Bits of the Strangely Newsworthy...

While I've been busy digging through Akron history, here are a few of the more bizarre (and slightly morbid or preternatural) news stories I missed from around the world.

Exterminating Self-Extermination...

Euthanasia can be controversial, but what about the right to do yourself in? While assisted suicide of terminally-ill patients is fine in Oregon, the state's House of Representatives has decided it's not right to cash in on someone else's desired death. A bill was passed on Monday making the sale of "suicide kits" illegal. California woman Sharlotte Hydorn has been selling asphyxiation kits for $60 each (plus shipping) to would-be final clients for some time, but now might face up to 10 years in prison for selling her wares (called "exit kits") to people in Oregon. I guess for those down-and-out souls on the rainy, dreary coast, it's back to the tried and true methods like arsenic, hand guns, and hangings.

File Under V for Vanished...

Many people have complained about the blacked-out portions of US military records dealing with unidentified flying objects. It could be worse; they could have disappeared. So seems to be the case in Australia where, after an exhaustive two-month search, the records housed by the military related to UFO reports (or "X-Files") are AWOL. The case files were recorded up until 2000 and a newspaper recently requested copies of the old documents, at which time the disappearance was discovered. Officials say they must have been lost or destroyed. Another government cover-up of alien contact? Or the cleaning crew doing overtime? One thing is for certain: no Aussie cattle are safe.

Recalculating the Apocalypse...

We can't blame Harold Camping for miscalculating the Rapture. Of the thousands of years of human time, narrowing down that one single day when the good Christians of the world would be beamed up to heaven must be a daunting task. After apologizing for his error, Camping has announced the real date of the end of the world: October 21, 2011. It's time to get those new billboards and signs prepared and enjoy the last few months before demons rise up and slaughter the wicked. Luckily for him, the new date falls much closer to Halloween. If you want to show the streets of the United States filled with ghouls, devils, and monsters, there's no better month than October.

Presidential Tomb Raiders...

The days of corpse theft are still alive and well . . . at least in the Mediterranean. Last month, three men were convicted of stealing the body of Cyprus' late President Tassos Papadopoulos. They planned to use the deceased as a bargaining chip to negotiate for the release of one of the men's brothers who was serving two life sentences for murder. (Luckily for him, not for the murder of the president.) Papadopoulos died of lung cancer in 2008; his body was stolen less than a year later. Desecration of a grave is a misdemeanor in Cyprus and the men were sentenced to 18-20 months in jail. While they may not have freed the convicted murderer, at least they won't have to wait to visit him behind bars.

Politics are Cutthroat...

We may think that politicians are insane fools, but in the republic of Kyrgyzstan, they certainly can be creative. It seems that Parliament in the former Soviet Central Asian country was having a lot of trouble. Obviously, it couldn't be caused by all the disputes and troubles caused by living people. It must have been the work of evil spirits. So they took it upon themselves to go back to their roots by asking, "What would our ancestors have done in times like this?" The answer was a eureka moment: Let's sacrifice some sheep! To appease the "evil spirits," rams were led to the green lawn in front of governmental headquarters and ritually slaughtered. According to Kurmanbek Osmonov, a member of Parliament, "This is a popular ancient tradition, carried out in order to avoid a repeat of last year's tragic events and for peace and harmony to triumph." Only time will tell of the sacrifice worked or, for that matter, if the trend will catch on and make politicians far more amusing.

On Wings of Fear...

I'm officially another year older today. It's been quite a chaotic year so far; my free time for blogging has dwindled more than expected. It's not just coursework that takes a chunk of my time away. I've been doing a fair amount of side research for two books and helping with editing a local ghost book due out later this year. Still, I've managed to get out and poke around the Cuyahoga Valley a few times. With the weather improving, I hope to enjoy the fresh air more once the last few weeks of this semester have finished.

The one place I've visited most often lately is Indigo Lake. There is a good reason for that, recalling events which happened several years ago during a late-night investigation of the trail. It was here I had one of my most unexplainable moments. Standing at the top of the hill and peering down the trail into the woods, I saw a distant pair of eyes. They weren't quite normal eyes, more like two glowing embers from a campfire. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, these amber lights suddenly became the eyes of something human-like: a black shadow of a man walking toward me. As he strolled forward, he stretched out his arms horizontally on each side. Yet there was something odd about those arms. Feathers drooped down on both sides, as if he were wearing some sort of bird costume. While I didn't feel any fear, my friends who were there that night did, and they quickly fled down the hill. Not wanting to confront whatever it could be by myself, I turned and followed them. I still regret that in many ways.

Could it have been a Native American dressed as a Thunderbird? Or perhaps something else? I'll never know. But my sighting seems reminiscent of a few of the known reports from Ohio and West Virginia of that enigmatic creature dubbed the "Mothman." Believe it or not, there have been reported sightings as close as Stow, Ohio, in recent years. Does this mean I had an encounter with the creature? Well, probably not... but I can't rule out the possibility.

A few months back, I finally took the time to read the book that started winged-creature hysteria in the Ohio Valley. In The Mothman Prophecies, John Keel told of his personal experiences in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, including the collapse of the Silver Bridge in 1967. A fictionalized version of his book was adapted to film in 2002. While it touched on some key points, the book is entirely different. Keel came across as a very reasonable, rational man who, after encountering several unexplainable individuals and occurrences, formed several theories of what exactly might be happening. It's much more than glowing eyes and premonitions. He delved into his own conclusions concerning UFO phenomena, men in black, and unexplained circumstances, namely the existence of ultra-terrestrials. He didn't believe in alien visitations, government cover-ups, or spooky specters; he felt that some higher intelligence co-existed with us on this planet, unobservable save for the occasional glimpse.

What is most fascinating about the book is how so many "paranormal phenomena" could be accounted for by these beings. Poltergeist activity. Shadow apparitions. Premonitory dreams. Spook lights. These weren't ghosts, but effects produced by these ultra-terrestrials. Given Keel's explanation of how they attempted to make sane people appear crazy and lead people off course in finding the truth behind the phenomena, it could make a lot of sense that some ghosts are just a cover story. We may never know for sure, though. Keel passed away on July 3, 2009. In over 40 years of research, he never was able to find concrete, absolute answers; in fact, he felt those answers would never be found.

What was the Mothman? Who were the Men in Black? Many of us will never find adequate answers. It's a complex web of incidents and misinformation. So many people hold firm beliefs which explain these and other mysteries in their own mind, but they refuse to allow room for any alternative ideas. That's the greatest problem with the unexplained: not allowing for other possibilities. When people ask us to keep an open mind, too often they suffer from closed-minded viewpoints. As of this moment, no person alive has absolute indisputable proof that any theory of ghosts, monsters, UFOs, etc. is the correct answer for what is happening. Perhaps this is because we look for our own version of proof instead of answering the real question: what is it? We assume we know what these creatures/things/experiences are, then search for answers to coincide with these assumptions. When the results don't add up, we try again instead of re-analyzing the initial idea.

I recommend Keel's book to anyone curious about not only the Mothman, but paranormal activity in general. Just keep an open mind--a really opened mind--as you read it. It just might change how you see everything.

True News is Stranger than Fiction...

It's been a while since I've reported on a few of the weird goings-on around the globe. Luckily it's been a great year for the bizarreness of humanity. Here are just a few stories that fell through the cracks (including a few from Oceania) found inside the Sydney Morning Herald.

Just Looking for a Ghouled Time...

In Durack, Northern Territory a woman named Jennifer Mills-Young has been the victim of what many Australians have labeled a "randy poltergeist." The ghost, given the name Kevin, attacked Jennifer, a mother of two, in her bed while alone in the house, grabbing her wrist and trying to drag her out of bed. "I yelled at Kevin that he was not welcome in my bedroom and that he couldn't come into bed with me. I told him to f--- off and to close the door behind him," Jennifer told a reporter for The Northern Territory News. "A moment later I saw how the bedroom door was closed."  Jason King, a Sydney-based paranormal investigator, has offered his services to help the woman, who was and still remains very skeptical of the paranormal.

Feasting on Misfortune...

There's something rotten in Wellington, New Zealand. Is isn't the corpses. And thanks to an unidentified man it isn't the funeral banquets either. A well-dressed man in his 40s made several stops at Harbour City Funeral Home and similar businesses in the eastern suburbs between March and April to dine on the banquets and take some extra to go. According to the Dominion Post he was stopped after a week by funeral director Danny Langstraat and his staff who felt he had crossed the line. Mentally ill or just looking for a free lunch? We may never know.

A Very Unlucky Number...

People may chalk up the superstitions surrounding the number 13 to coincidence, but one teenager in Suffolk, England may disagree. Friday August 13th proved to be a shocking day for the 13-year-old boy who was attending an air show when a thunderstorm rolled in. A lightning strike hit the boy and two other crowd members at 13:13. "Lightning strikes can cause cardiac arrest," said a St Johns Ambulance volunteer at the event, "but when our volunteers arrived, the boy was conscious and breathing." He was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for burns on his shoulder.

Rook to Alpha Centauri...

Could aliens pose concerns of national security leaks? Possibly in Russia. State Duma deputy Andrei Lebedev wrote to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in May asking for a full investigation into the alleged alien abduction of multi-millionaire businessman Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on September 18, 1997. On that date, Kirsan reported that a cylindrical craft piloted by "human-like creatures in yellow spacesuits" landed on his balcony and whisked him away to "some kind of star" in an effort to prove the existence of UFOs. Lebedev was concerned that the aliens may have urged him to divulge state secrets to them and asked for proper protocol to be followed when a high-profile figure is abducted. But they might be overreacting a little. Kirsan happens to be the head of the World Chess Federation. Perhaps they just wanted a few pointers in exchange for a tour of the universe?

Paranormlolz...

Mondays can be rough. Every so often when I need a little pick-me-up and a good chuckle, I drop by ICanHasCheezburger for some feline amusement. And every so often, they can get a little supernatural. As a little break from too much seriousness here are a few favorites from the site.

The Real Fame Monsters...

What with everything happening personally lately there have been some news stories I missed out on mentioning. Yes I'm still doing my best to survive out in southern California. And it seems to be rough for a lot of people lately. Not just living daily life but also dealing with the paranormal.

Take popstar Robbie Williams, for example. After his switch from singing to stargazing in search of life beyond Earth, Williams purchased a magnificent home on an alleged ley line in England believing it would increase the likelihood of a close encounter. So far no visitors from outer space have popped in for tea at Compton Bassett House. The singer is now putting the 7.5 million manor up for sale and, according to some reports, is willing to sell at a loss. According to the Daily Mail, Robbie is planning on living permanently in Los Angeles, California possibly to continue his extra-terrestrial hobbies... or the other strange and unexplainable creatures found on this side of the United States. I should know. I see at least one anomaly a day... and I can't always tell if they're human.

And now, a current pop chart singer is finding herself in a supernatural bind. Gay icon Lady Gaga is allegedly being haunted. Not by ex-boyfriends or crazed fans, but negative spirits. A paranormal specialist by the name of Dan Webb reportedly sold the diva $5000 in ghost busting gear to help her while on tour. According to some accounts, the negative "spirits" are following her everywhere she goes. At first, Gaga (also known as Stefani Germanotta) thought she could be suffering from schizophrenia but became convinced her problems were of the otherworldly kind, which led to her asking Webb's firm to cleanse the offstage area where she was performing in London.

Has Gaga gone ghost-busting? Nobody knows for sure. But just for a little fun, here's a music mash-up of Lady Gaga and the theme music from that classic 80s movie Ghostbusters:

They Really Bought the Farm...

Cows in Tennessee are feeling a sense of unease.

Union County residents along Hickory Valley Road noticed vultures circling a pasture near their property last week. Upon closer inspection, the bodies of eleven cows were found scattered across the property belonging to E. G. McCoy of Knoxville. Assuming the animals had been shot, police were notified. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture disagreed with the verdict.

According to their workers, and those at the University of Tennessee's Animal Clinic, there were no signs of bullet wounds. In fact, no cause of death could immediately be determined. Sergeant Mike Butcher (aptly named) of the Sheriff's Department said that biopsies of the bodies were taken Thursday and investigators are awaiting the results.

"Nobody's seen anything like it," Butcher stated. "It's a first for us."

Four other cows survived. No evidence of foul (or bovine) play could be found. A few local residents claimed to witness UFOs the same night, but authorities aren't ruling anything out at this time.

Of course, if you want to witness your own cow abduction by an alien, you may not have to wait for extraterrestrial life forms. Designer Lasse Klein is working toward production of an Alien Abduction Lamp, complete with human and cow for teleportation.

So We're All Aussie Aliens?

Last week, the small town of Marlinja in Australia's Northern Territory claims to have had otherworldly visitors. According to some of the 112 residents, four UFOs descended upon the town. Bright red lights were accompanied by a loud, strange sound which shook the ground. Janie Dixon's phone rang, but when she tried to answer it, the line went dead.

Surprisingly, UFOs have been spotted many times in Australia. And some people claim to know the strange connection aliens might have with this land.

It was where they began populating the earth.

A well-known feature of the Northern Territory is Uluru, or Ayers Rock. Hidden withing the crevices are ancient Aboriginal paintings and inscriptions. One of these has ufologists talking.

"Once upon a time, in a distant past, a huge red 'egg' had difficulties to safely reach the ground and crashed. Out of the 'egg' emerged white-skinned beings, followed by their children. The adults had problems adapting to the Earth's atmosphere and died. The children managed to survive."

So, according to Aboriginal beliefs, something landed in the Outback a very long time ago and brought with it life as we know it. According to Bill Chalker, connections with aliens still exist in rituals and legends passed along in some tribes to this day. Early settlers even reported strange phenomena around the continent.

Then, of course, there's the question about Uluru itself. It, along with three other nearby formations, resemble triangles. Some ufologists and enthusiasts say these do not resemble natural structures. In satellite images of the anomalies, the triangles appear to have similar characteristics and are even oriented in the same direction.

Uluru itself is believed by Aborigines to have an energy source, Tjukurpa, beneath it. There have been a few times in history the rock has changed color.

Is this proof of the past visitation of extra-terrestrials? The question is still unanswered and hotly debated. Many natural structures almost appear to be man-made. And as for the native tales passed down, there could be more symbolism than fact to the words. Looking up into the vastness of the night sky, it's easy to imagine our early ancestors forming fantastic tales from the great unknown.

But could there be some truth to the mythology?

More importantly, does this theory mean that I can claim to be Australian through ancestral lineage?

Footy Roots, Otherworldly Ambition...

Pop star Robbie Williams may not be the only celebrity with his eyes to the sky.

Saxon Pepper was voted off Big Brother Australia this week. The unemployed 22-year-old truck driver had moved to Adelaide from South Australia shortly before being cast on the show, feeling the need for change in is life. The program has had an impact on him, giving him more perspective on different types of people and teaching him more about diversity.

He even befriended party boy Corey Worthington, known for his infamous MySpace party in Melbourne.

One thing that hasn't changed, though, is his interest in the paranormal. He would like to find a way to prove the existence of UFOs and alien life. He even has Roswell tattooed on his arm.

“The idea that there's something else out there just excites me," Pepper told The Age. "People are ignorant if they dismiss it as a silly thought.”

I guess he has plenty of time to do that now...

Let Me Entertain You...

And so the Robbie Williams saga continues...

Today, at 6:30 PM GMT on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom, Williams will be on a program discussing extra-terrestrials. Considering the unexplained UFO photographs captured in London in February, it is perfect timing.

And just where has he been these past few months? Hiding out in his Mulholland Estates home in California, sleeping all day and watching the skies at night for signs of intelligent life. There are still people who think he's insane for his alien pursuits, but his beliefs are unshakable.

It turns out Robbie has been surrounded with the supernatural all of his life. His mother was a firm believer in the paranormal and may have started his obsession. Her nighttime discussions of ghosts and spirits left an impression and still haunt him to this day.

In an interview, Robbie added, "Maybe that’s why I want to investigate UFOs so I can work out why I get scared at night."

There may be major differences between hauntings and flying saucers, but whatever works for him...

I'll Get You My Pretty....

So, exactly what was seen in the sky over Mexico in 2006, and again just recently?

If you believe the media and some eye-witness testimony, the answer is a human-like UFO... or quite possibly a witch.

Footage was aired on television in Mexico. People have come forward reporting a witch flying and taking off. Speculation is still abound. See the actual news report here (in Spanish):


So, is it real?

Apparently, NPR reported a man building jetpacks in Mexico around the same time and using his daughters as test pilots. But there is another possibility...

A balloon.

Judging by the movement alone, I'm leaning toward balloon.

Alas, Dorothy's Mexican counterpart is safe once more...

Tuning in to Spooks...

Ghosts are big business. Isn't it time we had a television station devoted entirely to them?

In fact, over in England, that is exactly what's happening.

Yvette Fielding, whom some of you may recognize as that crazy screaming woman from Most Haunted, has launched the Paranormal Channel on Sky. It will become available starting June 9th. But it will go beyond ghosts: programs covering Bigfoot, Loch Ness, UFOs, and other supernatural topics will also be aired.

Hopefully, the satellite station will carry over to other countries, though it is still in the experimental stage. After all, who doesn't like a good spooky story?

No Signs of Intelligent Life Here...

Are aliens really out there?

Given the odds, it's more than likely that life does exist on other planets. But are they dimwits?

Stephen Hawking, the well-known astrophysicist, posed this question Monday during a lecture at George Washington University. "Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is very rare. Some would say it has yet to occur on earth."

This doesn't mean we shouldn't continue to explore space. Hawking compared space exploration to the voyages of Christopher Columbus. The benefits simply outweigh the risks. "Just think," he said, "we wouldn't have a Big Mac or KFC."

Who new he had a sense of humor?

Intelligent life is a relative term. Who is to say that we're not the idiots? Just because we can't detect "Zongregian Idol" being broadcast over the galaxies doesn't mean there couldn't be a life form out there with more sophisticated knowledge sending out messages that we have yet to comprehend.

To claim that we're the smartest creatures in existence is just as foolish as calling the Titanic "unsinkable". It's just begging to be proved wrong.

We've Got Stars Directing Our Fate...

Robbie Williams is back in the news again. He is not backing down on his goal of becoming a ufologist. In fact, his latest actions show the dream is finally coming to fruition.

He has begun a shopping excursion, looking into buying an observatory. And reportedly, he may spend around £2.5 million (US$5 million) for it! What was once viewed as a farce and a silly attention plea is now looking more like an ambitious venture. He has even been visiting a telescope in the Arizona desert to quench his desire to explore outer space from the comfort of earth.

Call him insane but we should all give him credit for his pursuit. After all, we once believed the sun revolved around the earth. Science fiction always retains the possibility of becoming science fact.

With billions of solar systems dotting the galaxies and trillions of planets floating around in the universe, it would be absurd to believe that earth is the only populated one. As for space travel, that is still debatable.

It could be possible and we can't rule out the slight probability. There is a chance that other life forms somewhere are far more advanced than we are.

...And the Price Isn't Out of This World

The housing market is down in the United States. There just aren't enough buyers for homes, so houses tend not to sell for high prices. Even if that house happens to look like a UFO.

That was the case for the 38-year-old "Space House" perched on the side of Signal Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee when it went up for auction on March 15th. The winning bid was $135,000 which surprised the auctioneer, Terry Posey. The new owner is a woman from Cincinnatti, Ohio.

The house sits atop six supports intended to look like landing gear. The staircase leading to the three-bedroom dwelling is fully retractable and there is enough space for at least two vehicles underneath.

These features apparently came in handy for a previous owner. During an argument with her husband, she left the home, raised the stairs, and parked his truck directly underneath, trapping him inside.

"Take That" to Your Leader?

Robbie Williams has had a rough life: insecurity and self-esteem issues, weight problems, alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression. He has been to rehab and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He has suffered a few album flops. And now, he's feeling like a change of life might do him well.

Something different. Something... paranormal?

Yes, Robbie is seriously contemplating putting down his microphone to pursue a subject that has always interested him: UFOs. He's planning on becoming a ufologist when he soon quits the music business.

During his early childhood, he recalls seeing strange lights in the sky over the UK. Later, while living in Los Angeles, he witnessed another unidentified object. The last sighting came shortly after composing a song about alien visitation.

Fans shouldn't be terribly shocked by the news. After all, he did have a "Close Encounters Tour" in 2006.

Robbie Williams as Fox Mulder? Stranger things have happened. We shall see what happens.

After all, "the truth is out there".