Members of a Boy Scout troop that agreed to help clean a historic cemetery in St. Petersburg, Fla., found three voodoo dolls hanging from a tree. The dolls, which were hung in a vertical line on the tree's bark, had rusty pins stuck in their faceless heads, arms and legs. "They were kind of like ugly creatures that would eat you alive," said 10-year-old Kevin McDonough, a Webelos Cub Scout.The Greenwood Cemetery, where the dolls were found, has buried on its grounds dozens of Civil War veterans, Union and Confederate, buried on opposite sides of the grounds. University of South Florida religion Professor Mozella Mitchell, who studies Caribbean faiths, said the dolls are associated with many African-derived religions. They're common among people of Haitian, Cuban and Caribbean descent, she said. Believers often use the dolls as sacred objects to connect with the supernatural, not typically for evil purposes, Mitchell was quoted as saying. "I'd say certain sects might work a trick on somebody," she added. "But that's a very minor aspect of the religion."
Chilli the giant bull is set to stampede into the record books as Britain's tallest bovine. The black and white Freisan bullock is 1.9m (6ft 6in) tall and weighs more than a tonne. He dwarfs most horses, is the same height as a small elephant and casts a shadow over his cattle companions.However, nine-year-old Chilli grazes just on grass and enjoys the occasional swede as a treat at his home at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard, Somerset, where he was dumped at six days old. Staff have applied to the Guinness World Records book. Manager Naomi Clarke said: 'As Chilli grew up, we began noticing he was bigger than our other cows. He is a very friendly and gentle cow so we hope he manages to break the record – he deserves it.
The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God. The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, says that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.In an interview published by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes says that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. The interview was headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother." Funes said that ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom.
Nepal King Makes Animal Sacrifices To Hindu Goddess
Nepal's King Gyanendra, facing imminent ouster from the throne, made perhaps his last royal public appearance at a shrine outside Kathmandu and offered annual prayers to Kali, the Hindu goddess of power. The 60-year-old king was accompanied by Queen Komal to the temple of Dakshinkali perched by the side of a stream in a jungle-clad ravine 25 km (15 miles) south of Kathmandu. Gyanendra, facing the abolition of the 239-year-old monarchy after the Maoists emerged as the biggest party in assembly elections in April, offered prayers to the "family deity." Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, called the constituent assembly to begin its session on May 28, a parliament statement said, signaling an early end to the monarchy. Under an agreement between the Maoists and the government, the first meeting of the assembly is supposed to declare an end to the monarchy and turn Nepal into a republic. Earlier at the shrine, the king sat crossed-legged in front of the deity and offered prayers as five animals - a buffalo, a goat, a lamb, a duck and a rooster - were sacrificed to goddess Kali, a common practice among Hindus, to please the deity.
Kali, the Hindu goddess of power
"This is a ritual for peace and prosperity for the self and the family," priest Sekhar Prasad Pandit said after performing the 45-minute ritual. "This is done in the hope to get one's desires fulfilled." As the king arrived driving a black limousine dozens of people including some royalists cheered and offered him flowers. Some animal rights activists were angry. "We must immediately stop sacrificing animals in temples," animal rights group, Prannath Kalyan Samaj, said in a pamphlet distributed near the temple. For centuries the king was revered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu god of protection. But the popularity of Gyanendra, who ascended the throne after the 2001 massacre of King Birendra and eight other royals by the then crown prince, has plummeted since he sacked the government and assumed absolute power three years ago. Gyanendra, who said he had acted that way to crush an anti-monarchy Maoist insurgency, was forced to hand power back to political parties in 2006 after weeks of deadly protests against his rule. The staunchly anti-royal Maoists emerged as the biggest political party in the April 10 elections for a special assembly meant to draw up a new constitution and formally declare an end to the monarchy.
Residents in one neighborhood in Bradley County say they've noticed something strange in a field near their homes. And it has some of them looking for answers. David Wall wanted to see it for himself when he heard about strange things in a Cleveland field from a friend. "I went by her office one day and, 'We got crop circles', and I said, 'Well, I want to see them', so I went out and looked at them," he says. Wall adds what they found were large distinct formations in the field. Formations he thinks aren't man-made, adding, "if a person had done this as a prank, quite frankly, there would have been approaches to it." You'd figure with food prices the way they are, pranksters wouldn't come out here to a crop and make crop circles, but even neighbors say they just don't know where they came from. "I always look in the field when I'm driving home because I see animals," says Laura Caton, who lives across from the field. "I just happened to notice the grass was laid down in a peculiar area, and I wondered for a moment if it was something more or if it was just the wind."We went out for ourselves to look at the formations today. Some have already been mowed down, but in others, you see the wheat still looks like it's been forced down. Kim Frady with the local UT Extension Office says this can be a natural occurance. He says it can be anything from simply the wind, to crops that get heavy due to rain accumulation up at the top of their stems. "When that seed head starts to develop," Frady says, "that's when it gets really heavy, and the rainfall we had probably could have done that." Wall has his own theory, saying "the most plausible explanation that I found, that I heard, are shifts in the magnetic forces of the Earth." But he says he's pretty sure of what it's not. "I guess ET could be involved, but you're gonna have to give me some stronger evidence for that," he jokes. We also contacted the Bradley County Sheriff's Department. They tell us there have been no recent reports of vandalism in farm fields.
Police have charged three suspects accused of using the skull of a corpse buried in a Kingwood cemetery to make a bong. Kevin Wade Jones, 17, Matthew Richard Gonzalez, 17, and a 16-year-old boy were all charged with one count of desecrating a corpse. The suspects are accused of digging up the skull of an 11-year-old boy buried in a cemetery for African American war veterans and using it to smoke marijuana.
This is the tombstone of an 11-year-old who died in 1921 and whose body was exhumed.
The suspects allegedly used a shovel to lop off the skull and then cut off the jaw and used electrical tape to create the bong. Houston Police Department officials are not releasing the name of the deceased corpse because they are still trying to contact family members. The boy died Sept. 11, 1921. His skull has not been recovered.
Inside The Church Of Satan: New Controversial Footage Captured
New, controversial footage, from within the Church of Satan, has been released. It has been more than forty years since in-depth footage of the Church was shot, and a new Satanic ritual has been documented and publicly presented for the first time. It's revealed and confirmed that public servants and various celebrities are, or have been, members of the Satanic Church, including Sammy Davis, Jr. and Jayne Mansfield. In interviews leading up to the un-cut ritual, one Satanist says, if there is a God who feels Satanists should roast in hell, "He can go _ himself," and that all people are not created equal. Another said Christianity is "like a rabies." The footage was captured by independent filmmaker Joshua P. Warren. He was granted unprecedented access to the Church, traveling internationally to live with Satanists and document the most intimate aspects of their philosophy. He has now released it in his new documentary, "Inside the Church of Satan." "I'm an agnostic and my co-producer, C. Eric Scott, is a Christian," said Warren. "We approached this with an open, curious mind, investigating the Church to find the truth about their agenda. Christians, Satanists, Pagans, Atheists, and perhaps everyone else will appreciate what we found." In December of 2007, the Catholic Pope formed exorcism squads to tackle the rising tide of Satanism across the world. Warren's new film will show what many of those bishops are fighting.
Aside from the complete ritual, "Inside the Church of Satan" includes a lengthy, candid interview with Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan, along with a witch, priests, and members of various ranks. Warren asks questions probing most aspects of their agenda and beliefs. "My goal was to create a movie, addressing all of life's most difficult issues, that would give the audience a complete understanding of what the Church of Satan is about, for better or for worse," Warren notes. "After this experience, I feel our governments do reflect Satanic principles." Sprinkled with satire, the film addresses all from sacrifice and murder to political positions regarding the Biblical "mark of the beast" and 666. Warren, a professional radio host in Asheville, North Carolina, originally interviewed High Priest Peter H. Gilmore on the air, was overwhelmed with controversial feedback, and felt the Church was a good candidate for a "shockumentary," as he calls it. After special negotiations, the Church allowed him to come inside and objectively document its operation. Warren says, "Frankly, I don't know why they allowed me as the first person in so many decades. They said they thought I was the right guy at the right time. So I did my best. And yes, as you'll see, I was surprised by what I found." Aside from the never-before-documented Satanic ritual, the film includes nudity, satirical depictions of baby butchering, anti-Christian language, and scenes where Warren himself attempts to conjure up "the Devil" on camera. For now, "Inside the Church of Satan," and a free preview of the film, are only available through www.InsideTheChurchOfSatan.comonline.
There's one creature in Minnesota that's so hard to track that $50,000 reward is out for proof it exists. Ever since the 1800s, residents around Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minn. say they've spotted a sea monster. They call him, Pepie. "It was very strange," said Larry Nielson, who says he's seen the mysterious creature. "We watched it for quite a while and we watched it for about 15 minutes and could not figure out what it might be." Steve Raymond shares the same story. "Now, I'm the third person who's reported it. I distinctly remember three humps, with one hump looking like a head," recalled Raymond about his experience on Lake Pepin. The first sighting of the creature was in April 1871. An artist has tried to show what the monster, with a hypnotic red-eye and demon-like head, might look like. It's said to live within the depths of Devil's Abys. "So you never know what you're going to see out here," said Nielson. "There have been stories of something mysterious here."
An artist has tried to show what the monster, with a hypnotic red-eye and demon-like head, might look like.
Boaters have told stories of being attacked while on the water, first hearing several loud knocks on the hull, followed by several violent back and forth swings of the boat. Nielson wants people to try and see for themselves because this mysterious monster that's eluded most cameras for more than a century. He's offering $50,000 for undisputable photographic and scientific evidence. "The idea behind the reward is make sure you come up with a camera. You might catch Pepie, but the worst thing that's going to happen is that you're going to get pictures of some of the most beautiful scenery in the world," said Nielson. This reward is also a marketing tool for Lake City. The local tourism bureau hopes the chance to see Pepie and get money for it will bring people to the area. Whether anyone finds anything specific on Pepie is yet to be seen. Nielson and Raymond don't need more proof from the public, because they already agree that they've seen something strange in the lake.
Bell Witch Cave added to National Register of Historic Places
The Tennessee Historical Commission announced today that the Bell Witch Cave has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The cave, located near Adams in Robertson County, has been a tourist spot since about 1817, according to a news release today from the commission.The cave has long been believed haunted, with several reported sightings of the Bell Witch over the years. The register is the nation's official list of cultural resources worth preserving. The commission administers the program in Tennessee.
Who is buried in Friedrich Schiller's tomb? Several people, apparently, but none of them the famous poet and playwright, according to new research. Using DNA, experts have determined that none of the remains billed as those of Schiller belong to the German writer, who died in 1805.
The skull of German poet Friedrich Schiller is analysed with a panorama X-ray. A painstaking two-year investigation to determine which of two skulls belonged to Friedrich Schiller has found neither is a match, prolonging a 180-year-old mystery over the celebrated German poet's remains.
Schiller's remains were interred in a Weimar mausoleum but were mixed with others, and in 1827, remains believed to be his were relocated. Claims emerged over the years that other remains were actually Schiller's. So where is Schiller? That remains a mystery.
Man Pushes Creation Of Panel To Prepare City For Space Aliens
Jeff Peckman is back at it, and this time he is bringing little green men along for the ride. The Denver man, who sponsored an offbeat ballot initiative that would have required the city to implement stress-reduction techniques, now wants to ask voters to create a commission dealing with space aliens. "It is important because if you're driving down the highway and you saw a crash of a small spaceship and a car or a bus full of kids, you really wouldn't know what to do," Peckman said Thursday. "Do you wait for the hazardous materials experts to show up because of potential contaminants from another solar system? What do you do? People really don't know." Peckman, 54, who is single and lives with his parents, has submitted to the city a draft of the proposed ordinance, which would require the creation of an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission. As required, the city is holding a "review and comment" meeting on the proposed ballot initiative with Peckman on Thursday. "I don't know what we're going to ask him yet," said David Broadwell, an assistant city attorney. Peckman hopes to collect enough signatures - he needs about 4,000 - to get the proposed initiative on the November ballot.According to the proposal, the 18-member ET commission would "create a responsible, common-sense strategy for dealing with issues related to the presence of extraterrestrial beings on Earth," among other tasks. Peckman said the proposed initiative is "a shortcut to disclosure of the knowledge of extraterrestrial beings on Earth and interacting with people on Earth." He said he has never seen an space alien, but that he has seen evidence proving that they exist. "I certainly believe that they visit somewhat frequently," he said. "I don't know that they're walking around the streets of LoDo - others might disagree with that. But they do seem to have made their presence known all over the world to a lot of people." Councilman Charlie Brown was an outspoken critic of Peckman's 2003 "Safety through Peace" initiative, which failed but garnered a healthy 32 percent in support. Brown called the 2003 initiative "looney-tooney" and Peckman's latest proposal "even loonier." What's next... The Denver City Council will hold a "review and comment" meeting on the ballot initiative at 2 p.m. Thursday in Room 391 of the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. The meeting is open to the public.
Spooky Flying Character Has UFO Watchers In Mexico Buzzing
Sensational sightings of a flying human above the skies of Mexico could be genuine, says a paranormal expert. The mysterious woman-like figure was caught on camera as it hovered above mountains in Nuevo Leon city. UFO watchers said the figure appeared to be wearing a cape, leading to claims that it was a witch or wizard when it was first seen in 2006.Now Mexico’s leading UFO expert Anna Luisa Cid says the sightings were true after carrying out her own investigations. “I think that the possibility is there,” Cid said. “An imaginary object is not recorded on film, nor does it produce over 40 witnesses.” Nuevo Leon UFO club managed to film the spooky flying character.
And policeman Leonardo Samaniego also claimed a floating person had dropped out of the sky. “In conclusion, from my professional point of view, both cases are real,” Cid told the Ghosttheory.com Web site. After viewing the UFO club’s video, Samaniego’s said, “I do not believe the entity to be a witch, but I do know that it is something that we cannot explain.”
Satanic cults are on the rise in an unexpected location – Rome, says a Catholic priest. "There is a greater openness towards the devil," said Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's Chief Exorcist, to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Father Pedro Barrajon, a Catholic priest in Rome, stated, “Satanism and the occult are in fashion.” The overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation of Italy has an estimated 800 satanic cults, with more than 600,000 followers. But Rome, home to Vatican City and the pope, is where the fiercest spiritual battle is taking place. Last year, the Vatican started to offer courses to bishops on how to perform exorcisms – freeing a person of evil spirits. When Father Amorth, 81, performs an exorcism, he uses oil for mass or baptism, and the cross. "If a person is not violent I let them sit in this armchair, and I do the exorcism here,” said Amorth, showing CBN the small room that he uses. “If they are violent I lay them down and if necessary I also tie them down.” The priest commented that medicine and science cannot solve all illnesses, but some are resolved by exorcism. In recent years, gruesome murders have been linked to devil worship in Italy including a case several years ago involving members of a heavy metal band named the Beasts of Satan. Band members stabbed, clubbed and buried alive two teenagers in northwest Milan. One of the victims was allegedly killed because she resembled the Virgin Mary.Then there is Marco Dimiti, who heads the Children of Satan, which reportedly has more than 1,000 members. In 1996, Dimiti was accused of raping a 2-year-old boy and a teenage girl in satanic rituals in 1996. He was jailed for 14 months before being pardoned by the Italian courts. "True Satanism puts man at the centre of the universe – and is a noble expression," Dimitri said. "I want to say to Father Amorth what I say to all exorcists. Leave people in peace!" Vatican priests are now working with Italian authorities to confront the increase in satanic crimes. "We invite the police to sit-in on the exorcism classes so that they can understand the spiritual and theological dimensions of this phenomenon," said Father Barrajón. Barrajon has trained 300 priests in exorcism, and says that he teaches them how to distinguish between psychiatric problems and satanic possession. "This is the key but I can tell you that those who perform exorcisms, they just have this sense, they just know," he said. "Sometimes they look for signs like if the person is afraid of the cross or baptismal water or pictures of Christ. They shake a lot or start screaming and they may possess extraordinary strength. The priests know what to look for." Barrajon encourages Italians to pray more, attend church, and be conscious that the devil is very real. "The actions of the devil are not just limited to here in Italy – his evil spirit is roaming the earth, tempting people," he said. "We are trying to educate the society and families about the dangers of his influence."
When an Ohio woman looked at an ultrasound she expected to see a developing fetus. Instead, she saw what she believes to be an image of Jesus Christ. Monet Sledge, from Lorain, Ohio, got an ultrasound in preparation for her first baby and was shocked when she saw what appeared to be an image of Christ on the Cross, the Web site reported. She showed the image to her sister, a mother of four, to get her opinion."I was expecting to see little body parts," Sledge's sister Tequoia Smith told reporters. "Like a face, arms and legs." But she too believes saw Jesus on the cross. "As soon as I saw it I was like oh my gosh." "People say maybe my baby is gonna be blessed and maybe it is a good sign," said mother-to-be Sledge. "I don't know, I've done wrong in my life, maybe he's forgiven me early." Doctors say the baby is perfectly healthy and due Aug. 12.
A exorcist was called in to purge a haunted pub after it was claimed a ghost tried to kill a barmaid and her brother. Ghostbuster Ian Lawman, 39, had to take drastic action against the violent poltergeist, believed to be a former landlord at the 230-year-old Crown Inn pub in Farnham Common. Lainie Rutter and her brother, Mitchell, have been living in fear in a small flat at the pub. They struggled to get a night’s sleep after furniture mysteriously moved across the floor, and shelves fell off the wall. The final straw came for pub owner Mike Orme when a fire broke out and a terrified manager refused to live at the Crown Lane local because of the bizarre goings on. Mr Orme, said: “I have been here for about two years and strange things have happened the entire time. A flat on the premises constantly had CD-racks falling from the wall in the middle of the night and when an electrical fire broke out in Mitch’s room, we decided to call on the help of a television programme the ‘Living with the Dead’ to help us deal with the problem.” A seance was ordered by Mr Lawman, a member of the Christian spiritualist church which believes in life after death. Miss Rutter, 20, from Burnham said: “When we called the medium in to conduct the seance, we found out that the spirit was a former landlord of the pub who had tried to commit suicide in the room which is now our flat.“He used really bad language and said that he hated all women and wanted to take Mitch’s body because it was young and strong. “It was always quite nerve-wracking knowing we had a ghost in our flat, but to find out that it was a hostile spirit determined to kill us – that was terrifying.” Mr Lawman who carried out the seance and exorcism last month, said: “When I got to the room I instantly noticed poltergeist energy, which is always negative. “At first I was going to use the Ouija board, but the spirit became aggressive and hurled a roulette wheel and chips across the room. This obviously spooked everyone and we decided to have a seance instead. “When he was asked why he had done that, he replied that he did not want anyone to succeed and profit in the pub because he had failed. The spirit was a former landlord in 1904 who had become bankrupt and lost everything, including his family. He decided to hang himself, but failed at the first attempt, but eventually hung himself a few days later in the old cellar, which has now been shut off. “Once an exorcism has been completed, the spirit is usually gone for good, though there can still be some residual energy remaining for a few weeks.” Exorcisms date back hundreds of years and are usually performed by qualified people with strong beliefs, such as religious figures or psychics.
A man claiming to be Satan robbed a hotel early this morning. According to police, the man, wearing a black leather coat and hat, entered the Comfort Inn and Suites, 5640 N. Main St., about 4 a.m. and demanded money. The hotel’s clerk told the man the money already had been deposited for the night.The man replied that there still had to be money in the register. The man, who police said kept his hand in his pocket as if he had a gun, then asked the clerk’s name and said that his name was Satan. The clerk then gave the man about $200 and he fled on foot, but not before stopping to take a newspaper from the counter, according to police.
A question that ghost researchers often are confronted with concerns the fact that ghosts are most often seen wearing clothes. It is also a question that skeptics raise to support their argument that ghosts are figments of the imagination. But it’s a perfectly legitimate question. If ghosts are human spirit energy, why do their manifestations include the manufactured convention of clothing? After all, clothes are not part of our bodies, our spirits or our “souls”.
Ghost appears naked!
Troy Taylor of the American Ghost Society says: Why do ghosts need clothes? No one really seems to know, but it’s possible that in most cases, ghosts seen wearing clothing are simply “residual” images – imprints or memories that linger on the atmosphere of a place like a recording. A ghost of this sort would have no “personality” and is simply like an old movie that just keeps playing.
Twice in the last 36 hours there’s been an announcement that a once-extinct species is still walking the Earth, despite our best efforts against it. First there was Swinshoe’s softshell turtle, and then the Javan Elephant. Is this more commonplace than we might believe?Frankly, no. Despite the occasional hubbub over an animal science has lost track of– say, the Coelacanth– we’ve witnessed something extraordinary. Swinshoe’s turtle was previously believed to be extinct in the wild, with only three remaining in captivity, and therefore every one of these 300-pound turtles is a critical find.The Javan elephant, is something else entirely– a species that may have been misclassified since the 1800s. Essentially, there are no Javan elephants in Java, as they’re extinct there, but the pygmies in Borneo represent a small group owned by the Sultan of Sulu. That group thrived, and their progeny are presently known as the Malaysian Pygmy Elephant– or were, until the discovery that they were, in fact, the last of the Javans.
A foreign student taking tourist snaps believes she photographed a spooky sightseeing attraction – a UFO. Teenager Anastasiya Gavrilenko captured the mysterious object speeding through the sky as she walked through a park in Croydon, south London. The 17-year-old Russian said she was stunned when she printed out her photos taken in Ribblesdown Park last month. Anastasiya said: “I went to the park because I wanted to take some nice photos in England. But then I heard something in the sky.
UFO seen over Croydon
I looked up and noticed this thing in the sky. “It was quite large and moving really fast. It was size of a plane but did not look like one – it looked more like a big mushroom.” Anastasiya said she could not believe her eyes but when she saw her snap she realised what she photographed must have been real. “I never believed in things like UFOs before I took this picture but now I think they could be true.”
A typical campaign kickoff doesn't resemble an X-Files convention. Nor is there usually discussion of UFOs crisscrossing the night sky or of government programs to conceal extraterrestrial technology. And most politicians yearning for office avoid banners proclaiming, "It's not about the lights in the sky, but about the lies on the ground." Joseph Buchman, however, announced his candidacy for the 1st Congressional District of Utah under that banner, and his official announcement was book-ended by talk of the news media ignoring signs of extraterrestrial visits and the military's blockade of information about outer space visitors. "I don't mind being seen as a wacko because to me, the world looks completely wacked," said Buchman, the Libertarian nominee for the seat of Republican Rep. Rob Bishop. Buchman wore a black tie covered in planets and stars and galaxies to the news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. It may not be the most politically expedient place to launch a congressional bid for a Utahn, but the Park City resident pressed on. He called on Congress to revoke any secrecy oaths the government has forced on military personnel or private contractors so they can talk openly about what they have seen regarding extraterrestrial activity.
Joseph Buchman
And he wants Congress to hold open hearings on the subject.Many of the speakers at the news conference agreed with Buchman. And they also agreed that the mass media was ignoring the signs of extraterrestrial life and that the feds were keeping all the details hidden deep in a dark basement. A place "where Mulder and Scully would have to go with their little pen lights," added host Stephen Bassett, a one-time congressional candidate in Maryland, referencing the X-Files stars. Buchman adds there are other things in his platform for Congress as well. He is not solely running on the UFO-conspiracy phenomenon. Buchman calls himself a lifelong Libertarian who has supported the party for more than a quarter century. "I'm the Ron Paul of Utah congressional politics," Buchman says, referring to the ex-presidential candidate and Texas congressman. But even Paul didn't venture into the realm of extraterrestrial discussions during his campaign. Buchman is racking up a bit of a reputation as the ET candidate. A recent Park Record story about his candidacy carried the headline, "Immigration, Taxes and Little Green Men." Buchman couldn't have been happier. "I absolutely loved it," he said.
Indian police want a museum to display the head of a woman decapitated after she was accused of practicing witchcraft, hoping it will be a lesson for those who persecute innocent women. A villager in the country's eastern Jharkhand state attacked the woman and chopped off her head at the weekend, apparently because he suspected her of being to blame for deaths in the family, police said. He then walked into the nearest police station holding the severed head."I think displaying this head in a museum will create a sensation in society and could be helpful in preventing people from taking to such heinous crimes," Sunit Kumar, a senior police officer, said from Jharkhand. In rural India, villagers often accuse women of being witches and blame them for natural disasters or for an illness, death or theft. Hundreds of them are killed every year and police say incidents often take a long time to come to light.
Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft. Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur. Rumours of penis theft began circulating last week in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo's sprawling capital of some 8 million inhabitants. They quickly dominated radio call-in shows, with listeners advised to beware of fellow passengers in communal taxis wearing gold rings. Purported victims, 14 of whom were also detained by police, claimed that sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear, in what some residents said was an attempt to extort cash with the promise of a cure."You just have to be accused of that, and people come after you. We've had a number of attempted lynchings. ... You see them covered in marks after being beaten," Kinshasa's police chief, Jean-Dieudonne Oleko, told reporters. Police arrested the accused sorcerers and their victims in an effort to avoid the sort of bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 suspected penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs. The 27 men have since been released. "I'm tempted to say it's one huge joke," Oleko said. "But when you try to tell the victims that their penises are still there, they tell you that it's become tiny or that they've become impotent. To that I tell them, 'How do you know if you haven't gone home and tried it'," he said. Some Kinshasa residents accuse a separatist sect from nearby Bas-Congo province of being behind the witchcraft in revenge for a recent government crackdown on its members. "It's real. Just yesterday here, there was a man who was a victim. We saw. What was left was tiny," said 29-year-old Alain Kalala, who sells phone credits near a Kinshasa police station.
Several Valley residents reported seeing strange red lights in the sky on Monday night and the cause of the lights remains a mystery. Arizona Republic reporter Anne Ryman, who lives in Deer Valley, reported seeing four lights in a square shape that eventually became a triangular shape. The lights were moving to the east and they disappeared one by one. She said the lights were visible for about 13 minutes at about 8 p.m.. One north Phoenix resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he saw four or five red lights lined up in a straight line and spaced apart evenly. The lights slowly moved east and became dimmer as the witness watched.
He said the last light remained in the sky the longest. Then three jets came from the west and traveled in the direction of the red lights. An official from Luke Air Force Base stated that they do not have any aircraft in the sky tonight and that the lights are not part of any Air Force activities. The Deer Valley airport officials said that the lights were not from any aircraft at that airport. Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said that air traffic controllers at Sky Harbor Airport also witnessed the lights, but they do not know the cause. The incident is similar to the "Phoenix Lights" seen on March 13, 1997. Thousands of residents reported seeing a mile-wide, v-shaped formation of lights over the Valley. In that case the lights appeared about 7:30 p.m. and lasted until 10:30 p.m.
Notwithstanding the Jharkhand government’s campaign to counter superstition among the people, killings in the name of exorcism, particularly in rural areas, continue. In one such bizarre incident, a 35-year-old tribal man, Jairam Hansda, beheaded a 40-year-old woman, Renti Hansda, for allegedly practicing witchcraft in Ghatshila and, drunk to his gills, wobbled into the police station with the severed head and surrendered. Cops on duty were stunned to see the man with the head of a woman in his hand. Jairam was immediately taken into custody.A police source said the weapon used for the killing too has been seized and added that Jairam has confessed to his crime saying he killed the woman, his neighbour, as she was a "witch" responsible for the death of his brother a few days ago. "Renti’s ‘black magic’ was also the reason for my father’s death nine years ago," Jairam said. It transpires that Jairam had lured Renti into joining him for a drink in Tiridih village. He then took her to a paddy field where he beheaded her. A police team recovered the torso lying in a pool of blood from the spot. The body was sent for the post-mortem examination.
CRUEL KEV: A Third Class Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War. Presently a member of the Navy League. A Republican with Libertarian leanings. (South Park Republican) My goals for the several blogs that I am involved with is to find and post Interesting News including occasional Criticism, Comments & Analysis
The Greenwood Cemetery, where the dolls were found, has buried on its grounds dozens of Civil War veterans, Union and Confederate, buried on opposite sides of the grounds. University of South Florida religion Professor Mozella Mitchell, who studies Caribbean faiths, said the dolls are associated with many African-derived religions. They're common among people of Haitian, Cuban and Caribbean descent, she said. Believers often use the dolls as sacred objects to connect with the supernatural, not typically for evil purposes, Mitchell was quoted as saying. "I'd say certain sects might work a trick on somebody," she added. "But that's a very minor aspect of the religion."
The Greenwood Cemetery, where the dolls were found, has buried on its grounds dozens of Civil War veterans, Union and Confederate, buried on opposite sides of the grounds. University of South Florida religion Professor Mozella Mitchell, who studies Caribbean faiths, said the dolls are associated with many African-derived religions. They're common among people of Haitian, Cuban and Caribbean descent, she said. Believers often use the dolls as sacred objects to connect with the supernatural, not typically for evil purposes, Mitchell was quoted as saying. "I'd say certain sects might work a trick on somebody," she added. "But that's a very minor aspect of the religion."
