Thursday, January 31, 2008

Thundergoose 

Do extraordinarily large geese exist? Is there a Thundergoose out there?

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:23 PM

Triangle-shaped UFOs are focus of sightings, research 

People who report seeing unusual objects in the sky have described many different sizes and shapes.

See also: Do We Collaborate?

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:21 PM

42 sightings of big cats in the region 

There were 42 sightings of big cats roaming the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire countryside over the last year, according to figures released this week.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:12 PM

Dutch Reporter: I've Solved Holloway Case 

After a Dutch journalist declared that his private investigation had solved the mysterious disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, the chief prosecutor in Aruba announced today that he is reopening the case.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:05 PM

New DNA found on murdered student's bra not a match to three jailed suspects 

DNA traces which do not match any of the three official suspects have been found on the bra of Meredith Kercher, the British student murdered in Perugia last November, suggesting that more people may have taken part in the attack than thought.

See also: Amanda Knox: What if she's innocent? (Good piece.)

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:03 PM

Bruce Lee's Green Hornet screen test 

So fast the camera barely registers his movements. We need a word for "more awesome than awesome."



Thanks Aimee!

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:52 PM

Former Romanian priest jailed for exorcism murder of nun 

A former priest began a seven-year jail term Wednesday for murdering a young nun during an exorcism ritual when she was bound, chained to a cross and denied food and water for days.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 PM

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Ghosts. UFOs. A 9-year-old ... 

Abominable snowman. Yeti. Loch ness monster. ... and all you other strange creatures out there ... I bow in submission. I throw in the towel, wave the white flag ... surrender.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:32 PM

Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: More on the Texas UFOs 

A couple of weeks ago, this column took a look at the strange UFO sightings in Stephenville, Texas.

NASA's Pilot John B. McKay - Objects That Appeared To Be UFOs Over Edwards AFB

Albany man sees UFO that no one else did, has blob video to prove it.

Secret Air Force tests could explain Texas UFO sightings

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:29 PM

‘Ghosts’ eject families 

Mr Justin Kumbu told the Nation that the spirits had caused havoc to the their property through mysterious fires.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:18 PM

$150M Fairy Tale Chamber of Amber 

In the 300 years since Frederic built the Amber Room for his home at Charlottenburg Palace, it has dazzled kings and queens, trading hands between Russian and Prussian rulers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:21 PM

Nature Inspires Creepy Robot Swarms 

Why is it that so many amazing new scientific discoveries end up being applied to distinctly creepy sounding robotics projects?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:18 PM

20 Things You Didn’t Know About... Science Fiction 

Sci-fi author Gene Wolfe helped develop the machine that cooks Pringles, while Robert Heinlein conceived the first modern water bed.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:10 PM

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Empire on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown II 

New Rigorous Intuition.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:36 PM

Supernatural studies in the material world 

One doesn't typically get the chills during a PowerPoint presentation in a well-heated conference room. But ghost stories were the hot topic at a two-day event in San Francisco's Cowell Theater billed as the first scientific conference on the afterlife for a general audience.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:30 PM

Weird Los Angeles: The Goatsucker! 

Something strange is decreasing the abundant and once bold populations of coyote's in Southern California, and it's not from this planet!

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:27 PM

Thompson’s Sea Serpent Hunt 

Cryptomundo sets sail.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:23 PM

Pyramid Scheme 

Conman? Intrepid scientist? A Texan who sees the cradle of civilization in the Bosnian hills is at least helping the economy.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:19 PM

Last glimpse inside ancient enigma 

Silbury Hill is a pile of chalk just off the A4 in Wiltshire but it's been called "Europe's answer to the pyramids".

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:12 PM

Rome Underground (the Catacombs!) 

Recently, over dinner, a neighbor told me that my apartment building in Rome — indeed my entire neighborhood — is built over a series of ancient catacombs that contain the remains of tens of thousands of bodies. My first reaction was a shiver.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:09 PM

Mysterious light puzzles Albany man 

Brian Wright of Albany saw a circular, bright light in the eastern sky about a year ago, and he’s wondered about it ever since.

With sort-of pic.

See also: Martians in mood for Mexican?

UFO theories fly again


Qatar: Strange Lights Over Doha (pic)

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:52 PM

Occult reaches students, staff 

For some at Ohio State, the occult is a field of academic interest, but for some students it is a way of life.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:41 PM

Olive branch solves a Bronze Age mystery 

Scientists have discovered the remains of a single olive tree, buried alive during a massive volcanic eruption during the Late Bronze Age. A study that dates this tree, plus another study that dates a series of objects from before, during and after the eruption, now offer a new timeline for one of the earliest chapters of European civilization.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:38 PM

Exercise may slow DNA ageing 

A new study hints that fitness buffs appear to have ``younger'' DNA than the chronically sedentary. The finding could help scientists understand the effects of exercise and aging at a molecular level.
In theory, it might also motivate people to get off the couch.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:36 PM

Modern tools help WWI museum officials reveal tanks mystery 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:35 PM

After 177 years, origin of Hoosier still isn't clear 

While others have dabbled in lesser questions such as the meaning of life and how many angels can balance on the head of a pin, Hanover College English professor Jonathan Clark Smith has zeroed in on The Really Big One: The genesis of the word "Hoosier" as applied to residents of the great state of Indiana.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:29 PM

Mystery of Diana's missing papers takes centre stage in court 

In a tense day of testimony to the High Court, Princess Diana's sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, vehemently denied she destroyed a box of potentially explosive secrets that was kept locked in apartments at Kensington Palace.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:27 PM

Finnish amateur astronomer photographs Kern arc for the first time 

The Finnish astronomy magazine Tähdet ja Avaruus ("Stars and Space") made history on Monday when it published the world's first photographs of an extremely rare phenomenon known as the Kern arc.

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:32 PM

The horse who disappeared 

As the 25th anniversary of the horse's kidnapping approaches, the puzzle of Shergar's final hours finally has been solved, and why his remains have never been found, how the Garda, the Irish police, bungled their investigation and the precise circumstances of Shergar's grisly death also are revealed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:35 PM

Edward D. Hoch, RIP 

Over five decades, Hoch published more than 900 mystery stories in periodicals like Argosy, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and The Saint Mystery Magazine. For the last 35 years he was a fixture of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, which published a story of his every month from 1973 until his death.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:27 PM

Experts Stunned By Discoveries In Home Of Late 77-Year-Old Frugal Librarian 

Jean Preston worked most of her life as a librarian. She rode the bus to work every day, ate almost all of her meals at home from frozen foods and never really went out on the town.

She lived a quiet life in her plain looking red-bricked home in Oxford, England. And when she died at age 77 in 2006, her final moments came much the way she lived - with few people really noticing her passing.

But that changed when stunned experts came to collect her belongings. They found one of the biggest art collections in recent memory inside that non-descript home, a stash of paintings and other valuables worth nearly $8 million.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:18 PM

Monday, January 28, 2008

FROM THE HEX FILES 

The Kansas City Star, May 8, 1924

COLUMBUS HAD THE DATA?

______________

Explorer Didn't Make Blind Voyage To Find America

______________

Documents Indicate He Knew of Existence of Islands to the West After Someone From This Side Visited Europe

_____________

New York, May 8. - Two significant historical facts were revealed today with publication by Albert and Charles Boni of "The Journal of First Voyage to America," by Christopher Columbus, based on documents found in 1820 in the archives in Madrid.

One is that long before Columbus discovered America, someone from the western hemisphere visited Europe. The second is that Columbus was definitely informed of this, as well of the existence of "islands" in the west - long mooted question among American historians. It has been believed Columbus sailed to discover the wealth and jewels and mysteries of "the Indies" on mere guesswork.

LETTER CONTAINS EVIDENCE

The new historical evidence is contained in a subjoined letter which Paul Toscanelli, a Florentine physician and celebrated astronomer, wrote to Columbus in 1474 - eighteen years before the journey of discovery to America was made.

This letter, according to Don Fernando Columbus, in his biography of his father, had a great effect in causing Columbus to undertake the voyage.

Although Toscanelli refers to the islands in the west as Cathay, he gives the distance due west from Lisbon as 3,900 miles.

He said, in the letter, an ambassador from the Great Can (King of Kings) came to see Pope Eugenius IV, and that he himself was a great deal in his company.

GAVE DESCRIPTION OF HIS KINGDOM

"He gave me descriptions of the magnificence of his kingdom," he wrote, "and of immense rivers in that territory, which contained, as he said, two hundred cities with marble bridges, on the bank of a single stream. this is a noble country and ought to be explored by us, on account of its great riches and the quantity of gold, silver and precious stones which might be obtained there."

Later, he refers to Quisay, or City of Heaven, containing "ten marble bridges built upon immense columns, of singular magnificence." Another island, he said, contained such abundance of precious stones and metals that the temples and royal palaces were "covered with plates of gold."

Many entries made by Columbus in his record are pointed to by students of that period as proving he had definite knowledge of the existence of land where he finally found it, since he remarked many times his determination not to vary his course even when other and more expert navigators with him thought it advisable as a result of their observations and reckonings.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:30 AM

Explorer retells Bigfoot sighting of '67 

Forty-one years after video of a hairy, ape-like creature spawned debate about the existence of Sasquatch, one of the men who shot the film addressed believers and doubters Saturday in Olympia.

See also: Weird Los Angeles: Strange Things Afoot!

And: Weird Los Angeles: More Bigfoot!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:28 AM

Could there be proof to the theory that we're ALL psychic? 

That is what Dr Roe is investigating. A parapsychologist based at the University of Northampton, he is examining whether it could indeed be possible to project your "mind's eye" to a distant location and observe what is going on - even if that place is hundreds of miles away.

And though the research is not yet complete, the results have been tantalising.

His early findings suggest that up to 85 per cent of people may possess some form of clairvoyance - the ability to "remote view".

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:25 AM

Ghostly 'Message in Bottle' from Vanished Schooner 

One of the South Pacific's greatest sea mysteries was the disappearance of the Patanela, a 19-metre steel schooner, which vanished without trace while approaching Sydney Harbour in November 1988. Now, just under 20 years later, a ghostly 'message in a bottle' has been found from one of the crew on a beach in the Great Australian Bight by a beachcomber.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:22 AM

Shaolin: Temple of Zen, Photographs by Justin Guariglia at The Ben Maltz Gallery 

Shaolin: Temple of Zen is an exhibition and publication that documents, for the first time in history, the exceptionally private warrior monks of the fifteen-hundred-year-old Shaolin Temple in the Henan province of China, renowned for its association with Zen Buddhism and martial arts.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:18 AM

Rebuilding the temple 

To the ancient Greeks, the Parthenon, the massive marble structure built atop the Acropolis in Athens, was the “physical embodiment of their values, beliefs and ideology.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:16 AM

The big secret about secret societies 

A review, of sorts, of Mark Booth's The Secret History of the World: As Laid Down by the Secret Societies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:15 AM

Tantric master breaks ice record in NYC 

A man who calls himself a tantric master broke his own world record by standing engulfed in ice for 72 minutes.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:10 AM

Indian HIV Victims Manage To Dodge Dementia 

Recent studies conducted by the Indian scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) at Bangalore and National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), at Delhi, have shown that HIV does not cause dementia in India due to genetic change.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:08 AM

Search for Lost Colony takes a high-tech turn 

An innocuous-looking golf course tractor pushing a platform on wheels could help illustrate the nation's oldest mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:06 AM

Miss Toronto Tourism Not Welcoming Wiccans 

Say, who's that dude with the pitchfork selecting the next queen of Toronto's tourism industry? Hmmm, could it be...SATAN?!!!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:05 AM

Cops seek leads on mystery torso from 1971 

In 1971, the disappearance of two Webster girls last seen on 61st Street in Galveston launched an investigation that ended in an arrest and the discovery of a skeletal torso in a Pasadena bayou.

More than 36 years later, investigators say they believe the wrong man was convicted, and the torso did not belong to the missing kid police had identified.

All that and a possible serial killer.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:02 AM

Hollywood writers turn to Plan B: the novel 

"Screenwriters are attracted to novel writing because they can let their freak flag fly and just write what they want, but the truly talented novelist-slash-screenwriter is very rare."

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:00 AM

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Empire State Building car zap mystery 

In the shadow of the Empire State Building lies an “automotive Bermuda Triangle” - a five-block radius where vehicles mysteriously die.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:47 PM

Friday, January 25, 2008

Zombies of Mora Tau! 

Kim Newman takes a look.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:24 PM

DNA Molecules Display Telepathic Abilities 

Double helixes of DNA can recognize matching molecules from a distance and then gather together, all seemingly without help from any other molecules, scientists find.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:20 PM

UFOs:beyond reason? 

Will the world ever know the truth about UFOs? A West Linn ufologist, Keith Rowell, hopes so – he’d also like to know.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:16 PM

Middle Tennessee Ghost Chasers Investigate Sloss Furnaces in Alabama 

loss Furnaces has had its share of tragedy in the 90 years that it was open as a furnace.

Aliens stole our fish

Mysterious 'ghostly' face of child appears in mobile phone photo of teen pals

No explanation: Ghost hunters hear voice on tape

Is the Boerne Public Library Haunted with Ghosts?

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:13 PM

Man to repay dead wife's medical costs in 106 years 

A migrant worker in Beijing has signed a 106-year deal to repay 530,000 yuan (US$73,408) his family owes a hospital so that he can claim his wife's body.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:51 PM

How to Build a Time Machine 

Is it possible to build a machine that would transport a human being into the past or future?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:44 PM

Ten extraordinary literary suicides 

From bullets, to poison and even swords, over the years writers have taken their own lives in an atonishing number of ways.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:23 PM

Teens arrested in grave digging 

Sarah Symonds's grave in Hillsboro was dug up around Halloween, but the 19th century Sunday school teacher may still be resting peacefully.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:20 PM

Mars: Evidence of Life and Past Civilizations? 

What's up with Mars?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:21 PM

Threatening Phone Calls Cause Author Of Scientology Expose To Go Into Hiding 

The Church of Scientology has a long history of harassing those individuals who dare question their controversial doctrines.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:12 PM

Dead Man’s Hollow mystery gets new life 

The eerie origins of Dead Man’s Hollow are a vivid memory for Julian Coker. He was 13 when he saw the corpse that gave a small section of country road its morbid moniker.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:06 PM

Old furniture and decorative items had secret places 

Safes and banks were not easy to find in the 18th and 19th centuries. That’s why so many types of secret compartments were made in furniture and decorative items.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:24 PM

Australia UFO Photo 

This first Australia UFO photo shows the strange but clearly seen triangle shape with what appears to be bright lights perched on each corner.

See also: Stephenville is ready for UFOs to fly on out of the city

Billy's UFOs / Aliens Blog

Mystery in East Montgomery Continues

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:16 PM

Thursday, January 24, 2008

So You Want To Be A Cryptozoologist? 

Cryptomundo can help!

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:16 AM

Slim Whitman talks about reports of his death 

Slim Whitman would like to clear something up: He’s alive and doing pretty well despite reports of his death on Monday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:42 AM

Has Bigfoot Returned? 

With good pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:34 AM

Vampire? Monster? Or mangy raccoon? 

Chupacabras, like Bigfoot in tall timber country and black panthers just about everywhere, are a legend that just won't die, especially in Spanish-speaking territory along the Texas border and in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:31 AM

Mysterious cluster suicides shock Welsh town 

"People are saying it might be some sort of cult, but we don't know," said Luke Wills, 25. "There is something amiss, but we don't know what."

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:21 AM

Fossilised skull may end row over origin of 1.3bn Chinese 

Chinese archaeologists are hailing their biggest discovery in almost 80 years after unearthing a skull that could provide a clue to the origins of a fifth of the world's population.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:10 AM

F-16s Were in Area Where UFO Reported 

Officials at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth initially said none of their planes had been in the area, but on Wednesday they said 10 F-16s were there that day. The officials said they were mistaken and wanted to set the record straight "in the interest of public awareness."

Because we all know how interested the military is in 'public awareness." Emphasis mine, obviously.

See also:

Man on Mars and UFO Sightings: Is There Life Beyond What We Know?

Military claims credit for Texas UFO sightings, witnesses don't buy it

The Silent Revolution of Truth

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:08 AM

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Interview with Lara K. Leuter - Jersey Devil Hunter! 

In January 2008 I interviewed Laura Leuter, president of the New Jersey Devil Hunters regarding the long-running mystery of one of cryptozoology's strangest creatures, the Jersey Devil, said to have roamed the dense Pine barrens for several centuries.

Via Nick Redfern via the Anomalist. Check out the cool New Jersey Devil Hunter's website.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:27 AM

Nazis & The Search for Yeti 

Cryptomundo climbs on the story.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:03 AM

The Lab Route to Out-of-Body Experiences 

Some camera work, some stroking, and next thing you know you're out of your own body.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:02 AM

Austin police artifacts get dusted off 

For years, the shotgun that officer Houston McCoy used to shoot Charles Whitman, helping to end his 1966 killing spree at the University of Texas Tower, has sat in the basement at Austin police headquarters.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:52 AM

Diana Inquest: Chauffeur Henri Paul had 'mysteriously high' carbon monoxide levels before crash 

The percentage of toxins in his system was so abnormally excessive that the Frenchman should have been suffering symptoms including severe headaches and nausea, the High Court was told.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:48 AM

Piero della Francesca masterpeice 'holds clue to 15th-century murder' 

The true meaning of Piero della Francesca's The Flagellation, kept at the National Gallery of the Marches in Urbino, has been the subject of intense speculation for five centuries. Bernd Roeck, Professor of Early Modern History at Zurich University, argues that the work offers clues about the murder of Oddantonio da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino, at the hands of his half-brother.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:47 AM

Off The Beaten Path: The Cave Hunter 

One Tuolumne County man often scramble's over the rocks like a kid looking for buried treasure. Steve Fairchild explores caves.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:41 AM

Gecko lizards inspire 'Spiderman gloves' 

Prototype "Spiderman gloves" that will enable window cleaners to scale walls, robots to scurry across ceilings and rock climbers to hang about could be ready within three years.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:35 AM

Jesus statue held for ransom over dog poop 

"We are holding Jesus ransom until you clean up the poopie from your wieners."

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:29 AM

More UFO Sightings Reported Over Texas 

While the first UFO sightings over Stephenville, Texas drew mass media attention, it turns out that eyewitnesses were reporting UFO sightings over San Antonio and Corpus Christi on the same night. Now, more eyewitness accounts have come in of UFO sightings that took place in San Diego on January 8th and near Stephenville, UFO sightings were reported on the 9th and 10th.

See also: First Coast Woman Wonders if She Saw a UFO

Area 51 designated with a new name

Possible UFO sighting reported

Texas UFO sightings are part of larger, deeper questions

UT Arlington’s planetarium director weighs in on (Stephenville) UFOs

Are UFO's Flying over San Antonio?

UFO Travel: Booze-Loving Aliens in Wycliffe Well

UFO sightings puts Gulf Breeze on extraterrestrial map

Secret A-12 Spy Plane Officially Unveiled at CIA's Headquarters, No X-Men Found Inside

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:27 AM

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Are UFOs Leaving Behind Mystery Holes in Iowa? 

An Iowa couple is looking for help trying to identify whatever fell from the sky and onto their land over the weekend.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:09 PM

Monday, January 21, 2008

This Man Has X-ray Eyes! 

Kuda Bux has been called a yogi, a mentalist and an Indian fakir. Probably the most fitting label for him is “The Man with the X-ray Eyes.” For more than 20 years he has astonished theater audiences in Canada, England and on the Continent with his feats of “extra-retinal vision” (or “seeing without eyes”).

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:56 PM

Pay no attention to the truth behind the curtain 

"'I hate to say it,' Cox told me, 'but this is not the first time nor will it be the last that a Wizard of Oz imposter surfaces. I have a separate file on Munchkin imposters, and know of about 10 of them."

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:22 PM

Empire on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 

I've been thinking a lot this week about last week's leaked internal memo from Associated Press. Frank Baker, AP's LA assistant bureau chief, issued the directive that "Now and for the foreseeable future, virtually everything involving Britney is a big deal."

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:15 PM

Turin holy water theft blamed on Satanists 

Pesky Satanists.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:14 PM

Excommunicated pastor draws praise, condemnation from pagans and Christians 

Pastor Phil Wyman would be the first to agree he’s a black sheep among clergy. An expert on Wicca, a well practiced interpreter of dreams, Wyman has been an avid participant in the city’s annual Halloween celebration, supporting a holiday many Christians believe to be a symbol of darkness and the occult.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:13 PM

Woman Believes Mold Killed Her Two Year Old Son 

The El Paso County Coroner still doesn't know why a two year old Colorado Springs boy died suddenly.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:04 PM

46 years later, Maps murder remains unsolved mystery 

What happened to Edward Maps?

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:56 PM

Why do heavy, light objects fall at same speed? 

If you find the idea weird that the earth somehow "knows" to pull harder on massive objects than on less massive ones so that they all fall the same, you're not alone.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:51 PM

The hunt for Doctor Death 

His crimes were among the worst of the Holocaust, and his pursuers are mounting one last effort to capture him.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:47 PM

Pulp Pages: "Pigeon Blood" by Paul Cain 

A mystery man of noms de plume and pseudonyms, Paul Cain, otherwise known as Peter Ruric, a successful screenwriter born George Carrol Sims in Des Moines, Iowa (1902-1966), got as much cavalier and cryptic mileage as he could out of his shifting identities and pulp quality over quantity. To a writer seeking biographical information, Cain sent a curriculum vitae in which he claimed to be a former Dada painter, boatswain’s mate, and gynecologist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:24 PM

UFO Sightings, Stories Spread Across Texas 

UFO mysteries continue to spread across north Texas after many residents reported unexplained aircrafts in the sky a little more than a week ago.

With video.

See also: Mixed reader response to Texas UFO sightings - prompts series of stories

Group takes statements about UFO sightings

No kidding, but I believe I just saw a flying saucer

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:21 PM

British media confirms FBI whistleblower Edmonds' account of secret file 

The Sunday Times has obtained a document that confirms that a file, which the FBI denied existed, could contain information about American officials stealing nuclear secrets for Turkish and Israeli spies, who would then sell the secrets to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:15 PM

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Dahlia Noir 

Like any legend, stories have grown up around Elizabeth Short -- and not just the kind in books. They say she was a hooker, a virgin physically unable to have sex, a loose woman who was "asking for it." She had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. She worked at the Hollywood Canteen (a place where actors and actresses showed their appreciation to soldiers by serving up free pie and coffee while chatting and dancing.) None of these stories are true. But many of them sprung from the attitudes of the time.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:53 AM

German experts crack ‘Mona Lisa’ ID 

German academics believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery behind the identity of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:53 AM

Archaeologist hopes to explain mysterious Indian mounds 

For Jamie Wesseler, the sacred Indian mounds located in Indiana, from Anderson to Bath, are full of mystery and intrigue.

Wesseler, the author of “Where the Birds Go When it Rains” and an amateur archaeologist, is pursuing two dreams: to excavate and reconstruct an Indian village just outside of Cambridge City, IN and to prove his theory that the ancient Indians built the mounds in response to witnessing something fantastic in the sky.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:41 AM

Texas Town Residents Report UFO Sighting 

Residents of a Texas community found themselves stunned by a celestial scene involving what many believe was a UFO.

See also: Stephenville Buzzes Over Rumored UFO Sightings

Video, Texas UFO Sighting: What Was Spotted over Stephenville?

Texas UFO Sightings Blamed on DEA

UFO spotted in Texas is latest of many sightings

Texas Grows Bigger with Stephenville UFO Sightings

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:40 AM

Web, Crackdowns Weakening Mafia's Grip 

When it came down to business, Cosa Nostra could always count on fear. No more. In a rebellion shaking the Sicilian Mafia to its centuries-old roots, businesses are joining forces in refusing to submit to demands for protection money called "pizzo."

And they're getting away with it, threatening to sap an already weakened crime syndicate of one of its steadiest sources of revenue.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:37 AM

Altered States of Consciousness Without Drugs 

Top Ten Ways to an Altered State of Consciousness Without Drugs.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:23 AM

Monday, January 14, 2008

Staying On Track: 2008’s Forthcoming Cryptozoology Books 

Cryptomundo's got it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:18 AM

Miracles or mischief? 

Cannonfire takes a look at some odd religious phenomena, including the Virgin Mary in a box of peanuts.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:53 AM

Sunday, January 13, 2008

They came, they saw... and they asked for new underpants 

Now known as the Vindolanda Tablets - after the fort where they were found - the more than 1,000 pieces of birch, alder and oak give an unparalleled, moving and often very funny insight into the life of the Roman soldier stuck miles from home at the end of the first century AD.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:59 PM

UFO Caught on Tape in Kansas? 

With video.

See also: Lake Erie UFOs Are Stars on YouTube

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:54 PM

Self-taught tracker finds trove of dino prints in D.C. suburbs 

Stanford, a 69-year-old Texan, has been combing Maryland stream beds for evidence of dinosaurs for the past 13 years. The result is an unprecedented collection of footprints that were left behind 112 million years ago - found in an area where none had been reported before.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:52 PM

Napoleon's Deathbed Wine Has Renaissance in Cape Town Vineyards 

The sweet wine of Constantia helped Napoleon ease the misery of exile and was recommended by Jane Austen for a broken heart. Now, two Cape Town estates have revived the beverage that made South Africa the toast of Europe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:31 PM

Expert says cougars are in Michigan 

The Department of Natural Resources long denied the existence of the cougar in the state, but in 2006, after videos, DNA tests, and evidence of all kinds, the DNR "reluctantly acknowledged the credibility of Conservancy research that proved Michigan had cougars.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:30 PM

Archaeologist: Ga. artifacts may point to de Soto's trail 

A rusty, diamond-shaped iron blade, its sharp point jutting from the dirt where it was discovered, could be a centuries-old clue that sheds new light on the obscure path taken by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:24 PM

Among mammals, humans most sensitive to sound frequencies 

Researchers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem have found that auditory neurons in humans are far more sensitive to fine sound frequencies than most non-human mammals, with the exception of bats.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:13 PM

Mongolians first to discover America claims professor 

A Mongolian professor of history has said America was discovered by the Mongolians and not Christopher Columbus, as is popularly believed, the Xinhua news agency reported late on Thursday.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:39 PM

Saturday, January 12, 2008

The Magician Not Only Speaks, But Chooses to Utter 'Macbeth'! 

Teller has a simple aim for the production of "Macbeth" he's co-directing at Red Bank, N.J.'s Two River Theater Company: to scare the hell out of high-school boys. Rest assured, the inaptly named silent partner of the Penn & Teller comedy/magic team knows precisely how to achieve this admirable goal. "There will be no shortage of blood," he vowed of the show, which opens Jan. 15. "And" -- this is a fellow who clearly understands high-school boys -- "there will be no shortage of flesh."

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:41 AM

Friday, January 11, 2008

Sportshow participant makes case for existence of Bigfoot 

Larry Battson has seen the smirks, the winks, the rolling of the eyes.

But that doesn’t bother him in the least. When you profess to believe in Bigfoot, that comes with the territory.

See also: Johor Buzz: Where big, hairy creatures used to roam

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:06 PM

What Do a Renowned 9/11 Physicist and a N.Y. Times Best Selling Novelist Have in Common? Harassment by Dis-Information? 

This is the story of the 9/11 truth movement, and perhaps the story of how all great movements for truth and justice are deliberately sabotaged by those powers who have an interest in keeping truth from the mass public.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:00 PM

Sir Edmund Hillary, RIP 

Sir Edmund Hillary, the lanky New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who with Tenzing Norgay, his Sherpa guide, won worldwide acclaim in 1953 by becoming the first to scale the 29,035-foot summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday in Wellington.

See also: The Great Yeti Hunt

And: Yeti Hunter Sir Edmund Hillary Dies

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:43 PM

Nanotech Used 2000 Years Ago to Make History's Sharpest Swords 

Damascus swords -- sharp enough to slice a falling piece of silk in half, strong enough to split stones without dulling -- owe their legendary qualities to carbon nanotubes, says chemist and Nobel laureate Robert Curl.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:39 PM

Doling out the placebo effect 

With a growing belief in mind-body connections, more doctors see smart therapy in 'dummy pill.'

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:20 PM

Your stories of Southport's subterranean street 

Through the darkness it could be made out that glass remained in the windows of deserted shops, including seafood-merchants and confectioners.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:16 PM

Sweden's Karl XII could be exhumed 

A group of Swedish scientists hope to exhume the remains of King Karl XII in an attempt to solve the mystery of who killed him in 1718, one of the researchers said Friday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:13 PM

Missing 13-Yr.-Old Boy Turns Out To Be 33-Yr.-Old Woman 

But the story gets even stranger. Skrlova is also due to testify in another child abuse trial, this one involving an obscure religious cult.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:12 PM

Last of the Nazis 

Tracking evil.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:01 PM

Plain baffling 

The large heavy stone objects in Laos’ Plain of Jars continue to mystify experts and visitors alike as to what exactly they are.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:55 PM

Vampira, RIP 

Maila Nurmi, best known for her character Vampira and her work with Ed Wood, has died.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:40 PM

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Dinosaur-like humanoids developed advanced technological capabilities 

An enigma with which I dealt extensively in Worlds Before Our Own has to do with what appear to be humanoid footprints which are found widely scattered in the geologic strata suggestive of a quarter of a billion years ago. This "What's-it That Walked Like a Human" left shoe prints, sandal prints, and barefoot prints on sands of time that have long since hardened into rock.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:00 PM

Kenya looters fear black magic and return goods 

"We have been receiving reports of black magic at work," Mombasa police chief Wilfred Mbiithi told reporters.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:54 PM

Archaeologists say ancient Indians had maritime links 

Excavations at the Kerala state in southwest India suggest that its ancient habitants may have had maritime links with the Mediterranean and China over 2,500 years ago, the Hindu newspaper said Wednesday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:53 PM

The truth about Britain's real-life Eleanor Rigby 

A Hollywood friend, a 50m fortune and a mysterious disappearance.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:51 PM

Mind power or miracle? Mysterious medical recoveries confound science 

“Almost all physicians possess a lavish list of strange happenings unexplainable by normal science.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:50 PM

Voodoo couldn't shield mogul from death 

The saga surrounding the mysterious swimming-pool death of CNBC pundit and Wall Street prodigy Seth Tobias on Labor Day weekend is one of sex, drugs, greed, betrayal and according to his family, possibly, murder.

This being Florida, there was one missing element: the supernatural.

Until now.

This case just gets weirder and weirder.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:48 PM

Mirror writings key to secret images hidden in Da Vincis artworks 

The unique mirror writings of Leonardo Da Vinci could hold a key to the secret images concealed in the artists artworks, a new book has claimed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:46 PM

Hot spot of mysterious ocean hum pinpointed in North Atlantic 

Researchers have discovered an area in the North Atlantic Ocean where colliding waves can produce seismic vibrations, creating a hum that can be detected for thousands of kilometers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:45 PM

Digging Up A Serial Killer's Century-old Secrets 

Growing up in La Porte, Ind., Andrea Simmons couldn’t help hearing tales of the city’s most notorious former resident, a so-called “black widow” and “Lady Bluebeard” who amassed a fortune during a devious campaign of arson and murder at the turn of the 20th century.

Now, Simmons is a graduate student at the University of Indianapolis, where her master’s thesis in human biology might answer a question that has intrigued true-crime aficionados for a century: Did Belle Gunness – perhaps the world’s most prolific female serial killer – actually die in a 1908 house fire, or did she fake her death to evade the law and kill again?

More here.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:43 PM

Tongan site dated oldest in Polynesia 

A small fishing village established 2900 years ago in Tonga has been confirmed as the first settlement in Polynesia.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:35 PM

Hunley shows 'Southern ingenuity,' says preservation expert 

Shortly after sinking the USS Housatonic with a torpedo on Feb. 17, 1864, the Hunley’s eight crew members perished when the submarine never made it back to shore. Years of speculation about what happened to the vessel after signaling that it would be returning to base have left researchers pondering this mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:34 PM

Prehistoric Sewer Monster Discovered 

The Bryozoans are collections of smaller organisms that filter food out of the water supply, and they are an extremely primitive "animal" life form.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:14 PM

It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World 

What makes a so-bad-it's-good movie?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:12 PM

FLYING LIGHT FORMATION REVIVES UFO MYSTERY 

Ten or 11 bright red lights, which seemed to be flying in formation, were seen at around midnight on New Year's Eve in separate sightings on Ruardean Hill.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:10 PM

Genetic Glitch May Increase Risk of Autism 

Children with a rare chromosome abnormality may be 100 times more likely to develop autism, according to a study released today by the New England Journal of Medicine.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:07 PM

Did Clinton really win New Hampshire? 

The Brad Blog takes a closer look.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:06 PM

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

A lull in posting 

I've got a bit of a family emergency so I'll be posting infrequently (if at all) for the next few days. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon. Until then, please check out my links and enjoy the new year. My best to you all.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:53 AM

Monday, January 07, 2008

The Republican debates according to a 9-year old 

Something hysterical for Monday morning.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:22 AM

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Living Moa News 

Cryptomundo beats the bushes.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:54 PM

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Local Treasure Hunter Comes Up Roses 

In the small village of Point Roberts, Wash., former Washington linebacker Stewart Hill is probably home and still pinching himself to make sure he's not dreaming. In October, he found out the 1981 Rose Bowl ring he earned as a Husky was no longer lost.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:12 PM

How to sell wolf tickets 

Your guide to prison slang!

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:08 PM

DARPA Develops Brain Chemical to Replace Sleep 

As the line between science fiction and reality becomes increasingly blurry, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has always led the pack in terms of cool, weird, wacky and frightening innovations.

Via Mac Tonnies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:51 PM

Top CZ Lists of 2007 (Final Cut) 

Cryptomundo checks it twice.

See also: The Best Damned Data of 2007

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:44 PM

UFO sighting? Firemen go toward the light 

Shasta County is within spitting distance of Mt. Shasta, long renowned for its high weirdness.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:42 PM

Mystery ‘arrowhead’ UFO spotted 

A mysterious “flying Dorito-shaped” object which was seen by dozens of people just before Christmas has been spotted again – this time in the skies above Lower Gornal.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:25 PM

Dark spiral in sky remains a mystery 

With pic and video link.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:16 PM

Dracula exhibit sucks you in 

Oooh, Dracula has descended upon San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum -- or Edward Gorey's images of the great vampire, anyway.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:15 PM

D.B Cooper money to go on auction block 

In 1980, 8-year-old Brian Ingram found the sole link to the only unsolved airline hijacking in U.S. history buried in the sandy banks of the Columbia River dividing Washington state from Oregon.

With link to auction information.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:11 PM

Man Finds Treasure In Old Filing Cabinet 

Inside were hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock and bond certificates.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:08 PM

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

The Golden Suicides 

Vanity Fair's piece on Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake is now on line.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:18 PM

What Kucinich Saw: Witnesses Describe His Close Encounter 

Now, after keeping quiet about the incident for a quarter of a century, the two people who say they were at Mr. Kucinich's side that evening have come forward to describe an event which they say left them convinced that there's intelligent life in outer space.

The witnesses also heard odd sounds before and during the sighting.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:13 PM

Off the Beaten Path 

For the next few days I will be off exploring possible Bigfoot sightings around the Grand Tetons. If you have seen Sasquatch, please forward its whereabouts to me.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:10 PM

Conspiracy theories flourish following Bhutto assassination 

In Pakistan's Kafkaesque world, conspiracy theories are given far more credence than the official accounts of Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:53 PM

West Virginia town benefits from Mothman legend 

A quick stroll up Main Street is enough to learn who this river town's most famous resident is: His name is on signs, in shop windows and restaurants, and there's even a museum devoted to him.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:52 PM

Weird Weather Thingee 

With pic of thingee.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:14 PM

No sign that 'haunted house' skull's owner met violent end 

Gardai have found no evidence an individual whose skull was recovered from a hidden ceiling compartment in a "haunted" house met a violent death.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:06 PM

Satellites build a picture of the past 

Gone are the days of a fearless Indiana Jones battling through the jungle in search of ancient treasures. Today's archaeologists are using high-tech tools, from NASA satellites to Google Earth, do the hard work for them.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:58 PM

F.B.I. Brings a Fresh Set of Eyes to a ’71 Plane Hijacking Mystery 

It is considered one of the great unsolved mysteries of American crime: how a seemingly quiet man in his mid-40s hijacked an airliner somewhere between Seattle and Reno in November 1971, then parachuted in his loafers and trench coat, making off with $200,000 in cash.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:56 PM

Mystery Sighting In Cooden 

A South Cliff resident has seen what she reckons is a large wild cat running through her garden.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:55 PM

50 Things We Know Now (That We Didn't Know This Time Last Year) 

To help you catch up on developments both great and small that you might have overlooked, we spent the year casting our net into the stream to catch some tasty info nuggets.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:53 PM

Did A Hi-Tech Laser Beam Kill Benazir Bhutto? 

Key members of the US Congress were last night preparing to block further aid to Pakistan as the mystery surrounding Benazir Bhutto’s assassination deepened, with claims she was “targeted with the latest laser beam technology”, similar to that used by American forces in Iraq, reports The Australian.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:52 PM

Dead Woman Blogging 

Theresa Duncan committed suicide in July.

But on New Year's Eve, five months after her death, she updated her blog.

Here's the link: Wit of the Staircase.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:49 PM