Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Mountain lions on the prowl once again 

Chief ranger Larry Johnson was driving to a movie with his wife in June when he saw something he never expected to see here near the shores of Lake Michigan — a mountain lion.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:56 PM

Baby BOOM! impulse runs deep in men 

Editorial on the Richmond Booms. Boys will be boys, apparently.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:34 PM

Four Mysterious 'Seismic Events' Recorded In N.J. 

Residents of northern New Jersey experienced what experts described as four small "seismic events" Tuesday afternoon. Scientists were trying to determine whether the shaking of the ground resulted from actual small earthquakes or human activity, such as quarry blasting.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:28 PM

Monday, November 29, 2004

The Holy Grail: Fact or Fiction? 

The story of the Holy Grail has spawned numerous works of fiction and fantasy, including popular films. The truth about the actual whereabouts of the cup is less clear.

That would be an understatement.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:15 PM

Hearing set for teens in "boom" case 

Two teenagers accused of making explosive devices heard in Richmond's North Side are to appear in court on Jan 6.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:06 PM

Just A Superstition? 

Interesting point counter point from the Manila Bulletin Online.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:35 PM

How About A Treasure Hunt? We Got A Doozy  

"I froze in amazement - There stands something like a large,black silo framed in white limestone formations. It is a glass-smooth flank of a seemingly man-made structure. Even the thought of a tower-sized artifact embedded in rock in the middle of an obscure mountain is bewildering."

-Antonin T. Horak diary - October 23, 1944

Want to go get it?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:52 PM

Estate sale buy yields a delicious treasure 

Would you believe rare menus?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:45 PM

Cruel Nicknames for Overweight Vampires. 

From McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Because it's Monday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:13 PM

Anti-Aging Beer 

Listen up, Budweiser.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:23 AM

Ark Of The Convenant buried in county - claim 

It had the power to summon angels. It was also a ferocious piece of artillery which could devastate whole cities.

Perhaps the Ark Of The Covenant's most miraculous use was its means to communicate with God.

Now a Birmingham author has claimed the legendary gold ornate chest, built under the instruction of Moses, is hidden in the Midlands.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:34 AM

After BTK's return, victims' son back in public eye 

There was a time when Charlie Otero's world was confined to his prison cell. A limited number of people knew, or remembered, who he was. Fewer knew where to find him.

Lots of people know now.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:20 AM

Why are we obsessed with Jack the Ripper? 

A shadowy figure clad in a top hat and cape, carrying a shiny leather bag through the London fog, the popular image of Jack the Ripper continues to be iconic 116 years after he terrorised the East End.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:08 AM

Mystery beasts and two towns on edge 

Beware the fearful Glawackus.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:47 AM

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Black Dahlia Revisited 

I'm watching the 48 Hours Mystery episode "Black Dahlia Confidential". They are concentrating primarily on Steve Hodel's "Black Dahlia Avenger". So far, a half hour into it, it's pretty much a rehash of previously debated facts concerning George Hodel and Elizabeth Short. It is nice to see some of the locations, such as the still-existing Frolic Room and Hodel's amazing Franklin House, complete with secret room.

Here's some Dahlia news for you as well.

An article on Steve Hodel's "Black Dahlia Avenger" from the LA Times (subscription) and see also "Black Dahlia Murder FBI Files Published by PaperlessArchives.com" if you're interested.

They've interviewed Tamar Hodel, Steve's half-sister, who claims that George Hodel raped her as a child. She also claims that Man Ray was a dirty old man who took nude pictures of her and her mother saved her from getting raped by John Huston, yes that John Huston, director and actor, son of Walter, father of Angelica. I wonder what CBS lawyers thought of that. Of course, John Huston is long dead, but you'd think they'd be a bit more careful about calling one of America's great directors a raping pedophile. Of course, Huston played a variation on this character in "Chinatown", acting for a director with a confirmed penchant for young girls, Roman Polanski. The strange thing about this accusation against Huston is that I've heard it no where else, not even rumors. One would think the Huston family (or its lawyers) would have a comment.

Of course, if Huston was a pedophile perhaps his casting in "Chinatown" was a sick inside joke.

Wow, now they're interviewing Walter Morgan, 90 year old ex-LAPD detective. Cool. And the footage of the Franklin House is really amazing.

Okay, the substantials: they're comparing Hodel's handwriting with the handwriting on the Black Dahlia Avenger letters. Not enough evidence says their expert.

They examine the photos from George Hodel's photo book, the very photos that sent Steve on his quest. Their expert says she's 85 percent sure that the photos are not Elizabeth Short.

Now they're claiming as "new evidence" the supposition that Short's body was posed in imitation of Man Ray's "Minotaur'. This is neither new or "evidence". This idea is covered extensively in Hodel's book and is simply a matter of opnion.

James Ellroy just said he believes that Steve Hodel has solved the case. LAPD told 48 Hours that almost all the evidence from the Black Dahlia case has disappeared from their files.

Final verdict: Unsolved

I enjoyed Steve Hodel's Black Dahlia Avenger and I recommend it. I'm not sure Hodel solved the case but George Hodel was a fascinating man and the book is an insight into the underbelly of Los Angeles in the forties. And, as I've said here before, George Hodel's life has the whiff of something sulphurous and satanic. I think he was into much stranger things than we so far have imagined.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:35 PM

Mysterious Strange Rock Leads to Interesting Conversation 

Just exactly what is the story behind the rock that Bill Young found? He would appreciate some answers to his questions.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:39 PM

The never-ending search 

Looking for the Holy Grail.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:03 AM

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Engraving on watch may help to solve Jack the Ripper case 

Was James Maybrick Jack the Ripper?

And was this his watch?

I'm doubtful on both counts.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:39 PM

$20 Air Cannon - Death Lord Dot Net 

Is the Richmond Boom device similar to this?

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:24 PM

Lowering the boom on North Side mystery? 

Richmond booms solved?

Richmond officials haven't used the word bomb or described in detail what ingredients were used to make the "pressure-producing devices" found yesterday on the city's North Side.

Pressure-producing devices? I want one.

Charles Fort used to call these booms Skyquakes. Here's a long list of articles from Michigan UFOs concerning the phenomenon. It's quite common.

Here's an older article about similar booms from 2003.

Anyone know how to make these 'pressure producing devices'? Send the Professor an email.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:19 PM

Doctors' therapy 'slows ageing' 

Well, not "ageing" really, just wrinkles.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:50 AM

Monday, November 22, 2004

The Men Who Stare at Goats  

A review of Jon Ronson's The Men Who Stare at Goats.

Jon Ronson is forced to begin his book with an extraordinary disclaimer: 'This,' he writes, with some authentic shock and awe, 'is a true story.'

As you read on, it is hard to shift the impact of those five small words from your mind. It would be far, far better for all of us, you can't help thinking, if it turned out that Jon Ronson had actually made up his entire, wonderful investigation into 'psychological warfare' techniques used by America's elite Special Forces.

If he had not, for example, discovered that there was a Major General Albert Stubblebine III directing operations from Arlington, Virginia, who firmly believes he can walk through walls. Or if the existence of a secret unit in which psyops personnel stared at goats for hours on end with the aim of killing them was actually a figment of a warped author's imagination. Or that the Pentagon's playlist of torture music for use at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib was, in reality, a juvenile attempt at satire. Terrifyingly, however, all this - and much more - is shown, as he says, to be true.

Thanks to Professor Pan for the link.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:15 PM

Controversy Erupts Over Request For Police DNA In BTK Case 

Police Want To Use Samples To Exonerate Officers Working At Time Of Murders

Sure they do. . .

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:56 AM

On his majesty's secret service 

A review of "M: MI5's First Spymaster" by Andrew Cook

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:54 AM

Amateur archaeologists curse pharoahs' guardian 

Dr. Zahi Hawass is one of the most powerful men in history - at least of archaeology - and he is angry.

The 57-year-old is secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities but, as any Egyptologist will tell you, this is the least of his titles.

The self-styled guardian of the pharaohs, commonly referred to as the "Big Zee", is the minder of 4000 years of history, 500 kings, scores of legends, thousands of tourists and hundreds of competing archaeologists.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:52 AM

Monarch's statue yields secret French papers 

French scientists and historians are trying to unravel the secrets behind a cache of documents hidden nearly two centuries ago inside one of Paris's best-known equestrian statues.

The documents were found when the bronze statue of King Henri IV on the Pont-Neuf bridge by the Ile-de-la-Cite was dismantled for renovation.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:34 AM

Saturday, November 20, 2004

In search of a striped phantom 

The search for the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:51 PM

The enigma of Prince Charlie and the Holy Grail  

More on the Shugborough inscription. See below as well.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:09 PM

Woman says 'skunk ape' stood up beside highway 

Urban legends are supposed to be legends and that's all. But if you ask Jennifer Ward about the Florida skunk ape, she will tell you it stepped out of the mists of myth and into reality.

"I never thought anything like that was out there before," Ward, 30, said Friday. "But I know there is now."

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:46 PM

Code king cracks monumental mystery 

Now, at last, the mystery of inscriptions carved on the Shepherds' Monument at Shugborough Hall, ancestral home of the earls of Lichfield, has been solved - well, possibly.

Following a competition launched earlier this summer, some of the most convincing explanations for the inscribed picture in reverse and a seemingly random series of letters will be presented this week by Bletchley Park, the centre that made its name cracking Hitler's Enigma code.

Bletchley itself is cautiously supporting a theory from a professional codebreaker whose job does not permit him to disclose his identity. He argues that the inscription points to the hiding place of a stone tablet handed down from the Old Testament prophet Jacob, which was a talisman for a secret society known as the Priory of Sion.

According to this theory, the 18th-century admiral who built the monument and was reputed to be a member of the priory captured the tablet from a French ship. He then buried it on an island off the coast of what is now Nova Scotia, Canada.

Okay, so the stone tablet of Jacob is what's buried on Oak Island? Seems like a lot of work to hide a tablet.




The inscription reads: D O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V. M

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:15 PM

Friday, November 19, 2004

Atlantis team brush off scientific sceptics  

The Atlantis expedition team yesterday brushed off the revelation by a German physicist that the underwater formations found off Cyprus last week are 100,000 old submarine volcanoes, and not the legendary lost city.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM

Oddities find way into man's life, store 

Finally a reason to visit Tampa: the Weird Shoppe

Found at the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:09 PM

Thursday, November 18, 2004

India's first black magic film 

Let me get this straight--Bollywood makes over 1,000 movies a year and this is their first black magic film? Hard to believe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:46 PM

Atlantis 'just a volcano'  

The remains of the lost city of Atlantis, which a United States researcher claims to have found off the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, are in fact submarine volcanoes, according to a German physicist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:37 PM

The mysterious booms: a tale told by a nonidiot 

First person boom account.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:30 PM

Lucifer, Arisen  

A remarkable article from the SF Weekly about Bobby BeauSoleil and the making of Kenneth Anger's "Lucifer Rising".

Link found at the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:18 PM

Wichita man says DNA swabbing for BTK continues 

This week marks eight months since the BTK investigation was resurfaced. Since then, men across Wichita who fit the age profile say police are asking for DNA samples. Since March, BTK investigators have said they hope forensic evidence will crack this case like it has for so many others.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:04 PM

Sea of mystery  

Gather 'round for the story of a phenomenal mystery that remains unsolved to this day - and likely forever. It's a haunted, 104-year-old tale of a lonely lighthouse and the three keepers who vanished without a trace. It's so haunted and bewitched and inexplicable that it continues to spook those who come closest to it, including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:01 PM

Team Says Humans Lived In North America Earlier  

Archaeologists said yesterday they had found evidence that humans lived in North America at least 50,000 years ago, far earlier than has been thought.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:39 AM

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

The Da Vinci Connection  

A trip to Rosslyn Chapel.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:07 AM

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Scouts make unusual find 

Cannonball, shotput or something else?

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:41 PM

Monday, November 15, 2004

Confessions of an Occult Mastermind 

Here is another lovely sight full of useful information. Cat is a "redheaded spitfire" (I have such a soft spot for them) who has "been a student of the occult about as far back as I can remember" and practices "several platforms of spellwork." She also is a lively writer with a good sense of humor.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:02 PM

Professor Pan 

Every now and then I come across a blog I think my readers would like and Professor Pan is definitely one of them. And it's not just because we're both Professors.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:11 PM

Folklore expert teaches lesson on researching 

Wanda Lou Willis, author and folklore expert, said the thing that kept her motivated through her years of research was her belief that, "No matter how preposterous any ghost story is, there is always a grain of truth to it."

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:58 PM

She's got the touch 

Qigong for horses.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:43 PM

Air Force explores psychic teleportation 

Star Trek fans may be happy to hear that the Air Force has paid for an 88-page study of teleportation. But scientists aren't so thrilled.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:34 PM

Dark Side of the Band 

A nice article on the mysterious Numbers Stations.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:32 AM

New claim on location of Atlantis 

Robert Sarmast claims to have found proof of Atlantis off the coast of Cyprus. As I've said before, I have no doubt that there are remains of a city off the coast of Cyprus, but that does not make it Atlantis.

Apparently, writer Colin Wilson has gone along for the ride.

I am interested in Sarmast's theory that the Mediterranean was formed much more recently than is currently believed and have often thought this myself. A sudden burst of the Atlantic into the Mediterranean basin and resultant diaspora would go a long way towards explaining the Great Flood myths of the ancients. I would imagine that the sea floor is littered with submerged ruins and they could be easily found if ancient trade routes were studied closely.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:27 AM

Da Vinci code priest is dug up, hidden from 'rapacious' relic hunters 

The mayor of a French village besieged by obsessive fans of The Da Vinci Code has been forced to dig up the body of a mysterious priest and encase it in a concrete mausoleum to deter rapacious treasure hunters.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:50 AM

Strange Animal Turns Up In Yard 

With picture.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:45 AM

A total croc 

Beneath the murky waters of Burundi's Lake Tanganyika lives a monster crocodile that has struck fear into the hearts of people who live on the banks of the lake.

About 12m long and weighing more than a ton, the giant crocodile is believed to have eaten up to 300 villagers and an adult hippo.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:00 AM

Friday, November 12, 2004

Legend of a serial killer 

The notorious Dr. Cream.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:11 AM

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Sexpo hopes to feature unholy relic 

Will Rasputin's Johnson go on tour?

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:34 PM

Paranormal investigators confirm restaurant is haunted 

And they'd like to see the specials.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:32 PM

Ancient, mysterious Ouija board spills some secrets 

Ouija board fun facts.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:54 PM

The Real da Vinci Code 

Is his mysterious three-wheeled cart a proto automobile? A remote-controlled robot? A rolling Renaissance computer? The quest to rebuild Leonardo's "impossible machine."

Great article by Tom Vanderbilt.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:47 PM

Lost Treasure Coast of Georgia  

The Treasure Coast of Georgia.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:46 PM

BTK Back: The Secret Clues 

BTK yanks your chain.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:44 PM

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Pure Evil Tries to Escape 

Charles Sobhraj has attempted a jailbreak in Nepal.

Sobhraj, known as the Serpent, has a notorious criminal past. There's more information about him over at Crimelibrary.com.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:57 PM

Tacoma mystery stone 

In their history of Gen. M.M. McCarver and his role in the founding of Tacoma, Thomas Prosch and Virginia McCarver Prosch leave this intriguing clue to the existence of an ancient artifact long sought by local historians:

"Another find of theirs at or near the spring was a large round stone, weighing several thousand pounds, upon the face of which were cut, with what must have been much effort, marks or hieroglyphics that neither they nor others afterward were able to decipher," wrote McCarver’s son-in-law and daughter in 1906. "In the grading of Pacific Avenue in 1873-4 this stone was covered with earth, and probably never again will be seen by men. If its location could be ascertained without too much trouble, it would be well for the present city to exhume this stone and place it in one of the public grounds."

The stone would be significant not just as a historic artifact. It could also hold clues of the origins of Puget Sound Indian tribes.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:43 PM

Glyndwr's burial mystery 'solved' 

A 600-year-old mystery about where Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndwr is buried may have been solved.

The one-time Prince of Wales lies underneath St Cwrdaf Church, in Llanwrda, in Carmarthenshire, according to the author of a new book.

BBC article on the book "The Mystery of Jack of Kent and the Fate and Owain Glyndwr" and author Alex Gibbon.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:38 PM

Cracked: Himalayan mystery 

Ninth century deaths of hundreds traced to hailstorm.

Wow. Killer hailstorm with hail the size of cricket balls.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:28 PM

Monday, November 01, 2004

Bush was wired for all three debates 

More on the Bush Bulge.

I'm still not convinced it was an audio unit, though I'm sure Bush wears one. Whatever the "Bulge" is, I think it's too bulky for a electronic prompter. I still think it's most likely a medical vest of some kind.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:40 PM

Breaking the Laws (of Physics) 

"I'm certainly not the 'typical' scientist," says John Hutchison in a moment of monumental understatement. "I simply work as an artist does - with an intuitive feeling." Inspired by his childhood heroes Gene Roddenberry and Nikola Tesla, Hutchison has befuddled physicists with his claims of bizarre physical phenomena, known collectively as The Hutchison Effect.


For more on the Hutchison Effect please click here.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:06 PM

Track down Vancouver exhibition on Bigfoot 

If any of my readers visit this show I would love to hear from them.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:42 AM

HAUNTED SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: REGION FULL OF THE SCARY, BIZARRE, AND FREAKY PHENOMENA 

The title says it all.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:26 AM

Mysteries of McMenamins 

For all my old friends in Portland.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:24 AM