Thursday, September 29, 2005

Judge Orders Release of Abu Ghraib Photos  

Sploid has the best headline: Judge expected to die mysteriously.


Here's the story - be sure to check out the URL.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:48 PM

Foetuses found at Bogota airport 

Colombian police have found the bodies of three human foetuses hidden in statues destined for the United States.

The discovery was made by officers searching for contraband at Bogota Airport on Tuesday.

The corpses were wrapped in plastic and concealed inside statues of Christian icons, which were smashed open.

Colombian police chief Gen Jord Alirio Varon said the four- to five-month-old foetuses could have been intended for use in Satanic rituals.

WARNING: Gruesome picture

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:44 PM

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Israeli scientists solve mystery of 'dark matter' 

A group of Israeli scientists have cracked a riddle of the universe that has been vexing researchers for years.

Dark matter - the stuff that seems to comprise most of the matter in the universe - is very mysterious because it appears to be absent from some galaxies. But it is there after all, according to Hebrew University physicists.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:32 PM

Puerto Rico town may build UFO site 

People in this sleepy hamlet are so sure they have been receiving other-worldly visitors, they want to build a UFO landing strip to welcome them.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:26 PM

Scientists pinpoint mystery Maya city in Guatemala 

A Mayan city whose fabulous art has beguiled collectors for decades but whose true location was until now a mystery has been pinpointed in the jungles of northern Guatemala, scientists said on Tuesday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:25 PM

Face to face at last with Captain Nemo's old foe 

Scientists have taken the first photographs of the giant squid in its natural habitat, providing a remarkable glimpse of one of the most mysterious creatures on the planet.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:14 PM

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Rumors of deaths greatly exaggerated 

After five days managing near-riots, medical horrors and unspeakable living conditions inside the Superdome, Louisiana National Guard Col. Thomas Beron prepared to hand over the dead to representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Following days of internationally reported killings, rapes and gang violence inside the Dome, the doctor from FEMA - Beron doesn't remember his name - came prepared for a grisly scene: He brought a refrigerated 18-wheeler and three doctors to process bodies.

"I've got a report of 200 bodies in the Dome," Beron recalls the doctor saying.

The real total was six, Beron said.

Hysteria much? A tip of the hat to Elisabeth for the heads up.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:02 PM

Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side' 

Religious belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today.

According to the study, belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems.

I knew it!

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:29 PM

Wonks find death sentence, lynching connection 

States that sentence the most criminals to death also tend to be the states that had the most lynchings in the past, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that the number of death sentences for all criminals - Black and white - were higher in states with a history of lynchings. But the link was even stronger when only Black death sentences were analyzed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:22 PM

'Milky seas' detected from space 

Mariners over the centuries have reported surreal, nocturnal displays of glowing sea surfaces stretching outwards to the horizon.

Little is known about these "milky seas" other than that they are probably caused by luminous bacteria.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:20 PM

Three arrested in gangland-style murder of Suncruz founder 'Gus' Boulis 

Three men were charged with the 2001 gangland-style slaying of Miami businessman Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, whose sale of a casino boat fleet to Jack Abramoff and a partner has led to federal charges against the prominent Washington lobbyist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:32 AM

Monday, September 26, 2005

Able Danger as elusive as ever 

As the story of the Pentagon's top secret mining program that some claim linked the 9/11 ringleader to al-Qaida well before the attacks on the US becomes increasing foggy, reporters are having a hard time getting the truth to the public.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:53 AM

Another World Is Here: Coconut Crude 

Price of gasoline got you down? If you're driving a diesel vehicle in the South Pacific, you may be in luck. Vanuatan entrepreneur Tony Deamer has adapted his fleet of rental cars to run on coconut oil, a plentiful local commodity.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:37 AM

Thunderbird: The American Classic 

What's the word? Thunderbird!

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:18 AM

Lurid stories of sex and abuse shock Spokane area  

It's been a year of staggering news for a region that likes to bill itself as a good place to raise a family. The Spokane area seems awash in pedophiles.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:34 AM

FAMILY DEMANDS THE TRUTH / New inquiry may expose events that led to Pat Tillman's death 

Pat Tillman: Football player, Army Ranger, Noam Chomsky fan?

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:52 AM

Sunday, September 25, 2005

600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island 

The archipelago is named after Robinson Crusoe, but perhaps it should have been called Treasure Island.

A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island.

Great story. Check this out.

The hoard is supposedly buried 15 metres (50ft) deep on Robinson Crusoe island, also known as the Juan Fernández island, home to Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, the adventurer immortalised by Daniel Defoe as Robinson Crusoe. Selkirk was dumped on the island and lived alone for four years before being rescued. His exploits brought worldwide attention to the islands.

Even better: This most recent announcement, however, deserves greater credence because of the equipment used by the treasure hunters: a mini robot that can scan 50 metres deep into the earth. The robot, dubbed "Arturito", was invented by Chileans and over the past year has grabbed headlines by breaking some of the country's biggest criminal mysteries.

First, the robot detected the buried arsenal of a rightwing sect known as Colonia Dignidad. The guns and rocket launchers were buried at some 10 metres and while the authorities had searched for years, the robot found the buried weapons almost instantly.

Colonia Dignidad is of course the ex-Nazi hide-out and pedophile cult headquarters of the now-imprisoned Paul Schafer.

Here are some articles on Colonia Dignidad.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:41 PM

Evil genius at work? 

More weather control conspiracies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:27 PM

Storm conspiracy theories might lead to more research 

Two odd hurricane-related stories caught my eye this past week. One was about an inventor thinking big.

His idea is that we could knock a hurricane's intensity down by a category or two. He says we should research using a fleet of jumbo jets to dump some kind of sponge-like stuff into one section of an approaching storm.

The sudden and massive absorption of moisture, that theory goes, could so disrupt that wedge of the storm that it would cause enough disorganization to knock the entire hurricane's circulation a bit out of whack.

I usually laugh off such stuff. But this time, I thought: Who knows?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:25 PM

In Mexico's Murders, Fury Is Aimed at Officials  

Victor Javier Garcia still has a dozen marks across his abdomen and genitals from the burning cigarettes the police used to torture him into falsely confessing to being a serial killer.

It made no difference to a lower court judge that the DNA tests on the bodies identified as his victims did not match the names of the women he was accused of killing. Or that a forensics expert testified that he had been ordered by his superiors to plant false evidence. Or even that witnesses retracted their testimony, saying the police had threatened them into making false statements.

Mr. García was sentenced to 50 years anyway.

Murder and corruption in Ciudad Juarez. Most depressing part of the article:

In the meantime, there are growing signs that the serial-style killings have spread to other cities, like Chihuahua, 200 miles along the border; Toluca, a suburb of Mexico City; the Gulf Coast capital of Veracruz; and Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the southern state of Chiapas. Attorney General Daniel Cabeza de Vaca says he is considering creating a special prosecutor's office to investigate.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:12 PM

Mystery's romantic allure 

The Mahogany Ship mystery deepened over the weekend as more theories about its origins were aired at the third symposium on the fabled wreck.

Even the number of Mahogany Ships has become cause for conjecture.

See also Mystery coin on Mahogany stage.

And Myth multiplies.

and Much conjecture at the symposium.

And here are a bunch of articles on the Mahogany Ship.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:55 PM

Bigfoot aficionados relay beastly tales, insight 

Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the Beast from the East or whatever you prefer to call him, is an integral part of Cryptozoology, the study of rumored animals that are presumed to exist, but conclusive proof of their existence does not.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:45 PM

Woman held in probe into Tube shooting leak 

A 43-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the leak of documents from the investigation into the death of Jean-Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician wrongly shot by police as a terrorist suspect after the London bombings in July.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:28 PM

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Why did the Bible allow slavery?  

By today's standards it's hard to understand why the Bible accepted human slavery. The usual explanation: However sinful, it was too ingrained in ancient societies to eliminate.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:35 PM

The Amber Witch Hoax  

The giant lizard dines on stray cats. It menaces people with its hiss, and, with each sighting, the mystery around it grows.

At least, that's what the neighbors say.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:10 PM

Shades of Loch Ness: Lizard lore mounting 

The giant lizard dines on stray cats. It menaces people with its hiss, and, with each sighting, the mystery around it grows.

At least, that's what the neighbors say.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:04 PM

Friday, September 23, 2005

New Orleans: Prisoners Abandoned to Floodwaters 

Lovely.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:56 PM

Forecaster leaves job to pursue weather theories 

To the rest of the country, Scott Stevens is the Idaho weatherman who blames the Japanese Mafia for Hurricane Katrina. To folks in Pocatello, he's the face of the weather at KPVI News Channel 6.

The Pocatello native made his final Channel 6 forecast Thursday night, leaving a job he's held for nine years in order to pursue his weather theories on a full-time basis.

*snip*

Since Katrina, Stevens has been in newspapers across the country where he was quoted in an Associated Press story as saying the Yakuza Mafia used a Russian-made electromagnetic generator to cause Hurricane Katrina in a bid to avenge the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:46 PM

Dumping of Homeless Suspected Downtown  

For decades, it's been an enduring urban tale about downtown Los Angeles, often talked about but never proved: Police departments wanting to get rid of society's lost and neglected - the homeless, mentally ill and criminals - simply drove through downtown and dumped them in skid row.

But on Tuesday, evidence landed in the lap of the person who most needed it: Capt. Andrew Smith, commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:41 PM

Caught red-handed 

More on the British "undercover" operation in Basra. From Raw Story.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:36 PM

Tabloid adds its own scream to howling in the night 

Roll over, Loch Ness, and tell Roswell, N.M., the news: The howls reported in the Miami Valley have made the tabloids.

HOWLING BEAST TERRORIZES OHIO TOWN screams the headline in the Weekly Sun, a tabloid in which you'll find out where UFOs are hovering and how Jesus very well could have, possibly, just maybe, changed the path of Hurricane Katrina. The story is in the Sun's Monday issue, on newsstands now.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:25 PM

Mystery animal eludes deputies 

Kangaroo in Ohio?

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:22 PM

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Internet maps reveal Roman villa 

Latest technology proved an unexpected aid to unearthing the past when an Italian man decided to look at internet maps of his home.

Computer programmer Luca Mori found the remains of an ancient Roman villa when he browsed Google Earth maps showing satellite images of his local area.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:23 PM

He did it: Rumsfeld kills revelations on Mohamed Atta 

Sploid has the details.

Today, Pentagon officers who worked on the secret data-mining program were to testify before Congress on the very hot subject. Donald Rumsfeld took care of that. All details will remain secret.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:16 PM

Frist Sold Hospital Shares Before Drop  

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, sold all his stock in his family's hospital corporation about two weeks before it issued a disappointing earnings report and the price fell nearly 15 percent.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:51 PM

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Healing Power of Age-Old Therapy 

Descending from a family of traditional Chinese doctors that goes back 400 years, Dr Stephen T. Chang was once a rebel.

But his short detour to a career in Western medicine only made him determined in carrying on the long family tradition.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:10 PM

French love of garlic on the nose  

FRANCE has sounded the alarm over another symbol of fading Gallic identity as garlic joins a list of endangered species that already includes the beret, the Gauloise cigarette and the long lunch.

Growers have launched an appeal for l'ail, a sacred ingredient of French cuisine since the Romans taught its benefits to the ancient Gauls.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:55 PM

Idaho Weatherman Touts Hurricane Katrina Conspiracy Theory 

Scott Stevens, weatherman at KPVI-TV in Pocatello, Idaho claims that someone used Russian KGB technology to create Hurricane Katrina. According to a brief article on Flashnews.com, Stevens blames the Japanese Yakuza mafia, who he says were attempting to manipulate futures markets via the natural disaster.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:40 PM

Bigfoot researchers weed through hoaxes  

If there's something strange in your (remote, forested) neighborhood -- who're you gonna call?
"I get maybe three or four reports a week," says Eric Altman, 35, of Jeannette, director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. "Some are current, some are older, from the '70s, '80, '90s. People are finally finding the website on the Internet. People say, 'You're the first person I've ever been able to contact about it.'"

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:38 PM

Mystery over dead porn star deepens 

Suspicions that a famous Italian porn queen might have faked her death 11 years ago were fuelled on Tuesday when the mayor of a small town in northern Italy denied her family's claim that she was buried in the local cemetery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:14 PM

Dressed As Arabs, U.K. Troops Nabbed For Setting Bombs & Killing Iraqi Policeman 

Lovely. British soldiers posing as Arabs shooting at cops and setting off explosives. Arrested by Iraqi police, they are subsequently set free as British soldiers raid a Basra prison to free them. Sploid has a great overview, with links.

Rigorous Intuition has the ....uh, rigorous intuition.

Here's a picture of what these "soldiers" were carrying.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:11 PM

Witchcraft and nail clippings: the weird world of Cherie Blair?  

Really? The wife of a world leader practices witchcraft? I'm in shock. Why, you'd think an entire website could be devoted to such a thing.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:44 PM

Friday, September 16, 2005

Ethiopia: Home of the Ark of the Covenant 

The U.S. Government didn't have to send Indiana Jones through snake-infested tombs and temples to find the Ark of the Covenant in the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Ethiopians believe the original ark handed down by Moses lies in a small chapel in St. Mary of Zion Church in Aksum, a town in the northernmost part of the country. A monk who is supposedly the only person who has seen it, never leaves the compound and doesn't like to be photographed guards it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:16 PM

Avian Flu: Is the Government Ready for an Epidemic? 

It could kill a billion people worldwide, make ghost towns out of parts of major cities, and there is not enough medicine to fight it. It is called the avian flu.

This week, the U.S. government agreed to stockpile $100 million worth of a still-experimental vaccine, while at the United Nations Summit in New York, both the head of the U.N. World Health Organization and President Bush warned of the virus' deadly potential.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:13 PM

Doctor says FEMA ordered him to stop treating hurricane victims 

In the midst of administering chest compressions to a dying woman several days after Hurricane Katrina struck, Dr. Mark N. Perlmutter was ordered to stop by a federal official because he wasn't registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:21 PM

Durbin writes Justice Department on Hilton, Dem hackings 

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) penned a letter to Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Wednesday asking why the Justice Department was able to successfully prosecute a teenager for hacking into Paris Hilton's cell phone, but has yet to fully investigate two Republican staffers who hacked into the Senate Democratic Judiciary computer system.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:18 PM

Psychic 'heard' dead woman in lake 

An Italian psychic who led police to the body of a missing woman at the bottom of Lake Como says an unworldly vision allowed her to unravel the three-year-old mystery.

Maria Rosa Busi, who sceptics call a fake, said she saw the last moments of Chiara Bariffi's life before she plunged into the lake inside her car in late 2002, and even heard a message from the deceased.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:17 PM

2001 anthrax case still a mystery 

Federal officials are preparing a report on the status of the investigation into the 2001 mailing of anthrax, which killed five people in the United States.

But after more than 8,000 interviews and chasing leads on four continents, investigators don`t appear to be close to solving the case, The Washington Post reported Friday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:15 PM

Power-dressing Aussie leaves trail of destruction  

An Australian man built up a 40,000-volt charge of static electricity in his clothes as he walked, leaving a trail of scorched carpet and molten plastic and forcing firefighters to evacuate a building.

Frank Clewer, who was wearing a woollen shirt and a synthetic nylon jacket, was oblivious to the growing electrical current that was building up as his clothes rubbed together.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:04 PM

Nessie hunters on verge of major breakthrough  

Scientists hunting the Loch Ness Monster say they've made a significant breakthrough.

Flesh-like material, which could hold the key to Nessie's origins, has been recovered from the loch bed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM

Thursday, September 15, 2005

HOW TO WIN AT CARNIVAL GAMES! 

Summertime is rapidly approaching which means soon, in your neck of the woods, the fair is coming to town. If you're like me, you've spent tons of cash trying to win some giant bootleg Disney stuffed animal trying to throw balls into a bucket. Well waste your money no longer! Here's a handy guide on beating the carnival games so you can have the upper hand!

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:30 PM

Thar She Blows! The White Giraffe! 

With very cool pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:30 PM

Dream team ready to probe depths in search for Nessie  

A DREAM team of experts, who have explored the ocean depths from the tropics to the dark waters below the Polar ice caps, has assembled at Loch Ness for what is being hailed as the definitive expedition to uncover its secrets

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:26 PM

Mystery predator strikes yet again 

A mystery beast that attacked animals in Denby, has struck again with a vengeance.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:24 PM

World's Hottest Fugitive Surrenders 

A woman accused in a multimillion-dollar armored truck heist surrendered Thursday after more than 10 years on the run.

Heather Catherine Tallchief is accused of driving an armored truck loaded with cash away from the Circus Circus casino in October 1993. Speaking to reporters before she gave herself up, Tallchief acknowledged her role.



I had the biggest crush on Heather Tallchief back in 1993. She took three million of the casino's money and vanished into the night. So much for Ocean's Eleven. My co-worker Pam and I had her picture pinned up at our office. She seemed pretty damned romantic. Apparently she's been hiding out in Amsterdam and has a ten year old son. Best of luck to you Heather.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:39 PM

Anti-cancer compound found in beans, nuts, cereals  

Eating a diet rich in beans, nuts and cereals could help to prevent cancer because the foods contain a natural compound that inhibits the growth of tumors.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:34 PM

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Webpage for Psychic Predictions 

Keeping track of the predictions and their outcomes.

Found over at the Rigorous Intuition message boards.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:23 PM

Mystery: Levees Didn't Break, But Concrete Floodwalls Did 

One of the central mysteries emerging in the Hurricane Katrina disaster is why concrete floodwalls in three canals breached during the storm, causing much of the catastrophic flooding, while earthen hurricane levees surrounding the city remained intact.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:58 PM

Australians flock to witchcraft weddings 

Witchcraft weddings are all the rage in Australia now that all states and territories have repealed laws that outlawed the observances of witches, wiccans, shamans, goddess worshippers and druids.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:37 PM

eBay: Found at Beach...Mystery Sea Monster Head 

Whatever it is, it's creepy looking.

Found at the Anomalist.

See also Bigfoot flips the bird.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

FEMA, La. outsource Katrina body count to firm implicated in body-dumping scandals 

A secretary at the lawfirm that sued SCI over the Florida cemetery scandals gasped when informed that FEMA had outsourced handling of Katrina victims' bodies to an SCI subsidiary.

"Oh, good lord!" she said.

Peter Hartmann, general manager of the Menorah Gardens Cemetery chain, was later found dead in his car from carbon monoxide poisoning outside his parents' home in an apparent suicide.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:52 PM

A feline mystery prowls Hilltowns  

With great pic of big, scary cat.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:11 PM

As bodies recovered, reporters are told 'no photos, no stories' 

Bush continues to hide the bodies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:08 PM

Rigorous Intuition: Drowning by Numbers 

New Orleans is beginning to look like Funeralgate, supersized.

FEMA has relieved volunteers of their emergency mortuary services in Louisiana only, and contracted out to Kenyon, a "wholly-owned subsidiary of Service Corporation International" of Houston, Texas.

Go, read.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:34 PM

The beauty products from the skin of executed Chinese prisoners 

A Chinese cosmetics company is using skin harvested from the corpses of executed convicts to develop beauty products for sale in Europe, an investigation by the Guardian has discovered.

When recycling goes too far.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:10 AM

Say that again? 'Things are going relatively well' 

From the disputed presidential election of 2000 to the terrorist attacks on America on 9/11/01 to the failure to find Osama bin Laden to the quagmire of a war in Iraq to Hurricane Katrina, this has been a terrible decade, century, millennium.

It's got to get better in 2006, doesn't it?

In the meantime, we're two weeks into one of the most tragic and shameful events in American history. Here, in chronological order, are some of the most memorable quotes from evacuees, politicians, journalists, media personalities and celebrities.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:03 AM

Thief hid phone up her bum 

The funny thing is that she could still text message.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:57 AM

Monday, September 12, 2005

Arkansas meth addicts seem to be collecting arrowheads 

File this in the WTF? column.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:22 PM

Deep in the night 

On 'Coast to Coast,' George Noory hears it all.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:37 PM

Shakespeare: An A-Z  

A IS FOR AUTHOR.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM

What happened to William Morgan in Canandaigua in 1826? 

The mysterious disappearance of mob-linked union leader Jimmy Hoffa in 1975 continues to baffle authorities and inspire conspiracy theories.

But Hoffa's disappearance 30 years ago is a relatively recent event compared with the strange case of William Morgan, who vanished - like Hoffa, without a trace - after being bailed out of jail in Canandaigua by members of a local Masonic lodge 179 years ago today, Sept. 12, 1826.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:24 PM

Treasure Hunt: On the trail of Blackbeard in a Marcus Hook plank house 

What started as a home remodeling project for Michael Manerchia has turned into an historical mystery with an infamous pirate as the backdrop. In July 2004, Manerchia, 48, purchased what he thought to be an old, somewhat historic log cabin home at 221 Market St. in Marcus Hook. He and his wife, Pat, were looking to downsize from their home in Bethel Township after raising their daughters.

The log cabin was owned by Manerchia's relative, Jennifer Ward, and had been in Pat Manerchia's family for 100 years. Having grown up in Marcus Hook, Michael Manerchia was well aware of the dubious legends that surrounded the house.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:20 PM

Porn star 'faked death' to shield MP  

The death of Italy's most famous porn actress more than a decade ago is being investigated on the suspicion that it was faked to hide her links to "a top politician".

Moana Pozzi was reported to have died of liver cancer 11 years ago in France at the age of 33. She is said to have had leukemia as a child. However, Rome prosecutor Attilio Pisani said there were "many flaws and inconsistencies" in the official version of her death.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:14 PM

Sunday, September 11, 2005

A few questions without answers in remote areas 

Three true tales of the unexplained from California.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:55 PM

The Voice of the White House  

What the scrotum-heads in the power elite (a la C. Wright Mills) are doing now vis a vis New Orleans is this: First, all of the poor blacks (and other unproductive and non-spending individuals) will be forced out of their sodden homes because of 'health reasons.' Then, if fires don't level whole poor neighborhoods, FEMA will order these buildings raised to the ground as 'unhealthy' and 'uninhabitable.'

The owners, or residents, will have been dispersed throughout the country but will be duly notified by a proper advert placed in an obscure official New Orleans legal paper that the houses are being torn down and that the owners will be liable for the costs of destruction. Naturally, these people will not read the legal notices and their houses will be smashed flat and the remains put into trucks and used for landfill somewhere else.

Worth a read. I wonder how the Supreme Court's eminent domain decision will play into the rebuilding of New Orleans?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:20 AM

LA SAGA CIGARETTE  

An amazing gallery of cigarette pack art.



Link found at boing boing.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:58 AM

Saturday, September 10, 2005

In the beginning there was the Flying Spaghetti Monster 

In recent weeks, a satirical attack on the teaching of Creationism in American schools has become the world's fastest growing 'religion'. The Noodly Saviour looked at the furore He had created and pronounced it good, writes James Langton.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:21 PM

1940s sex kidnap inspired Lolita  

LOLITA, the novel by Vladimir Nabokov about a middle-aged man's infatuation with an underage girl, was modelled on an abduction in 1940s America, according to new research.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:19 PM

Censored! 

Project Censored presents the 10 biggest stories the mainstream media ignored over the past year.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:58 AM

Friday, September 09, 2005

Just what was that in the sky on Monday night? 

SOMETHING strange was seen in the sky above Old Inverell Rd on Monday night.

An Armidale taxi driver heading towards the town, who wanted to remain anonymous, claimed he and two other people saw a line of three bright orange lights, heading west about 8.10.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:01 AM

How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?  

When President Bush nominated Michael Brown to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2003, Brown's boss at the time, Joe Allbaugh, declared, "the President couldn't have chosen a better man to help...prepare and protect the nation." But how well was he prepared for the job?

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:08 AM

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Scientists able to move an object without touching 

SCIENTISTS at Edinburgh University have developed a way of moving an object without touching it, in breakthrough research which could be as revolutionary as the discovery of electricity.

The team of researchers has been able to move objects across flat surfaces and even up a slope with nothing more than a light beam.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:23 PM

Remains of old ship found in San Francisco 

The remains of a massive Gold Rush-era sailing ship dating to the early 1800s have been discovered at the site of a large construction project in downtown San Francisco, archaeologists at the scene confirmed Tuesday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:38 PM

Bush Cohorts Profiteering at all levels 

As Donna reported yesterday, inept FEMA director Mike Brown told a reporter on Studio B that the removal of bodies from New Orleans was being handled by a company called "Kenyon". Kenyon International bills itself as "Worldwide Disaster Management." How convenient for GWBush to have a disaster management company that enriches his friends and supporters to clean up after him as he spreads disasters worldwide.

Kenyon is a wholly owned subsidiary of SCI Corp., "the largest provider of funeral, cremation, and cemetery services in North America." SCI Corp is owned by major Bush contributor and friend Robert Waltrip, who was at the center of the scandal known as "Funeralgate".

Well, that's one way to handle the body count - hire your buddies to hide it for you.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:02 AM

Church Street ghosts haunt lease lawsuit  

Ghosts may be headed to court in Orlando to help settle a very human fight.

The owners of Amura Japanese Restaurant say they don't want to move into a renovated building at Church Street Station because it's haunted, according to a lawsuit filed by the building's landlord.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:24 AM

Mysterious creature puts town on edge 

Was the strange creature recently killed in this West Texas town a bloodsucking monster called a chupacabra? Or a coyote with a bad case of mange?

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:18 AM

FEMA packed with W's pals 

The three top jobs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Bush went to political cronies with no apparent experience coping with catastrophes, the Daily News has learned.

Even if Bush were to fire embattled and suddenly invisible FEMA Director Michael Brown over his handling of Hurricane Katrina, the bureaucrat immediately below him is no disaster professional, either.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:29 AM

FEMA Wants No Photos of Dead  

The U.S. agency leading Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts said Tuesday that it does not want the news media to photograph the dead as they are recovered.

Hate to say I told you so....

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:20 AM

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Goodnight, little buddy 

Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show "Gilligan's Island," made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70.

Bob was a bit of a zen philosopher.

Gilligan's Island is wherever you want it to be in your mind.

You know, I have no worst experiences.

Bob Denver

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:09 PM

Strange pet deaths concern neighborhood 

What is killing the pets of Lawrence, Kansas?

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:12 PM

40,000 Dead? 

A co-owner of Shelbyville-based Gowen-Smith Chapel has been deployed to Gulfport, Miss., to help with recovery since Hurricane Katrina, and his business partner here has described the grim task there.

"DMort is telling us to expect up to 40,000 bodies," Dan Buckner said, quoting officials with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, a volunteer arm of Homeland Security.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:30 PM

The post-hurricane speech Bush won't deliver 

If only.....

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:06 PM

Man held in sex offender killings, says he found victims on Web 

A man turned himself in to authorities in the killing of two convicted child rapists, saying he picked the victims from a sheriff's Web site, police said.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:01 PM

Bush Says He'll Find Out What Went Wrong 

Man, I feel better already. Maybe when he's finished he can "look into" the whole Iraq thing and then help OJ find the real killers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:23 AM

Spain searches for Nazi camp doctor, 91 

Spanish police are scouring old people's homes on the east coast of Spain as the hunt closes in on a 91-year-old concentration camp doctor, regarded as one of the most wanted Nazis still alive.

Investigators say there is a strong chance that Aribert Heim, who is alleged to have killed hundreds of prisoners at the Mauthausen camp in Austria, is still alive and living on the Spanish costas.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:13 AM

Monday, September 05, 2005

"Rescue Ticket" 

I am stunned by an interview I conducted with New Orleans Detective Lawrence Dupree. He told me they were trying to rescue people with a helicopter and the people were so poor they were afraid it would cost too much to get a ride and they had no money for a "ticket." Dupree was shaken telling us the story. He just couldn't believe these people were afraid they'd be charged for a rescue.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:12 PM

Ancient 46-foot long crocodile found in Amazon 

Peruvian scientists discovered the fossilized remains of a giant, 46-foot-(14-meter)-long crocodile deep in the Amazon rainforest, lending credence to a theory that the Amazon was once a huge inland sea.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:40 AM

Mystery of the lost fleet 

Khubilai Khan was a man who had everything. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan, and had successfully taken over his grandfather's rule of China seven centuries ago. Nevertheless, there is one country that defied him - Japan.

So it was, that in the year 1281, Khubilai Khan (also known as Kublai Khan) built an armada of 4,400 ships carrying 140,000 men, and set forth to conquer the Land of the Rising Sun.

However, one fateful night in August that year, the massive fleet and all its crew members mysteriously vanished. It was the largest loss of life at sea in history, and a turning point that changed the history of the world, as we know it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:34 AM

Mystery Schooner In Lake Michigan 

Tom Palmisano is going back in time, back to an era when hundreds of wooden schooners filled our bustling harbors every day, making Chicago the busiest port in the country.

The shipwreck that Palmisano is diving on is one of the many vessels that sank in fierce Lake Michigan storms. But this wreck, dating back to the late 1800s, is a very rare find.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:32 AM

Shakespeare was a political rebel who wrote in code, claims author 

A code-breaking book which aims to change the image of William Shakespeare and reveal him as a subversive who embedded dangerous political messages in his work is to be published in Britain.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:23 AM

Hurricane Katrina, and A Partial List of Related Mistakes, Evasions, and Deceptions 

Pretty much says it all.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:37 AM

Knight Ridder Exposes Horsey Background of FEMA Chief 

So who is Michael Brown, now catching all kinds of criticism for his handling of the catastrophe in New Orleans? It seems his primary career experience before nabbing a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) post was running an Arabian horse association.

Best quote: "He's done a hell of a job, because I'm not aware of any Arabian horses being killed in this storm."

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:37 AM

Venezuela convinced of US invasion  

Venezuela has uncovered plans for a US-led invasion and is preparing to defend the country against invading forces if necessary, President Hugo Chavez said in a report carried by the state-run news agency.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:27 AM

Sunday, September 04, 2005

"One of the Worst Abandonments of Americans on American Soil Ever" 

Three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA, we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. When we got there with our trucks, FEMA says don't give you the fuel. Yesterday - yesterday - FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards and said no one is getting near these lines…

Why is FEMA cutting emergency communications lines?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:06 PM

Hurricanes Hate Our Freedom 

My buddy Matt put together this rocking t-shirt, available over at Cafepress. They make excellent gifts!

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:55 PM

Bush Administration Puts Katrina PR Campaign Into Overdrive 

The Bush administration kept its Hurricane Katrina response and its public relations campaign in overdrive on Sunday, even as first confirmation came from Washington of a dreaded statistic - that the storm probably killed thousands of people.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:49 PM

The Ghost in the Darkroom  

Mr. Apraxine has been a curious and open-minded observer almost all of his life, consulting psychics, undergoing hypnosis, reading books and magazines about the paranormal and, once, visiting a voodoo ceremony in Haiti. So his involvement in organizing the show at the Met - "The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult," a fascinating survey of the ways in which photography has been used to try to prove the existence of the supernatural - is more than just a professional or aesthetic exercise for him. At the least, it is one of those coincidences Mr. Apraxine says he decidedly does not believe in.

"There is nothing accidental - at least in my life," he says.

Be sure to check out the amazing slide show.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:57 AM

Team of believers to hunt for Swamp Ape 

It's had more sightings than Elvis.

They call it Yeti in Nepal, Yowie in Australia and Sasquatch in Canada. In Florida, it's called Swamp Ape, Skunk Ape, Stink Ape or Stink Man. More plainly put, Bigfoot.

For one man, finding the creature has become like searching for the Holy Grail, and he is teaming up with other believers the first week in November for a field research class through Florida Keys Community College. He hopes to bring back proof of its existence.

Hi Elisabeth!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:53 AM

Invisible Residents: The Reality of Underwater Ufos 

One of my favorite books in a new edition. Strangely enough, this is one of the easiest of Sanderson's books to find in used book stores. They must have published thousands of them. I personally own three copies and have given away at least two others.

I had a hard time finding a decent biography page for Sanderson so this one gets the job simply for the great picture of Ivan and the wonderful cover scans.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:49 AM

Bigfoot leaves his footprint on Willow Creek 

For the 37th year, Willow Creek called on sasquatch to mark the little town as the Bigfoot center of the universe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:27 AM

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Refugees still waiting for relief 

And the hurricane experts shook their heads in disgust and futility, much of it directed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"We told FEMA, and we told them long ago, and we told them more than once that they needed to purchase the land for tent cities with full facilities in anticipation of this," said Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, where experts warned since the late 1990s that New Orleans' levees couldn't withstand the storm surge of a major hurricane.

"They told me Americans don't live in tents," van Heerden said. "I guess that sums up their attitude."

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:40 PM

Wary of the Stories of New Orleans Rampaging 

It's probably good to keep in mind that the last two major disasters of this scale, the Galveston hurricane of 1900 (some 6,000 dead) and the late 1800s Johnstown, PA flood (2,200 fatalities), both involved false reports of "minority" savagery, Blacks and Eastern Europeans supposedly rampaging and cutting off the fingers of the dead to get their rings. All or most of these stories, many reported in the respectable press of the time, are now believed to have been completely untrue or wildly exaggerated

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:38 PM

Bush faked levee repair for photo op yesterday 

From a press release LA Senator Mary Landrieu sent out today:

But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast - black and white, rich and poor, young annd old - deserve far better from their national governmeent.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:49 PM

Friday, September 02, 2005

Julie Popovich's Body Found 

It is a sad end to the search for Julie Popovich. 10TV has learned that scientists have identified remains found Thursday as those of the missing Reynoldsburg woman.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:58 PM

George Bush doesn't care about black people! 

So sayeth Kanye West. On national television. And he's right. But George Bush doesn't care about any people, other than his friends.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:50 PM

Bush's next move? 

My guess is that he'll try to "minimize" the number of dead. Rove will really panic when they start stacking the bodies, but the Big Easy Dead will be much harder to hide than the dead in Iraq and keeping the media from them will be impossible. Blood on his hands . . .

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:09 PM

President Bush Diverts Critical Resources For Photo-Op 

Why are these helicopters being used as a backdrop for President Bush, instead of assisting the victims of Hurricane Katrina?

Why are members of the Coast Guard being used as a backdrop for Bush's press conference? Don't they have more important things to do?

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:51 PM

Premature Illumination 

Robert Anton Wilson interview.

Thanks to Chip for the tip.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:26 PM

Ray Nagin for President, Anderson Cooper for Secretary of Take No Shit 

A ticket I'd vote for.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:22 PM

Police say vigilante may have slain 2 Wash. sex offenders  

On Friday night, a man claiming to be an FBI agent dropped in on three Level 3 sex offenders living together, supposedly to warn them of an Internet hit list targeting sex offenders.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:52 PM

The Horror Worsens: Friday Pleas for Help from 'Times-Pic' Blog 

This is from today.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:43 PM

Mayor to feds: 'Get off your asses'  

I heard this interview early this morning and have been waiting for a transcript all day. Amazing. Go read it. Ray Nagin for President.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin blasted the slow pace of federal and state relief efforts in an expletive-laced interview with local radio station WWL-AM.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:35 PM

What the terrorists have learned this week: 

1) That the over 100 billion dollars the Bush Administration has spent on Homeland Security and the Emergency Response Fund has done little more than enrich his cronies and limit the civil rights of Americans.

2) That Bush is an ineffective president incapable of leading Americans in times of crisis.

3) That the United States cannot promote its empire overseas while simultaneously defending its own borders and people.

4) That the entrenched poverty of this country provides our enemies with ready-made foot soldiers who can be activated to create civil unrest simply by removing the social structure around them.

5) Four and a half years of inept Bush leadership has not prepared the country in any way, shape, or form for attack or national emergency.

6) That America is full of soft targets.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:52 AM

"This one's called When the Levee Breaks..."

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:50 AM

World stunned as US struggles with Katrina 

"I am absolutely disgusted. After the tsunami our people, even the ones who lost everything, wanted to help the others who were suffering," said Sajeewa Chinthaka, 36, as he watched a cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

"Not a single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. Now with all this happening in the U.S. we can easily see where the civilized part of the world's population is."

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:28 AM

Bush Unmasked: Yes, He's A COMPLETE Failure 

MoxieGrrrl puts it all together.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:27 AM

Ghost of the Sound -- old shipwreck tells Greenwich's tales  

It was a cold, pitch-black night on the windswept Long Island Sound 75 years ago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:00 AM

Vampire active again, claims occult expert 

THE Highgate Vampire Society has been revamped and come back out of its coffin with a new website.

David Farrant, president of the British Psychic and Occult Society, founded the Highgate Vampire Society in 1997.

By 2000, the society had 374 members but pressure of work forced Mr Farrant to disband the group.

Last month he returned to Highgate Cemetery, after a reported sighting of a 'vampire-like' figure in April.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:53 AM

Thursday, September 01, 2005

A Can't-Do Government 

Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. "The New Orleans hurricane scenario," The Houston Chronicle wrote in December 2001, "may be the deadliest of all." It described a potential catastrophe very much like the one now happening.

So why were New Orleans and the nation so unprepared? After 9/11, hard questions were deferred in the name of national unity, then buried under a thick coat of whitewash. This time, we need accountability.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:46 PM

Even Mr. Bill Knew the Levees Wouldn't Hold 

In early 2004, lovable, crushable clay animated figure Mr. Bill from Saturday Night Live starred in an ad to alert people to the problems with the wetlands in Louisiana. On Good Morning, America today, President Bush said, "I don't think anyone could have anticipated the breach of the levees." He was wrong. Mr. Bill already had. Here's a transcript of the stunningly prescient ad, from CNN on May 27, 2004:

MR. BILL: Gee, kids, I'm not sure we can do our show today because it looks like Hurricane Sluggo is headed right for us here in America's wetlands.

WALTER WILLIAMS, MR. BILL CREATOR: That's right, Mr. Bill. And since New Orleans is below sea level, if a hurricane hit us directly, it could push the water over the levees and fill it to the top.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:58 PM

Just what has Homeland Security been preparing for? 

Homeland Security is a $40 billion a year monster, and preparing for disasters is at the top of their list. Literally. The first bullet point on their list of priorities is "Supporting First Responders." The last few days they had an opportunity to show off the apparatus which they supposedly have been building to keep us safe in the event of a terrorist attack, and what they have shown should leave all Americans demanding answers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:49 PM

Budget cuts delayed New Orleans flood control work  

Bush administration funding cuts forced federal engineers to delay improvements on the levees, floodgates and pumping stations that failed to protect New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters, agency documents showed on Thursday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:45 PM

Theory: Mad cow may have come from humans 

A new theory proposes that mad cow disease may have come from feeding British cattle meal contaminated with human remains infected with a variation of the disease.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:42 PM

A Tragedy By Any Other Name 

That the Bush administration diverted funds from the rebuilding of the New Orleans levees to Iraq is by now well-known. What you might not have heard is that the people cleaning up the mess are really pissed about it. A tipster informs us that down in New Orleans, they have a name for the flood waters that have invaded the city: Lake George.

This is from a friend at the EPA:

We're naming it Lake George, 'cause it's his frickin fault. Have you seen all that data about the levee projects' funding being cut over the past three years by the Prez, and the funding transferred to Iraq? The levee, as designed, might not have held back the surge from a direct Class 5 hit, but it certainly would not have crumbled on Monday night from saturation and scour erosion following a glancing blow from a Class 3. The failure was in a spot that had just been rebuilt, not yet compacted, not planted, and not armed (hardened with rock/concrete). The project should have been done two years ago, but the federal gov't diverted 80% of the funding to Iraq. Other areas had settled by a few feet from their design specs, and the money to repair them was diverted to Iraq.

The NO paper raised hell about this time and again, to no avail. And who will take the blame for it? The Army Corps, because they're good soldiers and will never contradict the C in C. But Corps has had massive budget cuts across all departments (including wetland regulatory) since Bush took office, and now we've reaped what was sown. It really pisses me off to see the Corps get used by the Administration to shield Bush -- they do great work when they're funded. This was senseless, useless death caused not by nature but by budget decisions.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:57 PM

BLACK MAGIC FIEND 

THE evil loner who murdered schoolboy Rory Blackhall had a sick interest in witchcraft and black magic. Simon Harris, 37, who hanged himself after killing Rory, 11, even joined a coven close to his home.

He admitted his interest in the occult to relatives two years ago.

Last night, one family member told the Record: "He came to my house and told me about joining a coven.

"I thought he was talking about white witchcraft - but unfortunately it turned out to be the opposite."

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:59 AM