The Burning Truth of the Cuyahoga...

The story of Cleveland becoming the home of the "burning river" dated back some 40 years when, for the first time, pollution caused the Cuyahoga River to catch fire. Right? Well, one part of this is true. On June 22, 1969, an oil slick on the river did catch fire and subsequently caught the attention of national media. It also burned in 1950 and 1952. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"The fire was caused by the water. It flooded some place where was stored some gasoline and carried it down on top of the water to those stills above Wilson Av. to the right as we go in to Cleveland. The water got high enough to carry it in to their fires where it ignited and went down among the tanks below, and as they got hot they blew up and gave their contents to the flames. . . They put timbers across that big creek and threw wood, lumber and anything they found handiest above them into the water and so stopped the surface water and Oil from running down, but they had several acres of burning Oil above. It commenced burning Saturday and we could see the light still Monday morning."

The above account by Alexander Snow in a letter to his son, Fred, wasn't from 1969 or even the 1950s. This blaze touched off on Saturday, February 3, 1883. This was just one fire of the dozen or more on the Cuyahoga since 1868. During the late 19th Century, the river was “so flammable that if steamboat captains shoveled glowing coals overboard, the water erupted in flames” according to author Ron Chernow. Boats were to blame for several of the fires on the sludge-covered river.

Recorded incidents of the river in flames occurred in the following years: 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1930, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1952, ad 1969. That's more than a century of stories of "the burning river." Yet we only seem to talk about the 1969 fire which led to stricter EPA regulations ad the Clean Water Act. Time and National Geographic magazines widely reported on the last Cuyahoga River fire, which helped it gain such notoriety. In recent time, it inspired "Burning River Pale Ale" made by the Great Lakes Brewing Company.

Rivers flowing through all major industrial cities have been polluted since the mid-1800s when manufacturing boomed. Over the years, the Cuyahoga hasn't been the only "burning river" in the United States. Dearborn, Michigan's Rouge River suffered from several fires. On June 8, 1926, a fire broke out in the Jones Falls area of Baltimore, Maryland, blowing manhole covers off sewer lines and sending a river of flames to the harbor.The Buffalo River burned in 1968 (and July 29, 1880) as did the Chicago River on April 18, 1899 (and many other times, including as recently as 2008) and Philly's Schuylkill River in the 1950s. For as log as mankind has been dumping flammable liquids into our waterways, we've been creating floating infernos.

To call the Cuyahoga the "Burning River" might be accurate, but it's a name synonymous with so many other rivers. Perhaps Cleveland can claim the title for the sheer number of fires on its river. Today, those of use who've been along the Cuyahoga River anywhere between Akron and Cleveland know full well that it's still polluted. Perhaps it won't flare up again, but the root-beer-float-style foam that churns up in some areas is enough to make most people think twice about fishing there. The "Crooked River" is aptly named on so many levels, but we can't say that 1969 was the only year to immortalize a city as the home of a watery inferno.

Most of the information on Cuyahoga River fires was taken from Jonathan Adler's 2003 article 'Fables of the Cuyahoga: Reconstructing a History of Environmental Protection' in the Fordham Environmental Law Journal, Vol. XIV, pages 89-146. The quote attributed to Alexander Snow was published in the book History of the Family of Benjamin Snow (1907; page 126).

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.

The End is Nigh, Again...

"The present week is a time of great interest to the believers in the personal reign of Christ, and in the Second Advent as now near. This week, we believe, will conclude the 2,300 years from the going forth of the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, at which time the word of God has been given that the sanctuary shall be cleansed, and there shall be an end of indignation." - Horace Canfield

Sounds familiar, right? Well, perhaps. Some of you might know that May 21, 2011 is Judgement Day (or what you could call "Rapture Day"), according to followers of Howard Camping. Never mind that his 1994 prediction of the end of the world came and went; apparently, his math was wrong and Saturday is the real date. He purports that there will be a catastrophic earthquake in New Zealand (sorry, kiwis) that ripples across the globe causing mass destruction. The saved will go to Heaven, while the rest of us... well, you might as well stock up on marshmallows and ice.

There have been a lot of similar predictions throughout history. Entire religions, sects, and cults have formed over a belief in Armageddon. Which beings me to the above quote. It came from the American Democrat, an Akron, Ohio, newspaper, during the 1840s.

Between 1841 and 1846, a religious craze swept northeast Ohio. Millerism, or Second/Seventh-Day Adventism, was founded by a farmer and war veteran turned pastor named William Miller. While Miller wasn't what you might call educated, he was devoutly religious and read the Bible... well... religiously. You could say Miller was one of the first conspiracy theorists; he had an unhealthy obsession with hidden symbols and prophecies found in biblical texts. It was this work that helped him discover the day when the world would end: April 4, 1843.

It came and went. Luckily, he realized there was an error in calculation. The true date was April 23, 1844.

Again, nothing happened. Well, at least as far as the Rapture is concerned.

Plenty did happen, concerning the thousands of followers (called Millerites). Both times they prepared for the end of the world. Some went so far as to commit suicide. Even after the failed predictions, believers lost their minds. In November 1844, Ira Viets of Cuyahoga Falls chiseled off his own penis, taking the doctrine, "If thy member offends thee, cut it off" far to literally. The final blow (no pun intended) for Akron's Second Adventist movement came when their "Tabernacle" was blown to smithereens with a keg of gunpowder on December 23, 1845.

A few sex scandals over the next year and the Millerites fizzled out. Yet many other doomsday prophets would come between then and now. We seem to be a people obsessed with destruction (or fear-mongering). From Jonestown and the grape FlaVor-Aid® deaths of 1978 to the Apocalypse of 2012, we take the end of the world very seriously. Our fear of death and destruction brings about its own self-fulfilling prophecy.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Life is a journey, not a destination." Unfortunately, in our modern times, we've forgotten this almost entirely. We fear death and the end of the world. We rush from place to place without paying any attention to the trip in between. Life is all about the instant gratification; less cerebral, more limbic. Honestly, death can come at any moment of any day. Why spend life focusing on the end results when there's plenty of living to do? Whether your travels are short or long, enjoy what you have while you have it.

Weird World News...

It's time again to break from reality and take a peek at some of the more bizarre things that have happened in our world.

Three Cheesus Pizza...

The Holy Trinity might need to be re-written as dough, tomato sauce, and mozzarella. Last month in Brisbane, a pizza emerged from the oven at Posh Pizza bearing the likeness of Jesus.A fluke or miracle, the unlikely image quickly became the talk of the town. While many see Jesus, others see a variety of famous bearded men (including Viggo Mortensen and Christian Bale). ''It's open to interpretation as many of these crazy, out there things are,'' employee Maree Phelan, who made the pizza in question, told the Herald Sun. The store auctioned the vacuum-sealed pizza on Ebay, raising $153 ($164 US) for charity.

Your Plasma or Your Life!?

Aaron Homer, 24, was sentenced to three years of probation in an Arizona court last month for stabbing his roommate, Robert Maley. The incident occurred following an argument over sucking blood. Homer and his girlfriend Amanda Williamson initially claimed self-defense when police arrived following a report of gunfire at the apartment. The couple later admitted to stabbing 25-year-old Maley after he refused to let them suck his blood. Homer told police he became enraged when Maley made fun of the couple for being pagan and into "vampire stuff." (Police report available at Smoking Gun) Maley fled the scene, fearful of arrest on outstanding warrants.

Homo Erectus Flamboyantensis?

Have scientists found an early case of homosexuality? Here's what infoMania's Brian Safi has to say:

More News from Our Weird World...

It's been a while since I've posted anything, much less the stranger side of the news. Here are a few of the oddest stories I've encountered during my study break.

This Water is as Hot as...

Everywhere, people are trying to save money, especially in government. In Redditch, Worchestershire, the council discovered it can save £14,500 annually in pool heating costs for Abbey Stadium by using a greener (and creepier) heat source. Ongoing discussion revolves around the crematorium next door and the heat wasted from incinerators which could do the job quite nicely. "I'd much rather use the energy rather than just see it going out of the chimney and heating the sky," council leader Carole Gandy told the Guardian. "It will make absolutely no difference to the people who are using the crematorium for services."

Next Time, Remove the Price Tag...

Welsh asbestos remover Neil Simons was sentenced to five years in jail following a string of robbery attempts in Llandaff, Cardiff. Simons first robbed a gas station brandishing an ax and wearing a Halloween mask. . . which he purchased from the same station three days prior. A second robbery attempt nearby was interrupted by a customer. Simons, 30, told the court he felt shameful for his actions, becoming desperate to pay off a £20,000 debt (including money demanded from a drug dealer who had sold him cocaine). Public defender Kieron Malloy told Wales Online “The fact his son bought the mask then returned to the same petrol station wearing it, shows it wasn’t a sophisticated crime.” Here's the CCTV footage:


Getting High on Death...

White powder isn't always snow, flour, or even cocaine. Yet three robbers in Silver Springs Shores, Florida, saw a couple urns and thought they discovered the latter, so much so that they snorted what turned out to be the cremated remains of a man and two Great Danes. 19-year-olds Waldo Soroa and Jose David Diaz Marrero, along with Matrix Andaluz (18), stole electronics and jewelery from the home along with the remains of the owner's pets and father. Realizing their mistake and fearful of fingerprints, they tossed the urns into a nearby lake.

The Blood-Bound Gang...

If you're on Team Edward, it's no surprise that vampires are a sexy, popular topic. From The Vampire Chronicles to Twilight, the increased popularity of blood suckers has evolved into its own subculture, says Sociologist D. J. Williams. The Idaho State scholar (interviewed by Reuters) was consulted for a vampire documentary and has been researching this and similar alternative lifestyles for many years. The important aspect Williams points out is that self-identified vampires are largely misunderstood. (That in itself almost sounds a little emo.) People like Jeffrey Dahlmer give the community a bad name. "They see themselves as normal, regular people in normal regular jobs: they are teachers, lawyers, accountants, they may be parents," Williams told Reuters. "They have normal lives but there is this aspect to needing to take energy from time to time and in certain ways."

A Tale of Two Murderers...

A skull stolen from the allegedly-haunted Old Melbourne Gaol in the 1970s has surfaced again amid questions of its true identity. Originally said to be that of famed outlaw Ned Kelly who was hanged and buried at the gaol in 1880, others speculate that it could belong to murderer Frederick Bailey Deeming (alleged to be "Jack the Ripper") who was also hanged at the gaol 1892. The skull closely matched the death masks of both killers so researchers are pleading for descendants of Deeming to come forward and supply DNA for testing.

Death by the Acre...

Two weeks ago I wrote about Sydney's first cemetery beneath present-day Sydney Town Hall. At that time I mentioned that a number of bodies exhumed were re-interred at Rookwood Necropolis. The interesting thing about this cemetery is it's the largest multicultural burial ground not only in Australia but in all the Southern Hemisphere. In the three square kilometers (over one square mile) of grounds approximately one million souls have met their final rest. Though some may not be so peaceful. Rookwood is also said to be the most haunted cemetery in the world.

An ideal spot for a new cemetery at Haslem's Creek (now Lidcombe) was chosen in 1862. The 200 acres were far enough away from Sydney as not to worry about encroachment (or so they believed). By 1879 the government needed to purchase an additional 577 acres to make more room. Originally a railway led to the cemetery for funerals but that ceased in 1948 after automobile funerals won out in popularity. Four of the five stations were demolished, with the last one being sold to Reverend Buckle in 1951 who dismantled it and reconstructed the depot as All Saints Church of England in Canberra's suburb of Ainslie. Yet many buildings remain, including a dozen chapels, three florist shops, and two cafes. It's practically an entire city for the dead.

Some of the oldest sections of the cemetery are overgrown with abundant indigenous plants as well as many various horticultural specimens. The Friends of Rookwood Inc. offers a variety of historical tours covering some famous and fascinating people buried throughout the cemetery. And undoubtedly one of the most interesting people you will find among the headstones is William Davenport.

The Davenport brothers, Ira and William, were highly acclaimed in their time as Spiritualist mediums. Born in Buffalo, New York the duo toured the United States for 10 years and met a great deal of skepticism from Houdini and others intent on exposing their magician's tricks as fraud. At the age of 36, William passed away from Tuberculosis on July 1, 1877 at the Oxford Hotel in Sydney. Ira returned to the US until his death in 1911 at which time he was buried in Mayville, New York.

As far as wandering souls are concerned, there is some debate about how haunted the cemetery really is. And we don't just mean last year's horny Satanist. If you ask tour guide Robyn Hawes she'll tell you there are no ghosts at Rookwood. Yet for decades haunting rumors have persisted. Allegedly both visitors and employees have experienced paranormal phenomena in Rookwood. Perhaps it's caused by a lonely convict of Davenport himself making one last appearance to better his reputation? Or is it just that pesky belief that all cemeteries must be haunted? Either way it's worth a visit just for the old Victorian headstones.

Paid by the Dead...

Every day millions of US citizens see dead people. Perhaps as a statue on the street, a picture or photograph, or the name of a building or bridge we may not take much notice of it. But death is all around us. This is certainly reflected in our currency. With the exception of Benjamin Franklin (who has been 6 feet under for many years) every bank note shows a deceased former president. Are they the only notable people from the past worth recognizing? Hardly. But that is how it has been for over a century. And people tend to hate change.

In Australia, the currency also carries faces of the dead. The only exception is the five-dollar note, which depicts a rather youthful Queen Elizabeth II and sketches of the capital city of Canberra as it was redesigned beginning in 1913. But the remaining faces have all been laid to rest. However, unlike the United States these people are far less political yet more interesting and diverse.

The $10 note pays tribute to writers. There's bush poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Patterson and poet/journalist Dame Mary Gilmore. Two pioneering individuals can be found on the $20 note: convict-turned-shipping-magnate Mary Reibey and Reverend John Flynn who founded the world's first aerial medical agency: the Royal Flying Doctor Service. On the $50 note you can find inventor David Unaipon (first Aboriginal to wrote and publish a book) and the first female representative elected to Parliament (in 1921 just a year after women were given the right to vote in the United States, though in Australia women voted since 1901) Edith Cowan. 

Last we have the highest denomination, the $100 note, which features the likenesses of world-renowned soprano opera singer Dame Nellie Melba as well as engineer and World War II commander General Sir John Monash. Australia's $1 and $2 coins, introduced in 1984 and 1988 respectively, along with the 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent pieces show the more natural, native side of the nation. From kangaroos to emu to a tribal Aborigine the images pay tribute to what was already on the continent before the influx of Europeans. Of course, they all can still be found there.

These iconic people will undoubtedly hold up to wear much better than Lincoln, Washington, and the others on US dollar notes. That's because Australia was the first country to make their notes out of a polymer beginning in 1988 to help curb counterfeiting. Having just received my converted currency from the bank I can see the advantages. It behaves very similarly but since it's a form of plastic it can't be ripped in two. Of course, nothing—even plastic—is infallible. Currency values fluctuate in uncertain times. Right now, the Australian dollar is having a bit of trouble. But nothing lasts forever. 

Thieves in the Night...

Every trip has its glitch. No matter how much planning you do, things don't ever go perfectly according to plan. That has certainly been true of my life thus far. And my big trip has already hit a snag. The inn I was planning to stay at (gay-owned and allegedly haunted) is booked up for the duration of my stay in Sydney. I found an alternative option which will definitely be a unique experience and have no doubt everything will work out fine. I would have had it booked a month ago were it not for someone deciding not to send out a check I was depending on (and earned every penny of) to reserve the room. I'm quite familiar with highway robbery though so it comes as no big surprise.

Thievery of wages is most definitely a criminal act. How fitting that I'll soon be headed to what once was a convict settlement for England. Most people in the United States know that much about the founding of Australia. It was a great experiment, shipping off the unwanted "criminal class" from Britain to a new country created to be a prison for these people. But why did England feel the need to use such drastic measures in 1787 sending ships of undesireables―from murderers and robbers to the poor and prostitutes―to this place? The answer is simple: England had just lost its criminal dumping ground.

Somehow history books don't generally touch on the fact that before the American Revolution the colonies that would eventually become the United States of America were an unofficial Alcatraz used by England to rid itself of unwanted individuals. Across the Atlantic, they would be out of sight and out of mind. Even some of the earliest settlers in New England, those memorable English Protestants known as the Puritans, claimed to set out for "religious freedom" when in reality no country in Europe would tolerate them. Having been banned from so many places they had no option but to set out on a voyage to lands unknown where no one knew how wretched they really were.

Early America was a mix of entrepreneurs and scoundrels. But with independence from the Crown the 13 Colonies no longer would be England's own personal landfill for society's unwanted. Luckily other choices appeared. Forget Boston. They now had Botany Bay. And the First Fleet arrived there in 1788 only 5 short years after the end of the American Revolutionary War.

Now 222 years later, this is the place I'll be exploring. A lot has obviously changed since those days yet there are hints of history still to be found. Australians have come to terms with the past and even embrace their convict heritage finally. What was once dense wilderness inhabited by many different tribes of aborigines and a plethora of dangerous fauna is now the sprawling metropolis of Sydney, centered just north of the bay where those early Europeans ventured forth into the unknown. But there are still unique, strange, and hidden thing to be found in this nation. It may not read like a James Tucker novel (I should hope!) but with any luck I should makes some interesting discoveries of my own.

You Can Hang Out with All the Boys...

College towns are a hotbed of spooky stories. Cambridge, Massachusetts is no different. But one of these stories is a bit different from what we're used to hearing. Furthermore it could quite possibly be one of the earliest televised mentions of a not-so-straight ghost. Perhaps the greatest irony is the location of the haunting. It's found off of Central Square in a building that houses the local Young Men's Christian Association, better known by its abbreviation: YMCA.

The Cambridge Family YMCA was organized on September 6, 1883 (according to the 1890 book History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts Volume I by Duane Hamilton Hurd (page 77), though their website claims 1867) and the following year they purchased the "beautiful and well-located building on Central Square". Durrell Hall, the Victorian theater housed in the building, opened in 1897 within the building and still is opened today. Property records indicate the building was built in 1905 which would be impossible if the theater existed 8 years before it was built. Although there is some confusion about the structural history, the haunted history is a bit more certain yet still as mysterious.

The basement houses the former locker room where people have reported lights being turned on and off and other pranks said to be caused by a male ghost who enjoys frightening people. His spirit, which sometimes takes the form of a glowing green apparition, has been sighted by employees and visitors at all hours of the day or night. The most popular story revolving around the ghost of the YMCA is that he was either a patron or employee who suffered a heart attack in the 1930s (others believe the 1970s). Some people believe he was gay and hangs around to spy on the young men as they change. Thanks for perpetuating the stereotype, mister ghost.

In Haunting Across America, an hour-long special released in 1996, they discussed the bizarre ghost story and invited Reverend Dr. Erle Myers, a minister with the Spiritualist Church, to uncover more information about the shamrock-colored specter. According to author Arthur Myers (October 24, 1917 - April 8, 2010) who was interviewed in the show regarding a ghostly encounter relayed to him in 1991, the ghost is of a male teacher who abused his male students. A séance was conducted to make contact with the spirit. Dr. Myers picked up on "a tall, thin man... probably in his 50s" dealing with repressed homosexuality. He encouraged the ghost to leave and "go into the light" and stated afterward that he believed the spirit had moved on and left the building for good.

But has he? According to YMCA president Jeff Seifert in the 2005 interview for Cambridge Day it sounds as though the phantom still lurks in the old basement. Many times when psychics, investigators, and paranormal groups go into a haunted place and claim to remove a spirit or "make him/her go to the other side" absolutely nothing changes. An that's understandable; would you leave some place you enjoyed simply because some stranger walks in and tells you to go? Not likely. So it's very likely that the gay green ghost of Cambridge still hides in the shadows of a place the Village People said was "fun to stay at" admiring the scenery and scaring the pants off other men.

Weirdness Around the World...

It's time again to explore some of the strange news stories plucked from the headlines across the globe.

They Were Dirt Cheap...

Judith and Mitchell Fletcher of Tampa love to find a good bargain at a yard sale. While in Brandon they spent $8 on a Halloween decoration skeleton in a box but upon returning home they realized it wasn't made of plastic or ceramic. They alerted the police in Hillsborough County and a detective had the bones examined, determining they were from a real for-medical-use anatomical skeleton valued at $3000. It is illegal in Florida to own real human bones so the couple has lost out on their bargain purchase. The local sheriff's department is contacting area universities with the serial number found on a femur in an attempt to find the rightful owner. The box of bones remains unclaimed.

Dial P for Paranormal...

A recent examination of West Midlands Police records in Coventry, England found that burglaries and altercations aren't the only reason local residents call for help. Over the past five years they have received calls concerning UFOs, ghosts, aliens, and other anomalies. Three calls were even received by people experiencing "paranormal thoughts". A total of 18 calls involving the supernatural are documented, most involving ghost sightings. So when you see a spirit, who you gonna call?

Yeren Hot Pursuit...

The search is back in China as scientists gather once more to search for the regional Bigfoot-like creature known as the Yeren, or "wild man". The Hubei Wild Man Research Association is seeking volunteers and benefactors to help raise $1.5 million for their new expedition. With over 400 sightings of the hairy creature and previous expeditions in 1977, 1980, and 1981 yielding hair and stool samples along with large bipedal footprints they are eager to find conclusive proof.

Bewitching Times...

Two 15-year-old boys were arrested in India for the murder of Nanika Hesa, 40, on Friday. The pair, who believed the tribal woman was a witch and had killed their family members through the use of black magic, hacked Nanika to death with a bhujali, decapitated her, and threw her head into a river in Kalinga Nagar. Both boys confessed to the crime and are being held at a juvenile facility in Berhampur.

Death by Fear...

A man in Milwaukee was sentenced to 9 years in jail and 5 years probation for the murder of Marzella Woodson by scaring her to death. Following an argument where Justin Owen, 21, accused his friend of stealing a handgun, the man fired several shots into the house where he lived back in May. Marzella, 58, heard the gunshots and hid on the floor with her grandchildren and suffered heart failure from the frightful experience.

Love is a Devil...

It's hard to resist the temptation of a bad boy. As much as we all say we want someone kind, sweet, and thoughtful you can't deny that a tough and sexy narcissist attracts a lot of attention and lustful thoughts, to say the least. But when we go after the hell-raisers and pass over the innocents it can lead to some dangerous situations. Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacassa takes this idea almost too literally in his comedic theatrical piece Say You Love Satan.

Set in Baltimore, the play revolves around a graduate student named Andrew with a picture-perfect and sweet quasi-boyfriend named Jarrod. While reading Dostoyevsky in a laundromat one night, he spies the gorgeous, shirtless Jack and sparks fly... despite the fact that Jack happens to have "666" burned into his forehead at his hair line. When Andrew asks his new flame about it, Jack explains that he's not a satanist, "But [his] father - he is the devil." Though his fag-hag friend Bernadette objects, Andrew pursues the relationship and begins to discover that Jack isn't really the son of the devil, but his real identity is far worse. "Evil incarnate," as Andrew explains, "has a six pack... and zero percent body fat..."

This is the final week you can catch Say You Love Satan in Cleveland, Ohio at The Liminis in Tremont produced by Convergence-Continuum. The play runs through Saturday, starring Scott Gorbach as Andrew and Lucas Roberts as the steamy Jack. If you live in Arizona you can catch it at Live Theatre Workshop in Tuscon from October 21 through November 6. Here's a little video message about the Cleveland production from one of the cast: