Friday, July 30, 2004

Silver Ring Declared Treasure 

Retired housewife Lorraine Stanley, 47, discovered the ring while metal detecting in a farm near Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset in August 1999.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:53 AM

'Dem obeah me!'  

OBEAH refers to magic, sorcery or witchcraft and involves the use of supernatural powers for protection or to cause harm to enemies. Myal involves the use of supernatural powers to produce healing or other benefits.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:49 AM

Where the bodies are buried  

... and other notable sites to explore on your own L.A. death trip.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:43 AM

Mind Control 

Psychosurgery. Brain implants. Mind control. The stuff of movies — as in The Manchurian Candidate, which opens Friday — or a glimpse of the future?

Maybe both, says neurologist Jay Lombard of the Brain Behavior Center in Nyack, N.Y., who was science adviser for the film.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:33 AM

Dark Side of the Loon  

A review of R. Gary Patterson's “Take a Walk on the Dark Side: Rock and Roll Myths, Legends and Curses”.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:29 AM

Man in the moon feeling blue this Saturday 

A blue moon — the nickname for the second full moon in the same month — rises Saturday night, an astronomical oddity with a name based on a botched bit of modern folklore.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:22 AM

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Mystery creature nets Glyndon man national attention 

A good article on the hoopla surrounding Maryland's Mystery animal.

Glyndon resident Jay Wroe has gotten his 15 minutes of fame. And then some. In the three weeks since the Community Times was first to report that Wroe had videotaped a strange-looking creature wandering around his neighborhood, the story has gone national.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:58 PM

Skull and Bones Strikes Again? 

A bizarre incident involving stolen human skulls is getting even stranger. Investigators looking into the report at a North Philadelphia cemetery say more may have been taken than they first thought.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:46 PM

Mystery Haze in Pennsylvania 

The haze lay over the township in 100-foot strips over a three- to four-mile wide area of the township. He said earlier reports that it was a cloud floating through the township were wrong.

The haze had a sweet, strong odor, he said. It did not smell like chlorine, he said.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:41 PM

Maryland Mystery Animal 'Seen' All Over The World 

Is the Maryland Mystery Animal related to the Texas "Chupacabra"?

Since the mystery animal appeared on our Web site two weeks ago, millions of people from around the world have looked at the pictures and sent in guesses as to what it may be.

The creature -- or one similar to it -- has also allegedly been spotted in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Texas and even England.

Be sure to check out the slide show.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:35 PM

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

British silent film star dies 

Joan Morgan, a British film star in the silent era who later wrote plays, has died.

She was 99 by her own account, but British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that she might have been closer to 105.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:04 PM

Chupacabra? Strange Animal Found in Elmendorf 

A rancher in Elmendorf, southeast of San Antonio, found a strange creature attacking his livestock, and local animal experts say identifying it is a tough call.

With pics. Link found at the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:28 PM

Books: Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief 

A little fun summer reading. This sounds like a gas.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:28 AM

Here lies the likeliest Ripper 

Whoever they were and however they spelled their name, the Tumuelty, Tumblety, Tumility or Twomblety family had the money for a fair-sized plot and an imposing brown marble monument in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

An interesting article on Stewart Evans and Paul Gainey's Jack the Ripper suspect Francis Tumuelty, profiled in Jack The Ripper: First American Serial Killer.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:06 AM

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Mmmmm, beer . . . 

Ancient brewery discovered on mountaintop in Peru.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:48 PM

Couple finds large cat tracks on property  

Mountain lions in Ohio!

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:30 PM

Video May Prove There Are Cougars In Michigan 

Cougars in Michigan!

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:23 PM

Young alligator removed from pond 

Alligators in Indiana!

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:40 PM

Roaming reptile finds creature comforts 

Iguanas in New Jersey!

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:27 PM

Evidence for Shoreline Terraforming 

How long have we been manipulating the surface of this planet? Satellitediscoveries has some photos that will make you think twice. Yes, I am aware of the strange anomalies natural weathering and phenomena may produce, but these pictures certainly stir the imagination.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:21 PM

Researcher: Bigfoot alive, well in southern Oklahoma 

Researcher Charles Hallmark has a novel way of proving the existence of Bigfoot - he's collecting fingerprints. Pretty ingenious actually.

Thanks to the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:10 PM

Witch doctors enlisted in search for helicopter  

The Malaysian authorities have enlisted the help of witch doctors in a bid to find seven people who went missing after their helicopter was feared to have crashed in the
Borneo jungle nearly two weeks ago.

Some of the natives here, particularly those living in the interior jungles, believe that spirits of the dead inhabit the jungles, trees, swamps, valleys, gorges and mountains.

One of their other beliefs is that these same spirits can help locate those missing.

Another belief is that these spirits have the ability to conceal things from the living and, through rituals, they can reveal them to the world of the living.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:47 AM

Curse of the stone obelisk dogs doubting author  

A British academic is facing ritual curses, allegations of criminal defamation of two dead kings and demands for his deportation after he cast doubts on the authenticity of one of Thailand's most important cultural artefacts.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:37 AM

Ghost trackers share results of night at 'haunted’ building  

Sunday was early Halloween at the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks No. 500, complete with tricks, treats and the Northwest
Indiana Ghost Trackers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:33 AM

Satanism Linked to Priest's Murder in Chilean Cathedral 

The archbishop of Santiago decried the existence of Satanic groups in Chile in the wake of the weekend murder of a priest in the metropolitan cathedral.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:31 AM

The mystery of Thornton's 'miracle' statue 

St. Anne's may not be that different from most other Catholic churches in the United States, except that very few of them have had to deal with a "miracle."

The miracle: A statue actually shedding tears and moving 20 feet or more to the altar -- all by itself.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:17 AM

Ogre? Octopus? Blobologists Solve an Ancient Mystery 

A nice article from the New York Times on recent developments in the Blobosphere.

For more than a century, scientists and laymen who examined the tons of that protoplasm filled in the glaring gaps in knowledge of blob anatomy by imagining eyes, mouths and slimy tentacles long enough to sink cruise ships. Warnings were issued. Perhaps the blobs were remnants of living fossils more fearsome than the dinosaurs.

In 1972, a jittery analyst wondered if one particularly enigmatic blob was the decomposing body of a giant alien from outer space.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:11 AM

Monday, July 26, 2004

BTK Back 

A short article from KAKE about Tom Voight and his new BTK website.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:54 PM

Sunday, July 25, 2004

Strange Things on the Moon 

Several anomalous shapes and structures on the lunar surface have been photographed. What could they be?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:23 PM

Mysteries of the deep at Lake Tahoe  

A nice article on the strange stories surrounding Lake Tahoe, including Tahoe Tessie.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:47 PM

Getting back into the groove 

Queen Victoria, Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale and other characters from history may soon be able to speak again, as scientists perfect techniques to recover the sound from recordings that are far too delicate to be played.

Link found at whatreallyhappened.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:18 PM

Friday, July 23, 2004

Letter at Wichita library may be from serial killer BTK 

Wichita police said Thursday that a letter left at the Wichita public library on Saturday may be from serial killer BTK, and they urged area residents to be vigilant in personal and home crime prevention techniques.

Sounds like the Wichita Police expect him to strike again soon. There's also this article from KAKE.

If it is authentic the letter send to the Wichita public library last weekend would be the fourth communication from BTK this year. That's the most he's ever made in the 30 years authorities have been looking for him.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 AM

Archaeologists to seek Kyrgyz Atlantis 

A Kyrgyz-Russian expedition has embarked for an ancient city covered by Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, local media reported Wednesday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:02 AM

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Tai Chi May Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis 

Practicing the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi may help improve the range of motion for people with rheumatoid arthritis although it may not have a big impact on other aspects of the disease, according to a new study.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:21 PM

Kenneth Anger's Legendary Lucifer Rising Soundtrack Released 

Nearly twenty-five years after the film's debut, Bobby BeauSoleil's original score for notorious underground filmmaker Kenneth Anger's classic "Lucifer Rising" is available on compact disc.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:15 PM

The trial of the 'butcher' stirs memories 

For weeks, the tabloids have been feasting on the sanity hearing of Daniel Rakowitz, recycling all the gory details of how in 1989 this small-time pot-peddler from Texas allegedly butchered his roommate, a Swiss dance student named Monika Beerle, then served her remains as soup to the homeless.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:57 PM

Freak waves spotted from space 

The shady phenomenon of freak waves as tall as 10 storey buildings has finally been proved, the European Space Agency said on Wednesday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:37 PM

Mystery Animal Possibly Spotted In Harford Co. 

An update on Maryland's mystery creatures. With video. And be sure to check out the mystery creature slideshow.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:19 PM

The Donner Party mystery 

The discovery last week of what is believed to be definitive evidence of a Donner Party campsite resonates in a way few other discoveries can. The 158-year-old cooking hearth and bone fragments found in Nevada's Tahoe National Forest sends a shiver up the modern-day spine, for the remains are likely to hold the truth of one of the darkest tales of this country's migration West.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:12 PM

A dingo took my baby . . . perhaps. 

Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton is reportedly examining a claim that a "fair-skinned woman" aged in her 20s is living with a group of Aboriginal people in the remote Western Desert.

A nice review of the famous case may be found here.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:08 PM

Friday, July 16, 2004

Younger Helzer ruled sane; hearing on penalty is next 

A follow up on the strange case of the Children of Thunder.

Helzer, 32, his brother Glenn Helzer and their former roommate Dawn Godman brutally killed five people in the summer of 2000. They wanted to raise money for -- among other strange and ambitious schemes -- a self-awareness group they believed would thwart Satan and hasten Christ's return to Earth.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:38 PM

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Coshocton couple say they were evicted over witchcraft  

Jessica and Shane Bradford were expecting a baby. They were not expecting an eviction notice -- and certainly not for witchcraft.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:16 PM

Tenants at Kukuom haunted by strange objects 

Poltergeist activity or witchcraft in Ghana.

Since April this year, palm kernels have been pouring on the roof without a clue of their origin.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:14 PM

Gavin Menzies and the Mahogany Ship 

Gavin Menzies, author of the controversial 1421 - The Year China Discovered The World, thinks that the legendary Mahogany Ship of Australia might have been Chinese instead of Portuguese.

I had never heard of the Mahogany Ship before, but the story reminds me a little of the Lost Ships of the Mojave, Spanish galleons trapped in the desert by the retreating Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:54 PM

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

TALES OF PSYCHIC CHILDREN 

HAS YOUR child ever shown psychic powers?

Freshwater-based author of books on the paranormal Cassandra Eason is updating and rewriting for the third time her book Psychic Power of Children and wants to learn more about the experiences of Island families.

She is appealing for people to come forward with their tales as she is hoping to look at a number of new experiences.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:15 PM

New York 'Mongo' Hunters Find Treasure in Trash 

Finally, a book about one of the Professor's favorite pasttimes, Mongo hunting. Frankly, I thought Mongo was a giant cowboy who liked candy, but apparently it's a slang term for retreived things found on the sidewalks and on the side of the street.

Author Ted Botha wanted to furnish his New York apartment inexpensively so he turned to an unusual showroom -- the city's sidewalks where furniture and bric a brac are routinely recycled.

In addition to finding a faux leather arm chair, sofa and table, the South African writer discovered he was not alone. He began to chronicle a little noticed part of New York life -- the people who reuse what their neighbors discard.

Botha has presented the lives of these New Yorkers in a recently published book, "Mongo: Adventures In Trash."

Anyone have a good Mongo stories? In the last few months I've found a vintage magazine rack, a cool collapsible table, a garden hose carrier, about fifty clay pots, a picnic table, and a nice yard chair. Of course, I'm trying to outfit the new Hex Manor.

Still looking for a Tesla coil......

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:04 PM

Monday, July 12, 2004

Las Vegas Headlining Magician Mac King Launches Syndicated Comic Strip  

Here's another interesting magic article. Is anyone getting this in their paper?

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:47 PM

Accountant's magical collection would make even Houdini proud 

Meet Red Hall, the magical accountant.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:43 PM

Seven Simple Psychic Shields for the Witch in Everyone! 

As part of the launch of my new book, The Witch’s Shield: Protection Magick and Psychic Self Defense, I wanted to share the techniques that helped me maintain psychic boundaries and a healthy sense of safety.

From the Llewellyn Journal.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:29 PM

Living with the ghost of Capone's cousin 

Not a true ghost story but still an interesting article.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:26 PM

Bigfoot Legend Thrives In Alabama 

For decades, people in Chilton County, Ala. have been talking about the strange creature known as Bigfoot that apparently has an affinity for the local peach crop.

The Professor also enjoys a good peach.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:21 PM

TV TO AIR SLEUTH'S NYPD BOO! TALES! 

FROM THE NY POST!

There are roughly 35,000 cops in New York City, but only one who polices the dark side — the occult.

Now his life is being turned into a TV show.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:16 PM

Soap box racer relic of past era 

Not mysterious, just cool.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:10 PM

Archeologists visit mysterious locked box buried near unmarked Arctic graves 

Three unmarked graves, their age and inhabitants unknown. Buried carefully nearby under precisely stacked rocks, a weathered old wooden chest sealed with a rusty padlock, its contents just as mysterious.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:24 AM

Scientists reopen the Romanov mystery 

An American team challenges DNA-based British research that bodies in a mass grave are the tsar's family.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:18 AM

Sunday, July 11, 2004

So You'd Like to...  

Writer Jack Purcell has written an interesting Amazon guide on Metaphysical Experiments You Can Do Yourself.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:38 PM

The Anomalist 

I'm sure that most of my readers are familiar with the Anomalist, one of the finest sites on the Web for students of the strange. Anomalist Newsline Editor Richard D. Hendricks has posted a bunch of excellent links lately and I'm batching them together for convenience.

First up is an update on the strange case of Peter Solheim, a parish councillor and Satanist whose body was found off the Cornish coast under mysterious circumstances.

And here's an article of the re-emergence of the Bear Lake Monster.

And finally, the Ohio Lion has returned.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:02 PM

Thursday, July 08, 2004

Ancient European remains found in Qinghai Province, China 

Raises more questions than it answers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:25 PM

Sub-Find and Giancarlo Zema  

Every now and again I find something on the Web that sets my pulse racing. It is my privilege to be able to share it with you. Meet Giancarlo Zema and his fantastic world of Tourist Submarines, Submersibles and ROVs.

Be sure to check out the Neptus 60 Cliff House, the Trilobis 65 Floating Home, and the Jelly-Fish 45 Habitat.

The Professor is saving his pennies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:31 PM

Cursed mansions stay empty in New Delhi 

Another curse story, this one about mansions in New Delhi.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:05 PM

Cursed? 

Just what is the bad mojo hovering around Car 101?

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:02 PM

Firefighter Administers Aid To Woman He Helped Deliver 

There just aren't that many babies named Sparkle.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:56 PM

Police Find Strange Message Carved Into Crash Victim's Skin 

This is just plain weird.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:36 PM

Oceanic odyssey remains a treasure 

Question for the ages: Who circumnavigated the globe 87 years before Italian explorer Cristopher Columbus (1451-1506) and 114 years before Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)?

Answer: Zheng He (1371-1433) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The ancient Chinese mariner travelled to the West seven times from 1405 to 1433, sailing more than 50,000 kilometres and visiting 37 countries and regions.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:26 PM

Stay cool, calm and collected with Tai Chi 

If you think a martial art is more about hurting than healing, then think again.

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that is a powerful form of self-defence, and a profound system of health exercises, says internationally renowned South African Tai Chi master Edward Jardine.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:19 PM

Saddam Hussein, Novelist 

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero, statesman, orator and writer (106-43 BCE)

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:14 PM

Satanism In Benton? (Not Really) 

I was going to post this story in its original form but I thought everyone might enjoy this version with commentary by Lilith Saintcrow-Murosako.

Posted by the good people at Storyhunters.com.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:09 PM

And speaking of Lake Monsters . . . 

I recently stumbled upon this site dedicated to Storsjöodjuret, the "Great Lake Monster" of Lake Storsjön, Sweden's fifth largest lake. Be sure to visit the history page and see the depiction of a strange creature depicted on the northernmost runestone in Sweden.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:57 AM

Mechanical creature "Millie" to appear at Saline Celtic Festival 

A mechanical creature dubbed "Millie" will surface in Mill Pond during the annual Saline Celtic Festival as a nod to Scotland's Loch Ness monster.

Unfortunately, no picture. If anyone stumbles across one, please let me know. This, I gotta see.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:49 AM

Researcher Turns Up Thousands Of Ohio Ghost Towns 

Richard Helwig, owner of the Center of Ghost Town Research in Ohio, said he has uncovered about 6,000 such towns and is still looking.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:44 AM

Electricity: A terrifyingly bright idea in 1879 

A nice review of Professor Linda Simon's “Dark Light: Electricity and Anxiety from the Telegraph to the X-Ray”. The book sounds fascinating.

Bracketed by Samuel Morse’s invention of the telegraph around 1844 and Wilhelm Roentgen’s discovery of the X-ray in 1895, the book explores the neuroses, superstitions, moral issues and literature that arose at the dawn of the Electric Age.

Simon, a professor of English, has written biographies of Alice B. Toklas, Thornton Wilder, Lady Margaret Beaufort (the grandmother of Henry VIII) and William James. It was her study of James that provided the seed for “Dark Light.”

A philosopher and psychologist, James was intrigued by psychic phenomena, and Simon discovered that his colleagues in investigating the occult were physicists also researching electricity.

“The idea was that the soul was electrical and could come back to life, that the same force that twitched nerves was electrical,” Simon said.

The Professor was fascinated to learn that "X-rays eventually took on sentimental significance — relatives and betrothed couples would exchange them as intimate mementos." I find this utterly charming.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:56 AM

Friday, July 02, 2004

Hugh Cave 1910-2004 

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of legendary writer Hugh Cave. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Cave several years ago and he was every bit the gentleman, welcoming my friend and me into his home with no more introduction than a phone call. I was a fan and a young writer and that was all he needed to know. We are the poorer for his passing.

A nice obituary from the Washington Post is here.

I will post a personal reminiscence soon.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:03 PM

Families reject suicide theories for mysterious Greek deaths 

Six years ago, the mutilated bodies of two young men were found drifting in a boat off the coast of Greece.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:57 AM

Mysterious formation surfaced, then disappeared  

A new crop circle formation may have recently surfaced in a Cordelia wheat field, but it's gone now.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:54 AM

Augusta woman delivers baby daughter in front seat at 90 mph  

The mystery child was born in a 2003 Chevy Tahoe speeding along Kellogg in front of the east-side Lowe's Home Improvement Store just before midnight Tuesday.

Baby's condition: good.

Speed at time of delivery: 90 mph.

Birthplace: front passenger seat.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:52 AM

'Occult Link' to Councillor's Mystery Death 

Detectives will interview occultists about the mysterious death of a parish councillor pulled from the sea by a fishing boat, police said today.

Experts are also looking into the unexplained injuries found on the body of Peter Solheim, 56, from Carnkie, near Helston, Cornwall.

Detective Sergeant Trott, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said today that officers knew of Mr Solheim’s interest in the occult.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:49 AM