Thursday, May 31, 2007

Mysterious Image Appears In Photograph 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:08 PM

Loch Ness monster video? 

British amateur scientist Gordon Holmes has captured what Loch Ness Monster watchers say is among the finest footage ever taken of the elusive mythical creature reputed to swim beneath the waters of Scotland's most mysterious lake.

With link to video. If that link doesn't work for you try this link at You Tube.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:06 PM

Demystifying the Mythological Wonder Drink 

The Aryan priests who wrote the Rig Veda (subject to historical inferences and inaccuracies) offer several references and poetic allusions to 'Soma', as a juice of a plant which 'transports them into light' and gave them 'immortality'.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:00 PM

The Martini Girl sold in to sex slavery 

As the Martini Girl, she embodied the sexual promise of the 1970s. Then she vanished. Only now, can Deborah Jackson's incredible story of sexual enslavement be told...

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:33 PM

Harvard's gravity hill defies physics -- well, at least it appears to 

Up is down, water flows the wrong way, and the spirits appear to defy gravity. Such is the near Alice in Wonderland description of the gravity hill road in Harvard.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:31 PM

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Flame on! 

It's not often the Professor gets a ringside seat to a media firestorm but that's exactly what happened this weekend when my friends at Prospero's Books in Kansas City decided to have a book burning to draw attention to declining literacy in the United States. The event was covered by the local news and then picked up by the AP. I spent most of Memorial Day behind the counter at the store with noted troublemaker Jason Ryberg fielding calls from all over the country (and more than a few from overseas) as people rang with their concerns, blessings and outrage.

Many people understood the point the bookstore was trying to make - many others decidedly did not. Burning books promotes a visceral response in people, more so than any other method of disposal. We pointed out to upset callers (and more than a few angry bloggers) that libraries and bookstores fill dumpsters full of books every month with nary a peep from the public, but somehow books rotting in a landfill doesn't get under people's skins like throwing a book on a barbeque. That really pisses people off. Of course, anyone who has ever worked in a used bookstore immediately understood what was happening. It is hard to explain to someone who has never done it the sheer physical exertion involved with just moving 20,000 books, let alone storing, sorting, and pricing them. "Just give them away!" people cried. Well, they tried that. Libraries didn't want them. Charities turned them down and, oddly, so did prisons. You'd think a reading prison populace would be a safer prison populace but there seem to be a variety of barriers involved with getting books to prisoners. The book burning did open up some other avenues, such as getting books to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and a service that seems to specialize in getting books into prisons despite the red tape. The guys at the book store are looking into these options.

The burning has recieved quite a bit of notice from blogs literary and otherwise. Here is a thread at Metafilter and here is the Slashdot equivalent. A Google Blog Search for "Prospero's Books" will also give you an idea of the tenor of the debate. Oh, and here is the Prospero's Books MySpace page if you're into that sort of thing, complete with thoughtful blog entries and replies, as well as video of the event.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:43 PM

Island man finds historical "gold" 

Man finds 1,500-year-old canoe while walking the beach.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:49 PM

The power of hypnosis can help you help yourself 

Mention the word "hypnosis" and many people call to mind old horror movies in which an evil-doer uses dark magical powers to overtake and control a person's behavior. There's the swinging pendulum, deep monotone voice - and who can forget Count Dracula's "look into my eyes." This all makes for good entertainment, but none of this can be further from the truth.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:35 PM

Kanawha Madonna shrouded in mystery 

As the story goes, the three-foot-tall figure was found by three teenaged boys in a rock shelter or cave near Chelyan at the end of the 19th century.

Cool story, with pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:31 PM

Genes may play a part in learning "tonal languages", such as Chinese 

A new study has found that genes may actually contribute to learning the supposed "tonal languages", such as Chinese.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 PM

Scientists ramp up theory on Great Pyramid 

From the ancient Greeks to today's techno-geeks, many have asked this question: How was something this huge built with such precision?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:46 AM

On The Trail Of Those Bumps In The Night 

They are members of Spiral, a new Sutton-based group who investigate the paranormal.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:00 AM

Revealing photo album of Ireland's wildest women 

Even today it is a provocative image but this remarkable photograph also sheds new light on two of the wildest women in Irish history.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:54 AM

Local man debunks Black Angel mysteries 

The giant Black Angel in the Oakland Cemetery, which can be spotted from hundreds of feet away, has generated its fair share of spooky stories in Iowa City for years.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:43 AM

World's oldest camera auctioned for 800,000 dollars 

An 1839 daguerreotype camera, ancestor of modern photography, was sold at auction in Vienna Saturday for nearly 600,000 euros making it the world's oldest and most expensive commercial photographic apparatus.

With pic. Of course.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:15 AM

Magicians banned from mud volcano 

Magicians and others performing spiritual rites have been banned from throwing amulets and sacrificial animals into Indonesia's massive "mud volcano" for fear of making the disaster worse.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:04 AM

Friday, May 25, 2007

Man claims new sleepless record 

Tony did it!

Or maybe not....

Still, congratulations are in order.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:44 PM

Thursday, May 24, 2007

UFO believer exposes fakes, faces resistance from locals 

Rich Giordano filmed such an event on Val Vista Drive in Mesa in late April, and claims it was a fleet of ships performing exercises in the northern sky.

But before you write Giordano off as another alien-obsessed crackpot, there's one thing you should know: Giordano wants someone to prove him wrong.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:25 PM

Mythic Creatures 

"Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids" runs through January at the American Museum of Natural History.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:14 PM

Reggie the alligator believed captured 

A 6 1/2-foot-long alligator believed to be the elusive "Reggie" who lurked in a park lake for two years was captured Thursday in a wrestling match with a reptile expert and rangers and was rushed to a zoo with TV news helicopters trailing its journey across the nation's second-largest city.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:03 PM

Did one of the princes in the Tower survive to be an Essex bricklayer? 

Legend has it that he was murdered alongside his royal brother in the Tower of London.

But according to a fascinating new theory, the young Prince Richard escaped the walls of his prison.

And he ended up building walls himself...as a bricklayer in Essex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:51 PM

Bird poops on Bush 

Everybody's a critic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:18 PM

A Dictionary of Diner Slang 

I'd like some Cackle Fruit on a Raft with Zeppelins. On wheels, please.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:12 PM

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Pub Calls In Ghosthunters 

Paranormal experts have been called to a pub in Warminster after weeks of unexplained phenomena have left its new management terrified.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:11 PM

DepthX robotic submarine maps world's deepest sinkhole 

With cool pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:51 PM

Hunt for Jewish library stolen by the Nazis turns to Russia 

A priceless collection of antique manuscripts and books that has been missing since Nazi troops looted it from the synagogue in Rome may be languishing in an abandoned Soviet military archive.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:45 PM

Claims of 9/11 conspiracy have suspect running scared 

A former Federal Emergency Management Agency videographer accused of killing his wife in Denver is seeking political asylum in Argentina, claiming the U.S. government wants him silenced for what he saw in the smoldering ruins of the Twin Towers after 9/11.

Via Raw Story.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:16 PM

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Spirit Photography Collectors Ain't Afriad of No Ghosts 

From the 1860s carte-de-visites of William Mumler to the present day, photography has been used to both prove and debunk the existence of ghosts and spirits. Jack and Beverly Wilgus, a collecting team for 30 years and the creative force behind the Bright Byte Studio, have a remarkable collection of spirit photography.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:19 PM

California man victim of plot fit for T.V. 

Extremely weird story.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:42 PM

Female sharks capable of virgin birth 

Female sharks can fertilize their own eggs and give birth without sperm from males, according to a new study of the asexual reproduction of a hammerhead in a U.S. zoo.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:22 PM

Bomb Plot Thwarted at Falwell's Funeral 

Authorities arrested a Liberty University student for having several homemade bombs in his car.

The student, 19-year-old Mark Ewell of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service. The devices were made of a combination of gasoline and detergent, a law enforcement official told ABC News' Pierre Thomas. They were "slow burn," according to the official, and would not have been very destructive.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:17 PM

Monster Hunter 

An Exclusive Interview with Nick Redfern. Via the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:40 PM

China kills to harvest organs: MDs 

Foreign patients who travel to China for transplants are likely receiving organs culled from political prisoners who are alive when their corneas, kidneys and livers are harvested, then left to die, an international group of doctors armed with a chilling Canadian report is warning.

Thanks Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:50 AM

UFO pictures increase in detail and number 

Are we witnessing a 'wave'?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:12 AM

Did A Celestial Explosion Kill North American Mammals? 

Why did huge numbers of large mammals in North America suddenly die out approximately 13,000 years ago?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:57 AM

Calvi, 'God's Banker,' Got Caught in Real-Life 'Da Vinci Code' 

The Cold War spawned an unholy alliance in Italy, uniting the Vatican, the Mafia, U.S. and U.K. spy networks, freemasons and the country's most powerful politicians. Banker Roberto Calvi pulled financial strings for elements in each of these forces, and it would cost him his life.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:56 AM

MI5 'raided bank for sex pictures of Margaret' 

Her acknowledged love affairs were some of the great sex scandals of their day and the rumours were even more lurid.

But few of the stories about Princess Margaret are as murky as claims to be made in a new film - that MI5 staged a London bank robbery as a ruse to eliminate sexually compromising photographs of her on the Caribbean island of Mustique.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:53 AM

Wanted: Ned Kelly's missing remains 

Some 126 years after he was executed, Australia's most notorious outlaw, Ned Kelly, appears to have given the authorities the slip again.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:51 AM

Mystery surrounds treasure trove 

The Spanish government says it is investigating whether one of the world's biggest-ever finds of sunken treasure was plundered from its waters or from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:49 AM

Seeking the Ozarks' unknown artist 

Distinctive 'outsider art' likely created by patient at state hospital.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:44 AM

Indonesian fisherman nets ancient fish 

Coelacanth!

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:15 AM

Friday, May 18, 2007

Chinese writing '8,000 years old' 

Chinese archaeologists studying ancient rock carvings say they have evidence that modern Chinese script is thousands of years older than previously thought.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:45 PM

The Secret History of Jerry Falwell 

At the same time the Rev. Jerry Falwell was accusing pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the ACLU and People For the American Way of sharing responsibility for the 9/11 attack the televangelist owed over one million dollars in unpaid loans to the owner of the terror flight school in Florida which trained Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi, the MadCowMorningNews has learned.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:01 PM

Beast of Bay seen again 

The mysterious big cat which has been stalking local villages may have been spotted again.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:53 PM

Piles of rocks spark an American Indian mystery 

In a thick forest of maple, willow and oak trees where 17th century European settlers fought hundreds of American Indians, algae-covered stones are arranged in mysterious piles.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:44 PM

Drifters could explain sweet-potato travel 

How did the South American sweet potato wind up in Polynesia? New research suggests that the crop could have simply floated there on a ship.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:44 PM

Nuke official's comments stir security concerns 

Federal nuclear watchdogs and members of Congress are seeking answers after a former security director at a western Michigan nuclear plant gave a bizarre series of interviews to Esquire magazine in which he claimed to be a hired assassin.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:27 PM

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Ivan Mackerle: Death Worm Hunter 

That would look great on a business card.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:17 AM

Scientists cast doubt on Kennedy bullet analysis 

Multiple shooters possible, study says.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:05 AM

Roman towns aligned with Sun 

Ancient Romans built their towns using astronomically aligned grids, an Italian study concludes.

Via Daily Grail.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:02 AM

Builders dig up lost pleasure garden of the ancient Romans 

Mosaics from the fabled Gardens of Lucullus, one of the pioneering influences on gardening, have been brought to light after 2,000 years by archaeologists in Rome.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:37 AM

Ghost haunts court: Vision of 1930s-era judge creeps out clerk 

Kelly Jarrell, a file clerk at Cochise County Superior Court, had gone to the top floor of the courthouse to retrieve a file from a storage area when she got the surprise of her life.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:30 AM

Does Necropolis hold the key to Freemasonry's secret history? 

Research has suggested Glasgow Necropolis is a giant masonic symbol, fully 37 acres of landscaped metaphor.

Historian Ronnie Scott has unearthed previously unseen patterns in the design of the early 19th-century cemetery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:27 AM

Curious Alexandria 5-year-old finds curious object 

Cannonball!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:21 AM

The Hunt for Bigfoot 

A myth...A legend - or does a creature that's not human ...And not animal... Walk this earth?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:00 AM

Scientists ramp up for pyramid theory 

From the ancient Greeks to today's techno-geeks, many have asked this question: How was something this huge built with such precision?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:59 AM

Treasure trove deep in Antarctic ocean 

The lightless depths of the Antarctic's Southern Ocean harbour an unexpectedly diverse "treasure trove" of marine life, including more than 700 previously unknown species, according to a new international study.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:57 AM

Mausoleum Leak Mystery Solved 

Ewwwww.....

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:55 AM

Suicide Or Murder? Evidence Reviewed 

Weird story.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:55 AM

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Little School of Horrors 

New Rigorous Intuition.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:00 PM

New Thunderbird Photos 

Cryptomundo's got them. See also: Update: Kerala Thunderbird Photo

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:15 AM

The Idol Thief 

Inside one of the biggest antiquities-smuggling rings in history.

Via Metafilter.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:11 AM

How Alexander the Great Laid Waste to an Island Fortress 

Would-be warlords, take note. Researchers say they have figured out how the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great was able to build a nearly kilometer-long road over the sea to strike at the island of Tyre in 332 B.C.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:00 AM

An illustrated guide to Republican scandals 

Worst. Administration. Ever.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:49 AM

Bobby Kennedy: America's first assassination conspiracy theorist 

One of the most intriguing mysteries about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, that darkest of American labyrinths, is why his brother Robert F. Kennedy apparently did nothing to investigate the crime.

Via Cannonfire.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:49 AM

Geeky Rare-Earth Magnets Repel Sharks 

For SharkDefense partners Eric Stroud and Michael Herrmann, the latest eureka moment in their efforts to repel sharks came not from their extensive research but their utter geekiness.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:33 AM

CIA contract pilots in Vietnam War have pension hopes 

In 14 years working for Air America, Jordan never formally was told who was footing the bill for his often-harrowing flights. But he and the other pilots knew. They called their mystery client "the customer," Jordan said. "And the CIA was always the customer."

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:25 AM

On the prowl for a mystery 

Call them mountain lions, cougars, panthers or "painter cats," as the old-time mountain folk did, they may still be out there.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:25 AM

Strange Liquid Oozing From Local Mausoleum 

It's a mausoleum mystery. Something is oozing out of a couple's longtime resting place. It's hard to miss. The stuff is dripping from above, coming down to the floor.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:23 AM

Researcher says some children demonstrate unusual abilities after UFO and Extraterrestrial Encounters 

A former registered nurse who has worked with hundreds of clients, including many children, will be revealing evidence of their encounters with extraterrestrial beings at an upcoming conference in Montreal, Canada.

See also: We are not alone

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:22 AM

'Son Of Sam' Serial Killer Finds Salvation 

Now one of the world's most shocking serial killers is preaching the word of god, and finding forgiveness from a surprising source.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:22 AM

Plasma Laser: UFO Maker? 

Military researchers are today working on a way to defend soldiers with ultra-quick laser pulses and mid-air plasma bursts. But similar technology may have been floating around the Defense Department for years -- and could even be the source of a few UFO scares.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:18 AM

Happy 70th Birthday George Carlin! 

Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man...living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:16 AM

Murderous Mystery Tours In L.A. 

1947project gets some press.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:04 AM

Sunday, May 13, 2007

What does $456 billion buy? 

Including the $124.2 billion bill, the total cost of the Iraq war may reach $456 billion in September, according to the National Priorities Project, an organization that tracks public spending.

The amount got us wondering: What would $456 billion buy?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:46 PM

Friday, May 11, 2007

The plague tracked in Denver 

Denver officials warned people to stay away from squirrels as they monitored what could be an outbreak of the plague.

From the same article: Denver has not had an outbreak of the plague since 1968.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:57 PM

Digital tricks preserve dinosaur tracks 

Digital technology has "frozen in time" thousands of fossilized dinosaur tracks, bringing to life a caravan of paleo-beasts, from towering sauropods to Tyrannosaurus rexes, that stampeded over a rocky Earth millions of years ago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:39 PM

Browse Through The World's Largest Online Occult Dictionary 

Press release.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:36 PM

Abandoning the Fort 

Mikita Brottman takes a look at Charles Fort's influence and the FortFest. Brottman's web site is here.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:33 PM

Spaniards search for legendary Tartessos in a marsh 

Where was the capital of Tartessos, the legendary pre-Roman civilization which once existed on the Iberian Peninsula?

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:26 PM

Angels are among us today, author says 

"Angels are with us always," said Anderson, a devout Catholic and member of St. Edna Parish in Arlington Heights, Ill. "We all have one, but if we're not welcoming our angel, there might be a reason why we're not getting a lot of help. It could just be that we've forgotten him."

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:23 PM

Repairs start at ancient British site 

Archeologists planned to reopen a tunnel Friday into Silbury Hill, Europe's largest prehistoric artificial mound, in a bid to carry out urgent repair work amid fears that the 30-metre high structure is in danger of collapse.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:11 PM

'White Mischief' murder finally solved after 66 years 

The killing of Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll, in 1941 gripped a nation caught up in the grind of war.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:10 PM

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Boundary Stones of Washington, D.C. 

In 1791 and 1792, Andrew Ellicott and his surveying team placed 40 boundary stones around the perimeter of the District of Columbia, one at each mile of the original diamond shape.

Cool. With map. Via Metafilter.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:03 PM

A "heavy" thought about the Dix Six 

Does the Fort Dix plot smell a little funny to you? Cannonfire takes a look at the funk.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:48 PM

Keith Henson Back in Jail 

Interview with $cientology fugitive Keith Henson - convicted of interfering with a religion.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:00 PM

Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove 

The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protege of Rove's, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:07 PM

Strange Craft 

Hoax or something else? Cool pictures, though.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:06 PM

Ancient Fabric Found in Greece 

An ancient fabric was found in a cylindrical urn that also contained dried pomegranates -- offerings linked with the ancient gods of the underworld -- along with ashes and charred human bones from an early 7th century B.C. cremation. "This is an extremely rare find, as fabric is an organic material which decomposes very easily," said archaeologist Alkistis Papadimitriou.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:43 PM

Attorney gets copy of suspect's confession 

Prosecutors have turned over a videotaped confession by Austin "Trey" Bernard III - one of seven people accused in the Hosanna Church of Ponchatoula child-rape case - to Bernard's defense attorney, according to court officials and court documents.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:39 PM

Old area publications chronicle 1905 murder 

Rewind to 1905 in Troy.

Back then, a farmer named Comfort Smith with a "vision" tried to help solve the murder of slain former Troy Police Chief Edward W. Fenner. The 49-year-old was found in an alley. He died June 17, 1905, after being shot to death, leaving a widow and 22-year-old son as survivors.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:02 PM

Last WWI veteran living in Canada dies at 106 

Dwight Wilson's dogged determination to join his countrymen in the trenches of the First World War drove him to enlist not once, but twice, despite news reports chronicling the "horrendous" conflict being waged in Europe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:00 PM

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

UK UFO Pilot Sightings Update & Watch Video Of Interview With The Pilot 

Well, surprise, surprise the story of two separate UK airline pilots sighting multiple UFO's has conflicting reports and the story is only a few days old!!

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:16 PM

Leonard Part 41 

Interview with Elmore Leonard as he releases his 41st novel.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:10 PM

Monster's legend awaits students 

"Native Americans had an old legend of a rock monster living inside Moaning Cavern," she said. "Because the cavern actually does moan - hence the name - it was said that it was from a rock monster called Yayali."

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:59 PM

Trying to Connect Dots in Notorious Killing 

For nearly 15 years it has endured among the more bizarre mysteries in Mafia lore, a competitive field if ever there was one: When a young couple from Queens - armed with an Uzi, a Mercury Topaz and a dream - ventured out to rob social clubs run by the mob, how exactly were they expecting things to end?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:55 PM

Charges may result from firings, say two former U.S. attorneys 

Two former U.S. attorneys said today they believe ongoing investigations into the dismissals last year of eight federal prosecutors could result in criminal charges against senior Justice Department officials.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:53 PM

Naming names and 'suicide' 

Xymphora takes a look at the D.C. Madam, one of her late escorts, and a curiously prominent court-appointed attorney.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:38 PM

A Mind Blowing Literary Coincidence 

Wit of the Staircase leads a charmed life.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:41 PM

Many Dimensions (Part Two) 

New Rigorous Intuition.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:35 PM

11 Days Without Sleep! 

At 6.00 am on May 14 2007 Tony Wright will begin his quest to break the 43 year old world sleep deprivation record. The event will take place at The Studio Bar, a new live music venue in Penzance Cornwall. The current record of 264 hours (11 days) was set by 17 year old Randy Gardner in 1964 as part of a student science project in San Diego.

Very interesting. My personal record is 75 hours and at the end of it I hallucinated the Marx Brothers. Tony has also written a book on the evolution of the human brain. His website is here.

Good luck to you, Tony. Via the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:46 AM

State Dept. erases all reference to top official who quit over DC Madam list 

In Soviet Russia, erasers erase you!

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:35 AM

Egyptians, not Greeks were true fathers of medicine 

Scientists examining documents dating back 3,500 years say they have found proof that the origins of modern medicine lie in ancient Egypt and not with Hippocrates and the Greeks.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:10 AM

The Scalawag of Blue Mountain 

The beautiful, ancient Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, part of the great Appalachian chain, are rich with folk culture, traditional American music and mysterious lore. They may also be home to a species of unclassified ape that may be one of the North American creatures that has collectively been called Bigfoot or Sasquatch.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:07 AM

Considering aliens 

May 11 marks the anniversary of one of the most famous U.F.O. sightings in U.S. history. In 1950 in McMinnville, Ore., farmer Paul Trent and his wife Evelyn were doing their evening chores when they saw "a large, metallic-looking, disc-shaped object hovering silently in the sky."

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:06 AM

UFOs make Yuma man's life a pit stop 

On Sunday, just a few weeks shy of the 29th anniversary of that night in 1978, Cullen leaned back in the chair and talked of the night the spaceship came down.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:04 AM

Meditation Sharpens the Mind 

Three months of intense training in a form of meditation known as "insight" in Sanskrit can sharpen a person's brain enough to help them notice details they might otherwise miss.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:01 AM

Forgotten instrument to go on display 

A musical instrument unheard of since the 14th century is to be unveiled at Edinburgh University.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:57 AM

Ghostly Images Seen, Photographed On 'Deadly' Stretch Of I-4 

With video. Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:56 AM

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Are we alone? Your UFO stories... 

Following last week's article about a UFO sighting above Norfolk Road, The Hunts Post has been inundated with tales of mysterious shapes in the sky.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:29 PM

Behold, 232-year-old mysterious stone images in Esie Museum 

The discovery of over 1,500 stone images in Esie, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State about 232 years ago by a hunter named Baragbon during his hunting expedition continues to remain a mystery to the community and everyone who visits the National Museum in Esie where the images are kept.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:23 PM

Do Plants Have Sex? 

Minus bad pickup lines, one-night stands, and other social complexities, plants actually do have sex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:17 PM

Researcher: We have found Herod's tomb 

Herod's tomb has been discovered near Jerusalem, Hebrew University's Ehud Netzer will announce today.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:02 PM