, including Taft, who became the 27th president of the United States; Morrison Remick Waite, who became U.S. chief justice in 1874; and William Maxwell Evarts, who served as U.S. secretary of state and U.S. attorney general.

Skull and Bones invites 15 Yale seniors to join each year. Bonesmen swear an oath of secrecy about the group and its strange rituals, which include initiation rites such as confessing sexual secrets and kissing a skull.

On Tuesday, the society's secrecy remained intact. Efforts to reach a society member or a representative of its business arm, the Russell Trust Association, through a Yale spokesman were unsuccessful. The Ivy League school, which is not affiliated with the society, did not return a reporter's call.

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What Happened at Dyatlov Pass?

Phantoms and Monsters - Ten skiers, eight men and two women, set off on a skiing expedition to Otorten Mountain in the northern Urals on Jan. 28, 1959. Yury Yudin (the only surviving member), fell ill at the last stop before their destination and left the group. Little did he know it would be the last time he saw his friends alive.

At approximately 5:00 pm on February, the 2nd the group, led by Igor Dyatlov, pitched tents on the slopes of Otorten Mountains neighbour, Kholat-Syakhl. The site of the camp was unusual for an experienced cross country skier, considering that it was out in the open, rather than in woodland nearby.

Dyaltov was supposed to send a telegram back to the Ural Polytechnic Institute, where the skiers set off from, on February the 12th. This was the time the group had expected to be back from their expedition, and sent from Ural town, Vizhai. According to Yudin, Dyaltov told him (as he was left behind), to expect the group to be a day or two late, just in case. No telegram ever came, and on February the 20th, the relatives of the skiers raised the alarm to the army and the police, who in turn launched a search and rescue team.

What they found

On the 26th of February, rescuers found the camp. Strangely it was completely abandoned. Even more alarming, was the fact that searchers found that all the skiers personal belongings, including there shoes, and cold weather gear, still inside the their tents. The tent was half torn down, and partially covered with snow. There were some indicators that the tent had been sliced open from the inside. No evidence of a struggle was found either, yet it was clear the skiers had left in a hurry.

In the meter or so of snow, investigators found 9 sets of footprints, giving the impression that the only people present at the camp site, were in fact those that were meant to be there. What was strange about this, was that some of the tracks left, were left by people wearing socks, one shoe, or no footwear at all.

The Bodies

About five hundred meters down slope, at the edge of the nearby forest, the investigators found the first two of the bodies, under a very large pine tree. Georgy Krivonischenko, and Yury Doroshenko, were barefoot and dressed in their underclothes, and it was determined they had died from hypothermia.

Broken branches around the base of the tree and the bodies, indicated that one of them had climbed the tree. This was confirmed when broken branches to five meters on the tree were discovered. Possibly they were searching for the camp, or other members of the group, or maybe something more sinister. It was also evident that the duo had tried to start a fire, as charred remains of branches had been found.

Approximately half way between the edge of the forrest and the camp, three more bodies were found. Igor Dyatlov, Zina Kolmogorova, and Rustem Slobodin were discovered facing towards the camp. Officials determined that it was probable that the trio, were attempting to return to the camp. Although Slobodin's skull had apparently been fractured, doctors determined that it wasn't a fatal injury. Again, these three all died of hypothermia according to autopsies.

Two Months Later

This is where the story becomes extremely bizarre. Two months after the discovery of the first five bodies, the remaining four were found. Under four meters of snow, in a ravine, and 75 meters away from the pine tree mentioned earlier.

Nicolas Thibeaux-Brignollel, Alexander Zolotaryov, and Alexander Kolevatov, had all suffered serious injuries, and traumatic deaths. Thibeaux-Brignollel's skull had been crushed, and Dubinina and Zolatarev had numerous broken ribs. All four of the skiers had died from massive internal injuries, doctors compared to those found if someone had been hit car. However, unlike a car accident, the bodies showed no signs of external injury, including bruises or soft tissue damage. The most disturbing thing of all was that Ludmila Dubinina's tongue had been removed!!!

These four were a lot better dressed than the other five. It had appeared they had made it back to camp, or taken clothes from those that were deceased. Another point to be made, was that there were high levels of radiation found within the clothes when they were tested.

A few months later, the case was closed, and the files were allegedly sent to a secret military archive. The investigators found no evidence of wrong doing against one another. Also soon after area was closed off for three years to skiers and other adventurers.

Flying Spheres

Most of the details of the event, were attempted to be hidden from public view. One of the reasons for this was that, according to Lev Ivanov (head investigator), regional officials had been worried by reports from civilians, weather service employees and even the military of "flying spheres", in the area over February and March, 1959. Ivanov speculated that the spheres had something to do with the mysterious circumstances of the event.

NOTE: since this incident occurred in the Soviet Union, there is good reason to believe that many of the facts have been withheld. Was this a case of extraterrestrial involvement? What do you think happened?...Lon

Sources:
www.metafilter.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.abovetopsecret.com

__________________________

THE DYATLOV PASS MYSTERY


sfgate - In 1959, nine experienced Russian cross-country skiers - seven men and two women, including the leader, Igor Dyatlov - head to the Ural Mountains, to a slope called Kholat Syakhl (Mansi language for "Mountain of the Dead," ahem) for a rugged, wintry trek. On their way up, they are apparently hit by inclement weather, veer off course and decide to set up camp and wait it out. All is calm. All is fine and good. They even take pictures of camp, the scenery, each other. The weather isn't so bad. They go to sleep.

Then, something happens. In the middle of the night, all nine suddenly leap out of their tents as fast as possible, ripping them open from the inside (not even enough time to untie the doors) and race out into the sub-zero temps, without coats or boots or skis, most in their underwear, some even barefoot or with a single sock or boot. It is 30 degrees below zero, Celsius. A few make it as far as a kilometer and a half down the slope. All nine, as you might expect, quickly die.

And so it begins.

Why did they rush out, unable to even grab a coat or blanket? What came at them? The three-month investigation revealed that five of the trekkers died from simple hypothermia, with no apparent trauma at all, no signs of attack, struggle, no outward injuries of any kind. However, two of the other four apparently suffered massive internal traumas to the chest, like you would if you were hit by a car. One's skull was crushed. All four of these were found far from the other five. But still, no signs of external injuries.

Not good enough? How about this: One of the women was missing her tongue.

Oh, it gets better. And weirder.

Tests of the few scraps of clothing revealed very high levels of radiation. Evidence found at the campsite indicates the trekkers might've been blinded. Eyewitnesses around the area report seeing "bright orange spheres" in the sky during the same months. And, oh yes, relatives at the funeral swear the skin of their dead loved ones was tanned, tinted dark orange or brown. And their hair had all turned completely gray.

Wait, what?

The final, official explanation as to what caused such bizarre behavior from otherwise well-trained, experienced mountaineers? An "unknown compelling force." Indeed.

Here's the problem: All the convenient, logical explanations - avalanche, animal attack, secret military nuke test - fail. Russian authorities held a three-month investigation. Rescuers and experts picked through every piece of evidence. There were no signs of natural disaster. And if it was just an avalanche, why was the area closed off for three years following the event, and all related documents put in a secret Russian archive until 1990? If it was some sort of weird nuclear megablast (which I suppose may tint you orange, but won't turn your hair gray), what the hell happened to her tongue?

I love stories like this. I hate stories like this.

Sure, you want to go for the logical. Hell, who knows what hellish weaponry they were testing in the mountains in Khrushchev's Russia in the late '50s? Who knows what dark mysteries are buried in the landscape by the world's militaries as they test their dark deeds? The rule goes like this: Any weapon of horror and death man's mind can conceive, odds are gruesomely good the government or military has considered it. Or even built it.

This is both the joy and horror of stories like Dyatlov: They make your mind jump and bend and struggle. Logic fails quickly. Easy explanations don't work. Complicated ones feel incomplete. The creepiness takes hold, begins to burrow, make you squirm. Because the bizarre military-testing explanation? It fails, too.

So of course, you jump further. You reach for the paranormal, metaphysical, unknowable, to things like UFOs and spirits and ghosts, dark forces and mysticism and the occult, because, well, that's where the action is. That's where we get to touch the void, dance on the edge of perception, realize how little we truly know of anything.

After all, if you really think all there is to this world is what your five senses show you, if you think there's always got to be a logical, earthbound explanation for stories like Dyatlov, well, you might as well just join a megachurch and wipe your brain and your intuition and your deep, dark curiosity clean right now.

As Dyatlov himself might say, his skin orange and hair gray and eyes wide, you think you know, but you have no idea.

THIEVES! XNEWSNOW.COM and GETXNOW.COM are hotlinking paranormal sites and stealing bandwidth! These are dangerous viral sites...help us stop this now! Thanks...Lon


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The Winsted Wildman: Connecticut's Bigfoot

registercitizen - It seems as though nearly every area of the world has their legend of some wild man-beast who likes to terrorize the locals. There is Bigfoot of the Pacific Northwest, the abominable snowman of parts north, the Yeti of the Himalayas.

For some reason these creatures seem to prefer the cooler climates… perhaps because they are so hairy? I can’t imagine what a sweaty Yeti must smell like. It can’t be good.

Imagine if one of those creatures did prefer a little warmer weather though, and decided Connecticut was a good spot. Not too cold, not too hot, and you can go to the beach too, and scare small children. One of these man-beasts just might have decided that he liked the area and settled in Winsted.

The Winsted Wild Man made his first documented appearance in August of 1895, when the Winsted Herald reported that then Selectman Riley Smith, while traveling to Colebrook, stopped along the road to pick blueberries, accompanied by his bulldog. The dog became frightened of something, and ran to Smith, whining and cowering.

A bit later, Smith related, an extra-large buck-nekkid man, covered with thick black hair jumped out of the bushes, yelling like crazy, and ran for the woods. Riley was understandably a tad disturbed by the interruption to his bucolic little trip. Apparently he never lived it down either.

The next documented appearance of the Wild Man didn’t occur until the 1970s, when two young men, Wayne Hall and David Chapman heard some very strange noises outside one morning in July 1972. Hall described it as a mix of frog and cat snarls and snorts.

The two men looked out the window in the direction of Crystal Lake, and in the dim light saw a large, furry, eight-foot tall “man” lope out of the woods, cross the road and head toward a barn. They watched the creature wander around the barn for a while, and then it crossed the road again, to disappear back in the woods. When asked if it might have been a bear, Chapman and Hall vehemently denied that possibility. They described it as big, hairy, walking upright and every once in a while it would scratch its head.

The creature was spotted again, two years later at Rugg Brook Reservoir, when some amorous couples had their soiree rudely interrupted by the large furry beast. The Wild Man allegedly rushed out of the forest and headed toward the car. Perhaps the foursome had been a little loud and disturbed his sleep. He appeared to be mighty angry.

This time the police were called in to investigate. When patrolman George Corso and one of the young men went back to the area to investigate no trace was found of the Wild Man.

So what exactly is the Wild Man of Winsted?

Is it some hairy mutant that survives on the fringe of society?

Is it an escaped gorilla?

A New England branch of the Bigfoot family?

Some guy in a gorilla suit?

Nobody knows for sure.
_______________________

THE WINSTED WILDMAN

One of the earliest published accounts of the wild man appeared in the August 21, 1895, edition of the Winsted Herald. Written by editor Lou Stone, well-known in the area for his fund of tall stories about unusual events, the article described what happened on one recent day to Selectman Riley Smith when he went to Colebrook on business. Along the road, according to Stone, Smith stopped to pick blueberries and "his bull-dog, which is noted for its pluck, ran with a whine to him and stationed itself between his legs. A second afterward, a large man, stark naked, and covered with hair all over his body, ran out of a clump of bushes, and with fearful yells and cries made for the woods at lightning speed, where he soon disappeared." Selectman Smith estimated that the odd creature was at least six feet tall and ran upright, like a human.

While the wild man may have made intermediate appearances between 1895 and the early 1970s, he again attracted press attention in late July, 1972, when reports came from Winsted that a strange, man-like creature had been spotted early one morning by two young men, on the Winchester Road near Crystal Lake Reservoir. It seems that Wayne Hall, 19, of the Winchester Road, and his friend David Chapman, 18, were at Chapman's house, sitting up late and talking, on the night of July 24. Early the following morning, the young men were startled by "weird noises outside." "It sounded like a frog and a cat mixed together," said Hall, "a real weird sound like when a frog blows up and makes a lot of noise." The two friends looked out the window in the direction of Crystal Lake and at some dis-tance saw what both described as a figure "about eight feet tall and covered with hair." Because of the distance and the dim light, however, they could make out only arms, legs and a head. No face was visible. As the two youths watched from the window, the wild man came out of the thick woods from the area of Crystal Lake, crossed the road and entered the shadows near a lighted barn where Albert Durant of Winsted kept race horses.

"It was kind of stooped," Hall reported, "but more upright. It was hairy; I would say black. It never crouched down; it was always upright. Once in a while, it would reach up and scratch its head." Asked if it might have been a large, black bear, he replied, "It was no bear." Chapman and Hall observed the monster for almost forty-five minutes as it alternately entered and emerged from the shadows around the Durant barn. Finally, it went back across the road and into the dark woods toward the lake.

A little more than two years later, in late September of 1974, the Winsted Wild Man was spotted again, this time when he came out of the woods early in the morning of September 27 and struck terror into the hearts of two couples who had been parking near the Rugg Brook Reservoir. Press accounts of the sighting quoted Winsted patrolman George Corso, who, while cruising about 2:30 a.m. on Main Street, had been flagged down by two obviously agitated Harwinton men and told about their very recent encounter with a six-foot, 300-pound creature covered with dark-colored hair, at the edge of the reservoir. "They were terrified," Corso reported, and when one of them persuaded the police officer to return with him to the spot where the wild man had been seen, the young man insisted that all the cruiser doors be locked before they left town for the three-mile drive to the reservoir. Although Corso thought that a creature as large as the one described could rip off the cruiser's doors whether they were locked or not, he humored the Harwinton youth anyway. "He was really shook," Corso explained.

As they drove toward the reservoir, the informant told the policeman that earlier in the evening, he and his friend and their dates had decided to park for a time by the lake. It had been a bright, moonlit night. After they stopped, one of the men got out of the car. Suddenly, he saw the creature emerge from the nearby woods and start to walk toward the car, its eyes eerie in the reflected moonlight. The young man leaped back into the car and the badly frightened foursome beat a hasty retreat.

When the squad car finally reached the reservoir embankment where the monster had last been seen, the young man suddenly shouted, "There it is now. Don't stop." Corso quickly turned the cruiser around, and though he carefully searched the area to the water's edge with his spotlight, saw nothing. Although he finally gave up the fruitless night search, after sunrise Corso returned to the scene of the sighting, along with a newspaper reporter. Neither could find any sign of what the couples had witnessed, not even a giant footprint in the brush-covered, hard-gravel surface of the reservoir bank. The police concluded that the parkers had probably seen a black bear, but everyone agreed that they had seen something very unusual. Winsted desk sergeant David Gomez remembered that the young man who made the initial report told him, before returning home to Harwinton, "I will never in my life go up there again."

WAS IT JUST A HOAX?

According to some, there never had been a wild man in Winsted. The original wire report had sprung from the overly fertile imagination of Lou Stone, a young reporter for the Winsted Evening Citizen. From there, mass psychology had done the rest.

Reportedly Stone came up with the idea because he needed to make $150 quickly, and he figured that the big-city papers would be unlikely to buy a story about actual events in Winsted.

He subsequently became well known as a teller of tale tales, but the Wild Man was his first hoax, and it remained his most famous.

Sources:
www.curbstone.org
www.museumofhoaxes.com
www.colebrookhistoricalsociety.org

Mountain Lion Captured On Oklahoma Trail Cam

newsok - Ryan Ritter of Atoka couldn’t believe what he was seeing on New Year’s Day when he looked at the photos from his new trail camera.

Not only were there pictures of numerous deer and turkey, but the trail camera also had captured five photos of a mountain lion on two consecutive mornings.

"I was very shocked to see that on my camera,” said Ritter, who admits he always has been skeptical about mountain lion sightings in the past.

"You hear a lot of stories all the time,” said Ritter, owner of Ritter Express Pharmacy in Atoka.

"I am a believer now. Until those pictures I would have argued with anybody we didn’t have any resident mountain lions, but obviously we do.”

The mountain lion photographs were taken between 5 and 6 a.m. on Dec. 22 and 23. State wildlife officials say it’s one of the rare instances of a confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in Oklahoma.

"We know we’ve got them, but we don’t know where they are at or how many,” said Alan Peoples, chief of the wildlife division for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "It’s kind of hard to monitor something so secretive and so rare as a mountain lion.”

Ritter, who is an avid outdoorsman, manages 2,500 acres of family-owned land in southeastern Atoka County near the Muddy Boggy River for hunting and trapping.

He speculates the mountain lion must have been traveling the river bottom and followed deer and turkey scent to his corn feeder, where the trail camera was located.

Ritter, whose father was a state wildlife commissioner in the 1990s, said his family has owned that secluded piece of property since 1993 and never before detected any signs of a mountain lion.

The subject of mountain lions in Oklahoma is a hotly debated topic. The Wildlife Department receives two or three reports of mountain lion sightings every month, but rarely can they be confirmed, Peoples said.

Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry’s wildlife services division investigates between 100 and 150 reported cases of mountain lions killing livestock, said Jack Carson, agency spokesman.

Only one time could it be confirmed that a mountain lion was indeed the culprit. That was in 2006 when a mountain lion killed a goat in Cimarron County.

Never has there been a reported mountain lion attack on a person in Oklahoma, Peoples said.

But there have been documented cases of mountain lions in Oklahoma in recent years, he said.

A Dewey County rancher once found the remains of a dead mountain lion, and a cougar was killed by a motorist at the Purcell exit on Interstate 35 several years ago, Peoples said.

Many years ago, a mountain lion was killed on the Black Kettle National Grasslands. That cat is on display in a museum in Roger Mills County, Peoples said. In 2004, a mountain lion was struck by a train in Noble County near Red Rock.

That mountain lion had a radio collar around its neck that had been attached by researchers in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The cougar had traveled 661 miles. State wildlife officials think most mountain lions in Oklahoma are transients.

It used to be illegal to kill a mountain lion in Oklahoma, but 2½ years ago that law was changed. It is now legal to shoot a mountain lion in Oklahoma if the animal is deemed to be a threat to humans or livestock.

The law requires the carcass to be brought to the Wildlife Department, but no one has checked in a dead cougar yet. Peoples said he thinks if mountain lions were common in Oklahoma, a hunter would have shot one by now.

Meanwhile, Ritter’s trail camera photos are the talk of Atoka. After capturing a rare photo of a mountain lion in southeastern Oklahoma, could the legendary Bigfoot be next?

"I don’t think so,” Ritter said. "I am a realist.”

But Ritter said he will be more cautious now when he takes his 6-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter to the woods with him.

"I am already looking for a dog with a good sense of smell,” he said.

___________________________

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

NOTICE: Thieves Stealing Bandwidth, Images From P&M, Wiki and Other Paranormal Sites (Hotlinking)

Hi...we have a situation where there are internet thieves stealing bandwidth and content from P&M, the Wiki and countless paranormal related blogs/sites. Roger (a reader and wiki member) would like some people to help him in this endeavor...basically, shutting these thieves down from stealing and making profits from our/your content. These are viral, dangerous websites and people who could care less about you and your hard work. If you have ideas, please post at the link/thread below...thanks. Lon

Thieves Stealing Bandwidth, Images From P&M and Wiki (Hotlinking) - Thread Link

There is an earlier thread at The Debris Field - Hotlinking

These are the culprits we are currently aware of (please select and paste the links...I don't want to hyperlink these):

www.xnewsnow.com

Also, this person, Theresa Morris at www.google.com/profiles/TJMorrisACIR has her website links listed in her profile.

I appreciate your help and any suggestions that you can make. Please go to the wiki and/or comment here. Comments posted here will be copied to the wiki thread as well. Thanks....Lon

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Reader Submitted Cryptid Encounters

The following are two reader submitted accounts I have received recently. I want to thank all those readers who have offered their experiences over the past few years. Your efforts truly make this an unique site:



BEAR-LIKE CREATURE IN ILLINOIS

Long time reader, first time writer…I want to firstly say how much I appreciate everything you do/have done with the site. It’s a great blog and I check it everyday, usually more than 3 times a day.

A few years ago, my now ex-wife and I were coming home from a trip to Vincennes, IN. It was around 10:00pm and in the late Spring. We were traveling north on ILRR 33 towards Palestine, we lived in Robinson, IL. Somewhere just South of the “Fuller Cemetery” I spotted a wild turkey or some other large bird on the right-hand side of the road. As we past it, she started to scream. She worked herself up to nearly tears and I was laughing (I’m so mean), but I could tell she was honestly distraught. As I pulled over into the cemetery drive, I told her to calm down, it was just a turkey that we saw. I asked her why she got so scared. She said, “I didn’t see a turkey!” I asked her what she saw and her response gave me goose-bumps. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up now, years later, re-telling the story. “What do you mean!? What did I see? You didn’t see that?” I had no idea what she was talking about, but she told me just as we came around a small curve (where I had seen the turkey that she didn’t see), that she saw a large animal running along side our car. “All I could see was dark fur and red eyes. It was running along side the car. Its head was at the top of the window. It was humongous!” I started going through animals that were big and near that height. The only half-way logical one I could think of was a bear.

So when we got home I photoshopped a picture of a bear illuminated as she would have seen it and reddened the eyes just a bit. She was frantic again, “that’s what I saw…that’s what I saw!”

Crawford County is not known for its bear population, in fact, other than this story, I’ve never heard from anyone else who has encountered one. They just aren’t here. She would probably swear today that it was what she saw. Jason
_______________________

UNKNOWN FLYING ENTITY

Thanks for the daily email updates. I had an encounter that I did make a report on but have never received any inquiries. Since your readers send you their experiences maybe there is a chance someone has seen something similar.

The encounter occurred on July 6, 2005 at about 11:30 pm. I had a long day in San Diego then afterward going to the beach at Del Mar, CA for some surf fishing. I arrived at my home in San Marcos about 11:00 pm. After cleaning my fish and showering, I was very tired. I went out to my carport for a smoke and a look at the night sky. I looked north, thinking about a recent UFO sighting and wondering what it's all about. In the distance, at a couple hundred feet, I saw a faintly visible moving object that flitted from side to side. Whatever it was, it reflected light from the streetlights. It's side to side movement was so quick, I couldn't tell if it was one object or two. The object then zipped directly over my neighbors house across the street. By this time, I was certain I'd never seen anything like it. It continued to move side to side, in a space of approximately 50 feet. It then stopped and I observed it more clearly.

It may have had big "eyes" and wing-like appendages, and was probably 2 to 3 feet in width. It remained still and I could see wavering reflections from it's "wings" which were not beating like a birds, but showed shimmering reflections from the streetlights. I felt the hair on my head rise all the way down my back to my ankles! It appeared to be looking at me, as I smoked my cigarette. I felt threatened, and said out loud, "I see you!" Then it went from stationary to out of sight, right over my head in an instant. I came out from under my covered carport, and turned to follow it's movement. Immediately, it zipped into view directly above my head, obviously studying me! I could see really weird large and intensely dark "eyes". It seemed surprised by my looking right at it. It didn't like being seen. My apprehension rose even higher. It turned away and disappeared like a shot.

It had a birdlike shape, but was thicker. My impression was of reflections of the streetlights on wing-like appendages, and big dark eyes!

It wasn't a bird, bat or any familiar nocturnal creature. It's movements did not seem explicable in comparison to any creature that fly's by beating it's wings. The hills and mountains are so rugged and inaccessible near my home, that anything could remain hidden and make night time forays at will. I read about "thunderbirds" but I'm not sure if this was one of these.

Thanks for the help!

NOTE: I searched for this sighting and found it was originally reported to Brian Vike at HBCC UFO Research. The witness acknowledged that it was the same incident...Lon

THIEVES! XNEWSNOW.COM and GETXNOW.COM are hotlinking paranormal sites and stealing bandwidth! These are dangerous viral sites...help us stop this now! Thanks...Lon


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

The Legacy of Brutality Haunts Derby Gaol

sundaymercury - From medieval dungeons to modern penitentiaries, prisons are truly frightening places – and they remain frightening long after the last inmate has finished his porridge.

One former prison that sees a lot of paranormal activity is the former Derby Gaol, now owned by ghost expert and historian Richard Felix.

It was built in the 1750s on a traditional and very busy execution site. As a result, death and suffering were associated with the building right from the start.

England at this time was experiencing a massive crimewave caused by terrible poverty and cheap gin which large numbers of the population were addicted to.

The gap between rich and poor was immense and the ruling classes were not about to let the peasants get their grubby hands on the family silver. If you were poor and committed a crime you could definitely expect brutal punishment.

More than 260 crimes carried the death penalty. A 12 year-old who stole a handkerchief was just as likely to hang as a highwayman who committed murder.

Therefore, the vast majority of the poor souls who entered Derby Gaol had a rather unpleasant appointment with the hangman.

As if the prospect of the gallows was not terrible enough, condemned inmates had an additional fear which caused them great anguish. Their bodies were often handed to the surgeons to be dissected and examined (and then put on public display as a warning to others).

In these more religious times it was firmly believed that your soul could not enter heaven if your body had been dismembered.

This belief could be a contributing factor as to why some spirits stay on the earthly plane and refuse to “cross over”.

Today, Derby Gaol is regularly visited by paranormal investigators and interested members of the public. Many have witnessed unusual and sometimes quite scary activity within the building.

Even an experienced investigator like Richard Felix has been frightened by close encounters of the paranormal kind. He was once confronted by a grey haze in the shape of a man, who glided straight past him before disappearing at the end of a corridor.

A builder was once working in one cell when the heavy door slowly closed by itself, locking him in. He also experienced feelings of nausea – a common experience in haunted locations.

No rational explanation could be found.

In fact, many people visiting Derby Gaol begin to feel sick and have to leave. Some feel that they are being suffocated or strangled.

Hanging

People also claim to have seen two young men hanging from a beam, their bodies slowly rotating.

A similar vision has been witnessed in the Day Room where a visitor noticed a man hanging from a doorway. He thought that this was a very convincing stunt by an actor but was shocked to discover that nobody else had seen the hanging man.

Could these frightening visions be somehow conjured up by the building’s long association with death by hanging?

One particular scary figure has been encountered lurking in a doorway of Derby Gaol.

He has been described as an evil-looking bald man wearing a kind of leather garment or apron. I remember reading that when prisoners were flogged, the jailer would wear a leather apron because it was easier to wipe off blood.

This leather-clad bald man has also been seen to walk through a wall.

Another strangely dressed figure, a woman in a large fancy hat, was seen to walk down a corridor and through a door to the outside. The witnesses followed her outside to be confronted by freshly fallen snow – and no footprints!

Derby Gaol seems to be full of strange ghostly people.

A man in a long scarlet coat is sometimes seen acting as if he is looking for someone. A “terrified-looking” blonde woman was witnessed lying on a bed, a dark figure seeming to menace her.

Derby Gaol also has more than its fair share of poltergeist activity. Cups, glasses and various ornaments have all moved by themselves – sometimes flying past the heads of shocked visitors and staff.
____________________________

THE DERBY GAOL


The term Derby Gaol historically refers to the five gaols in Derby, England. Today, the term usually refers to one of two tourist attractions, the gaol which stood on Friar Gate from 1756 to 1846 and the cells of which still exist and are open to the public as a museum, and the 1843 to 1929 Vernon Street Prison whose impressive frontage can still be seen today.

Allegedly haunted, the building was visited in 2002 by Living TV's Most Haunted. The site is today maintained by Richard Felix formerly of Derby Heritage Centre. The gaol is now run by his son Edward and there are plans to knock through the building next door to open up more cells to the public. The Derby ghostwalks are now run from the gaol following Richard's sale of the heritage centre.

Between 1730 and 1832 there were in excess of 260 crimes which carried the death penalty. This was known as the “Bloody Code” and offences ranged from being seen in the street with a sooty face, stealing anything valued in excess of 4s 6d (twenty two and a half pence), damaging fishponds, writing a threatening letter etc; right through to Murder, Treason, Piracy and Arson in His Majesty’s Ship’s Dockyard. Needless to say, everyday life for most people was hard and unrelenting. Employment was difficult to obtain and the pay very meagre. Therefore, to subsidise their existence, resorting to theft was the last, desperate option open to many to provide food for themselves and their families. Of course there were hard and fast villains who resorted to crime as a way of making a living and murder was an all too common occurrence. The law was enforced rigidly and, when deemed necessary, the Justices would be seen to make “an example” of certain individuals as was the case with the men from Pentrich, Jeremiah Brandreth, Isaac Ludlam and William Turner. Accused of High Treason, these men were sentenced to be Hanged, Drawn and Quartered. It was not, however, the last time the awful sentence was handed down. That was in 1820 in London when the Cato Street Conspirators, Arthur Thistlewood (who knew Brandreth), John Thomas Brunt, Richard Tidd, James Ings and William Davidson were accused of High Treason. Similarly, the Prince Regent granted clemency and commuted the sentence to Hanging and Beheading only. The difference being the Pentrich men were decapitated with an axe (the last time it was ever used) whilst a knife was used, by a surgeon, on the Cato Street men. The identity of the executioner of the Pentrich men remains a mystery and the only details were that he was a “strong, muscular collier from Derby”. The man who hanged the Cato Street men was Thomas “Old Cheesy” Cheshire (incidentally, observed by one William Calcraft, later to become our longest serving hangsman!)

For the “run-of-the-mill” capitally convicted criminals, hanging was seen to be sufficient, however, in 1752 the “Horrid Act of Murder” was approved where those convicted of murder were not only hanged but had an additional ‘punishment’ inflicted. After hanging, “the body shall be given over to the surgeons for dissection and a body shall not be suffered to be buried until it has been dissected or anatomised.” This was particularly gruesome in that the crowd consisting of men women and children, who had just witnessed the execution were entitled to follow the cart carrying the remains of the victim back to the Shire Hall (built 1659) in St. Mary’s Gate. There they could actually watch the body being taken asunder by the surgeons! After this had taken place, the mutilated body then had to be exposed to full public view on the steps outside of the Hall for two full days in order that those who were unable to attend the execution and dissection could satisfy their morbid curiosity. This punishment was decided on in an effort to dissuade would-be murderers from carrying out their deeds. The belief at the time was that after death, one had only to wait for the Day of Judgement when all souls would be resurrected for life everlasting. The fear was that if a body had been dismembered, there would be no resurrection as the body parts had been dispersed far and wide and people had visions of odd limbs, heads and torso’s wandering aimlessly for all time in search of the rest of the body! The punishment was handed down to several victims, both male and female, in Derby Gaol.

Interestingly, it was not usual practice for “Irons” or “Fetters” to be placed on the arms and legs of prisoners in the Gaol unless there was a particular risk of escape. Certainly, those due for execution were “Ironed” but all other inmates remained relatively free to wander the corridors and yards. This would be infinitely more welcome than being confined within the filthy prison cells which, until a visit to Derby Gaol by the prison reformer John Howard in October 1787, were never cleaned out. John Howard had made it his personal crusade to inspect and report on the state of the prisons in the whole of Great Britain as he was appalled at the amount of mortality suffered by the inmates. Gaol fever raged through the prisons on a regular basis and it was believed to be caused by the bad air. It was in fact, a virulent form of Typhus spread by body lice. Following Howard’s intervention the law decreed that scraping and lime-washing the cell walls once a year should be sufficient!

Various attempts were made to escape from Derby Gaol and, on 14th January 1778, a plot was uncovered where several prisoners had hoped to effect their escape whilst the Court Sessions were under way. The Gaoler, Blyth Simpson, spoke to a prisoner involved in the escape bid who lost his nerve at the last minute and confessed all. He showed Simpson where the attempt had been made to break through the door of the Dungeon. Although heavily barred, the inmates had managed to saw through the bars and their leg irons so that the break-out could take place with all speed. As a result, the prisoners involved, whose names are not revealed, were double-ironed and removed to another, more secure, cell. In 1782, Thomas Shaw was successful in his attempt but was soon apprehended and returned to the gaol to face the ultimate penalty. It has to be borne in mind that any prisoner escaping from Gaol and subsequently recaptured, would be hanged, regardless of the original offence for which he had been imprisoned!

Sources:
www.derbygaol.com
www.mysterymag.com
en.wikipedia.org

NASA Disputes Russian Future Asteroid Impact Calculation

voanews - The threat of an asteroid crashing into Earth has captivated the imaginations of movie audiences for years. Now, however, Russia is working to develop a very real plan to counter such a threat.

The Russian space agency says it is working to prevent a large asteroid from colliding with Earth. Voice of Russia radio reported the agency's head, Anatoly Perminov, made the announcement Wednesday.

Without giving many details, Perminov said his agency is working on a way to divert the path of the asteroid, named Apophis, without destroying it.

Voice of Russia says he invited scientists and experts from U.S. Space Agency NASA, the European and Chinese space agencies to join the project.

NASA research scientist Dr. Paul Chodas specializes in the study of near-Earth objects, or asteroids that may one day threaten civilization.

He says that while there are hazardous asteroids in our universe, NASA's latest calculations put Apophis at having only a one in 250,000 chance of hitting Earth by, or during, the 2030s as Perminov predicted.

He says that with more research, he expects the probability of the collision to drop to zero. However, he says that other asteroids, including those that have not yet been discovered, could pose more of a risk and call for more research.

"The odds are very small that we will have a huge collision with the Earth, but it's certainly worth keeping an eye on these objects and ensuring that one is not going to hit any time soon. If one is headed for the Earth, then we feel, if we have enough warning time, we have the technology to divert the object. And that's what this proposal to develop this technology is all about," he said.

Chodas also noted that an asteroid hitting Earth would affect people from all parts of the globe, and praised Russia for suggesting international collaboration on how to avoid such a collision.

THIEVES! XNEWSNOW.COM is hotlinking paranormal sites and stealing bandwidth! Help us stop this now! Thanks...Lon

Square Shaped UFO - Johnston County, NC - 12/30/09

MUFON witness statement (unedited): Traveling southeast on Lassiter Road in Johnston County at 6:25pm on Dec. 30, 2009. Two eyewitnesses saw a small, square craft slowly float by. The craft was very dark, and the evening light made it difficult to determine an exact shape. It seemed to be square, dark, about 25ft. square base and maybe 5ft tall.

We were first caught off guard that a plane would be flying so low at night with no ground lights, but then noticed how slowly the craft was moving. The craft traveled exactly due west (we returned later that night with a compass) about 50-60ft off the ground and 40 yards to our left over a field at about 30mph. The craft had two dim lights, one was definitely red. I thought the other light was a dim green, but the other eyewitness remembered it as a dim white light.

I pulled over, rolled down my window and noticed no sound coming from the low flying craft. I turned around and followed the craft for a few minutes, but it was traveling too low to the tree tops that I soon lost sight of it through the trees. Also, it was headed due west, and Lassiter Road runs northwest by southeast. So the craft was traveling further away from me the further I traveled up Lassiter Road.

It could have been a plane. But... it was flying very low, extremely slowly, and made no noise. A cessna flying that low at night would have had ground lights on and been remarkably loud and fast.

NOTE: the number of triangle and square shaped UFO sightings are steadily increasing worldwide. I receive several reports of these sightings daily, let alone those reports sent to UFO watch entities. Here is a link to another report I received today Huge triangular UFO seen on Christmas night, 12/25/2009!...Lon

THIEVES! XNEWSNOW.COM is hotlinking paranormal sites and stealing content! Help us stop this now! Thanks...Lon

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Are you interested in the paranormal, cryptozoology, UFOs and conspiracies? Go to Phantoms and Monsters Wiki and become a member of this unique network. Start a page on a subject or add your input to an existing page or thread.


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Tarantula Owner Painfully Learns Pet's Natural Defense

Looking at the eye at high magnification, the doctors noticed the tiny spider hairs, which looked like white spots (arrows)

livescience - A creepy case of a man who got tarantula hairs stuck in his eye has doctors advising people to wear eye protection when handling the eight-legged pets.

In February 2009, a 29-year-old man visited the St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, England, after enduring three weeks of a red, watery and light-sensitive eye. A dose of antibiotics for what was presumed to be conjunctivitis didn't clear the symptoms.

Doctors at the hospital examined the eye under high-magnification lenses and spotted hair-like projections sticking into the cornea of the right eye.

"When we looked at this guy's cornea, the clear window covering the eye, we saw these little whitish spots and a little black hairy-like thing at the center of each," St. James's Zia Carrim told LiveScience. There were about a dozen hairs protruding from the cornea, a couple of which had gone all the way through the eye's thin covering.

The doctors let the patient know of the hairy findings.

Ah-ha — the patient immediately recalled an incident right before he started having eye troubles in which he was cleaning the glass tank of his pet, a Chilean Rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea). While focused on cleaning a stubborn stain, he sensed movement in the terrarium and so turned his head. That's when the tarantula flicked a "mist of hairs" that hit him in the eyes and face.

Perhaps his pet got scared. To ward off potential predators, this arachnid will rub its hind legs against the abdomen to dislodge hairs into the air. Called urticating hairs, the structures have multiple barbs that help them puncture through ocular and other tissues.

Once in the patient's cornea, the hairs caused an inflammatory reaction called ophthalmia nodosa — a broad diagnosis covering the response of the eye to insect or vegetable material.

The doctors said the hairs were too small to be removed even with tiny forceps. Instead, they treated the eye with topical steroids, which largely cleared up the symptoms. As of August, the patient reported mild discomfort and intermittent floaters, the researchers announced Dec. 31.

The hairs are still stuck in his cornea, and the doctors aren't sure whether they'll ever go away.

"This case highlights the importance of a collaborative approach between doctor and patient in providing good clinical care," Carrim and his colleagues wrote in this week's edition of the journal The Lancet. "The condition described is rare and the correct diagnosis was made only after we discussed the clinical findings with the patient."

The take-home message for owners of pet tarantulas, which the researchers say are becoming increasingly popular: "Avoid handling the tarantulas at close range. If they do handle them at close range, they should wear some type of eye protection," Carrim said.

And if a pet owner happens to get spider hairs in the eye, seek medical attention sooner rather than later, he added.

India: Is Your Home Haunted?

bangaloremirror - Whether you are a believer or an atheist, it is a fact that energies — magnetic, thermal, gravitational, solar and other known and unknown energies — exist together. For no reason, children behave abnormally, adults become chaotic and aggressive and women fall sick. The malefic energies in the home and surroundings could have accumulated over a period of time because of improper home care, inappropriate ways of living in the home, absence of a healthy garden and waste objects getting dumped into corners. Often, faulty construction and faulty habitation contribute to the release of these malefic energies.

Malefic Energies
Proximity to cemeteries and graveyards can also see the gathering of malefic energies to your detriment, with people dying for no reason. Habitations near railway lines where deaths take place frequently can also see these malefic energies entering to cause disease and penury. Homes near maternity homes where constant births (and deaths) occur can release energies to the detriment of the habitants. Over a period of time, if there have been deaths taking place, the malefic energies are powerful enough to show in the form of incessant cawing of the crows and eagles hovering over your area. These energies in composite form can cause the home to be haunted, with the residents suddenly hearing whispers or seeing shadows across walls in the absence of any living people.

Haunted Home
A place becomes haunted when such energies compound over a period of time, often when a certain disorderliness sets into your life pattern. Such disarray sets in when you start living in Vastu inappropriate homes and make your pets jump all over you and the home. Each living being has an aura or astral body whose strength is weak and strong based on the evolution and way of living. With due reverence to pets, the energy field of a pet, with all its love for the human, is still in a weak state and can absorb the outside malefic energies significantly. When you allow it to live in your home as a family member, these absorbed energies can complement the other malefic energies that could have accumulated in your home over a period of time. You tend to get scared by disturbing dreams very often.

De-haunting your Home
Never select a site near cemeteries, graveyards, maternity homes or railway lines.
Never sleep with your heads to the north.
Never dump things into the corners of a room, a habitation, an area or a site and particularly not in the northeast and southwest.
Love your pets, but give them a clean habitable kennel outside your home either in the northwest sector or in the southeast sector of your garden.
Every six months, get your home cleaned by professionals and whitewash or colour wash your home once a year.
Have your bath at a scheduled time each day.
Do not walk in the home with the footwear that you have used outside.
Minimise watching and listening to video and audio that excites you.
Never make your son sleep in a northwest room or your daughter in a southeast room.
Never have your bathroom-toilet attached to the southwest or northeast of your room.
Never have a door in the middle of your home.
Activate water in the form of a fountain, aquarium or a running stream in the north of your living room/your home/site) more to the east and get the benign energies to protect you.
Landscape the southwest, south and west of your home and garden heavily with rocks and pebbles.

NOTE: I thought this was interesting. Believe me, I've read more unusual advice elsewhere...Lon

Video: UFOs Over California? Strange Footage

Click for video
NOTE: No date provided though I assume it was recent. Undisclosed location in California. This video was posted only a few minutes before I noticed it. At first, I thought it was a flare (and that is still a possibility) dripping. When the camera is panned down where it seems the 'drippings' materialize into hoop-like structures that float off. As well, there is an object with a comet-like tail in the background. At one point, another object flashed across from right to left. You always have to consider CGI on these videos placed on YouTube. More information would have helped as well. What do you think?...Lon

Step Out of the Darkness Enter 2010

Chris Holly's Paranormal World - I know that most topics considered Paranormal or not understood by today’s science are immediately rejected by society. There is little or no debate. There is little or no consideration. There is only immediate rejection. That rejection is why we only hear a small percent of what goes on around us.

We continue to remain blind and ignorant to most topics in the world of the paranormal. It is without question a choice that people make to completely reject all things unknown. It is a brainwashed learned reaction to subjects that we have been trained like monkeys to ignore, reject or find humorous.

I find this trained behavior dangerous and sad .It is a long term learned reaction that we allow instead of demanding education , investigation and truth. I have to sit and wonder why people feel betrayed by politicians, or any popular brain fed situations going on in the world when we are dragged about by the nose so easily by most things we have little or no knowledge of? Whatever we are told we simply swallow.

It will be interesting to see how a society that is so easily manipulated will react as many subjects considered paranormal become known understood events . What will those who laugh and insult people who have seen a UFO or alien do if they see one of their own? What if UFO’s and visitors are part of our near global future? What will they do with their ridicule and laughter then? I now understand what those who tried to teach society that the world was not flat went through!

As 2009 closes and 2010 enters our life I do see a change in the types of articles being reported on the Internet. Clearly those who have seen things in real time are coming forward with solid reports, photos and videos of things that are not easily explained away.

The days of silly people spinning ridiculous stories of little men living under their bed who take them on Disney like rides through the cosmos are less and those who have come face to face with the real unknown are increased. To this I am grateful and hopeful.

Due to the Internet, cell phone cameras and videos easily available to the public worldwide we are finding many credible reliable reports coming forth. As the people of the world find that they are experiencing the unknown personally they also are finding that they have been following and swallowing a brainwashed view. I have written before that the paranormal is hilarious until it happens to you!

As we march forward into the future I am finding the old methods of paranormal investigation are also coming under inspection and question.

I am noticing increased articles concerning the long standing yet small world of reporting sites available for those having encounters or sightings. It seems the public is aware that not enough is being done nor are there enough qualified hands to investigate and gather information properly in the area of the paranormal.

I am reading about those who were ignored when trying to report a sighting or confused when treated in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. This is a dangerous area for our advancement as we have limited options available to report events. If the few avenues we do have fail it could keep us forever in the dark ages concerning the paranormal.

I realize this is a problem as personally I have tried to report events that were ignored. I tried to join in abduction investigations and again I was completely ignored. A response like that can be devastating for those trying to do the right thing by reporting what they endured or encountered. I think it is a red flag our systems for whatever reasons are failing.

I understand that those trying to handle the reports may find they are now over whelmed and unable to handle the volume of reports coming in. I also realize many reports may lack a credible base. It is obvious our old systems of handling these things are antiquated and need to be over hauled, expanded and given a structure so all events can be reported, listed for research and given the respect and attention they have needed for a very long time.

It is long over due for the sake of mankind that the Dark Ages end concerning the subjects of the paranormal. We as a society need to fully understand we have been manipulated, trained and brainwashed to act like fools when anything unknown is talked about or reported. We need to stand up and demand more, to be treated like thinking beings and to stop being controlled instead of educated.

Do you really want to be the next to turn around one night in a dark parking lot or backyard and find yourself face to face with a craft, ray or being that is completely unknown to you? Do you want to be the next to endure who knows what to find yourself who knows where disoriented and possibly hurt only to be told you’re a drunk, a nut or a liar?

If you are one of the people who ridicule loudly in obnoxious ignorance ‘ no no no’ that never happened, to those who have endured a paranormal event, then you may be the next to face that same reaction when it is your turn to face the unknown.

Is that truly how you wish to figure out what is and what you’re been told are two different things? Wouldn’t educating yourself to ideas by way of those who have experience the unknown work out more to your advantage ? Consider these things if you find you are the one looking at a UFO right over your head!

This past holiday season I had two completely different experiences with two different groups of people. One saddened me and made me shake my head in disgust and despair. The other gave me a slight degree of hope we may be making our way out of the Dark towards the light of awareness.

During Christmas week I went to a few holiday parties. At two of the parties the subject of the paranormal came up. At one party a group of people were talking about an event that occurred where a psychic was involved. I knew of the case as it was without question the most documented case of ability by someone who could see the future I had ever seen.

The case was clearly one of a gifted psychic seeing an event before it happened but not soon enough to stop it. It was a terrible event where someone was murdered and the case was never solved.

The family involved was at this party and the case was being discussed . Sadly two idiots were also at the party. Loudly they both interrupted the conversation concerning this case to ridicule those talking about it that there are no such thing as psychics. Of course they did not have any basis of why they refused to consider psychic ability other then they fact they did not want to believe it.

To my horror the two idiots then went about accusing the murder victim of all kinds of immoral things, destroying the victims character and insulting the family involved. Again the idiots had not one thread of evidence of what they were saying but went about their assault loudly and proudly.

I wanted to take the idiots to task but knew it was not the time or place. I also waited to see how the family members of the murder victim and friends of the psychic involved were going to deal with the attack of the two idiots. I knew it was not my place to step over their wishes but was ready and willing to come to their aid if they were going to deal with the two idiots at hand.

The family sat silently and the party simply dried up and ended. It was a perfect example of what those who deal with the unknown are forced to go through when faced against fools who never had nor consider they ever will have a paranormal experience.

The two idiots at this party were examples of what goes on daily in society between those who have experienced unknown events and those who have not. The only excuse for the idiots of that night was obnoxious ignorance. The pain and sadness they caused to the family in this case was simply disturbing. I do hope I come face to face with the idiots of this encounter again one day on my turf and under my terms!

A few days after that encounter I went to another Holiday party. Once again the subject of the paranormal came into the conversation. A group of people at this party were talking about the sightings of UFO’s seen over Connecticut and the Long Island sound over the past few years. The subject came about as we were standing in front of a large window in the home of the people hosting the party that over looked the Long Island Sound. Standing in front of this window over looking the water looking at the shore lights of Connecticut gave a better insight of what it was like for the people who encountered the sightings.

The people at this party knew I often wrote about UFO’s and I had my own fair share of sightings during my lifetime. We discussed the different sightings, and the fact that it appears to be a simple fact that we are being visited. The people talking were not particularly interested in the paranormal but they were bright enough to have open minds about that which seems clearly to be taking place. One party-goer noted that is seems to be a bit ridiculous at this juncture with the amount of reports and photos around to think it is not happening. It seemed apparent to this group of people that the days of denial were soon going to be in the past. Talking with the people at this gathering gave me hope for society.

I can only hope that we as a society stop being pulled about by our noses concerning the subjects of the unknown. You can only live in the Dark Ages if you allow it. The fact that unknown crafts, odd chem-trails, strange beings, and odd weather activity exists all around you can only be laughed at or pushed aside for so long. Sooner or later the forest is going to be recognized as that group of trees right in front of our faces. We will one day come to understand the crafts zipping along over our heads are not all Chinese lanterns or space junk!

I especially hope if you come across rude ignorant fools like I did you will have the opportunity to stop them in their tracks. I know that the event of that party has me sworn not to sit in silence next time something like that happens in my presence.

It appears this may be a good year for us to start off on a new road as we march into the future. I think the lines have been drawn at long last between those who are tired of being laughed at for seeing things or encountering events others fear or reject.

So many people are now seeing crafts or encountering events or beings that are unknown that it is becoming difficult to be the one that joins the fools and their ignorance instead of questioning those with the knowledge we may need. The next time a good pal wants you to ridicule or humiliate someone who has had an incredible experience be smarter, be more evolved and refuse to be the trained monkey. Instead question the one who had the experience.

Unless you find your own road out of the darkness you will be the one sitting alone in it. The one fact that you can rely on is that the future unfolds exactly as it is suppose to around you. Staying in the darkness can not be part of that future.

I realize I can frighten or anger some people because I write about events that upset their small world or limited thinking on these subjects. I can only suggest that these people stay within the confines of that which they can handle and leave those like me alone so we can keep on walking ahead. I have no plans of living in the Dark Ages or missing that which will be the future.

I understand the unknown may be a bit uncomfortable. I also know that some things unknown may be dangerous or might hurt you, however your fear or refusal to educate yourself will not stop the future from unfolding . The more we all know the more we will be able to survive that which may come our way.

As we speed into the future we will learn that all of these things are simply part of our universe along with experiences of life we do not yet understand. Do not fear the unknown. Look to it with care and interest. The future will unfold exactly as it is suppose to. We cannot nor should we continue to walk along in darkness with blinders clued to our eyes and minds.

It is time to look to what is and stop fearing what will be. And so we walk into 2010.

Keep your eyes and minds open and ready as we step towards tomorrow and fear not our future but those who try to keep you from it.

Thanks to Chris Holly at Chris Holly's Paranormal World

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