Scientists have reportedly been left baffled by a "haunted" playground swing that rocks backwards and forwards on its own. Locals in Firmat, Argentina claim one seat swings nonstop for ten days before stopping dead, while other swings remain still. Parents and children are convinced a ghost is to blame for the phenomenon. They reported the swing to police after it began moving four months ago.
Police officers had to admit they were stumped and called in physics professors but they too failed to find a logical explanation. Teacher Maria de Silva Agustina said: "One child called it the Blair Witch Playground. We believe it is haunted." Academics have now ruled out magnetic and electrical fields, and winds - and called in ghost hunters.
In the first such incident recorded in Kolkata, an unidentified flying object was spotted in the city’s skies early Monday morning. The fireball, that moved very rapidly and even seemed to change its shape and size, was photographed by a resident of Kalikapur in east Kolkata. Scientists couldn’t identify the object though some believe it could be a meteor blazing a trail through the morning sky. The object, as shown on a TV channel, seemed to alter its shape from a round object to a triangle and then turned into a straight line. It emitted a bright light that formed a circle - almost a halo - and also radiated a range of colours. The strange object was spotted between 3.30 am and 6.30 am by a senior executive of a private company, who filmed it on his handycam and showed it to the MP Birla Planetarium director D P Duari.
Many others spotted the strange object streaking across the eastern sky and hundreds gathered along EM Bypass to catch a glimpse of the "UFO". Many claimed to have seen the UFO, triggering a frenzy. The Birla Planetarium director said the flying object, seen "at 30 degrees on the eastern horizon" was "interesting and strange". "The viewer first thought it was a plane but gradually its brightness increased and it went up and vanished around 6.30 am," Duari said. "No natural phenomenon is likely to last for such a long duration and it is not a meteor either. It is an extremely interesting and strange object," he added. Scientists were also puzzled by the phenomenon. They claimed it was too early to hazard a guess on what the object could be. "A cosmic body cannot change its appearance the way this one seemed to do. But an expert needs to observe it for a longer period of time to be able to comment on it. It is very strange and intriguing. Sadly, TV pictures are not enough to make a conclusion," said Kamalesh Kar, astro-particle physicist at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics.
It's furry and walks on all fours. Beyond that, about the only thing certain about the critter photographed by a hunter's camera is that some people have gotten the notion it could be a Sasquatch, or bigfoot. Others say it's just a bear with a bad skin infection. Rick Jacobs says he got the pictures from a camera with an automatic trigger that he fastened to a tree in the Allegheny National Forest, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, hoping to photograph deer."We couldn't figure out what they were," Jacobs said of the images captured on Sept. 16. "I've been hunting for years and I've never seen anything like this." He contacted the Bigfoot Research Organization, which pursues reports of a legendary two-legged creature that some people believe lives in parts of the U.S. and Canada. "It appears to be a primate-like animal. In my opinion, it appears to be a juvenile Sasquatch," said Paul Majeta of the bigfoot group.However, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has a more conventional opinion. Agency spokesman Jerry Feaser said conservation officers routinely trap bears to be tagged and often see animals that look like the photos. "There is no question it is a bear with a severe case of mange," Feaser told The Bradford Era.
In other parts of the world he is known as Sasquatch, Big Foot, the Yeti. Some say he's an animal. Others, a type of man-beast. Many doubt he exists. Some have no doubt that he does. The Seminoles call him Esti Capcaki, but most Floridians know him as "the Skunk Ape." And he's sparked imaginations and debate for nearly two centuries. "Florida's list of sightings nearly rivals that of the Pacific Northwest, where Bigfoot/Sasquatch has beguiled explorers and researchers since the early 19th century," Michael Newton wrote in "Florida's Unexpected Wildlife." Skunk ape sightings in Florida date to 1818 when Apalachicola residents reported seeing "a 5-foot-tall 'baboon,' pursuing it to a makeshift nest amid cotton bales stored on the north side of town," Newton wrote. Since that time, more than 350 skunk ape encounters have been reported throughout the state, including an estimated 10 encounters in Polk County. What is the beast? Accounts vary, but witnesses usually describe an abnormally tall creature resembling a baboon, covered in hair and carrying with it a stupefyingly putrid smell. "It's this skunk like stink that gives the skunk ape its name, although old-timers in rural areas often refer to it as 'swamp monkey,'" Charlie Carlson wrote in "Weird Florida."In 1947, for instance, a large primate was reported in a Lakeland backyard. "The lone witness, a boy four years old at the time, saw a hairy ape-like beast standing among some orange trees behind his home," Newton wrote. "Twenty years later, memories of the event were clear enough to persuade researcher John Green of the witness's sincerity." Other reports are more substantial. In 1975, for instance, one Polk County man reported seeing a skunk ape carrying an armload of corn along a road. It was one of three skunk ape sightings reported in Polk that year, according to a statewide database maintained at www.skunkapefloridasbigfoot.com. Far more recently, Jennifer Ward of Polk County reported seeing a skunk ape along a rural Polk road not long after Hurricane Charley struck in 2004. "I noticed something in the ditch. I looked over, and I guess it noticed me," Ward told the Orlando Sentinel that November. "When he saw me, he was as surprised as I was." Scientific evidence of the creature is not known to exist; bones and other remains have never been found, Carlson wrote. Nonetheless, after a spate of shootings at alleged skunk apes in the 1970s - the heyday of creature sightings - a Florida legislator attempted to impose a one-year jail term and $1,000 fine for anyone convicted of killing a skunk ape. The measure, sponsored by Paul Nuckolls (R-Fort Myers), failed when it was introduced in 1976 and again in 1977, Newton wrote. And one Floridian, David Shealy of Collier County, has made a career of the skunk ape. He operates the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters as a type of tourist attraction in Ochopee south of Alligator Alley.
Convicted murderer Tracey Wigginton, who calls herself a vampire, began new Supreme Court action last week, protesting against her high-security classification. She wants to do her life sentence in the softer conditions of a prison farm. Her application to the court last week sought declarations that recent decisions to classify her as a high-security prisoner and to house her back at the higher-security Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre were unlawful. Now 42, she has been in custody since October 1989 when she and three other women were involved in the murder of Edward Baldock, 47, at West End in Brisbane.The court heard that they lured him into a car at night outside the Caledonian Club at Kangaroo Point. They drove to a park on the banks of the Brisbane River and promised him sex. Wigginton stabbed Baldock 27 times and drank his blood. They were quickly caught when detectives found a credit card belonging to one of the women in one of his shoes. Wigginton was transferred back to the women's prison in June last year after allegedly assaulting another prisoner and a prison guard.
A self-proclaimed ghost-hunter says New York City has some of the most haunted places in the world. Kate Davey - who does research for an Internet company - says places where people hang out everyday of the week, have a lot of paranormal activity. She says Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village was a public hanging square in the 18th century - and a lot of spirits roam among the college students, tourists and New Yorkers who hang out there.Davey adds that New York City's history dating back to the 1600s makes it a perfect environment for unrested souls. She says dozens of restaurants and other public places have paranormal activity, including one Greenwich Village restaurant - where the maitre D' quit because he was pushed down the stairs by something he couldn't see. Davey gives out a list of the most haunted places today at Saint Marks Church on east 10th Street.
Carnivorous treesgrabbing humans and cattle and gobbling them up is not just village folklore. Residents of Padrame near Kokkoda in Uppinangady forest range sighted one such carnivorous tree trying to dine on a cow last Thursday. According to reports, the cow owned by Anand Gowda had been left to graze in the forests. The cow was suddenly grabbed by the branches and pulled from the ground. The terrified cowherd ran to the village, and got Gowda and a band of villagers to the carnivorous tree.Before the tree could have its meal, Anand Gowda and the villagers struck mortal blows to the branches that turned limp and the cow was rescued. Uppinangady range forest officer (RFO) Subramanya Rao said the tree was described as ‘pili mara’ (tiger tree) in native lingo. He had received many complaints about cattle returning home in the evenings without tails. On Friday, the field staff confirmed coming across a similar tree in Padrane, partially felled down. However no detailed inquiry was made as the authorities were not asked for any report, Rao said.
Man Tells Jury At Murder Trial He's Son Of Satan And Has Telepathic Powers
A man accused of shooting and killing a pregnant childhood friend has told a jury that at times he believes he has telepathic powers, and switches between thinking he's an angel or the son of Satan. Jared Baker, 21, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Olivia Talbot, 19, who was shot five times in her south Edmonton townhouse in 2005. Baker's defence lawyer is arguing that he's not criminally responsible for his actions because he was in the grips of a drug-induced psychosis at the time of the slaying.Baker told court that he first got hooked on drugs such as crystal meth in junior high school and by Grade 12 was using them almost daily. The young man, who held down several jobs including as a cleaner at Edmonton's Grey Nuns Hospital, also testified his drug use eventually cost him those jobs. He's expected to remain on the stand for the rest of the day and will be cross-examined by the Crown when the case resumes Tuesday.
A Minnesota man died after getting rabies from a bat bite. Health officials didn't identify the man, who was in his 40s. The state Health Department said he was bitten by a bat in north-central Minnesota in mid-August, but didn't seek prompt medical attention because no blood was drawn. Now officials are trying to determine whether any health care workers were exposed. Preventive treatment for rabies is almost 100 percent effective, but it must begin before symptoms appear or the disease is almost always fatal.Rabies is rare. Last year, federal health officials confirmed just three cases in the United States. Only four Minnesotans have died of rabies in the last century, including another death seven years ago. State epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield urged anyone exposed to a bat to capture the animal, have it tested for rabies and seek medical help. She said it's also important to seek testing and medical attention when bats are found with unattended children, sleeping people or others who can't communicate what happened.
Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinichhas seen a UFO, writes Shirley MacLaine in her new book, "Sage-Ing While Age-Ing." Kucinich, she writes on page 143-144 of the book, "had a close sighting over my home in Graham, Washington, when I lived there. Dennis found his encounter extremely moving. The smell of roses drew him out to my balcony where, when he looked up, he saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent, and observing him. It hovered, soundless, for ten minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn't comprehend. He said he felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind." Representatives of Kucinich's presidential campaign and congressional office have not responded to calls and e-mail asking whether the Cleveland Democratic congressman in fact saw a UFO or if there is another explanation for MacLaine's recollection. MacLaine is a well-known believer of UFOs and reincarnation. And she's been close to Kucinich for decades. MacLaine is the godmother of Kucinich's daughter and attended Kucinich's 2005 Cleveland wedding to third wife, Elizabeth, who's often campaigning by his side.MacLaine also recommended in the 1980s that Kucinich visit New Mexico spiritual adviser Chris Griscom, whom MacLaine featured in her then-best-selling book, "Dancing in the Light," describing how Griscom helped her communicate with trees. (Kucinich has insisted that Griscom was not his spiritual adviser but a "teacher and a very good friend.") MacLaine, who shares Kucinich's opposition to using weapons in space, doesn't shed any more light in her book on Kucinich's close encounter, including when it happened. But to read more about MacLaine's beliefs, pick up a copy of the book. It goes on sale next month -- on Election Day.
An unemployed man has sewn shut his mouth and locked himself behind an iron mask to demand the government attend to his family’s desperate economic plight. Luis Miguel Aldana, 52, told reporters that he started the peculiar protest five days ago, after being locked out of his apartment in Bogota. Instead of paying two months of rent, Aldana says he bought shoes for his three children. Now he is demanding the government provide a loan to jump-start a cottage textile business and pay health care bills for his wife and children. Without the loan, he says his family will end up living on the streets.“I’m doing this to get attention because people have a heart of iron and also a face of iron — they don’t listen to anybody and think this is a joke,” said Aldana, speaking out of the corner of his mouth that is not sewn shut. Aldana currently is living in a neighbor’s house, where he sits in bed with his hands and legs shackled in chains. Despite soaring economic growth the past three years, Colombia’s unemployment rate remained stubbornly high at 10.6 percent in August.
The night skies over Manitoba, Canada, were apparently busier than usual last month. Nearly triple the average number of UFO sightings were reported, according to Chris Rutkowski, research coordinator for Ufology Research of Manitoba, a Winnipeg-based independent center that investigates and researches Canadian UFO sightings. "It's significantly above what we normally get," said Rutkowski, adding 11 sightings in Manitoba were submitted in September. The monthly average is about three or four, he said. Ufology Research is concerned that most of the sightings were not reported to investigators in Manitoba but were instead submitted to websites around the globe.That makes it difficult for researchers here to speak to witnesses, collect further information and potentially rule out objects as planets or stars instead of UFOs. "Every year, it's whittled down to about 3% to 5% that don't have an easy explanation," said Rutkowski. Among the UFOs sightings reported last month, one came from a witness parked near Headingley about 2 a.m. on Sept. 10. The man claims he heard a humming sound and then saw a light in the northern sky. He turned and saw a "floating disc" land in a field. Scared, he jumped in his car and drove away. In his rearview mirror, the witness said he saw the object rise from the ground and race across the sky before vanishing. As for the rise in UFO sightings last month, Rutkowski said it's possible there's something out there or that "people are paying more attention to their surroundings." Rutkowski said anyone who observes a UFO can e-mail information to Manitoba investigators at: canadianuforeport@hotmail.com.
monkeys Attack A Deputy Mayor Who Falls To His Death
Aggressive monkeys are being blamed for the death of a senior Indian official. Media reports say the deputy mayor of New Delhi was on the balcony of his home when he was attacked by a gang of Rhesus macaques (REE'-suhs muh-KAKS') causing him to fall. He was rushed to the hospital but died of head injuries. Many government buildings, temples and residential neighborhoods in New Delhi are overrun by Rhesus macaques. Devout Hindus believe the monkeys are manifestations of a monkey god and feed them bananas and peanuts.That has encouraged the monkeys to frequent public places, and bite or snatch food from unsuspecting visitors. Last year, the Delhi High Court reprimanded city authorities for not stopping the animals and asked them to find a permanent solution. City authorities have employed monkey catchers who use a larger and fiercer kind of monkey to scare and catch the macaques. But that hasn't stopped the problem.
People in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been warned to check their rosary beads, after discovering hundreds of them had been sold with secret satanic symbols on them. Locals in the town of Siroki Brijeg said that the rosaries, which have pentagrams and upside-down crosses marked on them, are difficult to spot until they are examined closely.And they fear that hundreds or even thousands of them may have been bought unwittingly by Christian families after satanic groups smuggled them into stocks of rosaries in local shops. Clergy in the town are investigating.
Police have broken up an alleged Nigerian-run mafia — complete with blood-drinking initiationrites — accused of running prostitution, extortion and fake credit card scams in northern Italy, officials said. Five Nigerians were detained in Brescia and in the southern town of Aversa, near Naples, police said. A sixth Nigerian already jailed in Turin for other crimes was served an additional arrest warrant, police said. The six suspects comprise the "cupola," or the top decision-makers, of the "eiye" mob group, said Carmine Grassi, the Brescia police official in charge of the operation.Like their Sicilian counterparts, the mobsters protected their territory by striking back violently at other Nigerian-run criminal organizations, police said. Police displayed an ax and knife they said were used against rivals, sometimes to amputate body parts. Initiation rites included drinking blood as part of a "blood pact," Grassi said. Members also had to wear blue hats and blue shoes, and used slang and hand gestures that distinguished them from other gangs, police said. Grassi said the alleged leaders met while attending university in Nigeria.
The sixth annual national paranormal conference, dubbed UNIV-CON, will bring out vampirologists, demonologists and exorcists at University Park this weekend. The conference is hosted by Penn State's Paranormal Research Society (PRS) and is the largest conference of its kind, said PRS founder Ryan Buell. Some professors, though, aren't keen on the idea of Penn State as a paranormal hub. Robert Eckhardt, a professor of developmental genetics and evolutionary morphology, said he was shocked to find out about UNIV-CON, which he only discovered about a week ago. "What I find to be bothersome is there seems to be some sort of support and enthusiasm for this on the part of the university," he said. "The university is not taking the appropriate steps to distance themselves." The conference began with a talk last night by Doug Bradley, also known as the character Pinhead from Hellraiser, and will continue with various well-known speakers over the weekend at Schwab Auditorium. Buell said he expects this year's conference to be much larger than last year's -- which drew in about 1,000 people -- because many people are beginning to hear about the Penn State club's upcoming show on the A&E channel, Paranormal State.On Saturday, PRS will premiere Paranormal State two months in advance, Buell said. "It's the first time anyone in the country can view a whole episode," Buell said. While many people may be interested in paranormal activities, there are others who believe that PRS' self-described "research" should not be considered reliable by any means. Sergey Poberezhny, the conference manager, said people will be coming from all over the world to attend the conference. Some, he said, will be coming from as far away as Germany, Hawaii and California, though the majority will be from Pennsylvania. Buell said some of the speakers this year will include a discussion of demonology by Roman Catholic priest James LeBar and Lorraine Warren, a self-proclaimed "vampirologist," and the most popular speakers, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters. The conference will also include some skeptics of paranormal research, he said."We know there are skeptics," Buell said. "We welcome all sides." Steve Piazza, an associate professor of kinesiology, said though the group is presenting its work as scientific research, it should be considered "pseudo-scientific research." "I think they have a right to have a conference," Piazza said. "Groups can invite speakers to campus that are controversial at times. Universities should be places where controversial people can speak." He added that the "methods they use are not the same kinds of methods used in scientific research," though he admitted to only recently learning about the group through their Web site. Buell said, though the university does not regulate the research the group does, the group did go to a research approval committee at Penn State that "anyone who does research has to go through to make sure it's legal and following guidelines." "We went there just to make sure we weren't breaking any rules," he said. Poberezhny said the PRS researchers go into a possible paranormal situation with an open mind. "We try to explain it any way possible before we start assuming it's paranormal," he said. "We're exploring uncharted territory."
A man arrested for breaking into a car while not wearing any trousers came up with an impressive excuse – he told police he thought a leprechaun had let him into the car. Kim Leblanc, of Cincinnati, reportedly admitted to authorities that he had been using drugs.According to investigators, Leblanc broke into a car parked overnight on Central Parkway in Cincinnati on Tuesday, and promptly fell asleep inside. He was trouserless when the car's owner found him, and called the police. Leblanc told officers that he had been taking drugs, and believed he had been let into the car by a leprechaun.
John Lennon's son Julian claims his father's ghost has visited him from beyond the grave. Julian was left shocked by the haunting moment which occurred more than 25 years after the Beatles legend's death while he was shooting a new film in Australia. Julian, who agreed to take part in an ancient ceremony with an Aboriginal tribe, was left speechless when he was handed a white feather by a tribe elder, a symbol of great significance to him. A source told Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "It may sound strange but that was a very weird and emotional moment for Julian. He was left speechless. Not long before he died, John had told him, 'If anything ever happens to me, look for a white feather and you will know I am there for you, always looking out for you'." Julian, 44, was in Australia to produce the film Whaledreamers to raise awareness about the plight of whales and the Earth's oceans. He isn't the only person to have been visited by John since his death. Fellow Beatle Sir Paul McCartney believes John appeared to the band in the form of a white peacock during the recording of the 1995 Beatles single Free as a Bird.As Paul, Ringo Starr and the now deceased George Harrison posed for a photograph outside the recording studio, the bird wandered into the shot. Paul said: "That was John. Spooky, eh? It was like John was hanging around. "We felt that all through the recording. We put one of those spoof backwards recordings on the end of the single for a laugh, to give all those Beatles nuts something to do. "Then we were listening to the finished single in the studio one night, and it gets to the end, and it goes, 'zzzwrk nggggwaaahhh jooohn lennnnnon qwwwrk.' I swear to God. We were like, 'It's John. He likes it!" Oasis singer Liam Gallagher also claims he was left in awe when John's spirit visited him in the middle of the night. The rocker - a self-confessed Beatles fanatic - said: "I was in Manchester at a friend's house having a sleep. I remember getting up and feeling really weird. I turned round and there I was, lying on the bed, and I sort of fell back into my body. There was a presence there and it was him, John Lennon." John was shot dead aged 40 in 1980 by deranged fan Mark Chapman as he entered the Dakota building in New York.
It was a hypnotist's show gone bad at Logan High School. As part of a fund raising event last week, students paid to see a hypnotist put friends in a trance, but the night ended with a girl in the hospital. One student was taken away from the event in an ambulance and from what students tell us, there were dozens who had trouble coming out of their hypnotic state. So, the night that was supposed to be full of laughs ended up with a lot of crying and scary moments. Mike Hlavaty says, “I couldn't really tell what was going on because people were just crying and it seemed like they were totally normal and awake but I guess they were in a trance or something, it was weird.”Students at the show say the hypnotist could not get some of the kids to snap out of it. Hadlie Harris says, “He said that he'd never seen that happen before and he didn't know what was going on and he didn't how to explain it because that had never happened at one of his shows before.” In a statement from the Logan City School District, "The hypnotist followed the same script that he has for years, without experiencing prior incidents. On this particular evening, two students had a negative reaction." School officials say everyone at the show - hypnotized or not - are doing fine. The student who was sent to Logan Regional Hospital was treated and released the same day. Also in the school district's statement, it says future shows of this nature will not be sponsored by the school district.
A Hong Kong man who knocked back two vials of blood after a drinking binge has been jailed for two months, a newspaper reported. Li Man-yiu, 29, told a court Monday he was "extremely thirsty" when he staggered into a hospital on September 13 for treatment for an injured toe, the South China Morning Post reported.Surveillance cameras showed Li "walk up to the laboratory counter, take three tubes containing blood samples, drink the contents of two and then dump the vials in the lift lobby," the Post reported. When he realized the vials had contained blood, Li rushed to the toilet to vomit, the report added. The court accepted that Li had drunk the blood under the influence of alcohol, but jailed him after he pleaded guilty to theft, the report added.
Scientists have identified the make-up of an asteroid threatening to smash into Earth in 2036. The information is vital for space agencies to deal with the threat.Telescopes determined that the 25 million-ton missile, named Apophis, is rich in the minerals pyroxene and olivine. Prof Richard Binzel, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: “We’ve got to know the enemy.”
Steeped in history, Augusta has many tales to tell since the first Native Americans settled in the area. For new residents Larry and Sharon Stamper, the decision to purchase and restore what is reported to be the oldest, if not the first home in the city was influenced by an unexplained attraction to the area and the aged house on the west end of Riverside Drive. It is believed to have been built on a Native American burial site, said Sharon Stamper. In the 11 months since the they moved into the home the attraction has been manifesting itself in a variety of ways. Locations of old hidden doors and dumbwaiters, gruesome stories of the past and even reasons for a haunted history have been passed to the Stampers by previous owners. Stamper keeps a photograph of Marie Owens, who once owned the house over the mantle of the old fireplace in the kitchen as a reminder of its past. Stamper said she felt a kinship with the woman, though only through tales of Owens' life. For a group of visitors to the brick and stone basement of the home Thursday, meeting the ethereal occupants of the Stamper home was a little hair raising. It was also the first time Larry Stamper got to experience what his wife has become accustomed to while he is at work. He had accompanied local historian Jerry Gore and a group of students from Danville on a tour of their basement and met its occupants first hand."When they saw the image in red on the digital camera screens the students screamed and the image ran away," said Sharon Stamper. The group calmed down and the image appeared again, but this time with the addition of three child-size apparitions. She believed the apparitions appeared in red as a sign to her husband who has a preference for red, said Stamper. "We had a guest in the house earlier in the day who had said she didn't believe in whatever was going on and he had politely agreed with her. Larry and I spoke about his comment later and the next thing we knew there was a knock on the door and Jerry Gore was there with a group of students. We had not expected them and it was a coincidence Larry had been home because of the previous guest, so he took them to the basement," said Stamper. "The red image was different. I had seen them in the regular whitish colors before, but never in red. That was just for him." The Stampers have been told one part of the basement was used as a surgery and autopsy area by a Dr. Bradford in the 1800s. According to Stamper, once word spread and the possibility of encountering an apparition in the basement got out, there have been hundreds of visitors to the home. Stamper has been keeping a guest book of people wishing to tour the basement and it is filled with names from across the globe.Even those unaware of the history of the house or the experiences Stamper has had in the home have had stories to tell. "In June this year we were going on vacation the same week my mother and her sisters were taking their "sisters" week so we gave them the keys and told them they could stay at the house. They had no idea about the history. They were all in another part of the house when they heard a loud sound like glass being broken in the kitchen, so they rushed downstairs and searched but found no broken glass. They never went into the basement, but there is no glass down there either. When we spoke with them later they mentioned the glass incident in case we found broken glass somewhere, but we never did," said Stamper. Stamper said sometimes incidents appear linked and a short time after the glass incident she asked a medium to visit the home. "She asked about the upstairs of the home and if there was an attic. I explained the second floor had been added, so technically it was the attic space. Without her knowing about the glass incident with my mother, the medium told me a Confederate soldier had committed suicide by jumping through a window up here," said Stamper pointing to the front window of the home. "That explained the glass breaking sound." Multiple light bulbs have mysteriously blown prior to the arrival of a guest the apparitions apparently don't care to share time with and other electrical appliances have demanded attention with blinking and malfunctioning, only to begin operating normally after Stamper acknowledges the super natural influences in the house. "We are accepting and in that way welcomed by whatever is here," said Stamper. Stamper is often asked if she is afraid to stay in the house."I have no reason to fear anything here. In a way we were drawn here for a reason and maybe this is it. Augusta is a wonderful city and we are happy people come to visit the house. If they buy things at the shops or stay at the bed and breakfast inns, it is good for the area. Sometimes it feels like the house has been waiting for us to arrive to have all these thing happen," said Stamper. There is no charge for a tour, though visitors sometimes want to leave donations in gratitude for the Stamper's time. "I don't want them, but when people insist, we mark down their name and address and how much, and the money goes to Bracken/Augusta Tourism to benefit all of Augusta in some way whether it is advertizing or beautification. The donors are sent a receipt from tourism," said Stamper. During many tours visitors have reported experiencing a blue beam of light that appeared only on digital screens but never in the printed photographs. The light always stayed between the mortals and the camera. After some maneuvers with camera angles the visitors showed Stamper the beam appeared more related to the way the camera processes the cellar lighting than a supernatural occurrence. "I am glad to finally get that explained," said Stamper. On Oct. 27, though the basement won't be toured that night, another tale about what people have seen on the property will be included in the Ghost Tour of Augusta, said Stamper. "Let's just say, people have seen something outside and leave it at that. We don't want to give away the surprise," said Stamper. "Don't miss the Long Stretch part of the tour."
University of Delaware scientists say they've found the secret weapon invasive wetland plants in the United States use to kill off their weaker neighbors. Plant biologist Harsh Bais said the roots of an invasive strain of Phragmites australis, or common reed, exude an acid so toxic the substance disintegrates the structural protein in the roots of neighboring plants. "Phragmites is taking over the marsh world," Bais said Friday in a release. "It's a horticultural disaster."The tall, tasseled grass has overtaken tens of thousands of acres of wetlands in Delaware, decreasing biodiversity, reducing the food and habitat available to wildlife and altering wetland hydrology. The report, published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology, said walnut trees, pine trees, ferns and sunflowers are among other plants that release harmful chemicals to prevent other plants from growing too close to them.
The switch has been thrown on a telescope specifically designed to seek out alien life. Funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the finished array will have 350 six-metre antennas and will be one of the world's largest. The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) will be able to sweep more than one million star systems for radio signals generated by intelligent beings. Its creators hope it will help spot definite signs of alien life by 2025. The ATA is being run by the Seti Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory from the University of California, Berkeley, US. "For Seti, the ATA's technical capabilities exponentially increase our ability to search for intelligent signals, and may lead to the discovery of thinking beings elsewhere in the Universe," said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Seti Institute in a statement. On 11 October, the first 42 dishes of the array started gathering data that will be analysed for signs of alien life and help with conventional radio astronomy. The first test images produced by the array are radio maps of the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy. The ATA is pioneering a novel design.Rather than being hand built, each six-metre antenna is made of a mass-produced dish and off-the-shelf components. Behind the scenes, digital signal processing software is used to analyse data and clean out man-made interference that would otherwise make the captured information useless. The layout of the array has also been carefully plotted so the instruments work in unison to take a single snapshot of huge swathes of the sky. The ATA's creators claim that even with only 42 antennas on-stream, the instrument already rivals larger instruments in its ability to carry out brightness, temperature and point source surveys. When all 350 dishes are gathering data, the ATA's creators say it will allow the gathering of data on an "unprecedented" scale. The finished instrument will be able to study an area of the sky 17 times larger than that possible with the Very Large Array in New Mexico. Mr Allen has provided Seti and Berkeley with a $25m grant to fund the initial construction work on the instrument. Other sponsors are being sought for the other $25m needed to complete the project. It is expected to help improve understanding of such phenomena as supernovas, black holes, and exotic astronomical objects that have been predicted but never observed. The array is situated in Hat Creek, California, and lies about 290 miles (470 km) north of San Francisco.
An aspiring horror novelist was arrested after police discovered his girlfriend's torso in his closet, a leg in the refrigerator and bones in a cereal box, a city prosecutors' spokesman said Thursday. Jose Luis Calva told police he had boiled some of his girlfriend's flesh but that he hadn't eaten it, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the case. Calva told police he was a writer and poet—officers found the draft of a novel titled "Cannibalistic Instincts," he said. Investigators were trying to determine if chunks of fried meat found in a pan in the apartment were human, the spokesman said.Police came to Calva's apartment Monday after neighbors reported a fetid smell. They discovered the dismembered body of his girlfriend Alejandra Galeana in a closet, the spokesman said. A leg and pieces of an arm were in a refrigerator and there were bones inside a cereal box. The family of Galeana, a 30-year-old pharmacy clerk, reported her missing on Friday and told police of her relationship with Calva, the official said. Calva is being investigated in the killings of two other women, including an ex-girlfriend, also a pharmacy worker, whose dismembered body was found in 2004, and an unidentified prostitute who was killed earlier this year. Calva tried to run from police to avoid arrest, but was struck by a car and was still hospitalized on Thursday.
Giant Lizard Finally Captured After Terrorizing Neighborhood For A Year
A monitor lizard, suspected of killing small pets in an Orange County community, was finally caught Thursday. The exotic reptile has been roaming the town of Edgewood for nearly a year. It was a big catch for the neighborhood, who said they're tired of the lizards and it was all done with a pet dog and squeegee. With his long tail and creepy eyes, the almost 4-foot long monitor lizard was caught. Edgewood resident Michael Lowe gives thanks to his dog Maggie. With Maggie and a squeegee, Lowe's son was able to corner the reptile until a pest control company was able to come and capture it. "Their teeth are really sharp and they have nasty bacteria and they will whip you with their tail and they can actually lay your skin over," said Brett McCollough, Custom Pet Solutions.For almost a year, people in the Edgewood area neighborhood said the reptile, along with its friends, have terrorized them. Two have been killed. McCollough said it's dangerous for monitor lizards to be in a neighborhood, especially when they're hungry. "There have been some smaller animals that have been missing and parts have been found," he said. MccCllough wanted to set more traps, since some neighbors believe there are more lizards lurking around, but Edgewood Police Chief John Tegg told him not to since there's no evidence of more. Lowe said he's okay with the chief's decision. The police chief said the monitor lizard is heading far away from his community, to Tampa where a researcher will study the reptile.
Strange "yellow balls of light" have been reported over Buckhurst Hill. Jenny Cooper-Rendu, of Chiltern Way, Woodford Green was returning from a meeting at Chigwell School at 8.20pm on Friday (October 5), with her son William, 13, when she noticed the lights as she drove along Palmerston Road. She said: "I was concentrating on the road so I didn't notice anything strange but my son asked me what the lights were and we pulled over to have a look." She described "rows of large yellow lights suspended in the air, completely silent". She added: "They then all moved off very quickly in different directions, it lasted for about four minutes, and lots of people were getting out of their cars to take a look."Mrs Cooper-Rendu said she is normally very cynical about UFO-type sightings but admitted the experience had left her shaken. "I would describe myself as a sceptic but I really can't explain what it was I saw, I found it quite frightening. They definitely weren't fireworks, they were suspended in the air, if they were helicopters then they were completely silent, I'm not mad, I just want someone to explain to me what they were." Previous UFO' sightings reported to the Guardian over the years have been put down to lit Thai lanterns which can be released into the night sky with lights which flicker for a while. On one occasion such lanterns released at a wedding reception sparked worried calls to Stansted Airport.
Spy Flies All the Buzz at Washington, N.Y. Political Events
Ever wish you could be a "fly on the wall" at a closed-door meeting or to hear a foe’s secrets? Enter the robobug. Witnesses are buzzing about recent sightings of robotic-looking dragonflies seen at Washington and New York political events. And U.S. government and private agencies have admitted to striving for the spy technology, The Washington Post reports, though no one has confessed to deploying the bugged bugs. "They looked kind of like dragonflies or little helicopters," New York college student Vanessa Alarcon said after seeing the dragonflies while working at an antiwar rally in Lafayette Square last month.The U.S. has used robotic fliers as early as World War II, but their numbers were fewer and the technology more primitive. "I'd never seen anything like it in my life," Washington lawyer Bernard Crane said. "They were large for dragonflies. I thought, 'Is that mechanical, or is that alive?'" Some federally funded groups are implanting live insects with computer chips in hopes using spyware and remote controls to manipulate their flight. The robobugs could be used to track suspects, guide missiles or find trapped survivors in collapsed buildings.
A COW is in custody after causing traffic accidents that killed at least six people this year, Cambodian police say. The cow, described by police as white and 1.5m tall, was standing in the middle of a main road in the Cambodian capital of Phom Penh last night when a motorcyclist crashed into it and died.Earlier this year, the cow was responsible for an accident that killed five people when a truck veered off the road and crashed as its driver tried to avoid the animal. Police officer Pin Doman said he was holding the cow at his police station. He said the cow's owner had been warned four times in the past to keep his cattle tied up and could face prison time
Paranormal Investigators Roam Dark, Dank Halls Of Dumas Brothel
Everybody knows ghosts are famous for moaning and making things go “bump in the night.” But the ghosts at the former Dumas Brothel give new meaning to those nocturnal activities. “I’m not going to describe what I’m seeing,” said ghost hunter Sandy Wells. “But, I’m going to need a cold shower when I get home.” Wells, along with a group of fellow paranormal investigators from Washington state, roamed the dark and dank halls of the historic brothel on Mercury Street the evening of Sept. 29, in search of the spirits of those who have since passed on. For those who believe in ghosts, the 117-year-old building is one of the most haunted places in Butte. “There’s so much activity in this building,” Wells said as she wandered into the dark “cribs” where the ladies would entertain their “johns” for more than a century. Wells, and her husband Russ, both claim to have the ability to see and communicate with the dead. “Is there anybody here? Does anybody want to talk to me?” Wells called out as she vanished into the blackness of one of the brothel’s tiny rooms. The Dumas building has the infamous distinction of housing the country’s longest active brothel in history. It opened in 1890, and finally stopped servicing its clientele in 1982.
Ghost hunters Sandy Wells, left, and fellow psychic Russ Wells of Washington take readings of ghost activity near a couch in the Dumas Brothel.
Stephanie Rowland, who was one of the members of F.O.G. (Friends of Ghosts) Paranormal Investigations and Research at the house that evening, said the Dumas is a gold mine for this type of research. Rowland, who isn’t a psychic, said the researchers couldn’t wait to hold a ghost hunt in that building after discovering it last summer. “We just stumbled on this place,” she said. Rudy Giecek, who has owned the building for the past 17 years. Giecek said he used to not believe in ghosts, however — since taking over the Dumas — he has no doubt the building is haunted. Giecek said he and guests have reported seeing strange things happen in that building over the years. “People will see somebody walking down the hall, and they’ll go up to talk to them, and the person just disappears,” Giecek said. While remodeling the building Giecek claims he’s taken several photographs of the interior, and after getting them developed, found anomalies that he can’t explain. He believes these are the ghostly images of the former “working women” who made their living there. Sandy and Russ Wells both said they saw visions of some of the prostitutes who worked there. Sandy claims she saw a red-headed woman wearing bloomers (circa 1910) who “really enjoyed her work.” One of the basement rooms produced a vision of violence for Sandy Wells. She claims she sensed one of the prostitutes around the turn-of-the-century was beaten to death by one of her johns in a jealous rage.
Ghost hunter Stephanie Rowland, makes her way into the basement of the Dumas while scanning for ghosts.
Extrasensory perception aside, the investigators also used video cameras, recorders and other high-tech equipment to try to detect paranormal activity. Rowland and her team scanned the rooms with a hand-held device called an electro-magnetic field (EMF) meter. The device, which is called (what else?) “The Ghost Meter,” picks up electricity in the air, which Rowland says can sometimes represent a spirit is present. The team members say they try to record as much evidence of paranormal activity during their investigations. Paranormal investigator Rich Rowland said he believes in ghosts, but goes into every investigation with a scientific approach. “I’m a skeptic, at the same time (as a believer), I want to see proof,” he said. Though F.O.G. didn’t report any photographic evidence of ghosts during last month’s hunt at the Dumas, the group claims to have recorded strange voices and sounds that couldn’t be explained. In a process called electronic voice phenomenon (EVP), paranormal investigators claim the voices of the dead can be recorded on magnetic audio tape. The ghost hunters say they recorded two voices in the basement of the brothel which they can’t explain. In one recording, there’s a recording of what sounds like a child’s voice shouting “hey.” In a separate record, a whispery voice seems to say, “you’re the one.” Whether the place is actually haunted, Giecek hopes people like the ghost hunters will generate interest from the public in the historical significance of the old brothel. The structure is in disrepair and badly in need of restoration. Without public and financial support, Giecek fears the Dumas Brothel may one day become nothing more than a ghost.
A vivid dream led a Gift Lake woman to the High Prairie bush where she says she found a family friend who'd been missing for nearly a month. Jamie Lynn Cunningham, 29, said she studied a sweater, missing poster and treaty card of Micheal Nahachick, 45, before going to bed Wednesday, dreamed he fell off a bridge in High Prairie, and found him in that exact place the following day. Nahachick went missing Sept. 6 after being released from the High Prairie RCMP detachment at 3 a.m. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said Nahachick was arrested Sept. 5 and charged with breaking and entering. Oakes said Nahachick was also inebriated but had sobered up when he was released from the police station at 3 a.m. "after being held for 12 hours, which was an appropriate amount of time for him to (get sober). Holding him for any longer would not have been appropriate." Oakes says High Prairie Mounties found him, but Cunningham insists they didn't arrive until an ambulance was called.Nahachick was reported missing after failing to return to his mother's home in Gift Lake, which is about 40 km northeast of High Prairie. "His mother was worrying more and more every day. I've had vivid dreams before and thought I'd give this a shot. I asked my auntie to bring me some of his things and I dreamed about him," said Cunningham. The next day she and a group of others travelled to the High Prairie bridge from which she'd dreamed Nahachick had fallen. "I've never had a dream like that. Sure enough he was lying down there on his stomach, covered in bedding. He couldn't walk or speak. I'm not sure if he fell like in my dream, but he was in the same place I saw him fall down to." Nahachick was immediately taken to hospital and treated for dehydration and frostbite to his feet. Cunningham said he was not lucid and had a hard time speaking. She said he survived on rosehips and water. Oakes said High Prairie officers knew Nahachick to be transient and thought he may have travelled to Edmonton to visit a brother. Now they think he'd been staying under the bridge in secrecy all along, ever since he was discharged from police custody. Oakes said RCMP had been actively searching for Nahachick.
The Dumas Brothel in Butte has long been said to be haunted, and now some visitors this weekend are getting a look at the para-normal from inside the historic Butte building.
The Historic Dumas Brothel
Ghost hunters will be visiting the brothel Saturday evening. The brothel is said to be haunted by the ghost of Elenor Knott, who was a working girl. She was waiting for her lover to take her away, and when he failed to show up she committed suicide.
The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to review a sex assault case involving allegations against a local pastor, and the devil. The case surrounded Gennaro Piscopo, the 55-year-old pastor of Evangel Christian Church in Roseville. In 2003, Piscopo was convicted of sexually assaulting a female church member during a deliverance ceremony in which Piscopo said he expelled the devil from the woman's body. Michigan's high court has agreed to hear the case because a key piece of testimony, about the devil, was not allowed. According to court records, the woman indicated she "had been raped by a demon" and sexually assaulted by Satan himself, who she claimed was living in her attic at the time of the exorcism."Either way it's a reason to doubt the truth," said defense attorney George Michaels. "And it's reason to doubt whether or not there was a criminal sexual conduct." The woman has also claimed that she was sexually assaulted, during a separate incident, by her own father, who also happens to be a minister. The allegation against the woman's father was not part of the Piscopo trial, but Michaels said it should have been. "The jury was out for five days. Had they had this information that would have gone toward her credibility." Michaels also argued during Wednesday's appeal that the exorcism by Piscopo was performed in front of more than 100 people. According to Michaels, none of the witnesses said it was inappropriate to touch someone while performing an exorcism. During the first trial Piscopo was convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault which refers to "unwanted touching without force." Piscopo is on probation during the appeals process. It is now up to the Michigan Supreme Court to decided if Piscopo gets a new trial.
A woman's son and grandson were hacked to death in Rohtas district after she was branded a "witch" by some of her co-villagers, police said. Balkeshwari Devi's son Bijli Singh (40) and grandson Rata (12) were hacked to death in their sleep at Jagdishpur village under Natwaar police station late on Friday night. The bodies were found lying in a pool of blood on their cots outside their house on Saturday morning. Gupteshwar Singh, brother-in-law of Balkeshwari has lodged an FIR against five named accused — Girija Singh, Judge Singh, Ramanand Singh, Hareram Singh and Phulwari Singh — accusing them of murdering the father-son duo.In the FIR, Singh has charged Girija Singh and others with frequently picking up quarrels with the family of Balkeshwari, whom they accused of being a witch and blamed her for the illness and death of many villagers in the past decade. A fight had occurred on Friday evening, too, following which her son and grandson were found dead. All the five accused are learntto be absconding after the heinous incident. The district administration is making all out efforts to apprehend the culprits, sources said.
Police are on the trail of a shadowy figure who has been dumping giant carved stone heads on village doorsteps at dead of night.The man has left at least 13 at locations 100 miles apart in Yorkshire at Goathland, near Whitby; Kilburn, near Thirsk; Arthington, outside Leeds, and a village near Selby. But another delivery of three heads outside a village post office could solve the mystery, police hope. The mystery man was captured on CCTV in Braithwell, near Rotherham. First reports of the discarded heads emerged last week when Fiona Gould, who runs the Forresters Arms hotel in Kilburn, found one on her patio. Five more were discovered in other parts of the village.She said: "Some people think it's a curse - but we have no idea who we might have offended. One woman claims there's a link to werewolves." Each of the foot-high stones had the hand-written rhyme Twinkle, twinkle, like a star. Does love flourish from afar? taped to it. There was also a symbol on the reverse similar to the religious "chi-rho" sign with letters added which also could spell the word "paradox".
Fewer people are reporting sightings of the Loch Ness monster, amid concerns scepticism about its existence could threaten tourism in the region. There have only been two reports of sightings this year, compared to three in 2006 and much lower than a decade ago, when the annual number sightings was consistently in the double digits. "It's becoming a potential crisis," said Mikko Takala, 39, a founding member of the Loch Ness Monster Fan Club who runs four webcams on the lake's north shore. Loch Ness is about 750 feet deep and is deeper than most parts of the North Sea. There have been more than 4000 purported sightings of "Nessie" since a surgeon vacationing at the lake in the 1930s released a photo allegedly capturing the legendary monster on film.Since then, the monster has been a key tourism draw, bringing an estimated £6 million a year into the Highland economy. The faithful have speculated whether Nessie is a completely unknown species; a sturgeon, even though they have not been native to Scotland's waters for many years; or even a last surviving dinosaur. In the age of digital cameras, webcams and video recorders, it is surprising that the number of reported sightings is falling. Adrian Shine, 58, a naturalist who has investigated the mystery of the monster for 20 years, thinks the trend shows the world has become more sceptical. "I think we live in a more pragmatic age, and that people are becoming more aware of the sort of illusions that can occur on water," he said.
'The Old Nunnery', which was destroyed by fire overnight following an apparent domestic dispute, had been haunted by ghosts, a former resident said today. John Osmaston, whose former wife bought the historic building from the Catholic Church in the late 1980s, said it was a beautiful place with a closed in verandah and kookaburras flying to the kitchen for a feed. "Nuns used to give piano lessons on the old altar,'' John said. "My son David actually used to live on the altar. His bedroom was on the altar.'' John said he saw the ghost of a nun after returning from a night work's at his restaurant, Going Pasta. After putting the tea towels in the wash, as he did each night, he sat down for his first beer and said he saw the ghost of a nun."There was this ghost of the nun walking towards me down the corridor,'' John told reporters, "I just saw this white figure walking towards me. "It was the most magical experience. I just wanted her to come and talk to me while I waited for the towels to wash,'' he said. But he said the figure quickly disappeared. A friend also later saw the ghost of a nun. After about three years, The Old Nunnery was sold to Garth Chapman, who specialised in renovating old Queenslanders. Mr Osmaston said it had been a beautiful building until more recent renovations by the present owners. It is understood to have been built in 1920s-1930s, but moved to present site from near the sawmill.
