Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Girl gang's grip on London underworld revealed 

Girl gangs might sound like a modern British problem, but new research has revealed an all-female crime syndicate had a firm and pitiless grip on London as far back as the 18th century.

Interesting stuff. With info from the book Gangs of London by Brian McDonald.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:01 PM

A Battle With A Sea Serpent In Kent & Sussex 

Suddenly the sharp eyes of the look-out sighted a large snake-like creature rearing out of the sea ahead of them “hard on the port bow”, a creature which the startled man later described as being “like some gigantic conger eel about fifty-feet in length, with a long scaly body, a large spiny dorsal fin and dark olive green in colour”.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:00 PM

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Woman drinks fireworks, goes out with a bang 

The Philippines suffered its first and possibly only fireworks fatality for the year 2010 this week but the victim died under rather unusual circumstances.

Another of my Examiner articles. Truly weird.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:47 AM

Cure a hangover - with honey 

It is truly the hangover, not work, that is the curse of the drinking class.

My article at The Examiner. As always, I appreciate your readership.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:17 AM

The 16th century diagrams that detail the world's first nose job 

The incredibly rare work, titled De Curtorum Chirurgia Per Insitionem - meaning The Surgery of Defects by Implantations - was published in 1597, and was written by Gaspare Tagliacozzi, professor or surgery and anatomy at the University of Bologna.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:47 AM

Sickening snail mucus, defensive seniors and alarm-tripping bra top strange 2010 Florida news 

Florida lived up to its reputation for being an odd state in 2010, with residents committing stupid crimes, making poor decisions and exhibiting general weirdness.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:45 AM

Top Cryptozoology Lists of 2010 

Cryptomundo counts 'em down.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:39 AM

Court order halts search for buried treasure 

A family staking its claim on land in San Salvador where it is believed billions of dollars worth of pirate treasure is buried secured a consent order in court yesterday that will bring excavation efforts on the disputed property to a temporary halt.

See also: Nazi Treasure Hunter

Mystery of $10 Billion Buried Incan Treasure on Chile’s Robinson Crusoe Island

Treasure-hunting vacations

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:36 AM

Neanderthals cooked and ate vegetables 

Neanderthals cooked and ate plants and vegetables, a new study of Neanderthal remains reveals.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:16 AM

Mystery lights 'similar' to 1978 

Mysterious "orangey and reddish lights" spotted in skies above Napier, Taranaki and Christchurch were a day too late to be Santa's sleigh but could they be UFOs?

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:10 AM

Lost life of Verde Valley archaeologist now rediscovered 

To modern-day southwestern archaeologists, Cosmos Mindeleff is a rock star.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:08 AM

Hong Kong's mystery graffiti artist: the Plumber King 

Who are Hong Kong’s biggest graffiti writers? Contractors.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:04 AM

Booth descendants agree to brother's body ID tests 

Now, for the first time, Booth descendants have agreed to exhume Edwin's body, adding drama to the family's story and delighting historians who have speculated that John Wilkes escaped capture 145 years ago.

See also: Mystery of John Wilkes Booth dying in Enid may be solved soon.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:02 AM

The Mystery Of The Mexican Suitcase: A Trove Of Unseen Photos 

Almost all the negatives are searing portraits of war, and of ordinary people living in the the Spanish towns and countryside held by the anti-Franco forces during the Spanish Civil War. The Photographs are by Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymore known as Chim.

Interesting stuff.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:54 AM

Berwyn Mountains “UFO” mystery deepens 

Dubbed the “Welsh Roswell”, on January 23 in 1974 locals reported hearing a huge bang, felt earth tremors and saw a brilliant light in the sky over the Berwyn Mountains.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:50 AM

Monday, December 27, 2010

Believe it or not: News of the weird from the year in classical music 

The clock is ticking toward the end of the year, and it's once again time for the classical-music Believe It or Not lineup of those "stranger than fiction" items making the news in 2010.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:48 AM

Sunday, December 26, 2010

The strangest ways Christmas has been used for psychological warfare 

For decades, militaries have weaponized Christmas songs, symbols, and sentimentality for psychological warfare and propaganda purposes.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:33 PM

Top weird travel stories of 2010 

This, after all, was the year a group of severed human heads missed their flight to Dallas/Fort Worth.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:51 PM

Six weird and wonderful robotics projects 

How will humans interact with robots in the future, when the world is — perhaps — dominated by walking, talking synthetic beings?

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:46 PM

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Happy Festivus! 

Break out the aluminum pole, Festivus is here!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:59 AM

Blue-green algae tested for treating ALS 

Nutritional supplementation with Spirulina, a nutrient-rich, blue-green algae, appeared to provide neuroprotective support for dying motor neurons in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, University of South Florida neuroscientists have found.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:46 AM

Placebos work, even when patients know they're phony 

In what researchers call a novel 'mind-body' therapy, most patients in a study suffering from irritable bowel syndrome reported relief after receiving pills they were told contained no real medicine.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:43 AM

Archaeology Magazine's Top 10 Discoveries of 2010 

The year's most remarkable archaeological discoveries.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:38 AM

Fred Foy, RIP 

Fred Foy, an announcer best known for his booming, passionate lead-ins to "The Lone Ranger" radio and television series, died Wednesday of natural causes at his Woburn, Mass., home, his daughter said. He was 89.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:43 AM

Another humanoid species co-existed with early humans and Neanderthals 

Early humans and Neanderthals co-existed with another humanoid species called Denisovans. And many present-day humans carry genes that prove our ancestors had children with Denisovans, too.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:39 AM

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

French village which will 'survive 2012 Armageddon' plagued by visitors 

The mayor of a picturesque French village has threatened to call in the army to seal it off from a tide of New Age fanatics and UFO watchers, who are convinced it is the only place on Earth to be spared Armageddon in 2012.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:57 AM

Chile: An Pyrokinetic Outbreak in Melipilla 

Residents of a house in the locality of Chiñigue are completely dumbfounded by the strange events associated with pyrokinesis, that is to say, when objects inexplicably burn without any apparent cause.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:48 AM

After 150 years, origin of Missoula’s moniker still a mystery 

French fur traders long before 1860 called the Missoula area “La Porte de l’Enfer”– the Gates of Hell, or Hellgate – for those same foreboding reasons, the death and mayhem that occurred in the canyon and that might occur again.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:33 AM

Police fear occult rituals involved in Park City animal decapitations 

Seven dead chickens and a dead goat — most of the animals decapitated — were discovered on a sidewalk Monday in Park City.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:13 AM

Will the Glastonbury Thorn Survive? 

It is said to be in its origins 2,000 years old and to have direct links with Christ. According to legend it is either sprung from the Crown of Thorns or from seeds planted by Joseph of Arimathea, who, according to the Gospel, gave his tomb to hold Christ's body.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:39 AM

Shipwrecked 2,000-Year-Old Pills Give Clues to Ancient Medicine 

Scientists are trying to unravel the mystery of whether pills found in a 2,000-year-old shipwreck were, in fact, created and used as effective plant-based medicines.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:43 AM

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Mystery Stone Found On Prince Edward Island 

Researchers are puzzled over a mysterious stone of unknown origin discovered on Prince Edward Island, near Nova Scotia.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:51 PM

Amanda Knox: The judge who could set her free 

Andy Warhol once said everybody would be famous for 15 minutes. One wonders what he'd make of Amanda Knox, a convicted killer who swears she is innocent--a ghastly kind of fame.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:46 PM

Lee Harvey Oswald's Coffin Sells For $87,469 

The coffin was unearthed in 1981 as a consequence of a dispute between Oswald's widow Marina and his brother Robert. Marina sought an exhumation believing that a Russian agent had been buried in her husband's place.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:33 PM

Rendlesham Forest UFO mystery still leaves questions 

Thirty years after claims that UFOs had been spotted in Rendlesham Forest, experts and enthusiasts still can't agree on what happened.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:17 PM

Worth the Drive: Marfa and Those Mysterious Lights 

To the casual observer, Marfa may not have much to offer. But au contraire, mon frere, there is much to see in this tiny Texas town.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:16 PM

Lizard-Men Legends 

What would you say if someone approached you and said they had seen a bizarre beast that looked like it had stepped right off the set of the classic 1950s movie, The Creature from the Black Lagoon? Sounds crazy? Maybe; maybe not...

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:15 PM

Friday, December 17, 2010

Workmen discover body of huge gladiator who was 'stabbed six times and thrown out with the rubbish' 

Archaeologists do not know his name but are convinced the remarkable discovery of the Roman gladiator's bones in York provide a clear clue of where the amphitheatre was in the city.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:20 AM

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Our Valued Customers 

I added Our Valued Customers to the links. Seriously, it's hilarious.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:36 PM

Real-Life UFOs, From Flying Flapjacks to Mystery Missiles 

Here, we take a look at the most striking curiosities of aviation, both foreign and domestic, including actual flying saucers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:36 PM

Big cat on prowl in Fort! 

The mystery animal has been spotted several times in the last fortnight by members, the club steward and greenkeepers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:31 PM

Mystery skulls stun Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood 

With video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:30 PM

Brookline author revisits the sea serpent that roiled Gloucester in 1817 

Two woman reported seeing a "sea monster" enter Gloucester Harbor on Aug. 6, 1817, but perhaps because they were women, or because their tale seemed so fantastic, their names were not recorded.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:29 PM

Area Man Kicked Off Mineola Nature Preserve Trying to Bait Bigfoot in His Toyota 

A man from Lancaster spent Monday night in a nature preserve 75 miles east of Dallas trying to lure Bigfoot to his black Toyota sedan, police say.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:23 PM

Bob Feller, RIP 

Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, the winningest pitcher in Indians history and one of baseball's greatest right-handers, died Wednesday night. He was 92.

According to this Sports Illustrated article he could still pitch from the mound to the plate at age 87. Pretty damn impressive.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:31 AM

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Police: Small Human Foot Washes Ashore In Wash. 

So what is that now? Nine?

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:55 AM

Why Yes, That Is the Severed Head of the King of France 

This is how you know you're rich: When you are the kind of person who has a "private collection" that includes the severed head of Henri IV, the former King of France. Apparently, there are several such people.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:15 AM

Beauty sleep concept is not a myth, says study 

The idea of people needing "beauty sleep" has acquired some scientific backing, according to a Swedish study.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:13 AM

Phallic-shaped rock discovered in Maryland 

When Martin Kenny came across what looked like a phallic carving at a site where workers had been excavating to build a new barn, he didn't know what to make of the thing.

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:03 AM

'Fountain of youth' pill could restore aging immune system 

UCSF researchers have identified an existing medication that restores key elements of the immune system that, when out of balance, lead to a steady decline in immunity and health as people age.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:20 AM

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Montana Disturbing Cow Mutilation Evokes Past Mysteries 

There were just a few drops of blood around the cow — hardly what was expected considering the tongue and udder were removed and the flesh and tissue scraped clean to the bone.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:59 PM

Folks in central Florida report seeing Skunk Ape 

At Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:50 PM

Mysterious Pyramid Baffles Chinese Scientists 

No one seems to know the origin or the meaning behind a mysterious pyramid that sits atop Mount Baigong in western China that local legends claim is an alien UFO launch tower.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:49 PM

Famous science writer steps all over rumors about Bigfoot 

Well-known Chinese science writer Fang Zhouzi, who developed a reputation for exposing academic fraud, insisted that Wildman (Bigfoot) is a figment of people's imagination even as an organization in Hubei Province prepares to hunt for the mysterious half-human, half-ape creature.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:44 PM

No local ban on 'black magic' toy donations 

Simms was reacting to media reports that the Calgary wing of the Christian aid agency is refusing to take donations of toys that it believes promote black magic, the occult and vampires.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:42 PM

Monday, December 13, 2010

Real-life Da Vinci Code: Tiny numbers and letters discovered on the Mona Lisa 

Hidden in the dark paint of her pupils are tiny letters and numbers, placed there by the artist Leonardo da Vinci and revealed only now thanks to high-­magnification techniques.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:54 PM

Loch Ness monster 'seen twice' 

A retired detective whose father captured one of the most famous images of the Loch Ness monster has reopened the debate over the beast's existence by claiming he has seen it twice.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:24 PM

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Crazy hunting pic 

Strange creature allegedly photographed on game camera. With video that includes a second unrelated freaky pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:04 AM

Friday, December 10, 2010

US report adds details on Cold War Nazi intel 

The report, titled "Hitler's Shadow: Nazi War Criminals, U.S. Intelligence, and the Cold War," was authored by historians hired by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:03 PM

Lost Civilization May Have Existed Beneath the Persian Gulf 

Veiled beneath the Persian Gulf, a once-fertile landmass may have supported some of the earliest humans outside Africa some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago, a new review of research suggests.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:57 PM

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Medieval work reveals Jesus' great grandmother 

Legend of St. Ismeria sheds light on Biblical Virgin Mary's family and on values of 14th-century Florence.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:36 PM

Poussin's Mountainous Mystery 

When examining the mystery of Rennes-le-Château, it is difficult to ignore the apparent significance of Nicolas Poussin’s enigmatic painting, Shepherds of Arcadia (1638-40), sometimes known as Et in Arcadia Ego.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:18 AM

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

The John Dee Working 

Near the end of September, 2010, Alan and I travelled to Mortlake in London, to contact the spirit of the Elizabethan magus, Dr. John Dee, near the site where his house once stood by the River Thames.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:36 PM

Ronni Chasen slaying: Gun recovered from man who committed suicide appears to match one that killed publicist 

Officials have said they are not sure if Smith was involved in the killing and had asked Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Scientific Services Bureau/Firearms Section to do a ballistics comparison.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:19 PM

Bishop Approves Apparition of Virgin Mary at Brown County Shrine 

The diocese says in 1859 the Virgin Mary appeared on three occasions to a young Belgian immigrant, and since then pilgrimages to the shrine have resulted in hundreds of stories of healing and conversions.

With video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:14 PM

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Birds of America breaks auction book record 

One of the few privately owned copies of John James Audubon's richly illustrated "Birds of America" sold for 7.3 million pounds ($11.5 million) in London Tuesday, smashing the auction record for a printed book.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:56 PM

New York City Water Fountain 1885 

At Broadway, Eighth Ave, and Sixtieth Street. From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:28 PM

Ronni Chasen's Death Suspicious the Co-Executor of Hollywood Publicist's Will Said 

The family of Ronni Chasen, the murdered celebrity publicist at the heart of Hollywood's latest mystery, has thus far come up empty-handed in their search for a more updated will.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:56 PM

Last meals: weird requests on death row 

Here are some of the more unusual requests submitted to prison staff.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:26 PM

Bigfoot researcher looking for stories for new book 

Are your friends tired of hearing your Bigfoot story?

See also: “Swamp Loggers” Stumble Upon Bigfoot Nest?

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:11 PM

Mysterious fireball lighting up the sky leaves onlookers bewildered 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:03 PM

The Mysterious Corruption of America's First Cookbook 

Imagine yourself living in 1796, somewhere in the Hudson River Valley. You're a young woman, an orphan. Lacking family connections, you've become a servant, primarily a cook, with skills built on the Dutch traditions of your region. Though you've never had the means to become fully literate, you've found the willpower to do what no other American has ever done: write a cookbook.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:02 PM

Monday, December 06, 2010

Ronni Chasen's Killer: Search Starts Over After Harold Smith's Suicide 

After many interviews, ballistics tests and employing a little commonsense, Beverly Hills investigators now say that Harold Martin Smith, who took his own life, probably has no connection to the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:15 PM

"Wonders in the Sky": Why we've always been obsessed with UFOs 

Unexplained sightings date back thousands of years and span the globe. What does that say about us?

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:08 PM

Awesome or Off-Putting: The Quacker 

We’ll be talking about weird, repeating underwater sounds Cold War Russian submariners used to hear every time they’d pass certain spots.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:05 PM

Inequality drove ancient Peruvians to child sacrifice 

Sacrifice is an age-old ritual, but the inhabitants of 10th-century Peru brought sinister novelty to their rites by slaughtering children.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:04 PM

Dismembered bodies all too common in South Florida 

Police investigating remains found over two counties recently; other similar cases still unsolved.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:54 AM

Sunday, December 05, 2010

HIDDEN HISTORY: UFOs over Genesee County? 

Reports of flying saucers and other UFOs probably reached their peak in North America in the summer of 1947. And the Batavia area was a part of it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:35 PM

Japan’s Mysterious Traveling Snake Lady 

This middle-aged, white-faced woman bites off the head of a snake (in Ozzy fashion, no doubt), and then eats it in front of the audience. Not too much is known about her, except that she’s been doing this since at least 2006 (see video).

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:39 PM

Students turn studies of mysterious animals into fund-raiser 

In the Cryptozoology Coloring Calendar — currently on sale for $6 each to benefit Angi Manning-Welch's fifth-grade class and an organization yet to be determined — each month teaches about a different cryptid while giving children and their parents an opportunity to color descriptive pictures created by the fifth-graders.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:43 AM

Were the Three Wise Men from China? 

Brent Landau, a professor of religious studies at the University of Oklahoma and an expert in ancient biblical languages, found references to a text about the wise men in writings from the Middle Ages and learned that a collector in the 18th century had discovered in a Turkish monastery a manuscript called "the Revelation of the Magi" with a narrative about the wise men.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:53 AM

Fish traps 'almost 1400 years old' 

Some of the ancient fish traps in the Courtenay Estuary are way older than first imagined.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:33 AM

The man who will find Franklin’s ships 

On Thursday, I met a smart man in a dark bar who figures he can find the "holy grail" of the Arctic — the ships Erebus and Terror from the ill-fated Franklin Expedition.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:19 AM

Yet-to-be-published Wikileaks documents contain references to UFOs: Assange 

One of the documents expected to be released is likely to throw light on the extradition case of computer hacker Gary McKinnon, 44, with an autism disorder leading to obsessive behavior called Asperger's syndrome.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:08 AM

WILD ABOUT TEXAS: My theories on a Lake Nasworthy mystery 

Before my hobby of herpetoculture brought me to the Nature Center this decade, I had heard rumors of an enormous (always at least 6 feet long) reptile that would patrol the depths of Lake Nasworthy.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:07 AM

Christopher Columbus a royal in exile? 

A new book about the great navigator who discovered the americas suggests he was the subject of a conspiracy to keep his identity safe and protect his father who was a king.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:51 AM

"The Killing of Crazy Horse": Unraveling the myth of Crazy Horse 

A new book tackles the leader's role in the Sioux Wars -- and creates an enthralling, fascinating history.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:50 AM

Friday, December 03, 2010

Ancient Mega-Lake Found in Egyptian Desert 

The hyper-arid deserts of western Egypt were once home to a lush mega-lake fed by the Nile River's earliest annual floods.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:42 PM

Nazi Scientists Proposed Creating a Giant Space Mirror to Burn Enemy Nations 

An issue of Life magazine published on July 23, 1945 includes an article about a secret weapon proposed by some Nazi scientists toward the end of World War II.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:36 AM

Revealed: Ronni Chasen murder suspect who shot himself to death in Hollywood hotel lobby had served two stints in jail 

A strange case gets stranger.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:26 AM

Exotic oarfish makes rare appearance in Malibu 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:32 AM

Rock Hawk a mystery, though folklore supplies colorful tales 

Cool.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:26 AM

Canadian letter authenticates Custer's flag 

Battle flag found on the body of a soldier after the massacre is expected to sell for up to $5 million.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:02 AM

Revealed: Mystery Arthur's Seat skier 

Ski coach Gareth Trayner was captured hurtling down the Edinburgh landmark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:42 AM

Masons try to dispel mystery with open house 

Before Colorado was a state, 12 buildings stood in Fort Collins. One of those buildings was the Masonic lodge.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:40 AM

Brain damage might actually create fake memories 

In a shocking new discovery, it turns out brain damage can also cause its sufferers to experience false memories of familiarity.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:33 AM