Friday, June 25, 2004

Serial Killer Set to Strike Again? 

Is Wichita's notorious "BTK" serial killer about to strike again — or about to be arrested?

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:07 PM

Troy, 'Troy' don't have much in common  

Turkish guide Mustafa Askin stood on top of a crumbling tower of the ancient city of Troy and pointed to a grassy field where he says Achilles and Hector most likely fought to the death.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:16 AM

Investigators confirm two more letters from Wichita's BTK strangler 

Investigators said Thursday that letters sent to police and a television station appear to be the latest communications from a serial killer who resurfaced this year after more than two decades of silence.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:37 AM

Mystery packet found in spire 

WORKERS have uncovered a mystery parcel hidden for more than 70 years high above a busy city intersection.

The package wrapped in lead, and about the size of a wad of bank notes, was tucked inside one of the spires at St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:08 AM

Black Sea's Waters Reveal Ship Mystery 

Ship of gold in the deep Black Sea?

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:04 AM

Monday, June 21, 2004

Bigfoot Lives! Well, maybe . . . 

A rare, well-written article in the mainstream press on the Big Guys.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:11 PM

Weird items on eBay award popularity to sellers 

Dave Niec's router table has a peculiar charm — kind of like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, or a painting of dogs playing cards that's hanging in somebody else's house. But he never expected it to develop a worldwide following.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:05 PM

Teeth found in ancient grave 'link Stonehenge to Wales' 

Stonehenge was built by a Welsh family, archaeologists now believe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:03 AM

Odd items populate museum exhibit 

Bizarre artifacts that historical societies like to keep under wraps have crept out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

The tattered leather shoe blown off a woman's foot after she was struck by lightning. A light bulb still filled with water from the 1913 flood. A gas meter speared by a stick of wood from the 1974 Xenia tornado.

These and other items found in the storerooms of historical society museums around the state and in Indiana have been put on display at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in an exhibit titled: "Curious Collections: An Exhibit Beyond Bizarre."

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:53 AM

Mystery treasure still tempting N.H. searchers 

For all of his 88 years, Almon Farrar has heard stories of the treasure missing in the heart of the White Mountains where he grew up and has spent most of his life.
Farrar never went looking for the treasure but his uncle, a game warden who crisscrossed the mountains through much of the first half of the 20th century, always kept an eye out for it while he pursued poachers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:45 AM

The Mystery of the Voynich Manuscript  

New analysis of a famously cryptic medieval document suggests that it contains nothing but gibberish.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:41 AM

Friday, June 18, 2004

When is a meteor not a meteor? 

A mysterious Masterton rock initially thought to have come from outer space is more than likely to be a naturally-occurring phenomenon, according to a director of the International Meteorite Collectors Association.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:03 PM

Dutroux--Guilty! 

A day after a jury convicted Belgium's most hated man, Marc Dutroux, of multiple child rape and murder, the country was considering the impact of the trial and the questions it left unanswered.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:00 PM

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Last of 3 members of cultlike group to be convicted 

A Contra Costa County jury needed less than a day to decide Wednesday that Justin Alan Helzer, with his brother and their roommate, brutally murdered five people in the summer of 2000, setting the stage for an even deeper journey into the mind of a shy young man who killed with a hammer and his bare hands.

Here's an earlier article on the whole strange story.

Special thanks to Weird Writer for the heads up.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:33 PM

Tahoe Tales 

In honor of my dear friend Pam moving to Lake Tahoe, I've put together a few links concerning Tahoe Tessie, Tahoe's own lake monster. Tessie supposedly once put the fear of God into none other than Jacques Cousteau himself.

Here's an overview from American Monsters, a great site that's well organized and a blast to read. I highly recommend it.

And here's a recent article with a slightly more skeptical viewpoint.

And, of course, Tahoe is right in the heart of California Bigfoot Country.

Best of luck in Tahoe, Pam and Mike, and keep an eye out for Tessie and Bigfoot!

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:55 AM

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Archeologist Claims Spanish Site for Atlantis 

More on the Spanish candidate for for Atlantis with better picture.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:10 PM

Mysterious Box Found At Old Senior High  

The demolition of the pillars in front of the old Mansfield Senior High revealed a surprise.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:06 PM

Mystery of U-boat in the nets resurfaces  

EVERY fisherman likes to boast about the one that got away. But does anyone in the Hebrides remember the one about the crew who reeled in a German U-boat?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:50 PM

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

Death casts light on trade in snakes 

A follow up article on the strange death of Garrick Wales.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:54 PM

Gruesome Find In LIC: Workers Report Six Dead Cats On Roof 

More details on the mysterious skinned cats found on a roof in Long Island City.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:52 PM

Baker battered by Atkins fights back with 'Da Vinci Diet' 

A baker who lost nearly half his customers to the low-carb craze has tapped Dan Brown's best-selling novel for an Atkins alternative called the 'Da Vinci Diet' that he hopes will bring people back to bread.

I'm starting to think you could have a blog based just on Da Vinci alone.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:44 PM

Da Vinci is pulling in da crowds in Roslin 

IT features as one of the key settings in a murder mystery that has captured the imagination of millions worldwide.

And now the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code has sparked a massive rise in visitor numbers to historic
Rosslyn Chapel.

Also see the post below on the Newport Tower.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:41 PM

Salvage crew uncovers sunken treasure 

The Treasure Coast still lives up to its name.

A salvage crew working in shallow water just south of Sebastian Inlet in Indian River County struck gold Sunday, finding a cross and a piece of a medallion at a centuries-old wreck site where explorers have been finding treasure since the early 1960s.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:38 PM

A nude model, five bodies and the Mormon assassination plot attempt 

More on the "bizarre, brutally violent cult surrounding one Glenn Taylor Helzer, a lapsed Mormon accused of bludgeoning and dismembering five people in an elaborate extortion racket intended to hasten the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Helzer, a former stockbroker who has already pleaded guilty and faces the death penalty, exerted a charismatic hold over an eclectic group of followers including his younger brother, a former girlfriend turned Playboy centrefold model, and a self-described "good witch" who once offered to raise money for Armageddon by appearing in porn films."

This story is incredibly bizarre. A must read.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:29 PM

Monday, June 14, 2004

Shaolin kung fu needs protection 

Shaolin culture, including the martial arts, needs to be preserved and should be listed as a United Nations world heritage, said Wang Wenzhang, director of the China Arts Institute.

The ancient Shaolin transcripts documented 708 sets of so-called kung fu, including practices aimed at building the body's internal organs and medication methods.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:42 PM

Naked Gunman Gets Probation In Assault 

Lapen testified that as a child he was "indoctrinated" into "MK Ultra," a secret Central Intelligence Agency mind-control project.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:07 PM

Casting doubt upon the Dead Sea Scrolls 

For many years Notre Dame professor James C. VanderKam has studied photos of the Dead Sea Scrolls. But he was startled recently when he noticed what appeared to be the Arabic numerals “3” and “2” written between lines and in the margins of the documents supposedly written more than 2,000 years ago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:48 PM

Prosecutors in Drew cult murder case call long list of witnesses  

A prominent former detective assigned to the gory string of prostitute murders allegedly tied to a satanic cult 25 years ago is one of at least 26 witnesses prosecutors plan to call to testify during convicted cult murderer Carl Drew’s evidentiary hearing.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:43 PM

Historians jump on 'Da Vinci Code' 

Well, theologically conservative biblical historians, anyway.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:29 AM

Dutroux jury considers child murder verdict 

The jury in the trial of the Belgian child rapist Marc Dutroux has retired to consider its verdict after three months of testimony.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:23 AM

Space rock smashes through roof 

A meteorite the size of a grapefruit has smashed though the roof of a house in New Zealand.

The space rock bounced off the sofa, hit the ceiling again and then rolled under the computer.

Scientists say the 1.3kg rock was travelling at 500 km/h when it struck the house in Auckland. It's the ninth meteorite ever recorded there.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:20 AM

Louisville museum seeks to solve mystery of the mummy 

An Egyptian mummy that has endured a century in Louisville museums, a devastating flood and decapitation holds secrets that scientists hope to crack this week.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:58 AM

The Newport Tower 

Jan Barstad is trying to solve the mystery of the Newport Tower.

There are at least five major theories on the origins of the tower, but none has been proven: that it was a 14th century Scottish watch tower, a 12th century Norse Christian church, remnants of a Chinese fleet's settlement, a memorial, or a 17th century English colonial structure that was built by former Rhode Island Gov. Benedict Arnold (a relative of the notorious traitor) to replace a windmill.

Barstad, president of the Chronognostic Research Foundation Inc. a Tempe, Ariz., firm that conducts research on artifacts, is hopeful that anything underground will help her figure out the tower's origins. She's asked the city council for permission to dig at the site and put to rest all the theories of how and why and when the tower was built.

"There are a lot of great stories to tell and ... the Newport tower is one of the best," she said.

The Newport Tower also has inspired speculation of a connection to Prince Henry Sinclair, the Templars, and Rosslyn Chapel.

More information on the Tower may be found here.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:54 AM

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Explorer's hunt for Yeti 

A PART-TIME "Indiana Jones" is returning to a jungle island hoping to bring back pictures of a Yeti.

Tests by experts at Cambridge University and in Australia have confirmed that a footprint and hairs previously brought back from Sumatra by Stockport explorer Adam Davies do not belong to any known
species.

Technically, what he's looking for is called the orang-pendek, the "little man of the forest".

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:03 PM

Peculiar Goings on in Peculiar 

Ann Cummings got a surprise gift for her 50th wedding anniversary: the engagement ring she lost 45 years ago. But exactly how it resurfaced remained a mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:00 PM

A Psychic In the Boardroom? Business Intuitive's Clients Have Competitive Edge 

Recently, when the heads of a global PR firm found themselves in the running for a huge account, they made a bold, non-traditional move, calling upon boardroom psychic Lynn Robinson.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:58 PM

Russian vet says he saw treasure lost during war 

A Russian veteran said Wednesday that he saw fragments of the legendary Amber Room in the closing days of World War II, suggesting that one of the world's greatest missing art treasures was burned at a German castle after it was seized by the victorious Red Army.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:54 PM

Mother uses trident in ritual killing  

AN Indian villager speared her nine-year-old son to death with a trident in a suspected black magic ritual seeking to ease her impoverished family's troubles,
police said Wednesday.

Jeez......

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:48 PM

Everyone's got an opinion on photo of mysterious creature 

Bill Kurdian is not alone.

Although he might be beginning to wish he were.

Since he shared his story and photograph last week of an unidentified fox-like creature he's seen sporadically since early winter in the backyard of his eastern Randolph County home, seven other people in Randolph, Guilford and Rockingham counties have come forward, claiming identical sightings.

With cool photo!

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:39 PM

The Hinckley Double 

This is a fascinating article on an apparent John Hinckley Double who threatened to kill President Reagan and had an obsession with Jodie Foster. This is extremely reminiscent of of the Oswald Doubles seen before the Kennedy Assassination. Are they manufactured Manchurian Candidates or wild coincidences?

Link found at the Fortean Times.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:27 PM

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Wallaby Find Ignites Island Mystery 

An out of place wallaby has turned up on a Scottish island.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:59 PM

Yukon villagers believe they saw Bigfoot  

A Sasquatch sighting has tongues wagging in the Yukon village of Teslin.

Article found at the Fortean Times.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:29 AM

Murder most foul  

A nice in-depth article on the "Monster of Florence" murders.

Link found at the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:10 AM

Monday, June 07, 2004

Searchers sift Siletz sands for signs of mystery ship  

A cadre of explorers set out for Siletz Bay on Sunday, in search of a lost ship thought to have wrecked here more than a century ago.

But there were no snorkels, scuba tanks or submarines. These were geophysicists, not mariners.

That's because this ship is underground.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:55 PM

Richmond home owner finds strange device in attic 

A Richmond home owner got a scare this morning when she was moving furniture in her attic, and a strange device came rolling out.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:46 PM

S.D. mountain lion found dead in Oklahoma 

A mountain lion that was given a radio collar in South Dakota covered nearly 700 miles and crossed several states in less than nine months before being hit by a train and killed in Oklahoma.

Repeat after me--there are no mountain lions in Oklahoma or Kansas.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:42 PM

Health problems persist despite quieting of mysterious hum 

A low-frequency hum that has plagued some Kokomo residents for years has nearly been silenced, but the health complaints for which it was blamed persist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:09 PM

Satanic ritual blamed for death of Italian teens 

An Italian magistrate has warned against the growing lure of Antichrist cults in Catholic Italy after the discovery of the bodies of two teenagers killed in a satanic sacrifice.


Thanks to Ian for the heads up.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:03 PM

The Australian: Strange case of the Royal Sturgeon  

Under a quaint British law drawn up by King Edward II in the 14th century, it is not illegal to catch or keep a sturgeon -- whose roe is used to make caviar -- provided it is immediately offered to the monarch.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:54 PM

CONVERTED TO 'QIGONG WAY'  

Reiki healing, Indian head massage, reflexology, hypnotherapy ...

Alternative therapies have always made me raise a cynical eyebrow. And, perhaps, none more so than the story I wrote last week about an ancient Chinese martial art being used to help prevent elderly people having falls.

There was nothing else for it, I had to try it myself ...

And I may now be a convert.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:55 AM

Tai chi instructor says ancient practice saved his life - twice 

Nearly 60 years ago, Benjamin Lo became sick and sought treatment from a doctor in Taiwan.

"When I was 20, I was weak," recalled the 77-year-old Lo.

He visited Cheng Man-ch'ing, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and one of the first tai chi masters to teach westerners this art. Man-ch'ing treated him, but told him medicine alone would not be enough.

Man-ch'ing recommended tai chi. It worked.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:52 AM

Mystery shipwreck to see light again  

Maybe, when the wooden hull’s broken remains are hauled to the surface, the old shipwreck will reveal more of its secrets.

For now, the wreck is a mystery.

Divers probing the swift, silty waters of Lynnhaven Inlet have uncovered a few clues: parts of the hull and keel, a cast iron cannon shot, a shoe heel secured by wooden pegs, a pewter spoon bowl, three wooden casks, pieces of a lead bilge strainer.

Researchers guess the ship was a sloop or schooner, built sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:43 AM

Sunday, June 06, 2004

Satellite images 'show Atlantis' 

An interesting development, but the location seems to tally not with Atlantis but rather the legendary city of Tartessos.

Satellite photos of southern Spain reveal features on the ground appearing to match descriptions made by Greek scholar Plato of the fabled utopia.

Dr Rainer Kuehne thinks the "island" of Atlantis simply referred to a region of the southern Spanish coast destroyed by a flood between 800 BC and 500 BC.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:27 PM

Toledo 'witch' founded church 

Lady Circe, as Toledoans the last 35 years knew Jeffrey B. Cather, who was a shop owner, a witch, and founder and queen of a church, the Sisterhood & Brotherhood of the Old Religion, died Sunday in her Old West End home of respiratory failure. She was 82.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:09 PM

Ancient bowl found in second-hand shop 

A little something for treasure hunters everywhere.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:01 PM

Case closed … but the mystery remains 

EVERYTHING about the strange secret life and bizarre death of the Scottish businessman Garrick Wales is shrouded in mystery. How did a middle-aged man from a sleepy hollow like affluent Kilmalcolm end up dead, apparently bitten by a black mamba, in Little Rock Arkansas in mid-May after buying a boxful of deadly snakes? Why did US police close the case on Friday without any real answers. And how did this happily married, straight-laced father-of-three end up in a relationship with a transsexual porn star?

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction...

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:45 PM

Mysterious orders forge lifelong mystery 

A WWII mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:33 PM

Bishop murder case gets even more bizarre 

The testimony was only the latest bizarre twist to a trial in which a Playboy Playmate and a "good witch," among others, talked about plans to also provide prostitutes to wealthy clients, provide the men with the drug ecstasy, and work with a Mormon group called Impact America.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:30 PM

Weird science in cats case, probers say 

The skinned cats found atop a Queens building had been treated with chemicals and latex to preserve the bodies in some type of experiment, authorities said.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:27 PM

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

The Psychic and the Sceptic 

Big psychic or big talk?

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:47 PM

BTK Superstar 

Investigators trying to chase down BTK may have 23 new clues from the national crime show “America’s Most Wanted".

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:34 PM

Most of "Goth Grant" returned. 

Blue Springs, Missouri has returned nearly nearly half of a $273,000 grant to study Goth kids.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:40 PM

Dutroux lawyer blasts prosecutors 

The lawyer for Belgian child rapist Marc Dutroux has criticised prosecutors for ignoring evidence his client was a mere pawn in a wider paedophile ring with possible links to a Satanic cult.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:34 PM

MYSTERY HAND FALLS FROM SKY  

A boat party in an exclusive area of Long Island Sunday night was interrupted - when a severed human hand mysteriously dropped out of the sky onto the deck of a boat, police said yesterday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:12 PM