Saturday, July 31, 2010

Ball lightning: a shocking (and totally inexplicable) phenomenon 

It skitters across the ground, floats in the air, is cold to the touch, and leaves scorch marks. It's been scientifically explained, or hey, it might be a total hallucination. It's ball lightning!

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:12 PM

Mystery 'sea monster' seen 

The strange Plesiosaur-like creature was spotted just 30 yards off the Devon coast by locals who reported a sighting of what they first thought was a turtle.

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:33 AM

Friday, July 30, 2010

FBI admits probing ‘radical’ historian Zinn for criticizing bureau 

FBI files show bureau may have tried to get Zinn fired from Boston University for his political opinions.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:32 PM

Woman From Oakland, Calif., Claims to Have Solved Ansel Adams Mystery Once and For All 

Is Uncle Earl the next Ansel Adams? According to one resident of Oakland, Calif., the answer is yes.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:01 PM

Eureka! Audubon's first engraved illustration discovered 

For more than half a century, scholars and biographers of famed bird artist and ornithologist John James Audubon had been stumped.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:01 PM

Fore! Block of ice falls from sky 

The source of that new divot alongside the 11th green will remain a mystery, it seems.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:59 PM

Mystery Creature Found in Delaware Waters Still Unidentified 

Baby Cthulhu has arrived.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:27 PM

New light shed on life of alleged Auldearn witch 

A new book on the Highland's most famous witch trial - one of the best known and most controversial in British history - throws new light on the life of alleged witch Isobel Gowdie and the beliefs of her time.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:14 PM

Empty mansions are legacy of a mystery heiress 

The estates of fabulously wealthy heiress Huguette Clark have been immaculately maintained — but empty — for decades. But at 104, she’s still alive — in a drab hospital room.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:06 PM

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Secret US spy agency used serial killer and Nazis as sources 

Created during World War II as a purely U.S. operation free of the perceived taint of European allies, the Pond existed for 13 years and was shrouded in secrecy for more than 50 years. It used sources that ranged from Nazi officials to Stalinists and, at one point, a French serial killer.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:38 AM

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Women living near the Cerne Abbas Giant are more fertile 

Women living near an ancient fertility symbol produce the most babies in the country, according to new figures.

Thanks, Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:59 PM

Photo Of UFO Taken By Passenger 

With pic, obviously.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:01 PM

i-Dosing: Can Downloading Music Get You High? 

What if recreational drugs were legally available and, better yet, digitally downloadable?

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:00 PM

Ocelot Spotted in Arizona 

OK, so it’s not exactly the abominable snowman or Bigfoot, but here's a discovery with photo proof: For the first time, an ocelot has been spotted in Arizona.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:57 PM

Hundreds gather to tell stories of Bigfoot 

If Sasquatch, alias "Bigfoot," exists, does he have a permanent address in the Ogden Valley area?

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:57 PM

Roo must be joking! Icon descended from common South American ancestor 

But new research suggests kangaroos and all of our marsupials, from wombats to Tassie devils, are descended from one South American ancestor.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:08 PM

Wednesday's Witches: Fakirs, murder, and your friendly neighborhood Pagan 

Regular readers of this column are familiar with the epidemic of children being accused of witchcraft in Africa but many may not realize that similar accusations are happening in African churches in the United Kingdom.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:54 AM

Monday, July 26, 2010

Strange Beast In Ecuador Ripping Cattle Apart 

The small community of “La Cuadra” (The block) has seen multiple cattle mutilated and torn apart by something powerful.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:02 PM

A 1935 map of the never-was invasion of America 

This 1935 map from Fortune magazine depicts "The Great Invasion of 19??," a three-pronged invasion from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:32 PM

Solar-powered process could decrease carbon dioxide to pre-industrial levels in 10 years 

Wow.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:01 AM

Coming Soon: The London Psychogeophysics Summit 

Oh man, this sounds mega awesome, and we don't even really know what psychogeophysics actually means.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:21 AM

The Hellboy Hoodie is Awesome as Hell 

Pretty cool. A snuggie should be next.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:09 AM

Unearthing the truth about Watchmen genius Alan Moore 

He may no longer be writing an opera with Gorillaz, but for his next trick, the magician, psychedelic adventurer and occasional comics creator has a different musical project up his sleeve.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:09 AM

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The Big Muddy Monster of Southern Illinois 

It was June of 1973 when the small southern Illinois town of Murphysboro first encountered a creature that would be dubbed the "Big Muddy Monster."

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:05 AM

A big cat has been spotted in Rodley 

"It was jet black, sleekish and low to the ground. It was about the size of a Labrador but it was definitely not a dog or a domestic cat."

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:58 AM

New seaside attraction snares the curious 

The sands of time have parted and have yielded the bones of an old wooden ship resting in the sand, not far from East Matunuck State Beach.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:42 AM

Tourists heave menhirs to solve ancient mystery 

In the Asterix comic books you only had to drink a magic potion to be able to lift a menhir. But in reality you need vast quantities of muscle power and lots of patience.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:27 AM

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Wednesday's Witches: Killers, shamans and Simon Bolivar 

A soupçon of sorcery just for you.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:58 PM

Esoteric Influences Conference 

The Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose delves into ancient mysteries in July 22-25 conference on esoteric influences.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:09 PM

SF's sexy yoga cult of yore 

Robert Love's The Great Oom: The Improbable Birth of Yoga in America.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:00 PM

I don't know how, but homeopathy really does work 

I was a dedicated scientist about to begin a PhD in neuroscience when, out of the blue, homeopathy bit me on the proverbial bottom.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:46 PM

Africa has more Serial-Killers than U.S. and Europe 

Given to ritual murders and a sedentary lifestyle, African serial killers are quite peculiar. And with most countries lacking the resources to keep DNA profiles and fingerprint records, Africans are much less protected than their U.S. or European counterparts against serial killers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:44 PM

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

iPhone 4 receives emails from 1969: Glitch or viral marketing for Men in Black III? 

Purchasers of the new iPhone 4 have reported a variety of issues with the devices but one problem in particular has some users scratching their heads.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:02 AM

The Beast of the Land Between the Lakes 

There was talk of hauntings, Indian curses, mysterious lights over gravestones at night, old hag witches that lived deep in the woods, and more importantly, several tales of a wolf like creature that stood on two legs that would come out of the thickets and attack their cattle and live stock.

Via Awesome of Off-Putting.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:40 AM

Art museum displays specimens of deception 

The subjects are works in the museum's own collection, and the case files reveal the countless ways in which pictures can be disguised, confused, doctored and just plain faked.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:25 AM

Below KC’s surface, a whole other city 

G.C. Swallow, the first Missouri state geologist, noted exposures of limestone when he stopped at Westport Landing, on the Kansas City riverfront, around 1855.

Word got around.

Thanks, Ian!

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:44 AM

Cave yields marsupial fossil haul 

Fossil hunters in Australia have discovered a cave filled with the 15-million-year-old remains of prehistoric marsupials.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:24 AM

Caves Hide Secrets of Mayan Worldview 

Deep in the Mexican jungle are flooded subterranean caverns once believed to be the homes of ancestral gods, which for more than 2,000 years have hidden the secrets of the Mayan cosmogony.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:32 AM

History suggests Vermonter went from leading citizen to undead corpse 

Adams, some claim, was able to fake his death so convincingly because of some secret he had learned in his occult readings.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:08 AM

Saturday, July 17, 2010

6 Boring New England Destinations Made Awesome by H.P. Lovecraft 

There's a long tradition of authors embracing and claiming a piece of the American landscape that their fiction can feed off of and become synonymous with.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:24 AM

Friday, July 16, 2010

President Kennedy’s death: A poison arrow-assisted homicide. 

"This review suggests, JFK’s death had all the signature traits of a neurotoxin-assisted homicide.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:21 PM

Cachtice Castle, Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory, and the Murders of Vienna 

Cachtice Castle gained prominence when it became the home of Elizabeth Bathory, otherwise known as the “Blood Countess” or the “Bloody Lady of Cachtice”.

Thanks Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:13 PM

Thursday, July 15, 2010

18th-Century Ship Found at Trade Center Site 

On Tuesday morning, workers excavating the site of the underground vehicle security center for the future World Trade Center hit a row of sturdy, upright wood timbers, regularly spaced, sticking out of a briny gray muck flecked with oyster shells.

With pics.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:31 AM

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wednesday's Witches: Buried alive, exorcism and goblins 

A few stories that bubbled to the top of the cauldron.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:32 AM

NASA Robot Solves 19-Year-Old Murder Mystery 

Dawn Sanchez was last seen alive when she stepped into Bernado Bass' car in 1991. Her disappearance and death remained unsolved until recently when—thanks to a little NASA robot—her murderer was sentenced to six years in prison.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:20 AM

Evil dad's 'daughter' speaks as armchair detective reveals how she solves killer riddle 

An English retiree may hold the key to solving the 40-year-old mystery of mass murderer Elmer Crawford, as an amateur sleuth reveals how she provided the breakthrough.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:10 AM

Police caution residents to watch for big cat 

Police are warning residents to watch their pets and small children until a mystery creature roaming the Cedar Point area is caught.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:59 AM

Tiny mushrooms blamed for hundreds of deaths in China 

Each summer for the past 30 years, during rainy season, scores of villagers of all ages would suddenly drop dead because of cardiac arrest. As many as 400 deaths have been recorded since the 1980s.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:58 AM

The Occult World of CG Jung 

Jung was convinced that he hadn’t simply hallucinated, but that he had been granted a vision of reality.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:51 AM

Ancient Pet Tortoise Discovered In Britain 

Researchers recently reported that they have found the earliest archaeological evidence that a family in Britain, at a castle in Staffordshire, kept a tortoise as a pet.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:44 AM

Monday, July 12, 2010

Harvey Pekar, Cleveland comic-book legend, dies at age 70 

RIP, Harvey.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:28 PM

Wakefield writer pursues passion for local folklore in new book 

Long before there were Stephenie Meyer-style vampire tales, Rhode Islanders had the likes of Mercy Brown, South County's own, long dead and buried in Exeter, but as spellbinding still to her fans as any nouveau horror heroines.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:39 AM

China's Nessy? 

Short article with pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:33 AM

The rock sculptures at Staten Island 

On the beaches of Mount Loretto State Park, on Staten Island, you’ll find a series of mysterious rock towers and mounds, known as the Rock Sculptures of Staten Island.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:26 AM

Krazy Kat at 100 

"In Krazy Kat, Herriman created arguably the most innovative strip in comic history."

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:31 AM

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Wednesday's Witches: Bird babies, strange vomit, condos and more! 

Yeah, I know it's Thursday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:56 PM

Running rings around true believers? 

Why do some have faith in holy trees or stumps in the shape of the Virgin Mary? Holy trees are linked to rebirth and healing, and ‘otherworldly’ apparitions also have a lot do with this world.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:48 AM

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

California driver runs over reptile man 

More than 20 years ago, South Carolina’s Lee County became famous because of the Lizard Man.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:18 PM

Bigfoot believers 

Harvest Moon is familiar with several native legends about Bigfoot. The Quinault woman works as a storyteller at the Lake Quinault Lodge and other resorts along the coast during the summer.

See also: Sasquatch creature known by many names in Indian legends

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:29 PM

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

A life of crime: Professor David Wilson - trying to understand why serial killers kill 

"Very arrogant people, serial killers."

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:29 PM

They Could Have Been Billionaires: Arthur C. Clarke 

While Clarke was uncanny in his prophecies of various scientific advances, including space travel, compact computers, and cloning, he tended to underestimate the speed at which the technology would be realized.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:19 PM

Your Brain On Exercise 

What goes on inside your brain when you exercise?

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:10 PM

How Tantric Yoga Became a Cultural Punchline 

Traditionally, Tantra refers to a loose and varied collection of practices detailed in the Tantras (Indic texts).

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:05 PM

Caravaggio and Controversy in Porto Ercole 

Acclaimed for his dramatic compositions and bold use of chiaroscuro, the contrast of darkness and light, Caravaggio dazzled Rome with his brilliance. His personal life also oscillated between light and dark. Forever arguing and brawling, he killed a young man in a fight and had to flee Rome with a price on his head.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:48 PM

Monday, July 05, 2010

"Circle of Death" in Thailand. 

Via Fight Passport.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:56 PM

Nazi executioner protected from jail by Germany 

The fifth most wanted Nazi fugitive is living out his old age safe within Germany, despite being wanted in Britain and the Netherlands on war crimes charges.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:00 PM

Eleanor Fawcett's Monster installation captures the life of Loch Ness hunter Steve Feltham 

In 1991, Steve Feltham gave up his job and house to move to Scotland and pursue his dream of finding the Loch Ness monster. His life on the lakes has made him a cult figure since then, from broadsheet interviews and documentaries to Vodafone adverts and boat tours for Robin Williams.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:18 PM

Dowsing for water; magic or miracle? 

To some it’s the work of the devil, they call it water witching.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:00 PM

St. Augustine Archaeologists Find Colonial Shipwreck 

ust off the coast of northeast Florida, there are about 250 known shipwrecks.

Now, there's one more.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:58 PM

Sunday, July 04, 2010

Happy 4th of July! 

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:27 PM

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Dr Kelly 'couldn't have slit his wrist as he was too weak' 

Dramatic new testimony has heaped pressure on ministers to reopen the investigation into the death of Dr David Kelly.

A female colleague claims that the UN weapons inspector could not have committed suicide as claimed, as he was too weak to cut his own wrist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:27 PM

Friday, July 02, 2010

The Lost Children of Hamelin 

On 26 June, the German town of Hamelin celebrated Rat Catcher's Day. But what really happened there, and who was the mysterious Pied Piper?

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:37 AM

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Work Begins on Ancient Stone Circle 'Ten-Times Bigger that Stonehenge' 

Archaeologists began working on one of Britain's most mysterious ancient landmarks this Monday, as they aim to unravel its many hidden secrets.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:50 AM

Local historian Dr. Steve Frank turns super-sleuth 

“Lost Rights” by David Howard, executive editor of Bicycling magazine, a Rodale Press publication, explores the story of how one of the 14 original copies of the Bill of Rights showed up in an offer to the National Constitution Center.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:49 AM

Aging airport radar sees 'ghost planes' 

Late on Tuesday evening, the air traffic control (ATC) at Chennai airport received a flurry of calls asking about a ‘mystery plane’ that had ‘intruded into Chennai’s airspace’.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:45 AM

Bones not those of actor's son 

DNA tests have shown that human remains found in a Cambodian grave are not those of the son of Hollywood film legend Errol Flynn as had been suspected.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:44 AM

Skull find verifies ancient killer whale 

The prehistoric sperm whale grew up to 60 feet long, not unusual by today's standards. But unlike modern sperm whales, Leviathan melvillei, named for Herman Melville, sported vicious, tusk-like teeth some 14 inches long.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:43 AM

3,200-Year-old Bronze Tablet Identified as Battle Chariot Linchpin 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:41 AM