Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween! 

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:58 PM

Over decades, ongoing tales of the Billiwhack Monster of Santa Paula cast long shadows of doubt 

Half man, half sheep — or goat — with white fur and giant ram's horns, the Beast of Billiwhack — also spelled Billiwack and also called the Billiwhack Monster — was said to hang out at Santa Paula's now-defunct Billiwhack Dairy, where its first recorded sighting was sometime during the 1950s.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:57 PM

Yeti Crab: First Live Footage 

Cryptomundo's got it!

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:48 PM

Posthumous Pardon Demanded For People Executed As Witches 

A petition calling for a posthumous pardon for women and men who were executed as British witches will be presented to Jack Straw today.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:32 AM

Bigfoot Man, myth or monster? 

It wasn't until 1803 that a majority of scientists were forced to accept the existence of meteors. Until then, stories of stones falling from the sky were widely ridiculed as tall tales by the ignorant and impressionable.

Could Bigfoot be another example?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:46 AM

Haunted by times past 

Borley Rectory – a dark and sinister Victorian mansion set in a sparsely populated area of Essex – became, in the last century, a platform for a series of such chilling and frightening events that it was dubbed ‘The Most Haunted House in England’.

More spook stories today over at Haunted Hex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:36 AM

Family seeks clues in Cold War mystery 

Their mission: Bomb Cuba. Its name: "Operation Trick or Treat." And who sponsored it? Almost a half-century later, anyone who knows for sure is still not telling.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:19 AM

Investigators of paranormal to visit America's Stonehenge 

After 15 years of investigating the paranormal in places like the closed State Lunatic Asylum in Danvers, Mass., Audra Pinkham considers America's Stonehenge one of the only places that "creeped her out."

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:14 AM

Riverside County 'chicken coop murders' inspire Clint Eastwood movie, new book 

It was a crime so monstrous, it led a Riverside County community to change its name.

Good article, contains spoilers for the film. See also: 'Changeling' film has I.E. connections (with video)

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:07 AM

Idaho detectives look to solve missing child case 

What happened to Ricky Barnett?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:28 AM

Group identifies Lake Erie shipwrecks 

When Tom Kowalczk first saw the murky sonar images, he wasn’t sure whether he was looking at anything important or not.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:00 AM

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Vanishing New York 

Added Vanishing New York to the blogroll.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:58 PM

Ghostly goings-on in our quiet backwaters 

Strange events in Cumbria, including four people being "frightened to death by fairies."

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:48 PM

Mystery of Ferriday's 120-year-old Confederate war vet 

Interesting.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:38 PM

Pictured: The giant 8ft Lego man who washed up on the beach 

With funny pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:14 PM

Mystery of Alexander Selkirk, the real Robinson Crusoe, solved 

It may have taken nearly 300 years but archaeologists have finally confirmed the campsite of castaway Alexander Selkirk, thought to be the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:11 PM

'Iceman' Mummy Has No Modern Kin 

Sparking a new mystery about early man, Italian scientists have unraveled the DNA of the 5,300-year-old "Iceman" mummy, only to discover that he doesn't appear to have modern descendants anywhere near where he was found in Europe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:08 PM

Eight-Armed Animal Preceded Dinosaurs 

An eight-armed creature that looked more like a modern party favor than a living animal colonized a large section of the world's oceans over 300 million years before the first dinosaurs emerged, suggests a new study.

With Cthulhu-approved fossil pic. Via Fark Geek.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:56 PM

Bite this, Haunted Pillar 

The Haunted Pillar of Augusta, Georgia.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:20 PM

The Enduring Reign Of The Jersey Devil 

As urban legends go, you will not find anything in North America even approaching the enduring terror of the "Jersey Devil."

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:08 PM

UFO Round-Up 

IMAGE: Triangle UFO thought to be 'secret military craft'

New UFO sightings investigated in Erath County

What If the Helicarrier Was Real?

Mystery object spotted over Simcoe

UFOs and Nukes:
Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites

CLOSE ENCOUNTER?

VIDEO: 'UFO' spotted over Asfordby

VIDEO: Air Force pilot tells all about encounter with UFO & gov’t secrets

Two New UFO Reports in Central Texas

PROJECT SIGNAL FOUND -UK UFO LANDING CASES

Film-maker to document North Wales' UFO sightings

Texas men claim to spot UFO

UFO Photographed Near Sosua, Dominican Republic

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:06 AM

Feel it in your bones 

In a frightful mood? A church decorated with human remains might be just the thing.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:40 AM

Montauk Monster Predated by Moscow Monster 

What makes the Moscow Monster so interesting is that, besides the alliteration and the same last name (and that the remains were water-damaged), the Moscow Monster predates the Montauk Monster by two years.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:33 AM

Halloween in the Time of Cholera 

Vintage Halloween photos on Flickr from Steve Chasmar's photo stream.



Via Metafilter.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:16 AM

Bigfoot sighting on Highway 101 

During the height of the smoke from Mendocino Lightning Complex fires, a Laytonville man had an encounter with an apelike creature while driving north of Willits on Highway 101 near Shimmins Ridge Road.

See also: Bigfoot hunters must change tactics

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:16 AM

Is the Taliban Stockpiling Opium? And If So, Why? 

If international drug- and law-enforcement officials are right, the Taliban might be hiding up to $3.2 billion worth of opium inside Afghanistan, potentially causing huge complications for NATO's decision this month to attack Afghanistan's opium laboratories and smuggling networks.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:35 AM

Mystery of the five-legged freaks 

Oddly high rates of deformation among salamanders, frogs and other amphibians have puzzled scientists in recent years. Possible causes include inbreeding, parasites or pollution that permeates the animals' skin.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:30 AM

Ghostly hosts: Guests, psychic report mystery presence at Lizzie Borden B & B 

Overnight guests have reported chairs sliding across rooms, jiggling door handles and pillows falling off beds. The swishing of Abby Borden’s dress is often heard in hallways.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:29 AM

Man says he killed 10 women in Juarez 

His confession adds another twist to the mystery in the slayings of hundreds of women in Juárez, which have brought unwelcomed publicity to the city and have been the object of books and movies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:09 AM

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Truly spooky encounters 

With Halloween a few days away, I’ve gotten to thinking about the supernatural realm. Here are a few of my favourite eerie experiences around the globe.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:02 PM

Los Gatos, Saratoga boast some ghostly haunts 

The stories you are about to read are true.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:49 PM

Ghostly images and troubling tales shroud Barkerville's history 

It’s been well over 100 years since fortune seekers plied the Cariboo Wagon Road through 100 Mile and on to the gold-rich mining town of Barkerville.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:50 AM

L. Warren: The spirit is still with her 

In life, Ed Warren was a renowned ghost hunter and paranormal researcher. In the afterlife, from beyond the veil of the spirit world, he still is.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:59 AM

Wreck of Titanic sister ship finds new destiny as tourist attraction 

Sunk in 1916, the hospital ship Britannic is set to become a seabed museum.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:53 AM

The guy who isn't Elmore Leonard 

Very nice profile of mystery writer Loren Estleman.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:44 AM

Grave robbers make spooky Rice Lake cemetery spookier 

Grave robbers stole the remains of an infant dead since 1925 this week from a Wisconsin cemetery long rumored to be haunted.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:07 AM

Mystery cat discovered in Ecuador is likely a pampas cat according to expert 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:54 AM

YES WE CARVE 

Obama has the pumpkin carver vote locked up.

Hi Andrea! Say hi to your mother for me, okay?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:47 AM

Give up the ghost? 

Gail Ann Siegel’s search for the spirit she believes shares her home began with the haunting scent of perfume on an autumn evening.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:46 AM

Recent Central Illinois Giant Bird Sighting Rings Familiar 

Today, October 26, 2008 at about 1:15 p.m., I was sitting in my pickup at the end of my driveway looking Westward, waiting for traffic to clear. I am located south of Lacon, Illinois on State Route 26. I saw two giant birds that were low over the field directly across from me; they appeared into view from behind a set of low outbuildings, probably 10 to 15 feet above the field. They were being pursued by a hawk, probably a red tail hawk or one of that size. These birds had a wing span of at least 10 feet.

Via The Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:12 AM

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

More Meredith Kircher Murder Trial News 

Raffaele Sollecito: knife collector with a stylish dress sense

Amanda Knox: ''angel-faced killer with ice cold eyes'

Rudy Guede: engaging drifter who boasted ‘I will drink your blood’

Man Guilty in Killing of Briton in Italy

Judgment Day

Kercher: Case that shocked Italy

Amanda Knox timeline

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:14 PM

Meredith Kercher murder: Guede jailed, Knox and Sollecito to stand trial 

After a two-month trial, Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede, 21, was found guilty of murdering and sexually assaulting Miss Kercher in the medieval walled town of Perugia, where she was studying Italian.

Judge Paolo Micheli also ruled that her American flat mate, Amanda Knox, 21, of Seattle, and Miss Knox's one-time lover, Raffaele Sollecito, 24, will be formally charged with murdering the Leeds University student.

This might actually be good news for Knox and Sollecito - it may be harder to convict them of a murder when there is already a conviction against another party. Then again, I have no faith in the Italian judicial system so who the hell knows.

See also: Lawyer: 1 convicted, 2 indicted in Briton's murder

Man convicted of Kercher murder

Rudy Guede guilty of Meredith Kercher murder, Amanda Knox faces trial

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:14 PM

The Antikythera Mechanism 

With links to video and photos.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:38 PM

A ghost atop the hill 

With pic. See also the Ghost of Maid Marian?, also with pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:35 PM

Stigmata? Nameless Condition, Mysterious Bleeding 

Every decade, people around the globe come forward to claim that they spontaneously bleed and bruise without an injury, disease or chemical to cause it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:34 PM

Straddling the netherworld, searching for witches 

And consider, as well, the paranormal notable you’ve probably never heard of: Rhoda Ward.


Otherwise known as the Bridgeport Witch.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:15 PM

King Solomon's Mines Rediscovered? 

Copper mines in southern Jordan were active centuries earlier than previously believed, according to a new study that suggests the area was producing the metal at the same time the Biblical figure of King Solomon is said to have built Jerusalem's first Jewish temple.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:59 PM

Dark curses, friendly ghosts abound on the South Shore 

Balzano says the Triangle has been cursed since King Philip’s War in the 1670s, and he doesn’t think the spell will be lifted until the territory centered on the Hockomock Swamp is returned to the Wampanoag, along with a sacred wampum belt that was taken as a prize after the American Indians were defeated. (That belt was taken to England and seems to have disappeared centuries ago.)

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:49 AM

Mid-Missouri Pagans discuss realities of witchcraft 

A witch is an ugly old woman, with warts on her face, dressed all in black with a pointy hat who rides a broomstick and performs evil spells, right? Wrong.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:31 AM

History written in stone of 300-year-old Beaconsfield home 

“So you want to know about the ghost,” said Barclay. “Look down this way.” She pointed to a dark unlit corner which looked to have an old water heater in it. She went on to describe how a previous owner had found a skeleton in the corner as well as prisoner’s shackles.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:56 AM

The Taos Hum 

Awesome of Off-Putting takes a look.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:40 AM

The Mysterious Cough, Caught on Film 

In Roald Dahl’s novel “The B.F.G.,” the title character, a big friendly giant, captures dreams in glass jars. At Pennsylvania State University, a professor of engineering has captured something less whimsical but no less ephemeral — a cough — on film.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:17 AM

So you want to be a paranormal investigator 

Gadgets and hints from the pros.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:54 AM

Ghostbusters: Are military bases haunted? 

"Military bases appear to be a popular haunt for wandering spirits, with several attracting the attention of ghost hunters seeking evidence of paranormal activity."

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:24 AM

Spooky Haunts and Tales of the Paranormal in Costa Rica 

Every country has certain stories designed to send goose bumps down your spine.

More hauntings today over at Haunted Hex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:51 AM

Creepy, kooky mysterious, spooky 

Cristiano began buying up and selling antique birdcages and other pet-related antiques, and NorthFork Pet Antiques became a thriving business.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:27 AM

Monday, October 27, 2008

Decision nears in Italy in Amanda Knox slain roommate case 

Prosecutors rejected claims today that police contaminated evidence used for its case and requested that Amanda Knox of Seattle and her former Italian boyfriend stand trial for allegedly killing a British student.

See also: Meredith Kercher's bra 'had DNA from all three suspects'

Meredith Kercher's murder: the three versions

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:25 PM

Walter's wonderful witching wand 

My dad, Walter Sehnert, was a dowser -- a diviner -- a witcher of water.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:23 PM

Vermont's expert of eerie gears up for Halloween 

Citro has been dubbed the Bard of the Bizarre by the Boston Globe, and affectionately called the Ghost Master General for his chronicles of Vermont's monsters, ghouls and the unexplained — any one of his books is must-reading for the Halloween season.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:00 PM

Peter Mastin - Chaos Magician 

Interview.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:55 PM

Brain injury gives local mom a "foreign" accent 

After a serious accident in 1981, life had become fairly normal for CindyLou Romberg, a caregiver and motorcycle enthusiast living in Washington's Olympic Peninsula. All that changed last year, when out of nowhere, she began talking like someone who'd grown up on the European continent.

About two years ago I met a woman who had a unique accent that I couldn't place. I'm usually pretty good with accents and hers was extremely confusing. I asked where she was from and she said "Lees Summit." I then asked, "You don't have foreign accent syndrome do you?"

She did. She had suffered a stroke and recovered completely except for a vaguely eastern European accent. She was surprised that I had even heard of the condition, but hey, I'm Professor Hex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:27 PM

Mahogany Ship inspires sailor to build caravel 

Mystery surrounds the Mahogany Ship, a wreck supposedly sighted in the 1800s in sand dunes west of Warrnambool that could prove that Europeans discovered Australia long before Captain Cook.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:13 PM

We go on the hunt for the Black Cat of Tynedale 

According to legend, the Black Cat of Tynedale lurks deep in the darkest woods of Northumberland.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:44 PM

Mystery object melted in my pool 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:43 PM

Confessions of a Conspiracy Theorist 

Is it possible to take back the term "conspiracy theorist?"

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:35 PM

The Keeper of Local Haunted Lore 

Ax-wielding, half-man, half-animal creatures. Scientists gone berserk. The D.C. area is filled with tales of horror (and, no, they're not just in Congress).

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:32 AM

7 Fantastic Internet Hoaxes 

If you forward this story to 10 people you'll get a million dollars!

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:24 AM

Yorkshire Ripper encounter recalled 

Kathy Willson had only just arrived in Launceston from Victoria and was shocked to see the image of infamous English serial killer Peter William Sutcliffe on the front page of The Sunday Examiner yesterday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:11 AM

In Search Of The Cibola 

Cryptomundo goes looking.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:49 AM

'Dracula Dossier' speculates vampire's sire knew Ripper 

Interesting.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:47 AM

Warship telegraph codes stay a mystery 

A museum in central China's Hubei Province is calling for public help to decode 891 telegraphs found on a Chinese warship engaged in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression from 1937 to 1945.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:10 AM

Sterling site retains occult reputation despite passage of years 

“Early settlers who tried the acoustics in the enormous main room came out to tell stories about the place being fit for the King of the Underground. Some whispered, and many of those devout Puritan settlers believed them — they had actually seen the Prince of Evil seated upon a natural throne in the cavernous den, thundering orders about the disposition of the souls of sinners.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:48 AM

Area man investigates mysterious fire deaths 

Spontaneous human combustion supposedly burns the body intensely from the torso and leaves little more than charred cinders and, usually, intact limbs. A 1951 case involving Mary Reeser, a Mechanicsburg woman living in St. Petersburg, Fla., first caught Arnold's attention.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:13 AM

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Do you believe? 

Jason Offutt of From the Shadows gets a nice write up.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:19 PM

UFO Round-Up 

CAUGHT ON TAPE: Balloon or UFO? (With video)

UFO - My Story And Families Encounters

More UFO sightings reported in Stephenville

Researcher says he can link UFOs, world’s nuclear power production

UFO special: Is this a UFO and police report lights in sky (With pic)

Ex-RAF man tells of UFOs encounter

'I didn't know what this thing was'

Did UFO fly over our skies?

UFO Stalked me coming home (With video with NSFW language)

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:41 PM

Nomadic clans' lifestyle financed by repair scams 

Travellers often speak a secret language, marry within the family and make their fortunes on the open road.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:01 PM

Replica documents of Knights Templar offer glimpse of the past 

The reproduction set of Vatican Templar Trial Transcripts, here for a one-day presentation, are owned by the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge in Manhattan. The Masons’ ownership of the documents is somewhat ironic, because the Catholic Church historically has opposed Freemasonry and has banned Catholics from joining lodges.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:50 PM

Central Park in the Dark 

Searching for the truth about conspiracies, cockatrices, Martians and monster koi carp in the middle of Manhattan.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:56 PM

The Heretic’s Guide to Thelema 

At the Esoteric Book Review.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:51 PM

Here live spirits and stories from buried eras 

Haunted New England. With a photo of the very stocks I locked my brother in on my last trip to Maine. His children found it very amusing.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:43 PM

The ghosts of government 

The nation's capital is awash with lawmakers, lobbyists and policy wonks. But by night, it's home to a variety of ghosts and demonic spirits, at least according to local folklore.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:38 PM

'Belgian aristocrat' was professional conman 

On the surface Anthony de Clerck was the epitome of sophistication, charm and style.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:21 PM

Iowa man inscribed memories of WWI on his vest 

The vest, donated by the family of the late Frank Rider of Des Moines, is at least 90 years old. And the mystery was solved with a 21st-century piece of equipment called a "visual spectrum comparator," normally used by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to study documents.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:18 PM

Shakespeare ‘thief’: I want my 15m first folio back 

A man arrested and bailed by police over the theft of a 400-year-old Shakespeare book worth £15million is mounting a legal challenge to have it returned to him.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:34 PM

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Black and white TV generation have monochrome dreams 

Do you dream in black and white? If so, the chances are you are over 55 and were brought up watching a monochrome television set.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:53 PM

Till Death Do Us Part 

Devoted couples shuffling off mortal coils together.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:57 PM

The Saturday Strangeness 

"There can be no doubt of the phenomena. I have seen them, myself" so said the Rev. A.L. Gardiner in 1921 as London was hit by a mysterious mini-plague pertaining to the exploding of coal from grates.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:52 PM

Defences Against the Witches’ Craft 

At the Esoteric Book Review.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:50 PM

Escaped Monkeys Make Mischief On Ranch 

"You don't think about monkeys in this part of Florida," said Clark, a retired agriculture teacher from Plant City High School. "It's really pretty funny, actually."

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:07 PM

Mystery of Easter Island's fertility 

a trip to Rapa Nui.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:05 PM

Finding Jack the Ripper would be elementary now 

"Unsolved crimes such as the notorious Jack the Ripper murders would probably have been solved in minutes using modern techniques."

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:02 PM

Uncovering the mystery of the worm charmer 

Worm grunting, also known as worm fiddling or charming, involves driving a wooden stake into the ground and rubbing the top of it with a leaf spring or other flat piece of steel to make a grunting or snoring noise.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:01 PM

Killer Catfish Stalk Humans 

A chilling series of fatal attacks on people living alongside the Great Kali River in the border area between India and Nepal have been reported over the past 20 years.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:56 PM

Friday, October 24, 2008

The Demon of the Forest Took Him Away 

The Paranormal Pastor tells the tale.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:36 PM

Stolen artefacts point to lost Philippines tribe 

Archaeologists in the Philippines believe they have discovered evidence of a lost tribe in sacks of broken pottery seized from antiquity smugglers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:03 PM

Rare volumes left in charity bin 

The books, in gold-tooled calf binding, were given to Stirling's Oxfam bookshop and form part of Clarendon's 1731 six-part History of the Rebellion.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:59 PM

Could it be the Bayview Beast? 

Mountain lion in New York?

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:58 PM

HOW TO - Melon brain 

Perfect for your Halloween party.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:04 PM

Rare Film Shows Hidden London Life In 1904 After Historian Discovers Footage In Australia Archive 

Article. Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:24 AM

How a serial killer victim was finally identified 

At first, all forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick had to solve the mystery of ML73-3349 was the body of an unidentified boy, found dead more than 35 years ago, the voluminous police files from a decades-old serial killings and a desire to give a name to the nameless victim.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:43 AM

'Eternal Sunshine' drug selectively erases memories 

The researchers boosted levels of a protein called α-CaMKII involved in memory storage and retrieval, just as mice recalled the pain of receiving a light shock. This had the effect of dispelling the memory.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:06 AM

Can The `Collective Dead’ Of Humanity - Evolve? 

The Heavy Stuff wants to know.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:59 AM

Man 'roused from coma' by a magnetic field 

The rapidly changing magnetic fields that the coil creates can be used either to excite or inhibit brain cells - making it easier or harder for them to communicate with one another. In Villa's case, the coil was used to excite brain cells in the right prefrontal dorsolateral cortex. This area has strong connections to the brainstem, which sends out pulses to the rest of the brain that tell it to pay attention. "It's like an 'OK, I'm awake' pulse," says Pape.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:54 AM

Lord Ganesha Flower 

Lal, 60, claimed that it was the flower that relieved him of the pain due to a bone spur near his spine and bulging discs in his neck. "This formation came to heal my illness. They say God comes in many forms. I figure this has taken the form of a plant to come into my yard to bless me," the New York Daily quoted him as saying.

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:18 AM

Mothman Pottery Mound & Sacred Datura 

Mothman in ancient Mexico? Via Nick Redfern.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:10 AM

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Unreal estate 

Ghost stories might add to the interest of a home, but not its value.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:36 PM

Opie Reunites with Sheriff Andy Taylor and the Fonz to Get out the Vote for Obama 

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Simply wonderful.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:15 PM

Pirates to kill crew on arms ship if NATO ships attack 

Pirate stand-off off the coast of Somalia. Interesting stuff.

Thanks Greta!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:06 PM

Dope Menace 

Lurid covers, often gloriously bad writing, outlandish misinformation...what’s not to love?

New from Feral House.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:53 PM

Solving the Franklin mystery 

When Sir John Franklin's two ships, Erebus and Terror, left Britain in 1845 for the North West Passage, they were the most sophisticated and ingeniously equipped exploration vessels the world had ever seen.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:45 PM

Amanda Knox: Walking on the edge of a knife 

The fate of University of Washington honor student Amanda Knox turns on the blade of an ordinary old kitchen knife.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:42 PM

A Haunting in Maine -- Part Three 

This is the third of a four-part story on the haunting of Sheryl Rackliff of Rockland, Maine.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:45 PM

Will haunted hotel shake up the Phils? 

The lights were on all night long in Carlos Ruiz’ room. The Phillies catcher was too afraid to be alone in the dark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:39 PM

The unsolved mysteries of spooky Stonehenge 

There's something spooky about Stonehenge. Even on a bright sunny day, you can get a creepy feeling prowling around this eerie assembly of standing stones on England's Salisbury Plain. I know I did when I was there. Maybe, with Halloween just around the corner, this is the right time to talk about it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:13 PM

India launches first moon mission 

The aim of the two-year mission is to redraw maps of the lunar surface - and scientists were feeling confident after a successful launch.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:58 PM

Missing cats mystery unsolved 

BBC video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:53 PM

U.S. researchers use advanced technology to locate tomb of Genghis Khan 

Scientists at the University of California in San Diego (UCSD) are using advanced visualization technologies to locate the tomb of Mongolian emperor Genghis Khan, the UCSD said in a press release on Monday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:51 PM

The Best of the Hollow Earth Hassle 

Long before there was the Internet with which to propound alternate theories of reality, there was the small circulation newsletter. A labor of love for devotees of fringe and "out there" topics, some of these tiny "zines" developed a devoted following of readers eager to learn more about such topics as UFOs and occult subjects usually given short shrift by the mainstream print media.

One such publication was "The Hollow Hassle," a subscription newsletter that focused on the famous "Shaver Mysteries" and other subterranean subject matters.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:11 PM

Blood Lust 

Max Alvarez on 'The Vampire on Film.'

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:14 PM

Servants of the Grail 

Servants of the Grail is the first book to successfully identify both the historical figures on which the protagonists of the Grail story is based and the identity of the Grail itself.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:15 PM

Science Friction: An X-Ray Machine Energized by Adhesive Tape 

It may sound bizarre—or like some kind of high school science fair project, but it's not: Researchers have discovered that peeling adhesive tape ejects enough radiation to take an x-ray image.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:40 PM

Sarkozy threatens suit over voodoo doll 

Nicolas Sarkozy is threatening legal action against a publishing company for a voodoo doll it has produced bearing the French president's likeness.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:49 AM

The Haunted History of Chattaspooka 

From the Cherokee to the Civil War to Johnny Cash, the Chattanooga area is a mecca for metaphysical manifestations.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:04 AM

Shark tooth hunter 

Greg Eiche has found a hobby he can really sink his teeth into.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:55 AM

The Purr-muda triangle: Mystery after FORTY-FIVE pet cats disappear from same town 

Nobody knows what is behind the disappearances, and the only clues have been a few discarded collars - no bodies have ever been found.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:44 AM

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

UFO Round-Up 

Video 'shows UFO, aliens flying over Turkey' (with good video)

UFO Over the Lake Murray Dam?

UFO spotted over Grantham's Area 51

UFOs spotted at Southwater

UFOs spotted in Northamptonshire

UFO archives reveal pilot's encounter

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:02 PM

Sea shanty recordings unearthed 

Relatives of a sea captain from Sunderland have heard their long dead ancestor singing sea shanties recorded in the 1920s.

With cool video. Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:29 PM

The Man Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Pyramid 

A group of Bosnian hills might contain the world’s greatest pyramids—or its greatest pyramid scheme.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:00 PM

NRC scientists discover Mona Lisa secrets 

Scientists did an autopsy on the Mona Lisa and discovered that the woman with the enigmatic smile probably just had a baby before being painted 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:38 PM

Stone Age man took drugs, say scientists 

It has long been suspected that humans have an ancient history of drug use, but there has been a lack of proof to support the theory.

Thanks Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:05 PM

“Keddie Murders” - Unsolved crime into screen 

A movie is being made of the brutal and strange “Keddie Murders.”

Wiki.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:34 PM

Are these the ghosts of Denbigh? 

With ghostly pic and audio.

More ghost stories today over at Haunted Hex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:26 PM

Is this the paw print of the Wolds Panther? 

Victoria Gerrish, 15, of Scrivelsby, said she was not convinced by the black cat sightings she had heard about until she saw one for herself.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:09 PM

No, it didn't fall from sky 

The mysterious chunk of metal that smashed into a rental car Monday morning at a U.S. Postal Service bulk mail facility on County Road in Jersey City has been identified as a blade that flew off a land-clearing vehicle a quarter-mile away.

See below.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:04 PM

Strange Holes in the Ground Discovered in Siberia 

With pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:57 PM

Cougar mystery still unsolved 

Wildlife experts have scoffed at reports that one or more cougars is roaming Lambton County.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:53 PM

'Phenomenon' spotted in Suffolk skies 

With cool pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:51 PM

What really happened to the B-25 bomber that went down in the Mon in 1956? 

Searchers and divers have failed to find a B-25 bomber that splashed down in the Mon more than 50 years ago, and some say they know why: It isn't there.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:49 PM

Getting in shape at a Thai kickboxing camp 

Have you ever wanted to travel to Thailand to study muay thai? This woman did it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:47 PM

New Links 

I added Larry Harnisch's The Daily Mirror and Scott Langhill's Catch of the Day to the blogroll. Mr. Harnisch has been kind enough to link to this blog and Mr. Langhill has forwarded many interesting stories to the Professor for your amusement.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:43 AM

Prosecutor: Knox 'stabbed Kercher in neck as part of satanic rite' 

Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini has accused Amanda Knox of being part of a satanic plot that conspired to murder Meredith Kercher, but Mignini himself seems to be an unreliable character. Writer Douglas Preston has had some unpleasant experiences with Mignini and it seems the prosecutor has conspiracy on the brain. He also has some insight on the Kercher murder case.

More:

Evidence against Knox confused and contradictory, court told

Knox lawyers argue against trial

Tainted evidence against Amanda Knox?

Thanks. Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:38 AM

Get your own proton pack! 

Master Replicas is pleased to announce its forthcoming line of prop replicas based on Columbia Pictures’ hugely popular film franchise, Ghostbusters.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:25 AM

Dark forces at work? 

Why do dogs jump off Overtoun Bridge?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:27 AM

Egyptologist Bob Brier Identifies Cause of Cracks in Great Pyramid 

Huge stone support beams inside the Great Pyramid at Giza cracked when the pyramid was nearing completion 4,500 years ago, an Egyptologist from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University has reported, resolving a century-old mystery about when and why the cracks occurred.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:28 AM

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Big Question: What was the Holy Grail, and why our centuries-old fascination with it? 

Questions and answers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:53 PM

Steel object that smashed car at Postal Service lot a mystery 

Can you identify this mysterious chunk of metal?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:29 PM

Six horrific books that would make for six great horrific films 

Get on it, Hollywood!

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:00 PM

Hitler 'led henchmen' in Kristallnacht riots 

Adolf Hitler marched his henchmen onto the streets of Munich to perpetrate the atrocity that became known as Kristallnact, newly deciphered passages from the diaries of Josef Goebbels show.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:54 PM

The mystery pink light that appeared over London 

With very cool pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:40 PM

'Creepy gnome' back on prowl 

A new sighting of South America’s ‘creepy gnome’ has caused panic among locals after a group of youngsters claimed a ‘midget monster’ ran towards them at night.

With video.

See also: The Night-Stalking Gnome Returns

Spooked kids video 'creepy gnome' attack

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:26 PM

Historic political writing found in Mercersburg restaurant 

As the nation prepares for the upcoming presidential election, a local historian is investigating political slogans painted on an attic wall some 170 years ago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:20 PM

Sybil's Cave reopened -- amid controversy 

The 18-foot deep cave and underground aquifer were once a well-known tourist spot. In the mid-19th century, New Yorkers would come to Hoboken to drink water from the cave, which was believed to have therapeutic properties. The cave is said to be the inspiration for Edgar Allen Poe's crime novella "The Mystery of Marie Roget."

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:18 PM

Abominable 

Yeti Project Japan's claim that they've found Yeti footprints has generated some press. I've culled some links for you below.

Cryptomundo.

Wiki.

Yetis On Dhaulagiri IV?

Yeti Footprints Found On Mountain

Mountain adventurers stumble upon Yeti footprints

Scientists discover yeti footprints in Nepal

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:59 PM

Monday, October 20, 2008

Pictured: 'Yeti' footprints found by adventurers in Nepal 

With pics!

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:07 PM

Mystery ‘big cat’ spotted by woman 

A leopard-like big cat has been spotted near a north-east village thought to be a favourite haunt of the ever-elusive Beast of Buchan.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:47 PM

Inside the Atlantic Ave. Subway Tunnel 

Recently a group traveled underground to the oldest subway tunnel in the world, rediscovered by Bob Diamond in 1980.

With pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:19 PM

Morse code vs. text messaging 

Which is faster, Morse code or text messaging? Jay Leno has the answer. (Score one for the brass pounders!)

Video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:15 PM

The life and death of Hindi pulp fiction 

Cool.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:09 PM

Spider bite questioned as cause of Aurora electrician's death 

Did Ernest Herrera die of a bite from a brown recluse spider?

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:06 PM

American Homeowners Being Scammed By Gypsy Clan Posers? 

Need your driveway repaved or your shingles in bad repair? If a mystery group just happens to show up at your doorstep claiming over-ordering of supplies or some major price deal, you could very well be a potential victim of a Gypsy scam artist at work.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:04 PM

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Indisputable evidence 

Where is Bigfoot's poop?

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:17 PM

US jet 'ordered to fire at UFO over East Anglia' 

A US Air Force fighter pilot claims he was ordered to fire all of his 24 rockets at a UFO spotted flying over East Anglia – and then warned never to speak about the incident - the MoD records reveal.

See also: Five of the strangest UFO sightings and encounters

Passenger jet almost 'collided with UFO'

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:16 PM

Murky Monongahela foils bomber search 

The murky and debris-ridden Monongahela River thwarted a high-tech effort last week to solve one of Pittsburgh's most enduring urban legends: the mystery of the Mon River ghost bomber.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:09 PM

Photos reveal Robert the Bruce's 'real' spider cave 

It is one of the most evocative images in history - the moment Robert the Bruce was inspired to battle by a humble spider.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:08 PM

Unearthing the stories of slaves in Pittsburgh 

With the mark of an "X," Sally promised to serve Pittsburgh attorney John McKee in exchange for food, clothing and lessons in the "art and mystery of a house Servant and Cook." At age 28, she'd be granted her freedom, as well as "two suits of women's apparel ... one of which shall be new."

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:06 PM

Seamstress's killing a 65-year-old mystery 

It was just after 6 p.m. when Anneta Margaret Clive "Molly" Justice stepped off the bus on Douglas Street near Swan Lake on her way home from work at a Victoria garment factory on Jan. 18, 1943.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:05 PM

County dive team to extract long-submerged motorcycle from Rock Mill Pool next Sunday 

"We've heard that there is a car down there somewhere and a horse and buggy, too," Fey said.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:04 PM

ROLLING STONE: It’s Already Stolen 

The election, that is. Make sure your registration is current.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:00 PM

Friday, October 17, 2008

MEDIA ALERT: Prophet Yahweh Predicts Spaceships Will Appear Oct. 31st in Support of Senator Obama 

Pres release.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:33 PM

Ghostly experience can be jarring, but also may instill belief 

Do you believe in ghosts?

Michael Reed, a practical middle-aged man who works as a baker in Madison, didn't. Not until the night something in his apartment in an old house in New Orleans nearly squeezed the breath out of him.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:31 PM

Big black cat 

It's a story that keeps coming back and it might mean it's time for wildlife officials to set traps - or quell the rumours once and for all.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:09 PM

Mysterious Monster Hunts 

Bigfoot is just one of dozens of mysterious creatures that may roam the world. Believers argue that while these so-called cryptids have not yet been catalogued by science, they most certainly exist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:04 PM

Bigfoot believer shares stories at park 

It lurks in the shadows of American lore, an ominous figure too large to be animal, too hairy to be human.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:02 PM

Archaeologists discover earliest ever foundations at Hampton Court Palace from 800 years ago 

With pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:58 PM

Overlooked and Unappreciated: A List of Little Known Horror Film Treasures 

Get your fright on for Halloween.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:56 PM

For KC history/mystery lovers 

For my homies.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:55 PM

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Fossil Find May Document Largest Snake 

Rocks beneath a coal mine in Colombia have yielded fossils of what could be the world’s largest snake, a relative of today’s boa constrictor that was 12.8 meters long and weighed more than a ton.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:22 PM

Mystery of the starmaker who left no trace of his life 

As a hard-drinking Hollywood publicist, Maynard Nottage was linked to some of most dramatic stunts of the silent movie era. But in the smoke-and-mirrors world of public relations, one central question remains unanswered: did the larger-than-life celebrity-maker really exist?

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:13 PM

Villagers in fear of occult killers who deal in flesh 

According to Special Superintendent Gerard Labuschagne, an expert on ritual killings, rogue traditional healers, known as sangomas, are behind the muti murders, prescribing body parts to patients and then hiring men to carry out the killings.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:01 PM

Dangerous and depraved: paedophiles unite with terrorists online 

Very scary.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:00 PM

Haunted Hotels from around the World 

Agoda.com, the Asian online hotel service, scares up some spooky hospitality.

More spook stories today over at Haunted Hex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:16 AM

PICTURES: Triangle UFO witness fears alien abduction 

Sketches actually.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:56 AM

Eighteen-Year-Old U.S. Rocket Motor Casing Found in Australia 

Luckily, there wasn't a kangaroo under it.

Did you know NASA publishes the The Orbital Debris Quarterly News?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:48 AM

'Mountain Mysteries' 

From an Appalachian “Bigfoot” allegedly seen in Campbell County, Tenn., to ghost tales near Middlesborough, Ky., author Larry Thacker uncovers many “Mountain Mysteries” in his most recent book.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:43 AM

Phonographantasmascope 

Using the Zoetropes principle, Jim Lefevre created a bunch of special 3D discs that he set spinning using an old fashioned turntable to create the illusion of 3D movement.

Very neat. Via Fark Video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:42 AM

OLV's Villar thriving after transplant 

Lung transplant allows girl to follow her dream - finding the Loch Ness Monster.

"She wants Nessie," said her dad, Danny, "which I guess sort of makes sense because her mom once claimed to have seen Bigfoot in the woods in Yonkers."

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:34 AM

Cat colony mysteriously disappears 

"There have been many theories offered by the fishermen, such as eagles got them or the coyotes or maybe someone poisoned them or took them for some reason. But no one really knows."

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:27 AM

Mysterious Rash Linked to "Mobile Phone Dermatitis" 

According to the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), people have been going to see doctors with a mysterious rash on their ears or cheeks. Doctors believe the rashes to be “mobile phone dermatitis,” a skin allergy caused by too much mobile phone use.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:11 AM

Absinthe makes a comeback in U.S., Europe 

Absinthe in Paris.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:09 AM

Hartford Was Hit By Witch-Hunt Fever 

"If we hadn't had Salem in the picture, Connecticut would be by all odds the leader in witchcraft trials and executions, more than any other colony at that time," says John Demos, a Yale University social historian regarded as the pre-eminent scholar on early American witchcraft.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:05 AM

New generation of kung fu crazy Chinese discovering Bruce Lee 

The Way of the Dragon has never been so popular in China. Bruce Lee is a national hero in kung fu crazy China for the way he embodied Chinese pride and nationalism in his movies, but many in mainland China missed him the first time around in the early 1970s because films like Enter the Dragon and Fists of Fury were banned by Mao as spiritual pollution and rightist sentimentality.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:59 AM

IgoUgo's 10 Favorite Mysterious Places 

With pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:51 AM

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Descent Into Ripperology 

Gathering with ghoulish enthusiasts at the 2008 Jack the Ripper Conference.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:56 PM

Exhibit shares 'curious stories' from Wisconsin's past 

There are the extraordinary items: the poster announcing the auction of serial killer Ed Gein's items, Orson Welles' 156-page typed script for Citizen Kane and an original speech Abraham Lincoln gave in Milwaukee.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:54 PM

Fight to pardon two Lancashire 'witches' 

The cases of Pendle Witches Anne Whittle and Elizabeth Southerns will be presented to the Justice Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw on Hallowe’en.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:50 PM

UFO Round-Up 

Skeptical Inquiree: The Mysterious Phoenix Lights.

No aliens in Alabama because they're hanging out in Peru?

Two UFOs sightings; mysterious and silent

A Deadline for Sanity

Another UFO story peaks Morris' interest

Flint mayor's UFO sighting verified by other spotters

The aliens are not coming

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:21 PM

Shiite cults seek to wreak havoc in Iraq 

A few fringe groups seek to sow chaos, convinced it will hasten the arrival of the Mahdi, the Shiites' 12th imam who they believe will bring peace.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:51 PM

Winston Churchill 'bribed Franco's generals to stay out of the war' 

The British wartime leader persuaded Juan March, a Spanish banker, to act as a secret agent, organising payments of millions of dollars to the generals. In return the generals persuaded Franco not to side with Hitler.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:50 PM

Expedition Sets Off for Antarctic Mountains That “Shouldn’t Be There” 

An international team of bundled-up scientists will soon set off for Antarctica’s interior in a quest to learn about the continent’s most massive and mysterious mountain range; although the Gamburtsev mountains are as high and mighty as Europe’s Alps, even the tallest peak is buried beneath 2 miles of ice.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:46 PM

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Mafia wants author dead by Christmas 

Police in Italy are looking into reports that the Naples mafia plans to carry out its threat to kill the author of the best-selling book "Gomorra," which has been made into a hit movie about mafia brutality, by Christmas.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:27 PM

A Haunting in Maine 

At From the Shadows. Part One and Part Two.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:03 PM

Graveyard Tales: The Voices in the Walls 

The Paranormal Pastor works among the tombstones.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:16 AM

"The Stain" 

Writer Joshua Dysart and artist Ron Wimberly recount their experience in a reputedly haunted lunatic asylum on the Ohio University campus.

Neat story with cool photos.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:52 AM

The mysterious white snake 

Local residents say they have never seen such a strange snake before.

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:58 AM

Aliens to land on Earth today? 

Watch the skies!

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:52 AM

Croc stalks men after rival beheaded 

A huge crocodile has been terrorising road workers building a bridge in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the State's northwest after a rival male was shot and beheaded by trophy hunters.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:49 AM

Monday, October 13, 2008

Siberian Snowman Takes A Stroll 

Video reports are noting that Siberian hunters have found several alleged (so-called by American media) “Bigfoot” or Snowman footprints. These tracks are said to have the step length of about 6 feet or 2 meters. The reports are issuing from Salekhard, West Siberia.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:00 PM

Flying Cars Near Takeoff 

Futurists have been predicting flying cars for almost a hundred years. Now, it looks like it might actually happen. With pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 PM

Ghosts of coastal Maine revealed 

With ghost pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:53 AM

Ghosthunters capture spirit voices in Montrose 

As Halloween approaches, ghost hunters are pouring over data recorded at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre as they try to determine whether spirits lurk at the former RAF base.

They've posted some of their efforts on You Tube.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:42 AM

Mystery of train death children 

Eighty years to the day after a train crash killed 15 people and injured a further 23, the bodies of two children remained unidentified.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:42 AM

170-year-old mystery solved 

Did Dr. James W. Clemens hoax the Grave Creek Stone?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:13 AM

Mob slaying site has haunted past 

Young, an accused hitman for the Bonanno crime family, goes on trial this week for the gruesome March 2005 murder of Robert McKelvey, on the grounds of the historic, some say haunted, Kreischer Mansion in Charleston.

More spectres today over at Haunted Hex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:00 AM

16th-century murder mystery 

What started out as classwork at the University of North Florida resulted in research that could change history.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:45 AM

Could An Oct. 14th Alien Craft Display Be A Collective Lucid Dream Appearing In Space? 

The Heavy Stuff wants to know.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:33 AM

REVIEW: ‘Lore of the Ghost’ more history than horror story 

Review of Lore of the Ghost: The Origins of the Most Famous Ghost Stories Throughout the World.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:10 AM

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Top 10 Most Wanted Monsters Cryptozoologists Want To Net 

The Unusual Suspects.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:31 PM

Siberian Hunters Claim To Have Found Bigfoot Prints 

Short blurb - I couldn't find anything else on the story.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:30 PM

‘Spirit of the season’ piques curiosities about the paranormal 

Less than 30 minutes into a stroll through Riverside Cemetery, Chad Lewis’ companion already wanted to leave. “She felt the spirit of young children pulling at her, tugging at her sleeve,” recalls Lewis, who was investigating various Wisconsin sites rumored to be haunted a few years ago with someone he calls an “intuitive psychic.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:25 PM

The police and the paranormal 

Tapping the spirit world to bust crime leaves police and believers divided.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:22 PM

Knox County man is eye in sky for strange sightings 

A strange object appears in the sky and gives off an equally mysterious wave of light that trails off into the darkness.

Who you gonna call?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:16 PM

Archaeological dig uncovers Roman mystery 

“This shows that the long-established, originally pagan, rite of offering libations to the dead clearly continued into early Byzantine times,” observed Wilson.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:09 PM

The mysterious nature of glass revealed 

With its history dating back to 5,000 years, the nature of glass is still a mystery to scientists. Now, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware claims that he knows why glassy materials make the transition from a molten state to a solid.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:04 PM

Fossett discovery spawns fresh intrigue 

Wildlife expert Steve Searles saw something very telling: Bear tracks, and lots of them.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:59 PM

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Shop untouched since 1960s 

An old-fashioned Lancashire corner shop and ice cream parlour has been discovered untouched for 40 years.

With video. Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:12 PM

Believe it or not... 

The World Wide Web is as much Wild West as information superhighway. And like the Wild West, the web has its share of dubious products that seem to promise more than they can possibly deliver.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:45 AM

Ghost hunting in England 

Whatever your paranormal preference, centuries of battles, betrayals and the thirst for revenge have left England littered with things that go bump in the night.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:39 AM

Georgia politics weird, strange 

Never pay a root doctor in another state with a rubber check for casting a voodoo curse on a political rival. If you do, the dark spell is liable to bounce back, just like the check.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:38 AM

UFO Round-Up 

30 years on: UFO mystery still vivid

Million Pound Gamble - The UFO's Are Coming

Aussie woman Claims Large UFO will appear Oct. 14

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:34 AM

Girl found dead in Chitrakoot, human sacrifice suspected 

A six-year-old girl was killed in an alleged witchcraft act in Nadin Kurmiyan under Rajapur police station in Chitrakoot district late on Wednesday night.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:30 AM

High-tech explorers search Mon for elusive B-25 

Divers and scientists are spending this weekend delving into a mystery that has lurked in the muddy waters of the Monongahela River for 52 years: What happened to the B-25 bomber that splashed into the river at the height of the Cold War?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:19 AM

Art mystery solved: The Ugly Duchess had Paget's disease 

One of the art world's most abiding mysteries has been resolved with the discovery that the subject of a Flemish masterpiece popularly known as The Ugly Duchess was more than simply grotesque.

With pic of painting.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:16 AM

Counting cards: NY collection includes 6,356 decks 

Ranging from simple woodblock prints from 1550s Austria to a 1963 American pack with admiring caricatures of the Kennedy family, the collection isn't just a novelty, but a rich, if offbeat, resource for research.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:12 AM

Friday, October 10, 2008

The Transformation of Brother Eli 

The Paranormal Pastor brings the creepy.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:59 PM

Heavy Metal-Eating "Superworms" Unearthed in U.K. 

Newly evolved "superworms" that feast on toxic waste could help cleanse polluted industrial land, a new study says.

Via Fark Geek.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:26 PM

Secret and Suppressed II 

Feral House has released Secret and Suppressed II - Banned Ideas and Hidden History into the 21st Century. Contributors include Robert Anton Wilson, Jim Hougan, Paul Krassner, Mae Brussell, Adam Weishaupt, Jim Marrs, and a bunch of other maniacs.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:00 PM

DARPA Wants Submarines that can Fly 

Who doesn't?

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:47 AM

“Opium, Whiskey or Mallet?” 

Curious Expeditions visits the Pennsylvania Hospital's Operating Theater.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:46 AM

Inexplicata 

I added Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology to my blogroll.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:39 AM

Yowie of 1848 

A creature described by the natives as something very similar to an ourang-outang is supposed by many colonists to exist in the mountain ranges at the back of Western Port...

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:21 AM

Explore Mount Misery Road - A Street of Fear! 

Now, what’s in a name? Apparently a lot. And from the beginning it seems like Mount Misery Road lived up to its moniker.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:14 AM

Moon River: Watch out for ghosts throwing bottles 

With video tour.

More ghosts stories today over at Haunted Hex.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:10 AM

The original Hampton Beach witch 

N.H. only prosecuted one 'witch.' The lucky lady? Goody Cole. No wonder she still haunts the area.

Wiki.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:42 AM

Chunk of Ice Mysteriously Falls From Sky, Punching Hole in Pennsylvania Roof 

She says the ice has a slightly fishy smell and looks like quartz.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:39 AM

The 25 Weirdest Things Eaten By A Human 

From X-Ray Technician Schools - I guess they would know. With pics and x-rays.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:57 AM

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Dan Aykroyd sells vodka in crystal skull-shaped bottles 

Seriously.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:41 AM

UFO Round-Up 

Frank Joyce: Reported on 'Flying Saucer'

Orange orbs in UFO sighting

UFO Experts Predict Huge Spaceship Will Hover Over Alabama On Oct 14th, 2008

Kaikoura UFO hunt flies again

North Wales UFO spotters' map

Pair spot UFO over Sutton

Red lights in night sky leave Wrexham residents perplexed

VIDEO: A bright orange flying saucer with flashing lights...

UFOs “have been here since 1947”, claims British expert

Groups Wants Next President to Disclose 'Truth' About UFOs

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:26 AM

When eagles go bad, all over again 

Can eagles kill people?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:49 AM

On Parched Farms, Using Intuition to Find Water 

Phil Stine is not crazy, or possessed, or even that special, he says. He has no idea how he does what he does. From most accounts, he does it very well.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:33 AM

Stranger than fiction 

Weird stuff keeps falling from the sky onto William McCarthy's property. Even if he moves. With pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:32 AM

Big Cats and the Weird 

Hex reader Greta writes:

I notice you have listed many articles about large cat sightings...

What is the significance of the big cats? I hadn't heard of anything supernatural or paranormal about them before... I hadn't expected them to be listed with mysterious aquatic creatures and bigfoot... and aliens...

What is the story?

Thanks for asking, Greta.

Alien Big Cats (or ABC's) are of interest to the student of the strange and mysterious for a variety of reasons.

Biologically, they can tell us a lot about other possible cryptids. We can learn a lot from animals who are secretive and have a habit of showing up where they’re not supposed to.

In the United States and Canada, the cougar (also called a mountain lion or panther) was almost driven to extinction during the settling of the North American continent, especially on the East Coast. Yet sightings continue in areas as unlikely as Ontario and Connecticut.

In my home state of Kansas, the mountain lion has been listed as extinct since 1904, yet they have been widely documented in recent years. If the big cats still roam the country and show up in places like Chicago, what the hell else is out there?

Despite DNA, photos and eyewitness reports, state wildlife officials vigorously deny the existence of cougars in a variety of states where they are supposedly extinct. If these officials can’t acknowledge the obvious, how would they react to sightings of truly out of place animals? Or disputed animals such as the sasquatch?

Sightings of big black cats pose another set of problems – they aren’t supposed to exist. Melanism (black coat) in North America cats is limited to the smaller cats like the lynx. Jaguars are black but they (supposedly) do not live north of Mexico.

So what are people seeing?

A big black cat in Los Angeles could conceivably be a jaguar or jaguarundi but what do we make of black panthers in Lake Placid, New York? Or Newfoundland?

Are these cats just undiscovered? A case of mistaken identity?

The big cat problem gets even stranger when we consider the sheer volume and history of big cat sightings in England - an island where cats larger than a moggy have been declared extinct for hundreds of years.

Many of the British stories are tinged with the supernatural and investigators like Nick Redfern think the cats themselves may be supernatural beings in some cases, citing the works of Jacques Vallee and John Keel to posit that the cats (and other types of anomalous creatures) may be Tulpa-like beings brought into existence by our minds or daemons that exist in our world and some other as-yet-undefined plane.

While the true causes of these sightings remains a mystery there is plenty for scholars of the weird to sink their teeth into.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:57 AM

Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker's Library 

Wow.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:15 AM

Mutant fish is hunting humans 

Scientists have claimed a fearsome mutant fish has begun actively hunting people - after gorging itself on human corpses which have been dumped in rivers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:05 AM

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

DNA may solve century-old mystery of serial killer 

A woman who says she shares a bloodline with Belle Gunness may help determine once and for all whether the notorious serial killer died in a farmhouse blaze a century ago, or staged her death and fled.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:12 PM

Nina Foch: The ultimate "Noir Girl" can still talk trash 

Now 84, Foch is one of the few survivors of Hollywood's golden age of film noir, which is being celebrated by a new 12-film series at the UCLA Film and Television Archive called "Cool Drinks of Water: Columbia's Noir Girls of the '40s and '50s."

Contains this gem: "The movies were called noir because no one had the time to light anything."

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:05 PM

James Bond creator Ian Fleming a notorious drinker, womanizer, new London exhibition reveals 

I am shocked. Well, shaken. Not stirred.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:55 PM

Medical Mystery: Only One Person Has Survived Rabies Without Vaccine--But How? 

Four years after she nearly died from rabies, Jeanna Giese is being heralded as the first person known to have survived the virus without receiving a preventative vaccine.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:44 PM

Spillane's friend hammers out the rest of author's novel 

Just before his death two years ago, crime writer Mickey Spillane called friend and author Max Allan Collins and asked him to finish a Mike Hammer novel he did not have the strength to complete.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:40 PM

The mystery of the missing opium 

It's a mystery that has got British law enforcement officials and others across the planet scratching their heads. Put bluntly, enough heroin to supply the world's demand for years has simply disappeared.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:35 PM

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

HAUNTED LOS ANGELES 

If you’re looking for a thrill on Halloween, you may want to visit some of these scary sights . . .

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:00 PM

The Ultimate 9/11 'Truth' Showdown 

David Ray Griffin vs. Matt Taibbi. 24,000 words. Knock yourself out.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:04 PM

90-year-old note written on stone 

Archaeologists are looking for more information about a stone buried on a north Wales site with a 90 year old inscription made by a Canadian soldier.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:52 PM

What can you tell me about the Chumash drawings in the Painted Cave? 

The Chumash have lived in what is now Santa Barbara County for some 10,000 years, although what is considered the height of their culture lasted about 1,300 years, until around 1800.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:50 PM

Beautiful Starlet Vanished Into Thin Air 

It was 59 years ago today that brunette starlet Jean Spangler vanished, leaving behind a young daughter, gangster pals, movie star connections and a mystery that remains unsolved more than a half-century later.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:36 PM

Monday, October 06, 2008

Foothills shadowed in paranormal phenomena 

Bigfoot is just one member of the area's paranormal panoply. In the Mother Lode's vast forests and bright stars many unexplainable sightings have been witnessed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:02 PM

Latin America: lore, ghosts, demons and frights. 

The mythology in Latin America is quite rich: some tales have been passed onto us from the Incas, Mayas or Aztecs, and others are colonial imports from Europe. On this first part of the multinational Latin American post, we'll visit some of the most popular myths and legends like the Llorona, the Cegua, the Cadejos and the Evil Light.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:50 PM

Tales tell of witches, mists and village death 

Loosely based on handed-down stories of the witch of North Pepperell, Chaulk's work is based on actual reported occurrences and is full of Native American spirits, witches, American folklore, local settings and environmental issues, spun into a believable plot.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:08 PM

Murder Marketing 

While Italian prosecutors gather evidence and run forensic tests that they insist will lead to the conviction of Amanda Knox on charges of murdering British student Meredith Kercher in November 2007, supporters of the Seattle native are fighting back. They've begun an awareness campaign, complete with "Free Amanda" T shirts, baseball caps and coffee mugs, to exonerate Knox in the court of public opinion—and hopefully win her freedom later this month.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:55 PM

Man charged in beheading aboard Greyhound bus in Manitoba to go to trial 

Vincent Li was charged with second-degree murder after the brutal death of Tim McLean, 22.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:02 PM

Review: James Reese's 'Dracula Dossier' calls on Bram Stoker as narrator 

What if Bram Stoker wrote his classic 1897 horror novel Dracula as a veiled way of telling a story even more horrifying?

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:57 PM

Controversial thesis taken off library shelves 

Mr van Leeuwen, 39, said his work, Dreamers of the Dark: Kerry Bolton and the Order of the Left Hand Path; a Case-study of a Satanic/Neo Nazi Synthesis, was accurate and not designed to attack Mr Bolton.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:55 PM

How L. Ron Hubbard And Jack Parsons Created California, Plus The Worlds Cleanest Zombies 

Mock Up On Mu is cut from actual historical footage of Jack Parsons, L. Ron Hubbard and Marjorie Cameron creating the California that we know today with mind control, secret societies and science.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:51 PM

Meet the woman who goes blind three days out of six 

Doctors in Melbourne have been perplexed by an unusual condition of a woman whose eyes clamp shut for three days at a time, and then open up for the next three.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:41 PM

Speaker spreads different views on Great Pyramid 

For decades, Hollywood has educated societies that slaves were responsible for building the magnificent pyramids of Egypt.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:03 PM

The mystery of freaky phobias 

Phobias are the No. 1 psychiatric illness in women of any age and the No. 2 in men older than 25, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:02 PM

Sunday, October 05, 2008

YouTube - Sylvania Light Bulbs 

Hex Reader Scott directed me to this awesome Sylvania ad from Thailand featuring an array of Thai spirits.



Looks like Cabinet of Wonders has already written about it.

Thanks Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:04 PM

Ancient Peru pyramid spotted by satellite 

A new remote sensing technology has peeled away layers of mud and rock near Peru's Cahuachi desert to reveal an ancient adobe pyramid, Italian researchers announced on Friday at a satellite imagery conference in Rome.

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:50 PM

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Psychics: Stars not aligned for Palin 

Well-known psychic Elizabeth Joyce has doubts there will be an election this November. Her instincts tell her that, come next week, there might be “rioting in the streets and martial law” and that President Bush will henceforth carry out his term indefinitely.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:15 PM

Legend has it a lost roman city existed in what is Brockley Hill 

Was Stanmore the site of a historical battle in which Boudica's revolting tribes were routed by the Roman army?

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:10 PM

Raymond Chandler's Pacific Palisades 

Esotouric's Kim Cooper and Richard Schave conduct "bus adventures into the secret heart of Los Angeles."

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:56 PM

Plane wreckage is Fossett's - adventurer believed dead 

The wreckage of a plane found near Mammoth Lakes has been confirmed to be that of adventurer Steve Fossett, who has been missing for more than a year, authorities said today.

See also: Steve Fossett conspiracy theories get a reboot

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:46 PM

Attention Deficit World Order (Part Two) 

Rigorous Intuition is back!

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:19 PM

The Explorer 

Bennett already had a taste for adventure travel, so he found the idea of a trip to Nepal appealing, and he ended up joining the expedition. By May 2001, he was high up in the Himalayas in hot pursuit of the Yeti--otherwise known as the Abominable Snowman.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:34 AM

Did inner-tube robber use Craigslist in heist? 

Robber hires decoys on Craigslist, robs armored car, escapes on inner tube. Ta-da!

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:27 AM

A nation of conspiracy theorists can't be wrong 

From miracle diets to creationism to rumors about the origins of 9/11, a new book traces our irrational love of misinformation.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:05 AM

The Vikings Brought Another Group of Invaders to Britain: Mice 

When the Vikings set sail for the British Isles they had small, furry stowaways aboard their ships, and researchers say that the descendants of those mice can offer clues about the voyages taken by Viking seafarers.



Image via nettys-girl5.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:59 AM

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Murder, Spies & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story 

Released on DVD and now airing on Link TV, Murder, Spies & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story is the most explosive documentary produced in recent memory, involving murder, espionage, cover-up, electoral cyber fraud and a United States Member of Congress with ties to the Bush Administration.

Clint Curtis wiki.

Via Covert History.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:40 PM

Watching Alan Moore 

When I reach him at his home in Northampton, England, Alan Moore is writing an introduction to a book about the occult. This isn’t actually all that unusual, because Moore is an unusual guy. He’s deep into magic and shamanism, and it’s been said—though not to me—that he’s a devotee of the snake deity Glycon. Oh, and he’s universally accepted as one of the most influential writers of comics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:24 PM

Parents Want Daughter Back From "Vampire" 

Interesting story with video. "Vampire" Jonathon Sharkey also runs for office occasionally.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:34 PM