Satan Robs Hotel
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.
Why Are Ghosts Seen Wearing Clothes?
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.
Extinct Pygmy Elephants Found Living on Borneo
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.
Tourist Photographs UFO In Croydon
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 CroydonI 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.”
UFO Enthusiast Chases Truth & Seat In Congress
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 BuchmanAnd 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.
Witch’s Head Nn Museum?
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.
Black Magic Penis Theft Panic Hits Congo
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.
Strange Lights Reported In North Valley Sky
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.
Man Beheads Witch To Avenge Brother's Death
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.
Area UFO sighting under investigation
Local law enforcement officials are investigating several reports from individuals claiming to have observed an unidentified flying object hovering in various locations across Barron County. According to Barron County Sheriff Tom Richie, the dispatch center received numerous calls from individuals at approximately 10 p.m. Monday reporting a possible UFO. Barron County deputies on duty that night reportedly observed the object. Kristina Hauser, 20, of Chetek, was traveling with her family near the Rice Lake airport at about 9:40 p.m. when they saw the object. Hauser explained that the object, which initially appeared yellow, was flying toward Rice Lake and was dipping very low and moved very fast, heading back and forth across the road. She stated the object was hovering around their car for about a mile before it headed back to the airport. Hauser also reported that after she was dropped off in Rice Lake, her family witnessed the object again on the way back to Chetek, hovering about 20 feet above their vehicle. They described it to her as a triangular or teardrop-shaped object with purple and blue lights. They could hear no sound coming from the object, and a red laser like light was shining on one end of it to the ground. The object followed their vehicle another four miles before it just disappeared.
Hauser's father, Glen, also spoke with various local police officers who had gotten calls on the object as well. While working at Wal-Mart, Kristina also spoke with a Rice Lake police officer who had talked with local hospitals and the Federal Aviation Administration. All confirmed helicopters were grounded and there did not appear to be any air traffic in the area. "By the way it moved, having no sound, and th way it looked, I knew it was not from this planet," said Julie Hauser, Kristina's mother. "It was the scariest thing." In a brief interview, Rice Lake Air Center Manager Jerry Stites explained that there were employees of the airport in the Rice Lake area who observed what appeared to be aircraft landing between 9-9:30 p.m., but no employees were at the airport when the sightings were reported. After reviewing security tapes, Stites added that to their knowledge, no planes landed at the air center Monday night. The helicopter at the airport also remained grounded until about 3 a.m. He added that he monitored the aviation radio until abut 9 p.m., and there was no activity in the vicinity, but explained that did not mean there were no aircraft landing. Calls to Cumberland Memorial Hospital and Sacred Heart in Eau Claire confirmed there were no airport runs to the Barron or Rice Lake area. Information on helicopter runs from Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake, Luther Hospital in Eau Claire, and Luther Midlefort Northland were not available at press time.
School Seeks To Drop Witch Logo
A school in the village that carried out England's last hangings for witchcraft, when it was still a crime, has announced it will do away with its witch emblem. Administrators at Warboys Community Primary School, which has used the image of a witch riding a broomstick as its logo for more than 60 years, announced their intentions after the school received poor marks on a recent inspection. The school is located in the town of Warboys, where England's last witchcraft executions took place in 1593.
"The school is aware that some parents choose not to send their children to Warboys and cite the witch as one of the reasons why," the school said in a statement. "It is also known that some potential teachers and head teachers have cited the witch logo as a reason not to apply for posts."
However, parents and local officials said the logo is not the root of the school's problem. "I can't believe that the people who are responsible for our children's education are so blinkered," said Parish Councilor Sally Pryke. "Parents said they would rather money was spent on the children's education, school books and equipment than replacing the logo."
Ghosts Spooks Club Staff
Ghostly goings on have spooked staff at a workingmen's club after a mystery light was spotted flying around the bar. Pallion's club steward, Lenny McKitterick, 49, was alone in the office at the end of the night when the paranormal activity started. Now, Lenny has shown the Echo CCTV footage of the unusual light. It was midnight when the security camera picked up a glowing orb of light hovering over furniture and floating around the room. Lenny went to the bar to see what it was, but when he got there the room was dark and quiet. Lenny said: "When I went back in the office and stared at the screen the thing was flying about all over the shop. It was unbelievable. "I watched it for about half an hour thinking what the hell is it? After that I'd had enough, I thought I'm going home, this is too scary." Two hours of eerie CCTV footage shows the centre table in the lounge, surrounded by five chairs, lit up as though a spotlight is shining on it.
But there were no lights on in the room and the blinds were shut. A large orb of light appears on the right side of the screen. It moves and changes shape before shooting up to the ceiling and flying over the centre table. Later on in the night, a ghostly figure appears at the table and sits with its back to the camera, before the light flies through the chair and goes to the men's toilets. The Working Men's club celebrated its centenary last year and the building itself, thought to have been a railway hotel, is even older. Cleaning staff at the Merle Terrace club often work alone in the building and are in no doubt the place is haunted. The cleaners claim when they are on their own in the building, they can hear furniture moving and glasses clinking. Some staff have dubbed the mystery spirit Arthur and say they are not scared of him. Other strange activities include the kegs in the cellar of the pub being rearranged.
No Release For Female Vampire Killer
A woman known as the vampire killer for her role in a brutal murder was not approved for parole or graduated release, Queensland's Corrective Services says. Tracey Wigginton, 42, and three other women were convicted of stabbing Brisbane council worker Edward Baldock 27 times in 1989. One of Wigginton's co-accused said the self-proclaimed vampire had drunk his blood because of her "need to feed". Wigginton received a life sentence. A Australian newspaper reported she had received approval from Queensland's parole board for a graduated release from a high security prison.
Corrective Services said The report was wrong. The prisoner approved for resettlement leave was murderer Lisa Ptaschinski, Wigginton's co-accused. "To clarify further media inquiries, Lisa Ptaschinski has had her application for resettlement leave approved by the Queensland Parole Board," a spokeswoman said. "Under the resettlement leave program, she is initially allowed a maximum of 12 hours of leave every two months for six months. "The prisoner Ptaschinski has served 17 years in prison after being sentenced for murder in February 1991. "She was eligible to apply for parole in 2002. She is currently classified as low risk." Wigginton became eligible for parole in 2002 but Corrective Services said last year that she still had social and anger issues.
Are We Covertly Being Colonized By Aliens?
Those of us involved in the emerging field of exopolitics attempt to make sense out of the huge body of evidence available to us involving extraterrestrial reality. I believe the stakes are very high for all of humanity that we collectively understand our situation relative to UFO/ET reality. Developing this situational awareness involves understanding the real reasons for 60 year old UFO/ET cover up even while we struggle to end it. The pattern I see emerging which I think is reasonably accurate is that we can define two categories of extraterrestrials, colonizers and liberators, interacting with humanity that are the most important for us to understand. I have written previously that there are two very basic evolutionary strategies in nature competition and cooperation, and because we are part of nature our society is driven by these evolutionary forces. Just as with the laws of physics I see no reason why these evolutionary laws do not apply to the whole of the universe. This logic is confirmed by the facts available to me involving extraterrestrial reality. Of course this is not a new idea but one that runs though religious texts from around the world.
What the religious texts seem to indicate is that there has been a longstanding attempt by less ethical predatory colonizing extraterrestrials to take over this planet that are being resisted and thwarted by more ethical cooperative extraterrestrial races. All I am trying to do is bring the public up to speed on modern developments in what seems to be an end game scenario resulting in extraterrestrial colonization if we don´t get smart fast. Those that demand absolute proof and are waiting for our government to announce the truth that extraterrestrials exist should think long and hard about what I now have to say. What are you going to do, where will you stand, should the President of the United States or the head of the UN make the following speech. "Ladies and gentlemen I have something of great importance to relate to the whole of humanity. We are not alone in the universe. Over the past sixty years governments have been covertly investigating alien activity on and about our planet and have developed secret contact with several extraterrestrial races. I would like to relate to you that we have formed alliances with some of these races which we feel are necessary for national and global security in a universe that is both full of promise and great danger. The leaders of all nations have decided that these alliances are essential for human survival even if though some may question the effect of these alliances on civil liberties and global sovereignty. In order to mitigate any possible societal shock and disruption world leaders have decided to declare a temporary worldwide state of emergency. People should not be distressed at the temporary institution of martial law and suspension of civil liberties as these are necessary steps to ensure order in time of crisis."
The President or UN leader might go on to say, "The public should be aware that there are other extraterrestrial races that have failed to contact and collaborate with world governments. We have not always been successful in keeping these other races out of our airspace and off the planet. Citizens should not have contact with these races that may appear friendly but in fact could be dangerous. These uncooperative races are considered a very serious national security threat and any attempts by citizens to contact or interact with them will simply not be allowed." Some misguided individuals harboring false ideas of freedom and liberty will try to contact these subversive infiltrating races but if they do they will be severely punished. We regret that we will have to take such actions but it is necessary for the security of our nation. We in authority are completely on top of things and because we have a better overall understanding of the situation, citizens should and must allow us to do our job and trust our judgment. We are counting on all patriotic Americans to report any citizens having extraterrestrial contact on their own and without government permission to the authorities." I believe such a scenario would be a recipe for open civil war between autocrats and democrats worldwide. If this scenario came to pass will those of you that have blindly believed in your government and demanded absolute proof of extraterrestrial life now just as blindly support colonization and martial law? If we have to fight a revolutionary war all over again where will you stand?
Tale Of A Congolese Witch Child
Belief in witchcraft, or kindoki, is traditional in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. War and misrule have made life hard, but when families are further afflicted by death, illness or unemployment, increasingly it is 'witch' children who are identified as the cause. Zawadi Kadutu was 10 years old when she was accused of killing her mother and young brother through sorcery. Abandoned by her family, she now lives in a shelter in the city of Bukavu. She dreams of being forgiven by her father. My mother often went across the lake to sell manioc. But one day she had an accident in the boat – it turned over and she died. She had my little brother on her back at the time and they both drowned. I was at home at the time. Some people in the village said it was my fault they had died, that I had done it through sorcery. Then, when the rest of the village heard the accusations, they beat me. My father was with my mother’s body and I was at home all alone when the neighbours came. They beat me with everything they could find – sticks, stones, everything. I was 10 years old. After papa came home he took me to a chamber of prayer, of the Ndunga cult, and he told me I was a witch.
I never thought I was a witch – I just thought everyone was mean. I had seen other girls being accused, but I knew I wasn’t a witch. But my father said it was true, and he chased me out of the house.That evening the police came and took me to prison. They left me there for a month. I was scared, and I cried the whole time I was there. Every time I talk about it, it still makes me cry. And then my father came and took me out, but he wouldn’t let me come home. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to other members of the family. But they rejected me too, saying that I was the reason they had no work. I had a grandmother who was ill and she said that I was the reason she was sick. She sent me away too. I was very sad. I had lost my heart. After everyone sent me away I took everything I had into the streets and just cried. After a while my father had some remorse and came looking for me. He wouldn’t let me come home but he brought me to my grandmother. I stayed there for a month before she chased me away. By this time my father had taken another wife. After my grandmother chased me away I went back to see him – but his wife sent me away. I took my clothes and just sat on the step outside their house.
Zawadi Kadutu's family still believe she is responsible for the death of her mother.That evening my father said that he’d have to take me to a different area. I cried and cried. He brought me here [to the Centre Ek’Bana in Bukavu]. My father still doesn’t accept me. And now he has had a breakdown – he suffers from depression. He says that he loves me, but in reality he just chases me away and won’t have me anywhere near. Here at the centre, Sister Natalina brought me to church to meet a priest, but he found nothing. He said that I was not a witch, that they were false accusations. I wrote a letter to my family to ask for pardon. My grandfather was touched by the letter and he came here to see me. But the others in my family don’t accept it. Some, including my father, continue to believe I am a witch. I have just had an operation on my leg and was in hospital for three weeks. No one from my father’s family came to see me. I wish that one day my father will love me again. Meanwhile, I like to study, and I would like to be a nun. I also like to act and would like to do more of that too.
Mystery Of The Evercreech Ghost Boy
She took the picture in 2003 in Evercreech, Somerset but only just round to having the disposable camera film printed. Angie, 40, of Shepton Mallet, cannot remember anyone being in the shot when she took the snap and said the figure, dressed in old-style country clothing, remained a mystery.
"I don't believe in ghosts but I just can't explain it," she said. "It was among pictures of our old house. No one recognises the boy." The child also appears on the negatives.
Ghost Hunt Canceled At Former Asylum
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors decided against allowing paranormal testing at the county poor farm. The board "didn't necessarily see any problem" with having the Carroll Area Paranormal Team visit for a night to do a free scientific investigation of the Johnson County Poor Farm and asylum site, board chairman Rod Sullivan said. But after giving the initial OK and asking the county attorney's office to come up with a written agreement and liability release, the supervisors began to receive negative feedback. Sullivan said he received "several fairly strongly worded e-mails urging us not to do this." Supervisors also received an e-mail from the Chatham Oaks Board of Directors asking the county not to move forward. The County Poor Farm became the county home and now is the location of Chatham Oaks, a private residential care facility for the mentally ill. Supervisor Terrence Neuzil said he initially supported the idea because the Johnson County Historical Society was comfortable with the team coming, the Chatham Oaks director was fine with it, there would have been county staff oversight and the county attorney's office would work on the liability issues. However, the board agreed to drop the idea to respect the wishes of the Chatham Oaks board. "I think the rules have changed a bit because Chatham Oaks stepped up," Neuzil said. "Obviously, the cards have changed a bit."
Supervisor Pat Harney said he was skeptical from the start. "You're building an issue where there really isn't one," he said. Harney and members of the Johnson County Historical Society said they've never heard of paranormal activity at the 153-year-old site, but Brandon Cochran, museum operations assistant for the Johnson County Historical Society, said people who are on tours ask if there are ghosts. Supervisor Larry Meyers said he was surprised at the reaction to the idea, with a story about the possible paranormal investigation appearing in newspapers nationwide. "It's kind of taken on a life of its own," Meyers said. Shaner Magalhães, Johnson County Historical Society executive director, said the historical society had no official stance on having the paranormal team come but simply was passing along the request from the Carroll Area Paranormal Team. The group asked to stay for one night to do a scientific study of the area to determine if there is paranormal activity on the land, using equipment such as thermal imaging cameras and voice recording systems. Magalhães said although there were some negative comments, "all in all we've had an incredible response" with people from outside of the state saying they are interested in visiting the poor farm and asylum site. "We could have put out a thousand news releases about the poor farm and not created this reaction," he said.
Mom Stabbed Daughter Because Of Demon
A Waukegan mother claimed her 6-year-old daughter attacked her with a butcher knife because the petite kindergartner was possessed by a demon, Lake County authorities said. Nelly Vazquez-Salazar insisted to investigators that she was defending herself when she fatally slashed and stabbed her 51-pound daughter, Evelyn, whom she had grown concerned about in recent months because the girl had started sleepwalking, authorities said. The 25-year-old single mother was charged Tuesday with first degree-murder in the death of her only child, who was found slain early Monday in the Waukegan apartment they shared. The youngster's throat was slashed and she had been stabbed 10 other times, including three times in the face, Lake County prosecutors said. A religious picture lying on the floor next to the girl also had been punctured by a knife, authorities said in court as they detailed the slaying and ripped Vazquez-Salazar's claims of how it occurred.
"She [Vazquez-Salazar] claimed the little girl was possessed by a demon," Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Scheller said, describing the child differently. "She was an intelligent, vibrant, beautiful little girl. She was, in fact, an angel," Scheller said. Vazquez-Salazar wept softly throughout the bond hearing but didn't speak. Her bond was set at $5 million and she remained under a suicide watch late Tuesday in the Lake County Jail. The bizarre slaying shook even veteran police officers and prosecutors. "A killing like this affects the whole community," said Waukegan Police Chief William Biang. "You never want to see a vibrant, active 6-year-old taken like this." The little girl was found slain about 4:40 a.m. Monday after Vazquez-Salazar went to a neighbor's apartment and told them she thought she had killed her daughter. A bloody butcher knife was found next to the girl, as was a framed religious picture that included St. Joseph, Mary and Jesus Christ, Scheller said. The faces of all three figures had been stabbed, he said.
Ghost Hunters Encounter Museum Spook
They looked like roadies getting ready for a rock show when they showed up Saturday night at the Welland museum carrying bags of electronics. But on closer examination, these were the tools of ghost hunters out on the prowl for supernatural signs. Team members from Niagara Area Paranormal Society aren’t quite ready to give up their day jobs, but one gets an eerie sense that they guys and gals live for the chance to meet the dead. NAPS leader Carol Taylor has been tracking ghosts for much of her life, but she comes to each haunt with an open mind and a scientific approach. The strategy is fairly elementary – eliminate every naturally occurring phenomenon and what is left falls in the realm of supernatural. This particular evening, the group is looking for a male ghost that has been causing some mischief at the Welland museum over the years. Papers have mysteriously moved off desks and voices have been heard uttering a friendly “Hello.” Could it be Casper? NAPS is willing to invest their Saturday night to find out. The team is packing infrared closed-circuit television cameras, digital audio recorders, video camcorders, electromagnetic field meters, wireless audio recorders and laptop computers. Taylor said there are plenty of hot spots for ghost hunters in Niagara including Fort George, Old Fort Erie and the Mahoney Doll House in Fort Erie. “All of us are believers,” said Taylor, who works in the education system and lives in Welland. “We always go in with an open mind.”
Welland MuseumTaylor said NAPS is getting quite a following and has received 75,000 hits on its website, www.paranormalinvestigations.net. Three thousand people are actually members of the society. Membership is free and there is no charge for paranormal investigations. Clearly, this isn’t about the money. Whatever the appeal for apparitions, you have to wonder what attracts a casino worker, a dog groomer, an educator, a tire repairman and a guy who does flooring to give up their time to record white noise and video tape seemingly-empty room. Too many Scooby-Doo reruns? One too many Grateful Dead concerts? No. These folks are serious. Their’s is the curse of curiosity. They aren’t going to visit Screaming Tunnels or Hopkins' Tomb to get face to face with a ghost and go running off through the graveyard screaming like Shaggy and Scrappy. They didn’t even bring along any Scooby Snacks. But NAPS have seen some weird stuff in their travels across the region. “It’s curiosity, not fear,” Taylor said. “This is a hobby.” A recent visit to the doll house provided all the validation the group needed to consider its weekend outings as time well spent. “A light on a chandelier turned itself on and off. Suspiciously, it was the only light in the house that was not connected to the main breaker. They also heard a lady scream a name, but when they played back the tape there was nothing there.
Taylor said there has been “some interesting stuff” happen – and it’s the interesting stuff that keeps them all coming back. This particular visit began with a conversation between Taylor and museum archivist Nora Reid. The group called the museum to get the 411 on local ghost activity and found out there could actually be one in the building. NAPS would also like to do a little research at the Welland courthouse and on the third floor at Roselawn Centre in Port Colborne. Taylor said naturally occurring electromagnetic fields caused by things like old wiring in a building can give a person the sensation they are being watched – or a large enough EMF can actually cause hallucinations. Taylor said the amount of “activity” in a building will determine how long the group actually stays to do research and it normally takes a couple of weeks to crunch all the data once it’s collected. A preliminary report on the museum obtained by telephone Sunday night suggested there is a ghost-in-residence at the museum. Taylor said electromagnetic readings in the building were so high in some instances the device was useless when it came to getting any type of reading. “Shannon (Delury, a ghost hunter) was in the basement and a ping-pong ball flew past her head, but when the team went looking for it, it was nowhere to be found.” The team also heard a male voice during their investigation and a “dry eraser board” in the museum staff room “flew off the wall.” “There is obviously something happening there,” Taylor said. The team will present the museum with a report of their findings once the data has been fully analyzed.
Man Targeted By Aliens
A Bosnian man whose home has been hit an incredible five times by meteorites believes he is being targeted by aliens. Experts at Belgrade University have confirmed that all the rocks Radivoje Lajic has handed over were meteorites. They are now investigating local magnetic fields to try and work out what makes the property so attractive to the heavenly bodies. But Mr Lajic, who has had a steel girder reinforced roof put on the house he owns in the northern village of Gornja Lamovite, has an alternative explanation. He said: "I am obviously being targeted by extraterrestrials. I don't know what I have done to annoy them but there is no other explanation that makes sense. The chance of being hit by a meteorite is so small that getting hit five times has to be deliberate."
The first meteorite fell on his house in November last year and since then a further four have smashed into his home. The strikes always happen when it is raining heavily, never when there are clear skies. He said: "I did not know what the strange-looking stones were at first but I have since had them all confirmed as meteorites by experts at Belgrade University. "I am being targeted by aliens. They are playing games with me. I don't know why they are doing this. When it rains I can't sleep for worrying about another strike."
Baby Born With Two Faces Doing Well
The parents of an Indian girl born with two faces say she is eating and breathing normally despite having two pairs of eyes and lips and two noses. The baby, who is yet to be named, was born to factory worker Vinod Kumar and wife Sushma in Noida, northern India, and has been drawing observers who consider her a deity. "I had never seen something like this in my life so naturally I was a little scared when I first saw her," her father said. But the girl, born three weeks ago, has found easy acceptance in the family, who have no plans to consult doctors to check if the girl can get treatment or corrective surgery. "The doctor said everything was normal when she was born.
So where's the need to get medical help?" the father said. "She's fed through one mouth and sucks her thumb with the other. We use whichever mouth is free to feed her." Doctors said it was a rare case, with the girl having two skulls joined together, and that separating them was out of the question. "Since the heads are fused, separating them is not possible," pediatrician DK Gupta of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said, adding the child's oral and nasal cavity and other passages should be checked. The case comes just months after Indian doctors removed the extra limbs of two-year-old Lakshmi Tatma, a girl born with four arms and legs. This year, Lakshmi started taking her first steps with the help of a baby walker.
Man Hacks Sister-in-law & Niece Over Black Magic
Suspecting his brother’s family of practising black magic, a man from Kerur village of Chikkodi taluk brutally hacked his sister-in-law and niece to death with an axe and sickle in the early hours on Sunday. According to superintendent of police Hemant Nimbalkar, Siddrai Kalla-ppa Shedennavar (30) allegedly murdered his sister-in-law Shobha Shivappa Shedennavar (28) and niece Sarita (7) at around 1 am. The accused then cut their bodies into three to four pieces, severing their legs and heads from their bodies.
The victims were asleep when they were attacked. After committing the crime, the accused went to Chikkodi police station along with axes and sickle and confessed to his crime. While committing the crime, the accused had worn a garland of limes, flowers and chillis, which he took from his brother’s house. Siddarai told police that he committed the crime as his sister-in-law Shobha had harmed his family by practising black magic. The Chikkodi police have registered a case.
Ottawa's Roman Catholic Archbishop Appoints Two New Exorcist Priests
Ottawa's Roman Catholic archbishop has appointed at least two new exorcists, one for the English and one for the French community, replacing the region's last exorcist, who retired five years ago. The archdiocese will not name the priests, nor say exactly how many there are, for fear of a flood of phone calls. Monsignor Kevin Beach says all the men are experienced clergy with overseas experience, some in areas of the world where belief in demons is more robust than North America.
He said it was not easy to find men with the right qualifications, nor was it easy to persuade them to take the duties. "I think they had to give prayerful consideration. If they are looking for the job, that's not the person you want." The archdiocese does not receive more than seven or eight calls a year about exorcism. But it continues to be part of the Roman Catholic ministry.
Benin: Voodoo Children
In the tiny West African country of Benin, voodoo is trapping thousands in poverty and causing some families to sell their children into slavery. Benin is the home of Voodoo. The ancient animist belief was taken by slaves from this tiny West African state to Haiti and New Orleans. Benin is the only country in the world that officially recognises Voodoo as a state religion, affording it the same national status as Christianity or Islam. But, as Unreported World reveals, Voodoo is trapping thousands in poverty and causing some families to sell their children in to slavery. Seen by its adherents as traditional belief that connects them to their land, culture and ancestors, Voodoo is a complex set of beliefs and obligations that, it is claimed, has helped enforce religious and social order for more than 4,000 years.
However, as reporter Evan Williams and director James Brabazon discover, it is frequently perpetuated by threats, fear and even the kidnapping of young children. Their journey takes them to Abomey, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey and a traditional centre for Voodoo worship. Here they discover that children as young as two have been identified by priests as the next generation to be initiated into secret religious rites. Many are forced into so-called Voodoo Convents for expensive initiation ceremonies fuelled by animal sacrifices, and their impoverished parents must pay if they are ever to see their children again.
Police Hire Paranormal Investigators After Unexplained Events
Officials with the Homestead Police Department have hired paranormal investigators after several unexplained events in the station, including a typewriter that types by itself, blasts of cold air and slamming doors. Several people have seen keys on a typewriter moving on their own inside the police department. Workers also said an attic door has continued to swing open despite it being bolted.
"Doors slamming is one of the biggest things that almost everyone in the station has heard," police station employee Denise Kelly said. A chilling air has also been experienced in enclosed hallways and old cellblocks, according to the report. There is also a room where staffers refuse to enter alone. The town's mayor also said a broken-down snow plow started on its own last November without a key and battery. Members of the Greater Pittsburgh Paranormal Society said they found something unusual in the boiler room but wanted to wait until the investigation is completed to discuss it.
Man Believes Dead Wife Is Contacting Him On Mobile
It looks like every house on the street, a normal semi with a bird-bath perched in the front garden. But the unassuming facade of this home hides a ghostly secret which, almost four decades ago, drove a family to run in terror from "The Thornton Thing". Today, its resident says he lives with a ghost – no longer the sinister apparition which reduced residents to sheer terror, but the spirit of his late wife. And in an amazing story, Frank Jones admits he believes wife Sadie is contacting him from beyond the grave... by mobile phone. Frank, 59, says the spirit of Sadie and son Steven, who both died five years ago, are visiting him at home in Windsor Avenue, Thornton. Mr Jones had his home exorcised 12 years ago following disturbing visits from a supernatural being, known as 'The Thing' which had forced another family to flee the house 37 years ago. The Ross family told reporters in 1971 how the 'Thing' pulled at their bed covers while they were asleep. They also told how they sensed a vile smell and felt something breathing in their ears. When Mr Jones moved into the house 20 years ago he was sceptical about the legend of the 'Thing'. But he soon changed his mind. He said: "I just thought they were imagining it. But there was a lot of banging and an earthy smell in the house. Then one night I was lying in bed and a mist came across the room.
"I wanted to shout out at it, but I couldn't get my words out. My face seemed to be paralysed. It all got too much for me when that happened." Mr Jones's daughter, Maureen, 30, also recalls experiences with the 'Thing', including taps coming on full force and the house being "ransacked". She said: "You think people are exaggerating until you experience it. I was home alone one evening and suddenly heard these footsteps coming up the stairs. "They went into my dad's bedroom and then I heard all the cupboards banging open. It sounded like burglars." Mr Jones contacted Fleetwood Spiritualist Church for an exorcism to be carried out. He added: "A lady came to cleanse the house. She said a man was trapped between two worlds." But the strange goings on returned five years ago after Mr Jones suffered a double tragedy when his son Steven, 32, died from a brain tumour and wife Sadie, 69, died from a heart attack three months later. Mr Jones, who runs his own scrap metal business, said: "Just after Sadie died I came home and I felt like I didn't want to go in the house. "I got a missed call on my mobile, but it didn't ring. The call was from my own home number, but there was nobody in the house. Then when I went inside there was a smell like cigarettes which Sadie used to smoke and the smell of her perfume." Mr Jones said the family has also received strange text messages, which they believe to be from her. He added: "She always had a mobile with her. We buried her with her phone. There have been messages with words Sadie would say but there's no number.
Landlords' Make Haunted Pub Claim
Shivers of fear have chilled the spines of landlords at a Lytham pub. Ghosts of a mother and son, who are thought to have made a suicide pact and drowned themselves in the early 1900s, are said to haunt the Ship and Royal, on Clifton Street. So much so, Lee Jane, 30, and girlfriend Gemma Rogers, 27, are the first licensees in five years to dare live in the building. The couple report hearing bath water running upstairs in a derelict area of the building which is boarded up and has no plumbing. Mr Jane, who has run the pub for six months, said: "That area is part of the former Royal Hotel and there are 20 derelict rooms upstairs which don't have any electricity or plumbing. "Nobody goes up there, it's all boarded up for health and safety reasons. "But we hear water running, like from a tap. A mother and son who lived here are thought to have made a suicide pact and drowned themselves." Mr Jane describes other recent spooky moments which have made staff at his pub scurry home in fear, including an internal telephone system which rings by itself.
He said: "There were four of us in the pub one night and we'd just finished cleaning up when the internal phone rang. "There was no-one there when we answered and there was no-one in the building to ring the phone in the first place. The office was all locked up so no-one could get to it." In 1983 The Gazette reported another sighting of a ghost at the pub. A tall dark figure, thought to be the departed soul of the late Squire John Clifton who died in Tenerife in 1928, was seen on the second floor. It was not the first time. In 1978, The Gazette reported: "Ghosts do have their acceptable faces. The case of interfering Charlie is the toast of the Ship and Royal. "Charlie, thought to be the ghost of squire John Talbot Clifton, likes revisiting his favourite hostelry, orders meat from suppliers and tampers with the inn's files for what reason no one knows." But Mr Jane says the ghosts won't frighten him and his partner away. He said: "It's a bit spooky, but I keep an open mind. It doesn't stop me sleeping!"
Devil's In The Detail Of Haunted House Sale
After enduring howls in the night and creaking staircases for the past three years, an Italian family is preparing to sue the previous owners of their house for not telling them it was haunted. Gaetano Bastianelli, 57, and his wife Stefania paid €120,000 (£94,000) for the modern home in the Umbrian town of Spoleto in 2005 - encouraged by the fact that all the furniture and fittings were left by the owners, right down to the coffee cups. "We considered it the deal of the century," said Mr Bastianelli. The couple claim they were unaware that the house in Santo Chiodo road had been built close to the disused Pozzi Ginori cemetery, or that strange goings-on at the address during the 1970s had necessitated an exorcism - and prompted a visit from Perugia University's paranormal research team. "The ghosts started their haunting on the first night," said Mr Bastianelli, a former long-distance lorry driver. "I woke suddenly at around one or two in the morning. There was water seeping from under the bathroom door. "The hot water tap was pouring out boiling water and the room was full of steam. My wife was stunned, because she had turned off everything before going to bed."
He claimed that by next morning, malevolent spirits had left "luminous green mould all over the walls". After that things got worse. He said the sound of chains rattling had alarmed his 10-year-old daughter, and claimed that the lawnmower and his wife's car had spontaneously combusted. Now Mr Bastianelli has engaged a lawyer, Antonio Francesconi, to sue the previous owners for failing to inform him that the house was haunted. "We have a good case," said Mr Francesconi. "Under article 1490 of Italian law, you have to tell buyers if there is anything wrong. I think that the previous owners will settle out of court." A local historian, Sergio Grifoni, confirmed that an exorcism had been performed on a girl in the house in 1977. "The local papers at the time said a girl had been possessed by the devil and had been taken to the bishop. Nothing helped, until Pope John Paul II prayed for her." The episode was confirmed by Fr Gabriel Amorth, the Vatican's senior exorcist, who said: "Pope Wojtyla carried out an exorcism on this girl who was rolling around on the floor of her house." He could not confirm whether the house was the same one in Santo Chiodo road.
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.
