THE ANOMALIST

May 15

Did Toads Predict The Earthquake? The Observers

Could the catastrophe that left tens of thousands of people dead in the earthquake in China have been avoided? "Two days before the quake thousands of toads suddenly decided to move across a bridge in Taizhou, a town in the Jiangsu province. Chinese web users are wondering why the local authorities didn't relate the event to the imminence of an earthquake, and why scientists didn't take notice of the bizarre disappearance of a lake in Enshi, in the Hubei province, on April 26." With photos.

Cow Found Mutilated in Saskatchewan Leader-Post

The pregnant cow was missing its rectum, female organs, udder, navel, top and bottom lips, one ear, and one eye. And the animal's tongue appeared to be cut out. There was no sign of a struggle and no trace of blood in the area; all of the injuries appear to be precise incisions.

Last Year's Crop Circle Mystery Solved? VolunteerTV

Monroe County, Tennessee has seen two crop circles in two years. The one last week is judged to be a copycat of the authentic crop circle seen last year. But Tennessee doesn't have anything on Washington State: How weird is Washington state?

Is the Truth Really in the MoD’s Newly Revealed X-Files? Evening Express

Questions are raised and sightings are detailed in the wake of the UK Ministry of Defence's release of some of its UFO files this week. Elsewhere: Green aliens, UFOs said to visit. It's quite a field day for UFOlogists: Hampshire UFO enthusiast welcomes "X-Files". And more sightings are coming out of the woodwork: My UFO sighting: close, but no cigar shape, UFOs spotted in Exmouth.

Silbury Gives Up Its Final Secret Guardian Unlimited

Jim Leary, the archaeological director for English Heritage, thinks he knows the secret of the origin of Silbury Hill, the most enigmatic prehistoric monument in Europe. Why did thousands of people pile up 35 million baskets of chalk into the largest artificial hill in Europe?

Unable to Forget Newsweek

A review of The Woman Who Can't Forget, the memoir of a remarkable 42-year-old California woman who remembers every day of her life. What What's it like to recall almost every day of your life since childhood? James L. McGaugh, a professor of neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine, has coined a new term for her condition, "hyperthymestic syndrome." It means she has an "overdeveloped memory"--but only for things that happened to her.

Earth Set to Receive Alien Reply, Invasion in 2015? Gizmodo

"If all goes well—-or very wrong—-Earth may receive a message from aliens from the Altair solar system as early as 2015. Japanese astronomers Hisashi Hirabayashi and Masaki Morimoto sent an email there back in 1983, which was lost and has just been re-discovered by the latter at the Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory. Hirabayashi says they were drunk at the time..." Okay, whose making the movie? Maybe they have already replied: more on one of the better UFO cases revealed in the release of the UK's UFO files this week in Close encounters of absurd kind.

Psychic To Examine Old Skull Chicago Tribune

The services of a psychic and forensic experts have been enlisted by the Lake County coroner's office to take a look at a skull discovered in a ravine 16 years ago.

Ufological Seriousness and the Media Culture of Contact

Nick Redfern explains why ufologists aren't taken seriously by the media: We'll be nothing more than entertainment fodder until we can come up with physical evidence. The story hasn't changed in 50 years. Elsewhere, in an effort to drum up interest for Sunday's show, "10 Close Encounters Caught on Tape," Dateline NBC wants to know Do you think you have seen a UFO? There is also a UFO film premiere: UFO's Seen at The Hilton London UK Elsewhere, in The UFO Phenomena [SIC], The UFO Iconoclast(s) argue that since UFOs are not one thing, the various things that it is should be categorized along the lines of the classifications that are used in biology: species, genus, family, order, et cetera. And in other UFO news, we have UFOs discussed and Some famous UFOs -- or were they?

May 14

British Government Releases UFO Files Telegraph

The UK has released files containing hundreds of previously classified UFO reports, including a report from three experienced air traffic controllers who attempted to "talk in" a UFO which landed on the runway before them. In If there's something up there, we want to know we have Nick Pope's take on the release: "The most interesting thing in the files is what they show overall, namely that since the 1950s the Ministry of Defence has tracked UFO sightings, investigated the sighting and searched its collective soul over what to make of this enigmatic mystery." And here is David Clarke 's take: British X-Files Open At National Archives. More on this story in Ministry Of Defense Releases 8 UFO Files and British 'X Files' papers revealed. Meanwhile, one of the highest ranking and most distinguished officials of the Brazilian Air Force, Brigadier José Carlos Pereira, says that "it is time to end the UFO secrecy" in an interview published in the Brazilian UFO Magazine, which is translated in Brazilian Air Force Brigadier says secrets about UFOs and Extraterrestrials must end. Part One.

German Archaeologist on Trail of Ark of the Covenant Fox News

German researchers claim to have found the remains of the palace of the Queen of Sheba — and an altar that may have held the Ark: "The results we have suggest that a Cult of Sothis developed in Ethiopia with the arrival of Judaism and the Ark of the Covenant, and continued until 600 A.D." They have been digging in Aksum, northern Ethiopia, since 1999.

Superstitious Albino Killings in Tanzania Must Stop APEM

Albino organs, particularly genitals, limbs, breasts, fingers and the tongue are reportedly in high demand by people involved in mining and fishing activities. Rumor has it that the albino organs possess mystical powers that can make a person fabulously rich within a short time. In the same areas people have been killed who were thought to be witches or wizards.

Race Card in Bigfootry = “likely Caucasoid skin”? Cryptomundo

Do Bigfoot have “white skin”? What happened to the “convincing evidence” promised in 2006? Elsewhere, A terrific read: Extreme Expeditions , Mystery Bones, Two New Phrynopus Frogs Discovered, and Skeptify Me.

Chatting With Original Ghost Whisperer James Van Praagh Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An interview with the man who has made a career of talking to the dead, in which he says "this Earth is not the only place to come back to." He has a new book out called Ghosts Among Us. Also, The Shadow Had Red Eyes and A night at hall of ghosts...

Vatican: It's OK To Believe In Aliens Associated Press

The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God. Billy Cox comments in Yet another AP scoop. Elsewhere, Lifespan of the Human Race and the Likelihood of Extraterrestrial Contact and The "Great Filter."

May 13

The Virgin Mary's Place In The Kern County Sun Los Angeles Times

Twenty years after a woman said the Virgin Mary appeared to her, hundreds still attend Our Lady of the Rock gatherings in the Mojave. On the 13th of every month, they say, the Virgin Mary appears and speaks to a woman named Maria Paula Acuña. The Catholic Church has disavowed the reported apparitions, saying followers were "in danger of being misled" – they had found doctrinal, canonical, and financial irregularities among organizers of the ceremonies in the desert.

Granny Ghost Video Freaks Out Half Of Asia LiveLeak

This video surfaced recently of an apparent "granny ghost" in an elevator in...Shanghai, Singapore, Hawaii? The location is in dispute. So is its authenticity. Watch the bottom right frame. What do you think?

Close Encounters Of The Second Kind In Stratham Seacoast Media

A detailed account of eight New Hampshire children who reported a UFO encounter in 1971. When NICAP investigator John Oswald arrived at their door, the parents remember the interview with Oswald as being eerie. “He seemed to know what we would say before we spoke, as if he already knew what was in our minds,” they said. Find out how he knew. More recently: Strange Lights in the Sky and a Mystery Sphere Recovered in Alabama, Phoenix Lights Witness Breaks His Silence, May 3rd & 5th ‘Amber’ UFOs!

Brain Scam Salon

Dr. Daniel Amen relies heavily on SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), a radioisotope-enhanced CAT scan that measures blood flow in certain regions of the brain, to make an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's so that it can be prevented. But medical science does not support his view. Which has led some to ask: Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease?

Wiki Weirdness & WV’s Winged Wonder Cryptomundo

Don't waste your time reading about West Virginia's Mothman at Wikipedia. Here's why. An alternative title for this blog could have been "More Reasons Why I Hate Wikipedia." Elsewhere: Mothman Deaths: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Sasquatch Sass, and The British Bigfoot and the Problem of Food.

Edinburgh's Answer to Mulder and Scully Evening News

A profile of parapsychologist Caroline Watts, whose 20 year career in the field has focused on psychological and environmental influences in ghost sightings. Her latest study will see how people react to one of the city’s most “haunted” locations – Mary King’s Close. Also, Ghostly little girl spooks drivers and The House On Ridge Avenue.

Interview With The Aliens: The Audio Recording Forgetomori

Brazilian contactee Antonio Alves Ferreira interviewed his alien abductors when their flying saucer landed more than two decades ago. The news is that the aliens graciously allowed Ferreira to record the interview. It was made in two languages — Portuguese, spoken by Ferreira, and the language of the Protu planet. You can listen to the recording here. Elsewhere: Admiral G.Pinon writes to President Nicolas Sarkozy about UFOs and Love/Hate UFOs.

Real-Life Skull Worship Inspires New 'Indy' Film Associated Press

Experts dismiss the hundreds of existing crystal skulls as fakes that were probably made by colorful antiquities traders in the 19th century. But Mayan priests worship the skulls, even today, and real-life skull hunters still search for them. There is a legend that the ancient Maya possessed 13 crystal skulls which, when united, hold the power of saving the Earth. This is the tale that has inspired the latest Indiana Jones movie. Elsewhere: The Ancient Secrets of Levitation and Part Two: Is Our Existence Simulated Reality, or (Is IT) Reality Simulated?

May 12

"Birdmen" Cases Revisited Cryptomundo

Some new insights into a 1948 birdmen case from Washington State. It's mentioned in many books, but could it have come from a misunderstanding or a mistranslation? Also, Dynamic Discoverer of Ants Dies and Celebrity Naming of Cryptids.

Orphans: How To Talk To The Dead Forgetomori

Forgetmori deconstructs a website that supposedly teaches you how to talk to the dead. By following the lack of a sales pitch, he is led to an Australian advertising agency and the movie Orphanage. More image related goodies: God, UFOs and Pareidolia, You can measure a circle…, and “Nazica” Lines on the US.

When Are We Going To Get That Thermal? Blogsquatcher

Bigfoot researchers are using thermal imagers out in the field. The usual problems of timing crops up, obviously, but even when they don't, it seems that no sasquatch has ever been "seen" with a thermal camera. What does this mean? Elsewhere: Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch, Will Draw Hundreds To A Conference Next Weekend.

Ghost-Hunting Groups Enjoy Popularity WCMH - NBC 4

In the United States, ghost hunting groups are swelling with members. Their popularity is being fueled by ghost reality shows on television, the use of the Internet to find and form groups, and the increasing availability of high-tech equipment. But things are apparently not going so well across the pond: Ghostbusters set to hang up ectoplasm.

Interview with SMiles Lewis Binnall of America

One of the big players behind the scenes in esoterica, the prolific SMiles Lewis is interviewed on BoA:Audio. Subjects covered include the UFO scene, the growth of the 911 Truth Movement, paranormal research, the zine scene of the 1980s and early 90s, the explosion and evolution of esoterica on the internet, and his own many projects on the internet and beyond. Elsewhere, an audio interview with Dr. Bob Curran, author of Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms: Sunken Continents, Vanished Cities, and the Kingdoms that History Misplaced.

Tarot Cards And Real Ghosts Haunted America Tours

Using Tarot cards for paranormal investigations. "Tarot cards can be the voice of the dead," says one reader. Can Tarot cards open psychic locked doors to the other side? Elsewhere: On Her Majesty's Occult Service, The Esoteric Worlds of Doctor Who, and From the desk of James Randi.

Fond du Lac Area Is Hot Spot For UFO Activity Fond du Lac Reporter

Long Lake was recently named the top UFO hotspot in Wisconsin. The area is notorious for strange lights and objects, plus an occasional crop circle. The sightings at Long Lake go back a long way--even the Native Americans had unusual experiences there.

May 11

New Book Discloses UFO Crash PR-Canada

A highly decorated WWII and Korean War US Air Force pilot has come forward with the tale of his pursuit of a UFO over Texas, the subsequent crash of the UFO near the Rio Grande and what happened when he approached the crash site on the ground. 82-year-old Robert B. Willingham's tale has been turned into The Other Roswell: UFO Crash on the Texas-Mexico Border by researchers Noe Torres and Ruben Uriarte. Why has Willingham waited until now to tell of the 1955 incident? Meanwhile, there have been mysterious aerial phenomena along the path of the Olympic torch: Olympic Torchbearers Sight Mysterious Lights. Also, Frank Drake - Evidence/Data Methodologies in Ufology, Meta Programming Reality, and UFOs: The "Sneak" Factor.

Crystal Skull on Loan to Claremont Shop Stolen Daily Bulletin

A large crystal skull believed to have healing powers was loaned by its owner, Don Marr of Seal Beach, CA, to Persis Newland for display in Newland's New Age shop, Kindred Spirits, located in Claremont, CA. The skull has disappeared. Key quote: "He was on an altar, and he just enjoyed being here." Elsewhere, Indiana and the Adventure of a Real Crystal Skull.

A Tale of Two Suits Cryptomundo

In a cryptid salute to Mother's Day 2008, Loren Coleman revisits the best evidence of a possible maternal Sasquatch: the Patterson-Gimlin film. Also, Elusive Woodpecker Hatches Controversy, Oldest Captive Gorilla Turns 55 and Cicadas Have Arrived.

'Ghost' to Test Wilder Nightclub The Enquirer

Country music entertainer Bobby Mackey's nightclub has long been rumored to be the haunt of a poltergeist and other spirits. Now the Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures" show will arrive in Wilder, near Cincinnati, OH, to check it out during an overnight stay. Elsewhere in the paranormal news, 20 Questions with Lisa Lee Harp Waugh, Spooky Strolls Go from Strength to Strength and How Should We Interpret Spiritual Experiences?

Wave Pattern Discovered in Saturn's Atmosphere Red Orbit

Close scrutiny of Saturn for over twenty years has turned up evidence of an atmospheric wave pattern that shows up every fifteen years, similar to the atmospheric pattern that flows through Jupiter's atmosphere every four years and a wave pattern that travels through Earth's atmosphere. Does this atmospheric phenomenon link the three planets? Also, should we question whether we really know what we think we know? Anthony North addresses that question in A Universal Artist.

3-Year-Old Has Never Fallen Asleep Local 6-TV

Three-year-old Rhett Lamb of St. Petersburg, FL, was born with a rare condition that keeps him from falling asleep, a situation that has put tremendous strain on his parents who must maintain a constant vigil. What's in the future for a child who cannot sleep?

May 10

Alien Initiative Proponent Plans Video Release cbs4denver

Jeff Peckman is the Denver, CO, man who wants a committee formed by the city to prepare for extraterrestrial contact. Here he describes what's in a video he's promising to release that he claims proves extraterrestrials exist. With news video, but, regrettably, not the video Peckman is promising to release. Also, My UFO Experience: Witness Recounts Flash, Loud Boom, and Falling, Burning Debris; Audio: Phoenix UFO 911 Call: "It's Falling...It's Falling!"; The Roswell Controversy; My 3, 2, 1 of UFO Hatred; Free on iTunes - Aussie UFOs, Strange Things, Hometown Tales and More; Cigar Shaped UFO Over Porter Mountain! and Where Have All the Spacemen Gone?

San Francisco Pythons by 2020 Cryptomundo

Is climate change opening the door for expansion of non-native, invasive species, such as pythons? Speculation that pythons will make their way into the area around San Francisco Bay in California may prove true if current climate models are correct. With map. Also, Spring's White Moose & Brood XIV.

Haunts for Brave Hearts The Age

Reporter Kylie Davis takes you on a ghostly visit to Hartley historic village "on the far side of the Blue Mountains" in Australia with Paranormal Pete. The Blue Mountains Ghost Tour serves up some spectral spice for Aussie tourists who seek an understanding of the paranormal. Also, The Paranormal and the Autistic, So You Want an Education in Parapsychology, Scots Ghosts Get Busted and Most Haunted Places Revealed.

Strange Formations in Cleveland Fields WTVC-TV

Cleveland, TN, is the scene of the latest crop circle formation, as seen in this report. Meanwhile, there's more on that crop circle formation in Monroe County, TN, we reported here yesterday: "If It's Aliens...They'll Come and Get Me!"

Asteroid BB Gun Astrobiology Magazine

New research attributes the wide proliferation of carbon cenospheres around the Earth 65 million years ago to the impact that caused the Chixulub crater near the Yucatan Peninsula, the event suspected to have led to the demise of the dinosaurs. Until the discovery of the 65-million-year-old carbon cenospheres it was thought such carbon forms were only produced by high temperature industrial activity. With images.

Young, Plump, and a Great Big Surprise The Boston Globe

In an unprecedented stroke of good fortune, researchers spotted a North Atlantic Right Whale giving birth to a 12-foot long, one ton baby off the coast of Florida on New Years Day, 2005. It was the first birth of a Right Whale known to have been filmed, and the film has been held awaiting publication by the New England Aquarium researchers who captured the images. With photo gallery.

May 9

UFO 'Spotted' in Derry Derry Journal

Michael Harkin used his mobile phone to take a picture of what appears to be an unidentified aerial phenomenon in the skies over Derry in Northern Ireland Tuesday. The "startling photograph" taken in the Prehen area of Derry is uncommonly clear for a mobile phone image. What is it? Also, It's a Close Encounter at City Review Hearing; Budd Hopkins: A Call to Honesty; Metaphysical UFOs; More Flying Figures in Mexico and Nazi UFOs: The Comedy Movie.

The Mysterious Entity That Scared Investigators Alternate Perceptions

Brent Raynes tells the story of a 1971 encounter three of his friends had in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, an area noted for high strangeness. Was the night visitor that shocked the three young investigators the "Lizard Man" experienced by Sister Wolf? And Raynes has more about Sister Wolf's strange experiences in Sister Wolf and the Star People. Elsewhere in the May issue of Alternate Perceptions, Joan Howard writes about her Experiences with Space People.

'Natural Fluctuations,' not Censorship Herald Tribune

Stephen Bassett's Open Letter to Senator Hillary Clinton emailed to 5,000 media markets April 30 in an effort to spark disclosure of the senator's UFO knowledge drove two media outlets to the top of the Google and Yahoo search engines. Then the search engine at Google dropped reference to the letter. Did Google censor the information?

Black Lions Prowling Cryptomundo

Are big black lions prowling the streets of Matsulu township near Nelspruit, South Africa? Melanistic lions are unknown to science, "But, although it's hard to believe, you don't just dismiss these kind of things." With images. Also, Sasquatch Assault, Jesus and Bigfoot, New Messin' With Sasquatch Commercials and Other 2008 Conferences.

Psychic in Sandy The Salt Lake Tribune

Meet Connie Tao who says she told her parents about the spirits she was seeing when she was only 2-years-old. Now the Midvale, UT, mother of three leads the Psyched Sandy Psychics who meet once or twice a month "to explore the various psychic arts." In addition to premonitions and the ability to see spirits, what other paranormal powers does Tao possess? Also, Ghost-Mysteries Interview: Nick Redfern and The Dead Do Speak...and Michael Firman Listens.

Lake Pepin Monster? 'Capture' It for $50,000 WCCO

For more than 100 years residents of Lake City, MN, have claimed to spot a monster in the waters of Lake Pepin. Larry Nielson is among the Lake City residents who has seen the monster, and now Nielson is offering a $50,000 reward for proof the monster exists. With artist's rendition and video. Also, Brood XIV Cicadas Waking Up; The Northwest's Real Fairy Tales; Latest Sighting Fuels the Black Cat Debate; Uncanny Radio: Nick Redfern and Eve of the Swimming Apes.

Kinks in Saturn's Rings TPOD

Braids and twists observed in images of Saturn's rings taken by the Cassini-Huygens mission could be suggestions of activity other than gravity. How can electricity be used to explain these kinks in the planet's signature, and could electric discharges explain how the rings came into existence in the first place? With photo.

Expert Explains Church's Criteria for Confirmation of Marian Apparitions CNA

On the heels of the Vatican's recognition of the Our Lady of Laus Marian apparition in France, Salvatore M. Perrella explains the Catholic Church's criteria for such determinations. Elsewhere, New Marian Apparition Approved by Catholic Church Is Treasure Trove of Mysticism and California Man Believes He Sees Virgin Mary in Wound.

Sinkhole and Town: Now You See It... The New York Times

Daisetta, TX, has a growing problem. The rim of an underground salt dome collapsed Wednesday and the expanding sinkhole has claimed two trucks, two grain tanks, utility poles and pine trees. Will the sinkhole devour the tiny town of Daisetta? With multiple videos at Liberty Co. Sinkhole's Appetite Decreasing.

May 8

Platypus Proves Even Odder Than Scientists Thought Guardian

Long considered the oddest of Nature's animals, and once believed to be a hoax, the platypus has had its DNA sequenced...and the mystery deepened. Scientists are perplexed to discover the strange Australian mammal's DNA indicates it is a mix of mammal, bird and reptile with ten sex chromosomes. Why would Nature conceive such a creature? Why does it have so many sex chromosomes? There's more research information in Duck-billed Platypus is Dismissed by Oxford Scientists as Daffy. Elsewhere, Loren Coleman lists Three Upcoming Bigfoot Conferences and reports on this month's upcoming CFZ: London Lecture on CZ.

The 14% MYTH About UFOs UFO Disclosure Countdown Clock

Larry King's recent claim that 14% of the citizens in the United States had seen a UFO gets mathematically censured. When people were approached about their opinion concerning UFOs, what was the exact question these interviewees were asked? Also, More Sightings of Strange Lights at Saltcoats; Hoo-Fo Mystery 'Solved'; Mexico: Reports from Airliner Personnel; Mexico: An Alleged Flying Humanoid (2008); UFO Photos: Dom Romao and Retro UFO 3 - Recap.

Answer to How Dr. Sarbacher Died Yields Different UFO Mystery The Keyhoe Report

In the first part of this report David Duncan began the investigation of remarks made by famed abductee and novelist Whitley Strieber that indicated Strieber believed Dr. Robert I. Sarbacher had been assassinated because he discussed UFO secrets with Strieber. In this, the second part of the report, Duncan shows Dr. Sarbacher did not die as Strieber stated. He died from complications brought on by emphysema. So, what new and different UFO mystery does this discovery bring to life? Greg Bishop has more in Mysterious UFO Death Not So Mysterious.

Coincidence and the Thought Path Beyond the Blog

Is fate a real force predestining our future? Or is fate a fallacious superstition? Anthony North doesn't like either suggestion and seeks a common point between the two. Does a particular mindset influence our fate? Meanwhile, Bruce Duensing sets out on a thought exercise that questions whether we can influence our past in The Water Clock.

Making Millions from the Financial Markets Using Astrology News Monster

Famed British psychic Christeen Skinner updates your understanding of astrology, claiming, "Astrology is, in fact, a blend of science and art." Skinner has been using her knowledge of this science and art to advise some of the world's largest financial houses. Also, Video: Ghost Hunting Guided Tour of the Brookdale Lodge with Paranormal Investigator Shannon McCabe; Preston Castle Foundation Begins Overnight Stays in Haunted Castle; Shadow Ghost; Problems in Western Science Resolved by Occult Science and Ouija Boards, Depression and Demonic Possession.

The Facts Behnd the Medical Mystery of Morgellons KTNV-TV

The mysterious malady known as Morgellons now counts over 11,000 sufferers in the United States, leading the Centers for Disease Control to initiate a $345,000 contract with Kaiser Permanente in California to study the disease. What's to be made of the apparent connection between Lyme Disease and Morgellons? Is Morgellons caused by a plant bacteria? With video here.

Caral: The Oldest Town in the New World Philip Coppens

The mystery surrounding what may be the oldest town in the world, not just the New World, is only beginning, despite the fact investigation of the site began in 1941. Now carbon dating is reportedly showing some of the outlying sites around the Peruvian ruins are even older. That begs the question: if carbon dating of the central Caral ruins is acceptable, why not accept the older dating of surrounding centers?

Space Oddity: European Probe Finds Missing Matter Yahoo! News

Has the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton telescope detected part of the "missing matter" theorized to make up the total of all matter in the universe? Two distant galaxy clusters observed by XMM-Newton show they are connected by "a hot gas of a very low density." This "gas" is "believed to constitute half of the baryonic matter in the universe." Also, TPOD: Dust Braids in Melas Chasma.