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I received this interesting correspondence from a 'Beyond the Edge' Radio listener recently: I am writing about something that happened to me about 20 years ago. I live in a small lake area called Bohners Lake, just outside of Burlington, Wisconsin. At the time of this tale I lived on the opposite side of the lake of where I live now about a half mile away from a boy scout camp called Camp Oh-Da-Ko-Ta. This camp encompasses 185 acres of beautiful rolling hills and woodlands on Dyer Lake. It was a beautiful summer day and I decided to take a walk with my dogs, a Golden Retriever and English Setter. I went a different way than usual and happened upon the back trail to the camp. It was chained off, but I chanced it anyway and hopped over to check it out. |The area indicated by the witness (noise came from largest building in middle of inset)| The trail was very quiet and peaceful and we walked a while enjoying ourselves greatly. After a bit we came upon some buildings. One was a large pole barn type that had it's doors chained shut. Curiosity overtook me, as usual, and I went up and pushed on one of the large doors allowing a crack of about 6 inches. I tried peering inside and couldn't see much but a floor and empty space. I was shocked when an earsplitting roar came out of the barn. It sounded like a scream but deep, guttural and bearlike. Well, my dogs took off running, and I took off running after them terrified. We ran back to my house and, shaking like a leaf and out of breath, I told my (now ex) husband what had happened. He of course told me that what I had heard was a crane........ I just stared at him incredulously. I knew better, but I wasn't going to argue the point with him and just pondered on it for a bit by myself, attempting to calm down. The day went on and nothing else was said about it until just after dark when we both heard the same scream coming from the back yard! The house I lived in at the time had a huge back yard. At the very back we had a garden by a small wooded area, and it was from there that we heard the scream. Well, my ex grabbed his rifle, and the dogs and headed down to the garden finding nothing. He came back to the house, eyes wide, and acknowledged that what I had heard was not a crane. After that we went about our night talking about it, with the dogs nervously prancing about, and eventually went to bed. Being summer, the bedroom windows were open and about 3 am, I was shocked awake when "it" was just outside the window and screamed into it. The dogs didn't even bark, they just cowered, whining. My husband again jumped up and grabbed the rifle and went outside, without the dogs as they didn't want to have anything to do with it,to investigate...again nothing. Well the story would end here as we didn't hear anything after that, and I was too scared to investigate the building again, but it just happened that about 3 weeks later my husband and I went away for the weekend on a camping trip and my mother, younger sister, and her two daughters spent the night at our house to watch the dogs while we were gone. The following morning my sister was in the kitchen cooking breakfast when my niece Sandra came in. She looked at the kitchen window and noticed a long smear mark on the kitchen window. She was about 9 at the time and looked up at my sister and said, " I know what did that." My sister looked at it and asked Sandra what she thought made it. Sandra replied, " Ooooo, it was the Swamp Monster"... My sister chuckled and asked her why she thought that. Now, I was always teasing the girls with stories about a swamp monster that lived out by me so they just knew that there was a creature out there. This of course was before my own experience and it wasn't cute and funny anymore. Then she said, "I saw the Swamp Monster last night." My sister said chuckling still, "Oooooo, what did you see?" Sandra just looked at her and said, "I saw a huge white hairy arm and it ran it's claws across the bedroom screen." (my bedroom) My sister said, "Wow, what did you do?" Sandra said, "Aw, I just rolled over and went to sleep, I knew it was Aunt Tina trying to scare me." Of course, we were camping. So, what did she see? I haven't a clue to this day. But I wonder, were they keeping something out there, or was there something living in that barn unbeknownst to them at the camp and did it follow me home? Last summer my brother, sister-in-law and I tried going back there, but we got stopped by the person living across the road before we could go across the chain that is still there. One more thing about that camp. Before this situation, a group of us had gone in the front entrance to the camp by car to check out Dyer Lake that is at the center edge of the camp hoping to sneak in some late night swimming. This was of course after dark and we of course were not supposed to be there. We arrived at the trail to the lake and got out of the car with our flashlights to walk. We tried following the trail but ended up going off somewhere along the line. We went over a hillside and there, at the bottom of the hill was a beautiful raw iron gate about 6' tall. There was a hole dug into the side of the hill, and this gate was covering the opening. We opened the gate, and found ourselves in a 12'x12' cave of sorts. Inside were candles, a dead rooster, and a sythe. There was nothing else. No altar or other signs of occult practices, just the things we found haphazardly laying about the room. My sister's now ex-husband took the sythe (which I told him to leave there) and we left and never went back. That is until I went for my walk that summer day. NOTE: there has been some interesting cryptid activity in the general area previously - The Bray Road Beast - Bigfoot Tracks Discovered in Farmington, Wisconsin? - Wisconsin Werewolf: Adaptation or Supernatural? - Strange Encounter in Cheboygan County, Michigan - Is The 'Dogman' Back?. Tina joined Eric and I on the 'Beyond the Edge' Radio show last evening (March 27th) and described her encounter...Lon

Flora invited the authors of The Conspiracy Theory Handbook, Dr. Stephan Lewandowsky and Dr. John Cook, on the podcast to discuss their recent work. A powerful little tool breaking down the ins and outs of conspiratorial thinking, The Conspiracy Theory Handbook seeks to inform on how to better engage in critical thinking. David has a large handful of questions for the gentlemen. It’s a fascinating discussion into how conspiracies can be approached and how to engage theorists and those who aren’t sure what to think. Give the episode a listen and then go read the Handbook for yourself! And don’t forget to check out their other handbooks via the link below. Flora also announces the winner of the 2020 Miss Cryptid Contest and sweepstakes! Read the Conspiracy Theory Handbook Check out their other great handbooks Myst on the Moor – Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Click here to download the Episode!

Though the glimpse of the dark object is brief, we are able to determine that it is of a darker color, and that there are possibly two dorsal fins, or ridges along its back. Speculation of the object ranges from whale, to submarine, to shark, to garbage, to the Loch Ness’s biggest celebrity – Nessie. Whatever it is, it’s nice to have some cryptid news in the mainstream media feed. As it does, news of this unidentified object has spread like wildfire. Why is that? The unknown nature and knowledge of what populates this planets waters can be a terrifying rabbit hole if you descend down it. Probably, this is a stray whale or shark, that, because of global warming, or shock waves, has gone astray from it’s normal migratory path and found itself in the Thames. No news as of right now what it is, but I am curious to hear thoughts, comments, and your own opinions!

Ugetsu (aka: Ugetsu monogatari) (1953) Director Kenji Mizoguchi’s Feudal-era yurei (ghost) story resonates with the viewer long after it’s over. Genjurô (Masayuki Mori), a poor pottery maker dreams of making a fortune selling his wares in the big city. After evading roving samurai and thieves, he leaves his wife and young son behind, with his business partner in tow. Genjurô’s pottery catches the eye of a widowed noblewoman, Lady Wakasa (Machiko Kyô), and becomes smitten by her formidable charms. He soon finds a taste for his newly gained prosperity, but (as these stories often go) he learns that she may not be all she seems. Mizoguchi relies on the strength of its performances in place of special effects to convey this sad tale of greed, loyalty and loss. Rating: ****. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Kanopy Tokyo Drifter (1966) Seijun Suzuki’s ultra-stylish crime drama is a bold exercise in transforming a familiar story into something brand new. “Phoenix Tetsu” Hondo (Tetsuya Watari) is a former Yakuza enforcer working for his old boss’ company. He gets in hot water when he foils the plans of rival boss Otsuka (Eimei Esumi) to sabotage his employer. Deciding enough’s enough, he sets out on his own, and now both sides want him dead. Hondo discovers an unlikely friend in former rival, Tatsuzo, The Viper (Tamio Kawaji). Tokyo Drifter continually surprises with its unconventional main character (How many times have you heard a protagonist sing his own theme song?), expressionistic flourishes, and eye for stunning visuals. And thanks to Criterion’s recent transfer, the colors simply pop. Rating: ****. Available on Blu-ray and DVD Departures (2008) Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a professional cellist, finds himself unemployed after his orchestra goes broke, and is forced to move home and find a new occupation. He answers an ad for a job opening, unaware that “departures” refers to preparing the dead for burial, rather than a travel agency. Kobayashi reluctantly accepts the position, at the urging of his new boss Ikuei Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki), but struggles with self-doubt, public scorn and his wife Mika’s (Ryôko Hirosue) disapproval. Eventually, however, he begins to appreciate the work on its own terms, treating the deceased and their families with dignity. Yôjirô Takita’s thoughtful film (enhanced by Joe Hisaishi’s affecting music score) takes its time introducing us to an elaborate funeral ritual that seems to be largely unknown in Western culture. It’s not only a poignant commentary about how society keeps death at arm’s length, but also finding yourself and your calling. Available on DVD and Tubi Black Test Car (1962) Yasuzô Masumura’s neo-noir plunges us into the high-risk world of industrial espionage between two competing car firms, Tiger Motors and Yamoto. Jirô Tamiya stars as up-and-coming executive Yutaka Asahina, who’s been tasked by his employer (Tiger) to spy on their competitor. Asahina and his team using any means necessary (including intimidation, blackmail, and sexual favors) to extract information about Yamoto’s new sports car design. In the process, he learns the true cost of climbing the corporate ladder. Black Test Car provides a scathing, deeply cynical glimpse into human nature, viewing business competition as a Darwinian struggle. Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD Vital (2004) Writer/director Shin'ya Tsukamoto’s (Tetsuo: The Iron Man) meditative film about the fickle properties of memory and mourning will likely haunt you for days. A young man awakens from a coma after suffering a fatal car crash that claimed the life of his girlfriend. Along with his recovery comes the renewed desire to attend medical school. In a cruel (or fortuitous, depending on your point of view) twist of fate, the cadaver on his dissecting table is his former girlfriend Ryôko (Nami Tsukamoto). What would have been the twist ending from a less skilled filmmaker becomes merely a beginning for Hiroshi’s self-discovery, as his memories gradually return. The unrelentingly morbid themes and convincing (but never exploitive) makeup effects make this a difficult but engrossing watch. Rating: ***½. Available on Kanopy The Vampire Doll (1970) A man (Atsuo Nakamura) returns from business abroad to discover that his girlfriend Yûko (Yukiko Kobayashi) has died. He soon discovers, however, that she might not be quite as dead as he’s been led to believe. After he goes missing, his sister Keiko and her boyfriend Hiroshi (Kayo Matsuo and Akira Nakao, respectively) investigate the strange goings on at Yûko’s secluded ancestral home. The first in a trilogy of vampire films from director Michio Yamamoto (followed by Lake of Dracula and Evil of Dracula), moves at a leisurely pace, but makes up for any deficits with a macabre, brooding tone and set designs that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hammer production.* While it may be the weakest of the trilogy, it’s well worth seeing for oodles of gothic atmosphere and some genuinely creepy moments. * Fun Fact: A Toho/Hammer co-production, Nessie (about the elusive cryptid), was planned in the mid-70s, but sadly never reached fruition. Available on Blu-ray and Amazon Prime Junkers Come Here (1995) This pleasant albeit slight anime film chronicles the adventures of 11-year-old Hiromi and her talking schnauzer Junkers. The film contains some charming scenes between the girl and her dog, while juggling some serious themes about absentee parents and divorce. The film never quite strikes the right balance between the more fantastical elements (Junkers grants Hiromi three wishes), and the reality of Hiromi’s life. Ultimately, Junkers Come Here glosses over the more unsavory aspects of Hiromi being stuck in a tug-of-war between her emotionally neglectful parents, leading to a (Spoiler Alert!) climactic sort-of reconciliation between the parents that rings hollow. It’s not quite at the level of Studio Ghibli story-wise or artistically, but it’s a pleasant enough film (if you don’t think too long about the implications of the trite ending) for most of its running time, and should at least spark some discussion from families that may watch this together. Rating: ***. Available on DVD and Tubi Kidan: Piece of Darkness (2016) Most anthology horror movies are a mixed bag, and this one is no exception. But even if not all 10 stories (confined to a brisk running time of 100 minutes) are winners, you don’t have to wait very long for the next segment to come along. Some favorite stories include: a shadowy visitor that terrifies a middle-aged woman; a schoolteacher who’s tormented by his former lover; and a young woman who inadvertently finds a novel way of getting rid of excess baggage. Although Kidan relies on some tired tropes (Creepy long-haired woman? Check.), there’s enough to recommend this for a few well-placed thrills. Rating: ***. Available on Amazon Prime Terra Formars (2016) Takashi Miike’s live-action adaptation of the popular manga/anime show is entertaining in spots, but mostly exhausting. In the year 2499, Mars has been terraformed, but the cockroaches that were brought from Earth have mutated and evolved into powerful (and deadly) humanoid creatures. A group of convicted criminals are sent to the red planet to rid the landscape of the creatures, opening the door for human colonization. The non-stop pace doesn’t leave time for strong characterizations or a lot of dialogue beyond the expository variety. While there are few surprises, one fun conceit is that each of the human crew has been modified with insect DNA (yep, one has inherited the properties of the Japanese Giant “Murder” hornet) to combat the bipedal bugs. There’s some good effects work, but the action is far too repetitive, and the film’s gaping plot holes are never addressed (i.e., If they were supposed to be expendable, why were they given the means to return to Earth?). It may be worth a look, if you’re in an undemanding mood. Rating: **½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi Nezulla: The Rat Monster (2002) In their efforts to create soldiers resistant to biochemical warfare, U.S. Army scientists accidentally unleash a hideous rat creature, along with a deadly virus. A crack team of “American” soldiers and one Japanese officer are sent in to destroy the monster and obtain a sample to create an antivirus. There’s a fine line between low budget and cheap, which this movie crosses. Most of the action is confined to an abandoned industrial building, and the barely mobile titular creature fails to evoke anything beyond sympathy for the poor schmoe who had to wear the costume. Skip it. Rating: **. Available on DVD

Fascinating Bigfoot Reports From All 83 Counties in Michigan Did you know that there have been over 200 reported Bigfoot encounters in the state of Michigan? Yeah, neither did I. If you're looking for an exact number, the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization has received a grand total of 221 reports. For comparison, our western neighbor, Wisconsin, only has 99 reports. When it comes to the United States' favorite cryptid, it seems that Michigan is one of the hotspots for sightings and other encounters. Before I keep going, I just want to note that you may have also heard the creatures referred to as Sasquatches. For the purpose of this article, let's just stick with Bigfoot because it's easier for me to spell. Whether or not you believe in Bigfoot, it's still really entertaining to read about all of the times people claim they have come into contact with the creature. Below I'm going to go through Michigan county by county and detail the most interesting Bigfoot encounter that's been reported there. UP NEXT: Fascinating Bigfoot Reports From Each Michigan County So there you have it. Many people in Michigan believe that they've come into contact with a Bigfoot. Are you one of them? If you have a personal story about a time you've encountered a Bigfoot, we'd love to hear it! You can let us know on Facebook, through our free app by sending us a message, or even by commenting on this post.

The long national nightmare is finally over. Falling Rock National Park, issue 4, has arrived. All subscriber copies have been sent. SUBSCRIBERS! Look for your copy in the mail next week. NOT A SUBSCRIBER? You can remedy that right here. This issue includes a story about Carver hunting the elusive Desert Yeti, Ernesto giving sage advice to an aspiring writer, and a press conference. The thrills never end! If you’d like a copy signed by me as I’m sitting in front of you, come see me at San Diego ComicCon! I’ll be at Small Press, table K-05. Just in time to make its San Diego ComicCon debut, Falling Rock National Park #4: SUBSCRIBERS: email me if you’ve changed your address in the past six months. I will mail these out before I head off to San Diego. Expect your copy mid-July. EVERYBODY: I will soon post a preorder button on my BUY BOOKS page. If you’d like your copy hot off the press and can’t make it to San Diego, you’ll still have a chance to get some of that sweet Falling Rock action. I’m looking forward to getting this out into the world! Hot on the heels of my first ebook, Welcome to Falling Rock National Park, comes See America First! See America First! was one of the most popular books I ever made. Unsurprisingly, it was also one of the first books that went out of print. Like Welcome to Falling Rock National Park, I have meticulously gone over the comics for this collection, correcting small errors that got past me in the first printing. I redrew a few things as well, though not nearly as many as Welcome. Turns out I am getting better at drawing!See America First! is priced at $1.99, a full four dollars less than the print version. Unlike a standard definition episode of NCIS on iTunes, See America First! is totally hi-def. Buy it HERE on iTunes. Buy it HERE on Amazon. This is not a cheap ploy to increase my web traffic. Bill Watterson is not involved in anything untoward. Stripped refers to comic strips, as in newspaper funnies, as in the only part of the paper I read as a kid. Yesterday I received an email from the makers of a film I backed on Kickstarter. Stripped is a documentary about comic strips and the anonymous elves who make them. The two filmmakers, Dave Kellett and Fred Schroeder, interviewed over 70 of those elves (“cartoonists”), Bill Watterson included. Bill must’ve liked talking to Dave and Fred, because he agreed to draw the poster art. Should we begin calling Bill Watterson formerly reclusive? In the past few years we’ve heard more and more from him. Let me begin by saying, I love the poster. It’s nice to see Watterson draw something that isn’t Calvin and Hobbes. There are so few examples of his art before the comic strip (many of them cataloged here), and even fewer post-Calvin. The drawing is obviously his – the style is so familiar. It is full of life, with details that make you want to linger in the theater lobby (or, in my case, the iPad screen). Is it the best poster that I’ve ever seen? Yes, I think so. Hyperbole aside, this poster is kind of a tease. If Bill is doing these little one-off projects, does this mean there’s more to come? I hate to think after verifying that he’s still very capable of wielding a brush that he’ll re-submerge in Ohio for another twenty years. He clearly cares about comics, and I imagine he has more to say. I’ll make this plea once more, in case Bill scours the internet late at night in search of himself: Please come back. You don’t have to do Calvin and Hobbes. Write a graphic novel about dueling stamp collectors. Write a sci-fi cookbook. Make a foldy comic! The format and characters don’t matter to me. Reading new material from a master does. I haven’t seen Stripped yet – it will be released soon on iTunes – so you can expect a lengthy and highly digressive review on this here blog just as soon as I do. These past few weeks I’ve begun work on Falling Rock issue 4. I have three longer stories which are all in various stages of completion. I think I’ll use whichever I finish writing first. Right now the top contender is a story involving a couple new characters, including a very famous cryptid. This part of the process is always exciting. I have a few ideas which may or may not turn out, but everything I’m doing is pure creation. In addition to the longer stories, I have a few single page stories (or “gags”). Maybe I’ll do a future issue comprised exclusively of these. It’s fun to think about what a new issue will look like. I haven’t done anything too high-concept yet, but these are still early days. What issue will be my Sgt. Pepper? 100? In other news, Cryptozoology News reported a sighting of a giant lizard-man in the desert. I couldn’t help but think it was the world’s first Ernesto sighting. Keep your eyes peeled, dear readers! The next time you’re hiking in the desert you may have a close encounter with a very tall lizard wearing a baseball jersey. Then, later, in English. Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, huge inspiration to this here blogger, first cartoonist to win the Tour de France, received the prestigious Grand Prix at one of the biggest comics festivals in the world. It seems as less of a surprise than it would have been a few years ago. Lately it seems ol Bill’s work is getting more of the attention it deserves. In 2005 we got The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, a hardbound three volume set that collects the run of the strip in its entirety. Better still, it included a preface by the author. Clocking in at about 20 pages, it was the most autobiography I’d ever seen from Watterson. In 2009, Looking for Calvin and Hobbes popped up as a sort of meta-article on the elusive cartoonist. Although Nevin Martell interviewed just about everyone associated with Watterson, he was unable to speak with the man himself. On the record, at least. Last year came Dear Mr. Watterson, a documentary on the lasting legacy of Calvin and Hobbes. This was not another biography of the man but a love letter to his work. I am proud to have been included in such a nice tribute to my favorite work of art. With all these publications, Bill Watterson has been thrust once again into the spotlight. Let us hope he is not too angry at us for loving him so much. I doubt he is too bothered by it, as he has voluntarily taken part in two projects of late: one, a book called The Art of Richard Thompson, will feature an interview between Watterson and Thompson. In March, an exhibit of both Thompson and Watterson’s art will go up at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at The Ohio State University. Everyone wants to know: will Bill Watterson attend Angouleme next year? According to his editor Lee Salem (a superstar of the comics scene himself), “I’ll try to talk him into it.” I don’t know about you, but if I was in Ohio in late January a trip to France would sound pretty darn good. I drew this comic years ago to facetiously answer the question “Where do cartoonists get their ideas?” Where else would we get our creativity but by making a deal with the Devil himself? I was kidding, of course. Old Scratch only deals with the Robert Johnsons and James Camerons of the world. If I had made a deal with Old Scratch, I probably would’ve come out with the next Garfield. As it is, I make do with Falling Rock. When you pick up a copy of Falling Rock National Park #3, these are the stories you’ll find within. The Lizard Vanishes, its title taken from the Hitchcock classic The Lady Vanishes, involves Ernesto’s alleged abduction by extra terrestrials. Of the short pieces that finish the book, my favorite might be Performance Review, as it features Park Superintendent Globulus. Globulus has long been my favorite villain, and I view this story as the beginning of a longer story involving the nefarious slug. Pick up a copy right here, or when you see me at a convention later this year.

- "She's becoming more dangerous every day! If you won't put her down, I will." - — Kassar warning Archer of Samantha Cross' powers. Doctor Kassar was a character in Call of Duty: Ghosts Extinction mode. He was a surviving Nightfall scientist who worked for David Archer aboard Stormbreaker, acting as the interrogator of Dr. Samantha Cross. Biography[edit | edit source] A world-renowned scientist in the field of neuroprosthetics, Dr. Kassar caught the attention of David Archer, who employed him within the Nightfall Program at their headquarters in Point Barrow, Alaska. Nightfall[edit | edit source] When Dr. Cross unconsciously breached the facility's Cryptid hatchery, an outbreak ensued, slaughtering 127 of the project's employees. Through unknown means, Kassar found himself among the surviving scientists, and was extracted from the site with Archer and Cross. Now aboard Archer's new base of operations, Stormbreaker, Kassar oversaw the creation of the Beacon Amplifier, a device capable of strengthening Samantha's brainwaves to allow the second Ark to be located. With Cross surgically bonded to the device, Kassar was tasked with interrogating her into revealing her knowledge of the remaining Arks and why she betrayed Nightfall. Mayday[edit | edit source] Throughout his interrogations, Kassar learned translating the Ark caused Cross to suffer a mimetic virus that gave her brain the ability to relay the commands sent to the Cryptids by their unseen masters, granting her immunity among the beasts. However, Kassar grew fearful this power would influence Cross to defect to the Cryptids themselves, noting her power was growing every day. Consulting Archer, he insisted that Samantha was killed for the safety of the voyage, which Archer quickly vetoed, threatening to feed Kassar to the Cryptids should he lay a hand on their patient. On November 25th, Cross revealed to Kassar the race that constructed the Arks were far from extinct, as well as summoning the guardian created to protect the Arks as the ship neared their destination. As the Cryptid specimens overran Stormbreaker, Samantha watched as Kassar was mauled to death by the creatures, begging for salvation. Gallery[edit | edit source]

=Efsane yabancı dizi izleme sitesi. Tüm yabancı dizileri tek parça halinde izleyin, yorumlayın ve forumlarda tartışın. Dizi keyfinize keyif katın! =Dizimag,yabancı dizi izle,dizimagco,yabancı diziler,yabancı dizi,dizi,hd tek part, türkçe altyazılı izle Headings (most frequently used words): masaba, the, breathe, boy, suitable, on, men, vincenzo, penthouse, pretender, wolverine, great, last, kids, earth, times, yabancı, bombay, professionals, begums, evil, marvel, studios, legends, me, hello, good, girls, beyond, divorce, marriage, ft, love, rises, moon, fire, river, fast, izle, diziler, new, racers, spy, furious, amsterdam, force, 2018, spycraft, titan, chicago, attack, chronicles, idhun, where, bloodlands, beginning, earp, wandavision, silence, breaking, nevenka, magnum, wynonna, all, macgyver, blacklist, shameless, gods, american, pennyworth, simpsons, for, mankind, harrow, rex, know, never, would, she, dizi, servant, mom, unicorn, truth, of, burden, sheldon, young, hudson, Text of the page (most frequently used words): the (323), #sezon (79), #bölüm (76), #dizi (55), and (27), #yeni (25), dark (14), 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Imagine sitting on the edge of your seat engrossed in a scary horror movie when suddenly … a paranormal conference breaks out. That’s the feeling I got while watching “Terror in the Skies,” the latest documentary from Small Town Monsters. Fortunately, in the capable and experienced hands of director/writer/producer Seth Breedlove, this combination is a good thing, with seamless transitions between movie and expert commentaries that maintain the tension while adding meat to already meaty stories about a number of mysterious flying creature events in the history of Illinois that continue to occur right up to the present. “Terror in the Skies” opens with an eerie twilight recreation of a 1948 small town sighting of what appeared to be an abnormally huge bird … a sighting we quickly learn was just one of many at the time in southern Illinois’ heavily wooded corner of the Ozark Mountains as they fade into the Mississippi River. The sightings are recounted by Illinois native Loren Coleman, founder of the International Cryptozoological Museum and one of the world’s leading authorities on mysterious and mythical beasts. Wearing his producer hat well, Seth Breedlove recruits an impressive array of senior and up-and-coming cryptid investigators and writers to fill in the details of a surprisingly large yet little known number of flying creature sightings in Illinois dating back to Native American legends and centered around the Mississippi River town of Alton. From giant birds to dinosaur-like creatures to flying humanoids, director Breedlove weaves the narration of longtime collaborator Lyle Blackburn through animated recreations, newspaper clippings and eyewitness accounts of sightings of the Piasa Bird, Thunderbirds and lesser-known aerial apparitions. “Terror in the Skies” closes in the skies over Chicago, where sightings of various forms of bird-, bat- and Mothman-like creatures have been reportedly steadily since 2017. Bringing together the analyses of a number of cryptozoologists and paranormal investigators who have looked into these sightings, Breedlove creates a form of that paranormal conference staple – the round-table discussion – to form a pseudo-debate of what it might be and whether this apparition deserves its “Mothman” description. Conclusions? You’ll have to see “Terror in the Skies” to find out. Rest assured it exceeds the high bar Seth Breedlove sets for himself and the rest of his excellent Small Town Monsters team. The long list of Kickstarter contributors in the credits attests to the high quality of their previous documentaries and series and the newest offering will please these folks and the ever-growing number of fans of this soon-to-be-big-town production company. The release date is June 7, 2019, but you can pre-order “Terror in the Skies” by clicking here.

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In fact, despite being a relative skeptic, I spent a week at Grampians National Park filming a documentary about the panther's possible existence. Open profile Please don't make us have to shoot our friends, it makes us sad. Kitchenette Unfortunately in the Covid era, shared cooking facilities are a no Need someone to talk to Halls Gap. Food Food is Lonely naughty searching adult personalthat's why we would like to make sure that you can have some when Beautiful lady seeking love Bridgeport want it. Electric blankets Electric blankets are on all beds. Bushfires Adult want nsa OH Wintersville are no jokes. Need someone to talk to Halls Gap Fat Ladies Want Xxx Webcam Fuck Indian Women Plant On Friday If you are having trouble getting out on time, please talk to us. Halls Gap Zoo owners Greg and Yvonne Housewives looking sex Eddyville Nebraska ualls confirmed they are selling the popular tourist site after 12 years of ownership. Kiosk There is a simple kiosk at reception. These contain indigenous bush foods that we hope to have ready for Wives want casual sex OK Clayton guests to learn about and try as soon as they mature a bit. Our philosophy is simple: we will assume everything is OK unless you tell us. This is both a safety osmeone a hygiene issue. As i do not know the correct legal procedures associated with editing a i am hoping that someone will see this and correct the entry. Remember, you are in a small country town, and hlals of the restaurants close quite early. TAKARU BUSH RESORTS GRAMPIANS (Halls Gap) - Campground Reviews & Photos - Tripadvisor Please follow our instructions, we want everyone to get out of here alive. Please take a moment to review my edit. Untitled[ edit ] Thought that the intended meaning was that the town of Halls Gap was equidistant to Ararat and Stawell rather than the whole national park, given that it's a large park. If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool. Need someone to talk to halls gap Alas, we didn't find much! If you broke said equipment, please tell us. However, there was one instance when we rounded a corner on a deserted walking track to see a black animal spring into the bushes. Emergency procedures If Just tring this out need you to evacuate your room for Need someone to talk to Halls Gap reason, the emergency assembly point is at the front of the motel on the fat bbw wanting sex in lexington kentucky. The BBQs are very sad about this, and hope it's not too Sluts in Killington want tp fuck before they can be of service. Imminent visit to Halls Gap, fire damage? - Halls Gap Forum - Tripadvisor No judgement. Just be aware that there has been a total fire ban put in force for today due to extreme Need someone to talk to Halls Gap weather. As of yet, the mysterious Grampians Black Panther is still considered a cryptid, and there is absolutely no neeed, verifiable evidence to support its existence. Kangaroos We hope you love our local kangaroos as much as we. Halls gap body is brown hill woman advice there's a fair bit of information in this guide, and you may find yourself feeling confused or unsure what to do to make the most of your time here. Lots of bugs. As of February"External links modified" talk sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. Please don't sit in your room feeling hard done by because there's not enough sugar for your coffee. If you keep pressing buttons, the machine gets confused. TRANSPARENCY AND HONESTY No special action is required regarding these talk notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. There is a trip to the Grampians planed for 19th Dec Can someone write about the panther that lives in the Grampians, like about sightings ect. New Members. But you must, must, must remain aware that there are other guests here who do not want to be a part of your party. Ands they help us to attract new guest We would also really, really love it if you would pretty please! After 12 years, halls gap zoo owners look to sell up hap move on my friend mark and i stayed there recently and jeff and chris could not do enough for us, jeff and chris are not only fun, nice and pleasant people who are up for a chat and laugh, but will go well out of their way to make you stay more comfortable or to tend to any needs you may have! Room Servicing For the health and safety of our cleaning staff and our guests, room servicing is not available for stays shorter than 4 nights. However, we like to be mindful of our energy consumption, so we encourage you to use your climate altering powers responsibly. Do that, Need someone to talk to Halls Gap repeat. Ackatsis1 October UTC Anyway, you might want to link the article to this one, or maybe create a ot similar one. Setting 1 is the lowest heat escort ladyboy australia 7 and 3 is the warmest. If you are staying for 4 nights or longer, we will contact you to arrange a time to service your room if required. In split-screen town halls, trump and biden squabble over coronavirus response If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool. It was gone before we could start filming. As the phrase goes, 'be bold'! Halls gap body is hslls hill woman advice there's a fair bit of information in this guide, and you may find yourself feeling confused or unsure what to do to make the most of your time here.

The Young Woman in the Waiting Room I recently received the following account: Several weeks ago, I took my husband to the local emergency room after he complained of severe groin pain. It is a small community hospital here in south Texas. I was directed to the waiting room while the doctor took look at him. It was around 1AM in the morning and no one else was in the waiting room. So I took a seat to wait until I could go back in and see him. I had been sitting for a while watching the waiting room television when a young woman, wearing a cervical collar, walked in and sat down near me. We smiled at each other. She was telling me that she hoped that she could be seen soon, because her neck was bothering her. She picked up a magazine and opened it, but we continued to talk. After a while, a nurse came by, looked over at us, and stopped. Looking at me the nurse asked if there was something wrong. I answered, "No, we are just talking." The nurse looked at me as if I was nuts. Then she said, "There is no one in here but you and me." I looked over at the young woman who smiled, and just slowly vanished. DD British Bigfoot Encounter Chilling accounts of the UK’s own Bigfoot are fairly common, and many claim to have spotted a glimpse of an ape-like creature roaming the countryside. It comes just months after a photographer told Daily Star Online that he may have captured the first ever footage of a Bigfoot roaming the British countryside. One such bizarre sighting has been reported by monster hunter Jonathan Downes, who says he had a very “peculiar” encounter which he “still can’t explain” today. While investigating a string of sightings at Bolam lake near Newcastle in Northumberland he claims to have seen an man-like person leaping through a bog. Read more at Monster hunter reveals terrifying British ‘Bigfoot’ encounter Spirit Communication...Walking in the Cemetery The sun was just beginning to set as I pulled up to Hillside Cemetery. For a moment, I felt the slight breeze and fooled myself into thinking I was about to have a relaxing Tuesday evening. Then Michelle Davidson got out of her car with a cigar box full of tools to communicate with the dead, and I remembered exactly what I had gotten myself into. She fixed her pink-streaked hair that was pinned away from her face, smiled and said, "You ready?" I was not. Davidson had always been interested in the paranormal, but it wasn't until she stayed at a well-known haunted hotel in St. Augustine where she finally experienced it for herself. Thankfully, her first encounter at St. Francis Inn was more "Casper the Friendly Ghost" than "Paranormal Activity 3." "That night I was having dreams that a spirit was talking to me," she said. "He was telling me all the pranks he was pulling on people. He would set the alarm clock off on people in the middle of the night, and he thought it was really funny." She said she woke up that morning "with a heaviness" and saw an apparition of a Confederate soldier. After that, she had encounters at nearly every historic place she stayed. Davidson soon became inspired to write the book, "Florida's Haunted Hospitality," where she had sleepovers with spirits in over 15 different haunted hotels and inns. Because you know, that's what everyone likes to do with their Friday nights. Since her book, Davidson has only upped her ghost-hunting game. Her toolkit holds an electromagnetic field (or EMF) meter, a pendulum and a set of dowsing rods. There was not, as I expected a "Ghostbusters" proton pack. We walked among the hundreds of graves, looking for some sort of signal from the EMF. The light stayed green (meaning there were no electrical charges around us), but Davidson said she "felt a pull" to the grave of Vincent Shofner. She got unusually quiet walking towards the man's tomb and apologized for getting emotional. I think it goes without saying that taken on the feelings surrounding other people's deaths is bound to get a little depressing. According to Davidson, she said people stop from crossing over usually because they're attached to someone, something, or they feel like there's something left they still have to accomplish. She did an investigation at the Live Oak Inn where the staff said they were having a hard time remodeling. After speaking with the spirit who was still living in the inn, she uncovered the easily fixable problem. "It was his old parlor where he had played card games," she said. "It was stacked to the ceiling with chairs, and he was feeling claustrophobic. After I did a cleansing and talked to him, things got rolling, and they got the inn opened." After meandering around the cemetery for a bit — something I don't recommend doing after the sun goes down — Davidson said it was my turn to try out a tool. She gave me the dowsing rods, L-shaped metal rods that started as a practice in the 15th century to find ground water, buried metals and other objects without the use of scientific equipment. Basically, you just hold the rods out with straight arms and hope for the best. When Davidson did it, she asked the spirits to show us where we parked our car. Spookily enough, the rods rotated to the direction of my Corolla. When I did it, the rods just rotated in towards each other, most likely because I don't have enough upper body strength the keep a steady hand for more than 10 seconds. Walking back, Davidson explained that while there are scary spirits, most are just regular people who aren't ready to say goodbye yet. She hopes by being able to communicate with them she can help find closure for both those who are alive and dead. "I want people to be aware that there is life after death, and there are stories to be told," she said. "Preserving history and people's memories is really, really important. And that's what I'm trying to do." - I walked a cemetery with a paranormal investigator and a ghost told me where I parked my car Radioactive Boars Near Fukushima We've all heard the crazy stories about radioactive boar roaming the nuclear wastelands of Fukushima. But such an outlandish tale can't possibly be true, can it? No-one has ever seen pictures of these creatures These incredibly unusual photographs of the terrifying mammals were taken in the exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant, whose reactors went into meltdown after it was struck by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. There have been many obvious dangers faced by Japan in the wake of the disaster, but one of the most unexpected has also proved to be one of the most fascinating. Find photos at First photos of radioactive wild boar roaming Fukushima's nuclear wastelands as they're culled for attacking people TODAY'S TOP LINKS Serpents, owl men and demon dogs The Mysterious Giant Snakes of Japan Scientist Shows What Space Aliens Will Really Look Like Does the Tasmanian tiger still exist? Rex Gilroy believes so The Evil Mermaids of Africa Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record The Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Beings Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter A Menagerie of Mysterious Beasts: Encounters with Cryptid Creatures Click the 'Listen Live' link...then click the chat balloon icon Follow 'Arcane Radio' on Facebook Hotlinking of PM Media images and copyrighted material is strictly forbidden unless permission is obtained. 'Phantoms and Monsters' and 'phantomsandmonsters.com' is protected under the Lanham (Trademark) Act (Title 15, Chapter 22 of the United States Code) 'Phantoms and Monsters' was establish in September 2005 as part of the PM Media Copyright 2005-2017 Phantoms and Monsters / PM Media - All Rights Reserved

9 Best Bitcoin Mining Pools: Legit Sites (2020 Companies) 9 Best Bitcoin Mining Pools: Legit Sites (2020 Companies) Bitcoin Private Mining Pools: List of The Best BTCP Pools 12 Best Mining Pools to Join (List and Review 2020 ... The Best Bitcoin Mining Pools For Making Money 5 Best Bitcoin Mining Pools & All About Mining Pool Welcome to unquestionably the best, cleverest and down-right coolest privacy-tech community on the planet! DarkNote (formerly known as duckNote) is an anonymous open-source cryptocurrency based on CryptoNote technology and the CryptoNight algorithm. While we take our technology seriously, we are also a very friendly and fun community. Please come in, have a seat, eat a duck or two... and join us! I’m a commentator for a tournament of nightmares. I’m not sure the participants are willing. You’d think being a psychiatric ward for 38 months would be enough to deter a guy from ever going back to a sport that involves watching human beings at the height of their physical prowess beat the living shit out of each other. Sometimes regulated, sometimes not. But, here I am, fresh outta the loony bin and reading the most unusual advertising slogan I’d ever laid eyes on; “The most terrifying tournament has come around once again! Conquer your fears in theNFC*…* literally.” This was the business card that accompanied my black envelope as it was handed to me on the discharge ward by a well dressed and gangly fella with an uncomfortable wide smile. He didn’t say much of anything, just that his name was “Watson” before bowing and holding up the envelope. “Heh, like the butler, right?” I said, taking the envelope from his plasticine hands. His smile ripples across his face and he nods slowly, his perfect hair unmoving in the strong wind before he turns on his heel and walks back to the black sedan. The cold air chilled my bones, and I pulled the medical bracelet from my wrist, grimacing at the marks underneath before following Watson to the Sedan and hauling my luggage into the trunk before setting off, not knowing how I came to even be there in the first place. I guess right now, that doesn’t really matter. What matters is where I am now and what I’m doing. "blood strewn across the canvas, frayed brain matter sailing across my head and splattering against the wall, a woman standing in a pool of blood as the deformed creature twitches on the ground" My name is Sal “Motormouth” Sabotta, I’m a sports commentator by trade. Be it combat sports, pro wrestling, death-matches or martial arts tournament, I’ve done it all. I won’t lie; Work can be hard to come by. I’ve spent months struggling for rent and resorting to less tried-and-true commentary methods in order to survive. That has, at times, involved trying my hand at some of the more underground competitions; unregulated fights, sick, illegal games bet on by people on the dark web and worse… Things I’m not going to detail here. Things I’m not proud to have taken a hefty pay-check for from greasy, sweaty fucks in Armani tracksuits and stinking of cheap booze and coke all the way up to well-dressed bitcoin farmers in their 20s who probably own child slaves. In short, I’m no stranger to the grim underworld or the secrecies with which they conduct their work. I see money and an easy way to make it with my voice; I don’t ask questions. So when I received an email the day of my discharge from the hospital and I’m told “you’ll receive a letter from Mr. Watson, take it and follow the instructions to the venue. Pay up front as agreed.”, I don’t question it. Especially when the note is personalised, and the doctor says my medical fees were covered. We drove past numerous landscapes, vistas and neighbourhoods before veering off into an industrial estate and entering an underground tunnel. Half a mile in, Watson stops the car and peers back, smiling. He directs a thumb to the service door in the side tunnel and rubs his neck, a scar running from ear to ear. Was he a former fighter? Gangster? I sighed and got out, still in my medical gown and hauling ass to the door. It opened before I could reach out and a tall, muscular woman in her late 30s greeted me with a smile. She was imposing, powerful in her gait, a black eyepatch with several seals adorning the sides accompanying a thick scar down her face did nothing to stop her beauty. She wore a tank top with a black cloak with white fur on the tops and sleeves, a thick black chain clasp around the neck. I won’t lie; she looked badass. Terrifying, but badass. “‘Bout time ya showed up, Sabotta!” She grinned and put a cinderblock of a hand on my shoulder. I’m 5’10 and 180lbs, but she made me feel like a child in front of her. The power emanating from her fist was unbelievable. “C’mon, the trial match is starting and I don’t want no tourney without a broken in commentator! You gotta know the ropes of this place!” “You know your driver was standing right outside when I was discharged, right? Couldn’t think to give me an extra day or two to freshen up?” I frowned. This wasn’t normal protocol, even for back-alley promotions like this. She just laughed at me and slapped my shoulder. “The tournament waits for nobody, Sal. Times a-wasting.” The hallway is dimly lit and the sounds of a ruckus above us are as impossible to ignore as the sounds of thudding, screaming and snapping. As we pass several doors with one-way mirrors on the front panes, I hear sounds I could have never placed in the animal kingdom or otherwise; gurgles, clicks, grunts and even otherworldly whispers. “What the fuck is that? You guys doing animal fights down here? I mean I called a monkey fight once, but it’s not exactly… pleasant.” I shuddered, thinking of the violence chimpanzees can inflict on one another, let alone humans. She never stopped walking or staring directly ahead when she responded.“Those ain’t animals. Not by a long shot.” Before I can probe further, I’m hurried into a changing room and practically swept off my feet by her strength. I turn back and she’s already poking her head out the door. “You’ve got 5 minutes, get your shit and head up the left stairs, Watson will guide you.” She grinned, and I saw gold filings in her teeth that glinted as much as her bedazzled eye patch. “Ya came highly recommended… I expect good things!” I do as instructed and within 5 minutes I’m back in my commentary clothes; an open buttoned Hawaiian shirt with my old Hotel Inertia shirt underneath, skinny black jeans and shimmering black shoes. I found some old slick gorilla powder in my hair and dusted it up, opting for the dishevelled look as I knew I’d be sweating by the end of the ordeal. “You shouldn’t bother putting in so much effort, y’know. They’re not gonna care how good you look, only how well you talk.” Standing in the doorway was a woman in her 40s, dark-skinned and hair clad in meticulous dreadlocks, tied back into a large bun with a pair draped down the sides of her head. She held a thick book in one hand and pocketed a serrated blade in the other before motioning to me. “We’ll have to do the pleasantries on the way, the match is starting and you don’t wanna miss that. The commissioner isn’t the type you want to upset. Especially when you’re not here by choice.” I looked for a moment, dumbfounded. “I’m here because I was invited, already got my pay from the woman who let me in.” I shrugged, pocketing the envelope and getting my equipment from the suitcase. The woman gave a sad smile and shook her head. “Of course you’d think that. She likes it that way. Bet she didn’t introduce herself either, did she? C’mon.” I follow her down and after a few minutes we come to a fork in the hallway, an elevator system to our right and a stairway to the left. Dutifully, Watson stood patiently, still grinning and motioning us to go up. Once we’re situated in our booth upstairs, I set my equipment up and look down at the table, expecting a slew of papers and fighter information in front of me. I look to the woman to ask, but she doesn’t break her stare in the darkness, looking down at the arena floor some 100ft below us.“You won’t need that. Not for this match.” The lights flicker on and the enormity of this venue reveals itself to me. It’s a structure of imposing steel, dried blood, claw marks and other unknown substances that littered the 40ft wide circular pit the fighters contested in, a black lift on either side from the fighters corners that I can only assume ascended up from their locker room area. Around them were chain-link fences that rose up to the audience stands above, situating around 300 people across all four sides. At the very top sat our booth, the commissioner’s office directly opposite, the judges booth to our right and the fight analysts/medical area to our left. Standing in the centre with a spotlight over them was the commissioner, microphone in hand and an energy that was almost palpable. “Ladies, Gentlemen and Freaks of all kinds out there in the universe. I welcome you once more to the annual Nightmare Fighting Championship Tournament! It’s been a long year, but we have new blood to pit against our resident night terrors and some fresh fears to feast on the fortuitous soul that frolics into their den. As always, our contestants will be fighting for their freedom, a chance to get their wish or to fight for the ultimate prize.” The crowd cheers and the majority are hidden behind thick plexiglass and lighting, but I can see some have Karate Gi’s, weapons in hand and others with demon masks as they whoop and holler. The clientele here were, at least in my estimation, experienced. But I was feeling a lump in my throat at that one phrase The Commissioner so surreptitiously added in without issue; “As always, our contestants will befightingfor theirfreedom*”* I leaned to the woman next to me and as if she knew what I was going to ask; she put a finger up and shook her head. Eyes awash with fear and a grimness I had only seen on that of trainers who knew their fighter was not ready for the bout ahead. She pointed the finger down to my machine, then to the pit. Turning it on, I looked down as the commissioner began to talk, readying myself to commentate on whatever weirdos came up to battle. “But before we get to that, we have an exciting exhibition match for our loyal supporters who bankroll this event every year. Without you elite few, we could not do this. You are the pound for pound goats of support! Now, without further ado; let’s get this show on the road!”The rest of the lights clicked on and spun around the venue as they raised the profile of the bout, the elevators both whirring into action as the right one arose first. “In this corner, from the marionettes shop and accompanied by his Bunraku doll “Mr. Stares”, it’s the man who pulls the strings… THE PUPPET MAN!” Out steps a tall, thin Japanese man in full clown makeup. His head shaven save for two ridiculous strands of hair stretched out and fluffed up to their limits, like red antennae. His eyebrows large m’s that practically cover his forehead, the nose a completely vacant slot with a black hole drawn in and the mouth… the fucking mouth was nailed shut. Literally. Sharp rusted nails had been hammered down through the lips with such force that they’d bent. A sickening crimson red face-paint stretched across the entire bottom half of his face, making it seem far larger by comparison. He carefully held a small bundle underneath a sheet and bowed deeply to the audience before standing at his designated spot. “In the other corner, from the streets of god knows where and the womb of someone who misses him… "Hulked Up" Michael O’Donnell!” I watched with wide eyes and a stomach threatening to evacuate its contents at any moment as the smoke cleared and a boy no older than 17 rushed out, beating his chest and screaming to the crowd as if he was the Incredible Hulk. I don’t know if they drugged the poor kid, but he clearly had no idea where he was. “There are no rules, no referees and judges only exist in case of a draw or unclear victory. Our commentary team will take over and we wish you a phenomenal match.” She drools a little before she speaks again, looking up at me and winking. “Let’s make this a violent one.” She snaps her fingers and leaps for the fence, climbing up with ungodly ease before sitting on her makeshift chair in her office. I have no idea what I’m seeing but every cell in my body is urging me to run; I feel my knees tense and my frame rise ever so slightly before the woman next to me puts her hand on my thigh, pushing me down with great force. “You have a job to do, so do I. Trust me, you think you can leave but if you get out of this chair, not only will YOUR life end. Mine will too.” She unsheathes the serrated blade and looks at me with pity. “We both have a part to play here, so put the headset on and let’s do our job, no matter how hard it is.” Hands shaking, I pick up the headset and connect it to the portable recorder and take a breath. “I… I need your name. What is it you do?” I stutter, trying to calm myself. She hands me a bottle of water as the surrounding lights dim and the spotlight focuses on the spectacle below. “I’m Madame Nelle Lockwood, cryptid hunter and your co-host to guide you through tonight. Good to meet you, Sal.” - NFC EXHIBITION MATCH: "Hulked Up" Michael O’Donnell vs The Puppet Man w/ Mr. Stares “Welcome fight fans from around the world, god knows how you’re listening to this or WHY, but here we are. I’m your host Sal “MotorMouth” Sabotta, wishing this was all a bad dream. Joining me this evening is our cryptid specialist and all round badass Madame Nelle Lockwood. How are you doing, Nelle?” She looks at me with a bewildered look on her face before blinking and coming to her senses. “Uhh… good! All things considered… boy, you really have a professional knack for this, huh? I can see why Commissioner Alduin brought you in." “Ahh, yes. That’s right, folks! NFC Commissioner Alduin invited me here personally and our exhibition match proves to be… challenging. Let’s check in on the action below.” I look down and see The Puppet Man sat down and gesturing to the figure under the sheet, like he’s got a negotiation going on. The boy, undeterred and furious, rushes towards him and takes his back, slapping his head and even pulling on his hair with extreme prejudice. “Well take a gander at that, that kid has absolutely NO fear. When I was his age, I would have stayed FAR the fuck away from a nightmare spectre like that. But hell, this is all part of the show, right? Hope they’re paying that poor guy down there a sizeable sum to throw a fight to a child. What do you think, Nelle; is this the weirdest make-a-wish fulfilment task or what?” I look over to her, hoping she’d indulge me and that I could believe this was just going to end with a pissed off actor storming away when the child hit him too hard. But Nelle was scanning her now open book and looking for information on dolls. “He’s talking to his doll because it’s desperate to be let loose. He’s trying to bargain with it to spare him. This is the nature of the puppeteer and his master.” She pushes the book to the centre of the table and shows me a faded illustration of a pristine Bunraku doll; a kind of meticulously crafted Japanese take on the ventriloquist doll. The limbs are thinner and the face is more minimalist, but still no more frightening. “They usually have a symbiotic relationship, but it seems this one obeys the doll and will not want to face more punishment.” “What do you mean more punishment?” I ask, looking back down at the feverish puppet man as he tries signing frantically under the sheet, even putting his head under as the kid bites his arm and kicks him, screeching. “The nails, Sal. Those aren’t to silence him, they’re to punish him.” The rest happened in slow motion; the sheet fell down. The puppet man stood up and walked to his side of the fighters corner, facing the elevator and placing his face into his forearms as he shook. The boy followed to keep attacking, but with one swift kick to the midsection, the boy was propelled back to the centre of the pit where the doll sat. If there was a human face, I didn’t see it. Instead, I was staring down at a small wood carved spider, the head sporting black geisha hair and the makeup still present, but rows of sharpened black teeth protruded from the clicking mouth and two larger eyes jutted out from the base of the skull, smaller ones dotted closely around it. It was like seeing a puppet ogre spider. “Looks like The Puppet Man has let Mr. Stares out to say hi and I can certainly see why he was under that sheet, this one isn’t pretty folks! The face doth fit the name. The question is, what’s he doing to do ne- “I didn’t need to finish the question. My hands shook, and the world spun around me as this creature crawled towards the still wheezing boy with ungodly speed and perched itself expertly beside him. I don’t know if it was my eyes or the distance from where I sat, but this was NOT a small puppet. He was easily half of the boy’s height and that became more unnerving when he reared up on his back legs, the head clicking up and the raspy voice hissing out like a gas leak in a building. “Hey, hey, kid! Wanna make a deal?” The kid rubbed his eyes, seemingly realising where he was as he calmed down and an air of utter confusion around him. “If you let me be your new master and you promise to take care of me, I’ll let you go!” His head spun around and the jaw clicked ferociously as he giggled, extending out a clawed paw. “Whaddya say?” The boy, still confused, slowly reached out his hand and the moment immediately reminded me of a slew of nature shows I’d seen as a kid; where a predator waits until the prey is lulled before striking. I felt the chill up my spine as he extended his hand and grabbed Mr. Stares. In that moment, he leapt up the arm and bore his way into the boy’s mouth, down his throat and shredded his flesh. The sound was so horrifying, so visceral that it outshines any backyard stabbing, joint snap or broken nose. The boy didn’t even have time to scream, he simply looked up with tear-stained eyes as the puppet disappeared. Then he started walking without him realising. He looked down at his limbs, terrified, looked over at The Puppet Master, who still had his head to the elevator and pleaded with someone, anyone to help him. I looked to Nelle who refused to take her eyes away, studying the battle in an almost morbid scientific curiosity, detached entirely from the scenario. I couldn’t fathom how she did it, how she ignored this boy begging us to get him out of there. I wanted to. Every instinct in me as a fight fan and a decent human was to scream “STOP THE FIGHT!”. But clearly, when my own life is at risk and money is involved... I am not a decent human. Instead, with bile in my throat and a sweating forehead, I did my job. “M-My goodness! The P-uppet, I mean, “Mr. Stares” has BECAME the puppet master, surely the fight will be over with our young competitor incapacitated? What does our commissioner have to say about this?” She stared at me, her one eye gleaming and her face elated with the violence. “It ain’t over yet, church boy. We haven’t even seen the finale, have we Puppet Master?!” She laughs and slaps her knee, the puppet master sobbing as he sinks to the floor and she continues. “He ain’t done feeding, not yet.” The way she said that word “feeding” nearly made me lose what food I had in me. That was a young man, somebody's baby boy… “What does she mean by that, Nelle? What is the strategy to victory here?” Nelle looked down at her book and traced her finger across a passage before wiping her forehead and pushing the locks aside. If her composure wasn’t breaking yet, it would do soon. “This kind of parasitic doll feasts on its prey and targets non-essential organs first, controls the host with the neurotoxin in its tail and then, when it’s finally content, it gives the brain a second injection.” “What happens then?” I asked, my own professionalism hanging on by a fucking thread at this point. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.“I guess you’ll see in a moment, I sure as hell don’t want to. Not again.” Before I can prompt her further, the boy lets out an ear-piercing shriek and falls to his knees, gripping at his head before it turned red, then purple and finally an ugly shade of puce before… The sound of a watermelon hitting the ground from a great height is the best comparison you’re going to get without making me want to rush to the toilet to puke for a third time. But that’s what happened. His head burst and chunks of his skull, flesh and brain matter sprayed the pit and the walls, some hitting my desk and making me audibly shriek, much to the commissioner's delight. “HA! You didn’t run! I like you, Sal. You pass for the tournament!” She hauls her body up and slams down to the pit, applauding as the microphone descends from the heavens. “And your winner; The Puppet Man and Mr. Stares!” The crowd erupts with applause as the weeping puppet man pulls the blood-soaked puppet out, places him under the sheet and silently begins to walk back to the elevator while attendees clear up the boy’s corpse. “What… what the fuck IS this place?” I ask Nelle, pausing my recording. “This is where nightmares are kept and set upon mostly unwilling competitors for the world’s amusement. You HAVE done dark web fights before, right? Mafia snitches being put into lions pits, bum fights, addicts fighting women to score… this can’t be THAT unusual to you?” I stared at her incredulously. Was that even a question? “I did the dark web ONCE and it damn sure didn’t involve monsters!” She scoffs and closes her book, stretching before looking at me with contempt. “Oh, it did. Just not the ones you hear about in fairytales. Good luck with the selection process. I’ll be back for the opening round. Don’t try to run, they’ll devour us both in minutes, if you think this is the pinnacle of what lurks beneath this club, you're in for a rough night.” She sauntered off, leaving me deflated, sickened and terrified. Unable to leave and frustrated to the point of tears that I couldn’t express that concoction of emotions, I did what I always do; I regressed and pressed “record” on the device as Commissioner Alduin continued. At that moment, however, I was deaf to it all. The gravity of the situation had fully enveloped me… They weren’t kidding about the unwilling participants, I just didn’t realise I would be one of them.On every side of me sits men and women with a desire for violence that goes beyond the norm, beyond the sane and beyond the boundaries of humanity.Below me are an untold number of creatures rattling their cages and howling for blood. Across from me is a woman so powerful she could crush my skull beneath her boot with the utmost ease if it so amused her. That invitation was nothing more than my own ransom note in pretty colours and flattering platitudes. I was in a tournament housing nightmares incarnate. And it would only get more violent from here on out. - The opening round was a blood bath. Ok, A little backround. I know hardware and networking. I can build just about any config of a computer. I understand overclocking and undervolting. I can invest around 2,700 for initial investment. So do I buy hardware to build a GPU miner with at least 6 cards or more? Probably RX580 as they are cheap and I have one in my rig. More on that later. Or do I a Asic miner like this I understand a GPU miner is multiple coins and not Bitcoin, and Asic is nothing but Bitcoin. I've done the math on the Asic miner and the ROI in about 3 months with a net gain of about ~10,000 USD a year @ .13 cents per Watt. I've had a hard time finding a solid or semi way of calculating the earnings for a GPU miner. Not only because it is many coins or dedicated to one coin, but there our other variables involved. However I have more control of the hardware if it fails. I dipped my toe into mining with my own rig that has a RX580 fatboy and a AMD Phenom ii x4 955 black edition. I overclocked the GPU and undervolted the CPU to reduce heat since it was hitting 62 cel. The GPU gets 12.5 sol/s and the CPU was getting ~322 h/s. All this added up to ~170 watts and a net of .00218322 BTC/Month. This was all done using Cudo as it was easy to find and setup just to test. This was just a test to see how it would work. I wouldn't use Cudo to full scale as it is a pool and the transfer to a Wallet is pretty steep in relationship to earns. I understand that in a pool you get your share based upon how much of the "work" you did to get find block. So do I build or buy? With that much computation power do I need to join a pool? What software is best for pool or alone? I am comfortable with CLI as long as it's well documented, but would like a remote GUI. Also what is the best wallet with the best fees for transactions. Currently using uphold since I use Brave. I think I covered as much as I could, if you have any questions let me know. Any advice would be great. If I should post this else where let me know please or I could just cross post it. TIA. Be safe, stay safe! Edit: Words and BTC earning was WAY off then I first typed this. Don't blindly follow a narrative, its bad for you and its bad for crypto in general I mostly lurk around here but I see a pattern repeating over and over again here and in multiple communities so I have to post. I'm just posting this here because I appreciate the fact that this sub is a place of free speech and maybe something productive can come out from this post, while bitcoin is just fucking censorship, memes and moon/lambo posts. If you don't agree, write in the comments why, instead of downvoting. You don't have to upvote either, but when you downvote you are killing the opportunity to have discussion. If you downvote or comment that I'm wrong without providing any counterpoints you are no better than the BTC maxis you despise. In various communities I see a narrative being used to bring people in and making them follow something without thinking for themselves. In crypto I see this mostly in BTC vs BCH tribalistic arguments: - BTC community: "Everything that is not BTC is shitcoin." or more recently as stated by adam on twitter, "Everything that is not BTC is a ponzi scheme, even ETH.", "what is ETH supply?", and even that they are doing this for "altruistic" reasons, to "protect" the newcomers. Very convenient for them that they are protecting the newcomers by having them buy their bags - BCH community: "BTC maxis are dumb", "just increase block size and you will have truly p2p electronic cash", "It is just that simple, there are no trade offs", "if you don't agree with me you are a BTC maxi", "BCH is satoshi's vision for p2p electronic cash" It is not exclusive to crypto but also politics, and you see this over and over again on twitter and on reddit. My point is, that narratives are created so people don't have to think, they just choose a narrative that is easy to follow and makes sense for them, and stick with it. And people keep repeating these narratives to bring other people in, maybe by ignorance, because they truly believe it without questioning, or maybe by self interest, because they want to shill you their bags. Because this is BCH community, and because bitcoin is censored, so I can't post there about the problems in the BTC narrative (some of which are IMO correctly identified by BCH community), I will stick with the narrative I see in the BCH community. The culprit of this post was firstly this post by user u/scotty321"The BTC Paradox: “A 1 MB blocksize enables poor people to run their own node!” “Okay, then what?” “Poor people won’t be able to use the network!”". You will see many posts of this kind being made by u/Egon_1 also. Then you have also this comment in that thread by u/fuck_____________1 saying that people that want to run their own nodes are retarded and that there is no reason to want to do that. "Just trust block explorer websites". And the post and comment were highly upvoted. Really? You really think that there is no problem in having just a few nodes on the network? And that the only thing that secures the network are miners? As stated by user u/co1nsurf3r in that thread: While I don't think that everybody needs to run a node, a full node does publish blocks it considers valid to other nodes. This does not amount to much if you only consider a single node in the network, but many "honest" full nodes in the network will reduce the probability of a valid block being withheld from the network by a collusion of "hostile" node operators. But surely this will not get attention here, and will be downvoted by those people that promote the narrative that there is no trade off in increasing the blocksize and the people that don't see it are retarded or are btc maxis. The only narrative I stick to and have been for many years now is that cryptocurrency takes power from the government and gives power to the individual, so you are not restricted to your economy as you can participate in the global economy. There is also the narrative of banking the bankless, which I hope will come true, but it is not a use case we are seeing right now. Some people would argue that removing power from gov's is a bad thing, but you can't deny the fact that gov's can't control crypto (at least we would want them not to). But, if you really want the individuals to remain in control of their money and transact with anyone in the world, the network needs to be very resistant to any kind of attacks. How can you have p2p electronic cash if your network just has a handful couple of nodes and the chinese gov can locate them and just block communication to them? I'm not saying that this is BCH case, I'm just refuting the fact that there is no value in running your own node. If you are relying on block explorers, the gov can just block the communication to the block explorer websites. Then what? Who will you trust to get chain information? The nodes needs to be decentralized so if you take one node down, many more can appear so it is hard to censor and you don't have few points of failure. Right now BTC is focusing on that use case of being difficult to censor. But with that comes the problem that is very expensive to transact on the network, which breaks the purpose of anyone being able to participate. Obviously I do think that is also a major problem, and lightning network is awful right now and probably still years away of being usable, if it ever will. The best solution is up for debate, but thinking that you just have to increase the blocksize and there is no trade off is just naive or misleading. BCH is doing a good thing in trying to come with a solution that is inclusive and promotes cheap and fast transactions, but also don't forget centralization is a major concern and nothing to just shrug off. Saying that "a 1 MB blocksize enables poor people to run their own" and that because of that "Poor people won’t be able to use the network" is a misrepresentation designed to promote a narrative. Because 1MB is not to allow "poor" people to run their node, it is to facilitate as many people to run a node to promote decentralization and avoid censorship. Also an elephant in the room that you will not see being discussed in either BTC or BCH communities is that mining pools are heavily centralized. And I'm not talking about miners being mostly in china, but also that big pools control a lot of hashing power both in BTC and BCH, and that is terrible for the purpose of crypto. Other projects are trying to solve that. Will they be successful? I don't know, I hope so, because I don't buy into any narrative. There are many challenges and I want to see crypto succeed as a whole. As always guys, DYOR and always question if you are not blindly following a narrative. I'm sure I will be called BTC maxi but maybe some people will find value in this. Don't trust guys that are always posting silly "gocha's" against the other "tribe". EDIT: User u/ShadowOfHarbringer has pointed me to some threads that this has been discussed in the past and I will just put my take on them here for visibility, as I will be using this thread as a reference in future discussions I engage: When there was only 2 nodes in the network, adding a third node increased redundancy and resiliency of the network as a whole in a significant way. When there is thousands of nodes in the network, adding yet another node only marginally increase the redundancy and resiliency of the network. So the question then becomes a matter of personal judgement of how much that added redundancy and resiliency is worth. For the absolutist, it is absolutely worth it and everyone on this planet should do their part. What is the magical number of nodes that makes it counterproductive to add new nodes? Did he do any math? Does BCH achieve this holy grail safe number of nodes? Guess what, nobody knows at what number of nodes is starts to be marginally irrelevant to add new nodes. Even BTC today could still not have enough nodes to be safe. If you can't know for sure that you are safe, it is better to try to be safer than sorry. Thousands of nodes is still not enough, as I said, it is much cheaper to run a full node as it is to mine. If it costs millions in hash power to do a 51% attack on the block generation it means nothing if it costs less than $10k to run more nodes than there are in total in the network and cause havoc and slowing people from using the network. Or using bot farms to DDoS the 1000s of nodes in the network. Not all attacks are monetarily motivated. When you have governments with billions of dollars at their disposal and something that could threat their power they could do anything they could to stop people from using it, and the cheapest it is to do so the better You should run a full node if you're a big business with e.g. >$100k/month in volume, or if you run a service that requires high fraud resistance and validation certainty for payments sent your way (e.g. an exchange). For most other users of Bitcoin, there's no good reason to run a full node unless you reel like it. Shouldn't individuals benefit from fraud resistance too? Why just businesses? Personally, I think it's a good idea to make sure that people can easily run a full node because they feel like it, and that it's desirable to keep full node resource requirements reasonable for an enthusiast/hobbyist whenever possible. This might seem to be at odds with the concept of making a worldwide digital cash system in which all transactions are validated by everybody, but after having done the math and some of the code myself, I believe that we should be able to have our cake and eat it too. This is recurrent argument, but also no math provided, "just trust me I did the math" The biggest reason individuals may want to run their own node is to increase their privacy. SPV wallets rely on others (nodes or ElectronX servers) who may learn their addresses. It is a reason and valid one but not the biggest reason If you do it for fun and experimental it good. If you do it for extra privacy it's ok. If you do it to help the network don't. You are just slowing down miners and exchanges. Yes it will slow down the network, but that shows how people just don't get the the trade off they are doing I will just copy/paste what Satoshi Nakamoto said in his own words. "The current system where every user is a network node is not the intended configuration for large scale. That would be like every Usenet user runs their own NNTP server." Another "it is all or nothing argument" and quoting satoshi to try and prove their point. Just because every user doesn't need to be also a full node doesn't mean that there aren't serious risks for having few nodes For this to have any importance in practice, all of the miners, all of the exchanges, all of the explorers and all of the economic nodes should go rogue all at once. Collude to change consensus. If you have a node you can detect this. It doesn't do much, because such a scenario is impossible in practice. Not true because as I said, you can DDoS the current nodes or run more malicious nodes than that there currently are, because is cheap to do so Non-mining nodes don't contribute to adding data to the blockchain ledger, but they do play a part in propagating transactions that aren't yet in blocks (the mempool). Bitcoin client implementations can have different validations for transactions they see outside of blocks and transactions they see inside of blocks; this allows for "soft forks" to add new types of transactions without completely breaking older clients (while a transaction is in the mempool, a node receiving a transaction that's a new/unknown type could drop it as not a valid transaction (not propagate it to its peers), but if that same transaction ends up in a block and that node receives the block, they accept the block (and the transaction in it) as valid (and therefore don't get left behind on the blockchain and become a fork). The participation in the mempool is a sort of "herd immunity" protection for the network, and it was a key talking point for the "User Activated Soft Fork" (UASF) around the time the Segregated Witness feature was trying to be added in. If a certain percentage of nodes updated their software to not propagate certain types of transactions (or not communicate with certain types of nodes), then they can control what gets into a block (someone wanting to get that sort of transaction into a block would need to communicate directly to a mining node, or communicate only through nodes that weren't blocking that sort of transaction) if a certain threshold of nodes adheres to those same validation rules. It's less specific than the influence on the blockchain data that mining nodes have, but it's definitely not nothing. The first reasonable comment in that thread but is deep down there with only 1 upvote The addition of non-mining nodes does not add to the efficiency of the network, but actually takes away from it because of the latency issue. That is true and is actually a trade off you are making, sacrificing security to have scalability The addition of non-mining nodes has little to no effect on security, since you only need to destroy mining ones to take down the network It is true that if you destroy mining nodes you take down the network from producing new blocks (temporarily), even if you have a lot of non mining nodes. But, it still better than if you take down the mining nodes who are also the only full nodes. If the miners are not the only full nodes, at least you still have full nodes with the blockchain data so new miners can download it and join. If all the miners are also the full nodes and you take them down, where will you get all the past blockchain data to start mining again? Just pray that the miners that were taken down come back online at some point in the future? The real limiting factor is ISP's: Imagine a situation where one service provider defrauds 4000 different nodes. Did the excessive amount of nodes help at all, when they have all been defrauded by the same service provider? If there are only 30 ISP's in the world, how many nodes do we REALLY need? You cant defraud if the connection is encrypted. Use TOR for example, it is hard for ISP's to know what you are doing. Satoshi specifically said in the white paper that after a certain point, number of nodes needed plateaus, meaning after a certain point, adding more nodes is actually counterintuitive, which we also demonstrated. (the latency issue). So, we have adequately demonstrated why running non-mining nodes does not add additional value or security to the network. Again, what is the number of nodes that makes it counterproductive? Did he do any math? There's also the matter of economically significant nodes and the role they play in consensus. Sure, nobody cares about your average joe's "full node" where he is "keeping his own ledger to keep the miners honest", as it has no significance to the economy and the miners couldn't give a damn about it. However, if say some major exchanges got together to protest a miner activated fork, they would have some protest power against that fork because many people use their service. Of course, there still needs to be miners running on said "protest fork" to keep the chain running, but miners do follow the money and if they got caught mining a fork that none of the major exchanges were trading, they could be coaxed over to said "protest fork". In consensus, what matters about nodes is only the number, economical power of the node doesn't mean nothing, the protocol doesn't see the net worth of the individual or organization running that node. Running a full node that is not mining and not involved is spending or receiving payments is of very little use. It helps to make sure network traffic is broadcast, and is another copy of the blockchain, but that is all (and is probably not needed in a healthy coin with many other nodes) He gets it right (broadcasting transaction and keeping a copy of the blockchain) but he dismisses the importance of it UYT Main-Net pre-launching AMA successfully completed with a blast 7 pm, 29th September 2020 Beijing time the UYT Main-Net pre-launching AMA successfully completed with a blast! Here is a full record of the AMA: Host: Hello everyone, it’s a great honor to host the first AMA of UYT network in China. Today, we have invited the person in charge of UYT Dao. Let’s ask Mr. Woo to introduce himself Woo: Hello, I’m Ben. I’ve met you in the previous global live broadcast. I’m the director of UYT Dao and the founder of IGNISVC. At present, I’m the CEO of the TKNT foundation and have been engaged in the blockchain industry. Q1. At present, different types of blockchains have emerged, but cross-chain interaction is still suffering a lot. In your opinion, what is the necessity and significance of cross-chain? Answer: The full name of UYT is to unite all your tokens, which is to integrate all public chains and increase the liquidity of the whole industry. Our purpose is not to create another public chain, but to become a platform for the exchange of value, technology, and resources of all public chains. What we need to solve is that each individual chain can circulate with each other. The full name of UYT is to unite all your tokens, which is to integrate all public chains and increase the liquidity of the whole industry. Our purpose is not to create another public chain, but to become a platform for the exchange of value, technology, and resources of all public chains. What we need to solve is that each individual chain can circulate with each other. Q2. The founder of Ethereum, V Shen, once wrote a cross-chain operation report for bank alliance chain R3, which mentioned three cross-chain methods. Which one does UYT belong to? Can you briefly introduce the cross-chain solution of UYT? Answer: In Vitalik’s cross-chain report, there are three main cross-chain methods. The first is that both parties do not know that they are crossing the chain, or that they cannot “read” each other, such as the centralized exchange. The second way is that one of the links can read other chains, such as side-chain / relay chain. That is, a can read B, and B cannot read a; The third is that both a and B can read each other’s, which can achieve the value and information exchange between a, B, and the platform. UYT belongs to the third kind. Our new official website will be online soon. Here are a few simple points: first of all, the architecture of UYT includes relay chain, parachain, parathreads, and bridges. In terms of ductility, it has exceeded almost all the public chains currently online. In the UYT network, there are four kinds of consensus participants, namely collector, fisherman, nominator, and validator. The characteristics of this model are: first, all people can participate without loss. Secondly, as long as anyone makes more contribution to the ecology, he will get more rewards, otherwise, he will receive corresponding punishment. The underlying layer of UYT is the substrate, which uses the rust programming language. Rust is committed to becoming a programming language that can solve the problems of high concurrency and high-security systems elegantly. This is also a great advantage that we are different from other blockchain projects in technology. Q3. What are the roles in the UYT network? What are their respective functions? Answer: After the main network of UYT is online, there will be four roles: collector, fisherman, nominator, and validator, which is totally different from the current system of the test network. The collector, in short, is responsible for collecting all kinds of information in the parallel chain and packaging the information to the verifier. Fishermen, to put it bluntly, is fishing law enforcement, which specifically checks out malicious acts and gets rewards after being checked out. The nominator, in fact, is a group of rights and interests. The verifier is its representative, and they entrust the deposit to the verifier. Verifier, package new blocks in the network. It must mortgage enough deposits and run a relay chain client on a highly available and high bandwidth machine. It can be understood as a mining pool. It can also be understood as the node in the current UYT DAPP. Q4. What is the mining mechanism of the UYT network? The only way to obtain UYT after its issuance is to participate in mining activities. In the initial stage, the daily constant output times of UYT are set to 1440000, and the cycle of bitcoin is halved. Mining rewards can be obtained in the following five ways: 1) Asset pledge mapping mining 2) Become the intermediate chain node of uyt network 3) Recommendation and reward mechanism 4) Voting reward 5) UYT network Dao will take out 10% of gas revenue from block packaging for community construction and reward of excellent community personnel Q5. The rise and fall of the blockchain are very fast. In order to give investors confidence, is there a detailed development plan, implementation steps, and application direction of UYT network in the next few months? Answer: UYT Network test network has been running stably for a year. After the main network is launched, all mechanisms will undergo major changes. The relationship between the UYT test network and the main network can be understood as the relationship between KSM (dot test network) and dot the main network, and the feasibility of the technology can be reflected more quickly by the UYT test network because of its faster timeliness and all future technology updates Some will move to the main network after the stable operation of the test network. In order to give users a better experience and give more rewards to excellent nodes, all Dao organizers are working hard for it. The development team has completed the cross-chain of bitcoin and some high-quality Ethereum based tokens in the early stage, and now the code has all been open source. For other mainstream currencies, community members can apply for funds to develop. In order to develop the ecology and make a better technical reserve, we will set up a special ecological development fund when the main network goes online. The transfer bridge is our key funding direction. The maximum application amount of a team is as high as 100000 US dollars. In addition, if other public chains want to connect to UYT, they will get technical support. In order to encourage developers to participate in ecological construction, Dao also launched a series of grants to support development. Developers can directly pull the better applications on Eth and EOS directly, or develop new products according to their own advantages. These directions are now the focus of funding. Due to the early online testing time of uyt network, it is based on the earlier version of substrate1.0. The on-chain governance mode can only be realized after the upgrade of 2.0 is completed. At present, the upgrading work is going on steadily, and the on-chain governance will be implemented in the main network with the launch of the uyt main network. As a heterogeneous cross-chain solution with high scalability and scalability, UYT network can perfectly bridge the parallel encryption system and its encryption assets in theory, and its wide applicability in the future can be expected. Therefore, we do not limit the areas where UYT network will play its advantages and roles. But in the general direction, there will be mainly DEFI and DEX ecological plates. From the industry, it can cover a wide range of fields, not only finance but also games, entertainment, shopping malls, real estate, and so on. Q6、How can UYT help DEFI? Answer: UYT network can not only link different public chains but also make parallel chains independent and interlinked. Just like the ACALA project some time ago, it has successfully obtained Pantera capital’s $7 million saft agreement. Although the concept of DEFI is very popular now, all DEFI products are still in the ecology of each public chain, and the cross-chain DEFI ecology has not been developed. UYT is to achieve cross-chain communication, value exchange, and develop truly decentralized financial services and products. For example, cross-chain decentralized flash cash, cross-chain asset support, cross-chain decentralized lending, Oracle machine, and other products. At present, our technical team is also speeding up the construction of infrastructure suitable for the landing of more DEFI products and services and is committed to creating a real cross-chain DEFI ecology, which is only a small step of UYT’s future plan. Q7、TKNT should be one of the hottest projects in the UYT ecosystem recently. Please give us a brief introduction to the TKNT project and the value of TKNT in the UYT ecosystem. Why can TKNT increase 400 times in 7 days? And what is the cooperative relationship between UTC and TKNT? Answer: I will answer each project from the technical and resource aspects. Let’s first introduce UTC. UTC is the token of Copernican network and the first project of UYT game entertainment ecology. In the future, it will be responsible for linking. Due to the high-quality public chain in the entertainment industry, because of the limited slots of UYT, each field will seek a high-quality partner and help the partner become the secondary relay chain of UYT. After the main network of UYT goes online, many chains will want to access UYT Greater value circulation, due to the limited external slots of UYT, the cost is also very high. At this time, you can choose to connect to UTC first, and then connect UTC to UYT. With more and more links with UYT, it will gradually evolve into a secondary relay chain of UYT network. UTC’s resources, online and offline, offline payment and offline entity applications, also have a very large community base. The ecological partners have very good operation experience in the game industry. They will use blockchain technology to change the whole game entertainment industry to make it more transparent and fair. At the same time, there are enough entity consumption scenarios. This is also UYT Because of the reason why the network chose to cooperate with it, the UTC project has been supported by the UYT ecological fund. The support fund includes that after the main network is launched, it will also be the first ecological cooperation project supported by UYT. Because of the online time of the main network of UYT, UTC can’t directly form a chain at present and will give priority to issuing on Ethereum. TKNT is a new concept project TKN.com TKN is the largest online centralized guessing game platform in the world at present. TKNT mixes bet mining and DEFI, so it can carry out fixed mining through platform games, build a system that can realize game participation and in application payment in all Dapps based on ERC20, and combine with various financial services. The reason why TKNT has created a myth of 400 times in 7 days is that the TkN platform has a buyback plan. As we all know, the online quiz game entertainment platform has an amazing profit. Every quarter, the profit will be used to buyback. The strong profit support has led to the huge increase of token. In the future, all users can use UTC to participate in TkN games. Therefore, the main network of UYT is that Line is also of great significance to TKNT. With the maturity of UYT ecology and technology, TKNT can have a more powerful performance. If TKNT wants to link more public chains, it needs to access UYT network, and realize a bigger vision with cross-chain interaction of UYT. After TKNT was launched on the exchange, the highest price has risen to $14, and now it has dropped to about $2.50. You will see that it will once again set a record high and create greater miracles. You will also see that $3 will be the best buying point for TKNT, because there will be several major moves in TKNT, and the global MLM plan will be launched on October 7 in Korea, China, and other countries There will be many marketing teams in Europe to promote TKNT, including DAPP.com As a shareholder of TkN, TKNT will also make every effort to promote TKNT. Secondly, TKNT will be launched next month on the largest digital currency exchange in South Korea, and Chinese users will see the shadow of TKNT on Binance in November. Of course, the decentralized trading platform of UYT will also be launched in the future. Q8. What is the significance of the launch of UYT’s main network for the industry and ecology? Answer: UYT is one of the few cross-chain platform projects in the industry at present. There are many public chains and coin issuing projects. Why? Because of less work, more money. However, there are very high technical and capital requirements for cross-chain and platform. This barrier is very high, so almost no project side is willing to do this. But once this is done, it will be of great significance to the whole industry of digital currency and blockchain. Because it will subvert the current situation of the whole currency circle and chain circle acting on their own, and the painting land is king. Let each independent ecosystem achieve a truly decentralized and trust-free cooperative relationship. This huge change will promote the whole industry to develop into a healthy and virtuous circle macro ecosystem. Q9. The slogan of many project supporters is that UYT should surpass Ethereum. What is the difference in technology between UYT network and Ethereum? Answer: Thank you so much for supporting UYT. In fact, the correct understanding is that UYT is the next era of Ethereum. First of all, UYT has a different vision from Ethereum. Before the emergence of UYT, Ethereum, and EOS, no matter how well they developed, belonged to the era of a single chain. The popular metaphor is a LAN. However, UYT can realize the interoperability of each chain and bring the blockchain into the Internet era. Secondly, UYT is far superior to Ethereum in technology. It mainly includes three aspects: shared security, heterogeneous cross-chain, and no fork upgrade. In the case that Ethereum 2.0 has not been implemented, UYT is the most friendly bottom layer for the DFI projects and other Dapps on Ethereum. Now, the hair chain architecture substrate of UYT is compatible with Ethereum smart contract language solidity, so eth developers can easily migrate their smart contracts to UYT. Up to now, there is no good solution to the congestion problem of Ethereum, while UYT network not only solves the network congestion problem. What’s more, UYT can easily realize one-click online upgrade, instead of having to redeploy a set of contracts on Ethereum for each version upgraded and then require users to follow them to migrate the original assets from the old contract to the new contract. Developers can quickly and flexibly iterate their own protocols to change their application solutions according to the situation, so as to serve more users and solve more problems. At the same time, they can also repair the loopholes in the contract very quickly. In the case of hacker attacks, they can also solve the hacker stealing money and a series of other problems through parallel chain management. We can find that for Ethereum, UYT not only solves the congestion problem we see in front of us but also provides the most important infrastructure for the future applications such as DFI on Ethereum to truly mature into an open financial application that can serve all people. It also opens the Web 3.0 era of the blockchain industry. In terms of market value, Ethereum currently has a strong ecological construction, with a market value of US $40 billion. UYT will also focus on the development of this aspect after the main network goes online. No matter in terms of market value or ecological construction, I have enough confidence in UYT, after all, we are fully prepared. Q10. What is the progress of the ecological construction of UYT? What opportunities do current ecological partners see in UYT or what changes may be brought about by UYT ecology? Answer: After the main network of UYT goes online, there will be a series of ecological construction actions, and more attention will be paid to establishing contact with traditional partners. Cross-chain decentralized flash cash, cross-chain asset support, cross-chain decentralized lending, Oracle machine, and other products will also be the key cooperation direction of UYT. UYT will give priority to the game and entertainment industry because this industry is most easily subverted by blockchain. As the ecological construction of UYT gets bigger and bigger, the future slots will become more and more expensive. The earlier you join UYT ecology, you will get more support from the ecological fund because the ecological fund is also limited. From the perspective of token value-added, all the project parties will cooperate with the project side in the future, and the project side needs to pledge a certain number of UYT to bid for slots, except for ecological rewards, others need to be purchased from market transactions. The difference between the pledge here and the pledge we understand is that the UYT of the ecological partner participating in the auction pledge cannot enjoy the computing power for mining. UYT main network has several opportunities for Eco partners to look forward to, the first point is bitcoin, bitcoin will be later than other assets late, but eventually, all the bubble and value will return to BTC, after the wave of DeFi bubble elimination, the focus will be very much in the bitcoin. UYT ecology can provide a more mature bottom layer for defi. In addition, now Ethereum’s DEFI is that of Ethereum and ERC 20 tokens, and the outbreak point of bitcoin has not yet arrived. Therefore, the DEFI of UYT ecology may be the next opportunity, which is a good opportunity for everyone. The second opportunity is that after the main network goes online, the future UYT ecological projects will compete to bid for slots. In fact, the original intention of UYT is to realize the interconnection of all chains. The chain outside the UYT ecology also needs to communicate. The third is cross-fi. The BIFI is hatched on Ethereum, and the def on UYT can realize multi-chain operation. For example, TkN games or future UTC game platform users can call bitcoin on the UYT chain. This form only belongs to the decentralized finance in the cross-chain era of UYT, which can be called cross-fi. Q11. Which exchanges will UYT go online next? What is the online strategy like? Answer: As the founder of ignisvc and as UYT As the head of the Dao organization, we have always had good cooperative relations with major exchanges all over the world. TKNT will appear in several exchanges one after another. Hitbtc exchange in the United Kingdom, Upbit and Bithumb Exchange in South Korea, Bitfinex exchange in the United States, Binance exchange in China, BKEX exchange, and Kucoin exchange in China are all our partners, and they have been paying close attention to UYT Development, UYT is the public chain with the largest user base and the highest community participation in the cross-chain field, so the future value is immeasurable. If we have to go to the exchange, then we will choose one of the above exchanges to launch. But the vision of UYT is to create a fairer, safer, and transparent circulation in the field of digital currency, and users can master all the assets by themselves, Therefore, in the beginning, there is a simple DEX on the UYT wallet, which is a simple matchmaking transaction and is also an on-chain transaction. After the completion of the UYT DEX, more transactions may occur in the UYT DEX. However, after the main network of UYT is online, centralized exchanges can directly access the block data synchronization of UYT, and it is not ruled out that some exchanges will directly go online for UYT trading. Such exchanges will not enjoy the support of the ecological support fund of UYT. The network project is a community-led project. Each cooperation plan of the exchange will be carried out in the way shared by the community in the future. Dao organization can only implement it according to the voting results. Q12. What are the plans for the promotion of ecological development and market by the launch of UYT main network? Answer: The launch of the main network will be completed around October 15. On the offline side, due to the epidemic situation, we will jointly organize corresponding market activities with nodes in different countries. At present, there are three large-scale offline meetups that have been identified. We will also start a global roadshow when the epidemic is over. On the online side, we have opened online Wechat, Kakao, Twitter, Reddit, and telegram communities. We will carry out AMA activities in various countries and promote them all over the world in various ways. Of course, we will launch MLM plans and cooperate with more marketing teams. the year 2020 in Bitcoin Cash so far: a detailed history the year 2020 in Bitcoin Cash so far: a detailed history What follows at the bottom is a four page long chronological overview of what happened in BCH in 2020 so far. To make it more digestable and fun to read I start with my narrating of the story. My attempt was to remain as objective as possible and "let the facts speak for themselve" with everything sourced. I also link to manyread.casharticles, the decision of which are the important ones to include is certainly not easy, I count on the rest of the community if I overlooked anything important. summary & my narrating of the story: The year started out relatively calm, with cashfusion in "the news" and an older ongoing controversy between Amaury and Roger Ver being worked out. Starting Jan 22nd all debate broke loose with the announcement of “Infrastructure Funding Plan for Bitcoin Cash” by Jiang Zhuoer of BTC.TOP. To illustrate this point 2 days later coinspice ran the title " Roger Ver Praises Vigorous Debate, [...]" and 6 days, less than a week, later Chris Pacia made a read.cash post titled "The 253rd "Thoughts on developer funding" Article" which might have been only a slight exaggeration or he might have been counting. Part of the reason of the tsunami was the lack of worked out details. By the time of Pacia's post a lot had changed: Both BU, Bitcoin Verde and a group of miners had made announcements not to go along with "the plan". On feb 1st, the second version of the IFP was announced by Jiang Zhuoer in a post “BCH miner donation plan update”. Two weeks later on Feb 15th, the third iteration was announced by Bitcoin ABC which was to be activated by hashrate voting and on the same day Flipstarter was introduced, a sign of the search for alternative solutions. After a few more days and a few more people coming out more against the IFP (including Jonald Fyookball, Mark Lundeberg & Josh Ellithorpe), BCHN was announced on feb 20th with a formal release a week later. Also feb 27th, the DAA was brought back into the conversation by Jonathan Toomim with his " The BCH difficulty adjustment algorithm is broken. Here's how to fix it." video. By early march the IFP was effectively dead with its author Jiang Zhuoer vowing to vote against it. This became clear to everyone when ABC, a day later sudddenly shifted gears towards non-protocol, donation based funding: the IFP was dead. End march ABCs 2020 Business Plan was announced as a way to raise $3.3 million. Mid april to mid may was the high time for voluntary funding with four node implementations and General Protocols, a BCH DeFi Startup successfully raising funds. By May 15th, the 6th HF network upgrade things had pretty much cooled down. The upgraded included nothing controversial and even saw an unexpected doubling in the unconfirmed transaction chain. June 15th a month later things started to heat up again with the BCHN announcement to remove the "poison pill" or "automatic replay protection". 8th Jul Jonathan Toomim posted "BCH protocol upgrade proposal: Use ASERT as the new DAA" which promised the solution to the long dragging DAA problem. Jul 23th however an unexpected twist occurred when Amaury Séchet posted "Announcing the Grasberg DAA" an incompatible, alternative solution. This, again, sparked a ton of debate and discussion. Grasberg lasted just two weeks from Jul 23th to Aug 6th when ABC announced its plans for the november 2020 upgrade but it had successfully united the opposition in the meanwhile. ABCs plan for november included dropping grasberg in favour of aserti3–2d and introducing IFPv4. Now we're here August 8th, the IFP which was declared dead after just over a month (Jan 22-Mar 5) is now back in full force. The rest of the history is still being written but if p2p electronic cash is to succeed in any big regard it's very thinkable that these events will get into history books. Important resources:coinspice IFP timeline&Compiled list of BCH Miner Dev Fund posts, articles, discussions History Jan 13th : “Do CoinJoins Really Require Equal Transaction Amounts for Privacy? Part One: CashFusion” article by BitcoinMagazine [source] Jan 13th : “Clearing the Way for Cooperation” Read.cash article by Amaury Séchet [source] on the controversy with Roger Ver about the amount of donations over the years Jan 22nd : “Infrastructure Funding Plan for Bitcoin Cash” IFPv1 announced by Jiang Zhuoer of BTC.TOP [source] IFPv1: 12.5% of BCH coinbase rewards which will last for 6 months through a Hong Kong-based corporation & to be activated on May 15th Jan 22nd : ”Bitcoin Cash Developers React to Infrastructure Fund Announcement: Cautiously Optimistic” coinspice article including Amaury Séchet, Antony Zegers, Jonald Fyookball & Josh Ellithorpe [source] Jan 23rd : Jiang Zhuoer reddit AMA [source] [coinspice article] Jan 23rd : Vitalik weighs in with his take on twitter [source] Jan 23rd :” On the infrastructure funding plan for Bitcoin Cash” article by Amaury Séchet [source] [coinspice article] in which he proposed to place control of the IFP key in his hands together with Jonald Fyookball and Antony Zegers. . A group of 7 to 12 miners, developers, and businessmen in total would get an advisory function. Jan 24th : “Bitcoin.com's Clarifications on the Miner Development Fund“ which emphasizes, among other things, the temporary and reversible nature of the proposal [source] [coinspice article] Jan 24th : “Little Known (But Important!) Facts About the Mining Plan” Read.cash article by Jonald Fyookball in which he defended the IFP and stressed its necessity and temporary nature. Jan 25th : massive amounts of public debate as documented by coinspice [coinspice article] with Justin Bons, Tobias Ruck and Antony Zegers explaining their take on it. Jan 26th : public debate continues: “Assessment and proposal re: the Bitcoin Cash infrastructure funding situation” Read.cash article by imaginary_username [source] which was noteworthy in part because the post earned over Earns $1,000+ in BCH [coinspice article] and “The Best Of Intentions: The Dev Tax Is Intended to Benefit Investors But Will Corrupt Us Instead” by Peter Rizun [source] Jan 27th : “We are a group of miners opposing the BTC.TOP proposal, here's why” article on Read.cash [source] [reddit announcement] Jan 27th : Bitcoin Unlimited's BUIP 143: Refuse the Coinbase Tax [source][reddit announcement] Jan 28th : “Bitcoin Verde's Response to the Miner Sponsored Development Fund” read.cash article by Josh Green in which he explains “Bitcoin Verde will not be implementing any node validation that enforces new coinbase rules.” [source] Jan 28th : “Update on Developer Funding” read.cash article from Bitcoin.com [source] in which they state “As it stands now, Bitcoin.com will not go through with supporting any plan unless there is more agreement in the ecosystem such that the risk of a chain split is negligible.” And that “any funding proposal must be temporary and reversible.” This announcement from bitcoin.com and their mining pool lead the anonymous opposition miners to stand down. [source] Jan 28th : The 253rd "Thoughts on developer funding" Article – by Chris Pacia, to tackle the “serious misconceptions in the community about how software development works”. He ends on a note of support for the IFP because of lack of realistic alternatives. [source] Feb 1st: “BCH miner donation plan update” IFPv2 announced by Jiang Zhuoer of BTC.TOP [source] Which changes the donation mechanism so miners directly send part of their coinbase to the projects they wants to donate to. It would be activated with hashrate voting over a 3-month period with a 2/3 in favour requirement. The proposal also introduces a pilot period and a no donation option, Jiang Zhuoer also says he regards 12.% as too much. Feb 7th: Group of BCH miners led by AsicSeer voice scepticism about the IFP during a reddit AMA [source] Feb 15th: “On the Miner Infrastructure Funding Plan” article by Bitcoin ABC [source] In which they announce they will implement IFPv3 in their upcoming 0.21.0 release. This version has amount reduced to 5% of block reward and will go in effect with BIP 9 hashratevoting and a whitelist with different projects. Feb 15th : “Introducing Flipstarter” [source] Feb 16th :” Bitcoin.com’s stance on the recent block reward diversion proposals” video by Roger Ver on the Bitcoin.com Official Channel. [source] > Ver called Zhuoer’s IFP “clever” but ultimately “problematic.” [coinspice article] Feb 16th :” BCH miner donation plan update again” read.cash article by Jiang Zhuoer of BTC.TOP [source] In which he briefly outlines the details of IFPv3 Feb 17th : “Latest Thoughts On Infrastructure Mining Plan” post by Jonald Fyookball [source] Feb 17th : “Regarding the Bitcoin Cash Infrastructure Funding Plan, I am certain now that it should be scrapped immediately.” tweet by Mark Lundeberg [source] Feb 19th : “Thoughts on the IFP - A Dev Perspective“ read.cash article by Josh Ellithorpe [source] Feb 20th : “Bitcoin Cash Node” post announcing the new node implementation [source] Feb 20th : First “Bitcoin Cash Developer Meeting” After IFP Proposal [source] Feb 24th : “Flipstarter 500k, 6 independent campaigns” post announcing the goal to “fund the BCH ecosystem with 6 independent campaigns and an overall 500,000 USD target” [source] Feb 27th : BCHN Formally Released [source] Feb 27th : “The BCH difficulty adjustment algorithm is broken. Here's how to fix it.” Video by Jonathan Toomim [source] Mar 3th :” Bitcoin Cash Node 2020: plans for May upgrade and beyond” post by BCHN [source] Mar 4th :”Author of the Bitcoin Cash IFP [Jiang Zhuoer] Vows to Vote Against It, Using Personal Hash in Opposition” [source] Mar 5th :Bitcoin ABC announces their 2020 Business Plan Fundraising for later in march [source] Mar 15th : “EatBCH campaign funded! Next: node campaigns.” campaign funded after 11 hours [source] Mar 30th : Bitcoin ABC 2020 Business Plan [source] $3.3 Million Fundraiser [source] Apr 17th : Five flipstarter node campaign launched. [source] Apr 26th : BCHN flipstarter campaign successfully funded. [source] Apr 27th : VERDE flipstarter campaign successfully funded. [source] May 4th : KNUTH flipstarter campaign successfully funded. [source] May 7th : “BCH DeFi Startup General Protocols Raises Over $1 mil“ [source] May 8th : BCHD flipstarter campaign successfully funded. [source] May 9th : Deadline for node campaigns, ABC flipstarter campaign not funded. [source] May 14th : “With IFP Defeated, Bitcoin ABC, ViaBTC & CoinEX CEO Publicly Consider a Bitcoin Cash Foundation” [source] May 15th : deadline for ABC fundraiser campaign, ends at 55% completed. [source] May 15th : 6th HF network upgrade -> new opcode op_Reversebytes, increased of the chained transaction limit from 25 to 50, and the improved counting of signature operations using the new “Sigchecks” implementation [source] with the “Controversial Funding Plan Rejected by Miners” [source] May 25th : “Announcing the SLP Foundation” [source] Jun 15st : “BCHN lead maintainer report 2020-06-15” announcement to remove the Automatic Replay Protection (a.k.a. the Poison Pill) from BCHN in november [source] Jun 16st : “So [BCHN] is going to fork off from BCH at the next upgrade. Same old story. […]” tweeted Vin Armani [source] Jun 21st : “Why Automatic Replay Protection Exists” post by Shammah Chancellor [source] Jul 7th : “The Popular Stablecoin Tether Is Now Circulating on the Bitcoin Cash Network” [source] Jul 8th : “BCH protocol upgrade proposal: Use ASERT as the new DAA” post by Jonathan Toomim [source] Jul 18th : “$6M Worth of Tether on the Bitcoin Cash Chain Highlights the Benefits of SLP Tokens” [source] Jul 23th : “Announcing the Grasberg DAA” post by Amaury Séchet[source] Jul 24th : “Thoughts on Grasberg DAA” post by Mark Lundeberg [source] Jul 29th : CashFusion security audit has been completed [source] Jul 31st : Electron Cash 4.1.0 release with CashFusion support [source] 4th year, august 2020 – 2021 Aug 1st : “Bitcoin Cash: Scaling the Globe“ Online conference for ForkDay Celebration [source] Aug 2nd : >“Is there going to be a fork between ABC and BCHN?” > “IMO it is very likely. If not in November, then next May.” – Amaury Séchet Aug 3rd : “Dark secrets of the Grasberg DAA” post by Jonathan Toomim [source] Aug 3rd : “Joint Statement On aserti3-2d Algorithm“ post by General Protocols, including Cryptophyl, Read.cash, Software Verde & SpinBCH [source] Aug 3rd : Knuth announces they will be implementing aserti3-2d as DAA for november. [source] Aug 3rd : Amaury rage quit from the developer call [source] Aug 4th : “But why do people care about compensating for historical drift? Seems like a tiny problem and if it's causing this much social discord it seems not even worth bothering to try to fix.” Tweet by Vitalik [source] Aug 5th : “Bitcoin Cash (BCH) November 2020 Upgrade statement” signed by BCHD, electron cash, VERDE, BU members, BCHN developers, Jonathan Toomim, Mark B. Lundeberg and many others [source] Aug 5th : “BCHN FAQ on November 2020 Bitcoin Cash network upgrade” [source] Aug 6th : “Bitcoin ABC’s plan for the November 2020 upgrade” [source] the announcement that they will drop Grasberg in favour of aserti3–2d (ASERT) and will also include FPv4 in which 8% of the blockreward goes to ABC as development funding. Aug 7th : “Joint Statement from BCH Miners regarding Bitcoin ABC and the November 2020 BCH Upgrade.” Read.cash article by asicseer [source] stating “Over recent months, most miners and pools have switched to BCHN, and presently operate a majority of BCH hashrate.” Aug 7th : “Simple Ledger Protocol's Joint Statement Regarding Bitcoin ABC on BCH's November 2020 Upgrade” read.cash post by the SLP-Foundation [source] All you need to know about Yield Farming - The rocket fuel for Defi Source It’s effectively July 2017 in the world of decentralized finance (DeFi), and as in the heady days of the initial coin offering (ICO) boom, the numbers are only trending up. According to DeFi Pulse, there is $1.9 billion in crypto assets locked in DeFi right now. According to the CoinDesk ICO Tracker, the ICO market started chugging past $1 billion in July 2017, just a few months before token sales started getting talked about on TV. Debate juxtaposing these numbers if you like, but what no one can question is this: Crypto users are putting more and more value to work in DeFi applications, driven largely by the introduction of a whole new yield-generating pasture, Compound’s COMP governance token. Governance tokens enable users to vote on the future of decentralized protocols, sure, but they also present fresh ways for DeFi founders to entice assets onto their platforms. That said, it’s the crypto liquidity providers who are the stars of the present moment. They even have a meme-worthy name: yield farmers. https://preview.redd.it/lxsvazp1g9l51.png?width=775&format=png&auto=webp&s=a36173ab679c701a5d5e0aac806c00fcc84d78c1 Where it started Ethereum-based credit market Compound started distributing its governance token, COMP, to the protocol’s users this past June 15. Demand for the token (heightened by the way its automatic distribution was structured) kicked off the present craze and moved Compound into the leading position in DeFi. The hot new term in crypto is “yield farming,” a shorthand for clever strategies where putting crypto temporarily at the disposal of some startup’s application earns its owner more cryptocurrency. Another term floating about is “liquidity mining.” The buzz around these concepts has evolved into a low rumble as more and more people get interested. The casual crypto observer who only pops into the market when activity heats up might be starting to get faint vibes that something is happening right now. Take our word for it: Yield farming is the source of those vibes. But if all these terms (“DeFi,” “liquidity mining,” “yield farming”) are so much Greek to you, fear not. We’re here to catch you up. We’ll get into all of them. We’re going to go from very basic to more advanced, so feel free to skip ahead. What are tokens? Most CoinDesk readers probably know this, but just in case: Tokens are like the money video-game players earn while fighting monsters, money they can use to buy gear or weapons in the universe of their favorite game. But with blockchains, tokens aren’t limited to only one massively multiplayer online money game. They can be earned in one and used in lots of others. They usually represent either ownership in something (like a piece of a Uniswap liquidity pool, which we will get into later) or access to some service. For example, in the Brave browser, ads can only be bought using basic attention token (BAT). If tokens are worth money, then you can bank with them or at least do things that look very much like banking. Thus: decentralized finance. Tokens proved to be the big use case for Ethereum, the second-biggest blockchain in the world. The term of art here is “ERC-20 tokens,” which refers to a software standard that allows token creators to write rules for them. Tokens can be used a few ways. Often, they are used as a form of money within a set of applications. So the idea for Kin was to create a token that web users could spend with each other at such tiny amounts that it would almost feel like they weren’t spending anything; that is, money for the internet. Governance tokens are different. They are not like a token at a video-game arcade, as so many tokens were described in the past. They work more like certificates to serve in an ever-changing legislature in that they give holders the right to vote on changes to a protocol. So on the platform that proved DeFi could fly, MakerDAO, holders of its governance token, MKR, vote almost every week on small changes to parameters that govern how much it costs to borrow and how much savers earn, and so on. Read more:Why DeFi’s Billion-Dollar Milestone Matters One thing all crypto tokens have in common, though, is they are tradable and they have a price. So, if tokens are worth money, then you can bank with them or at least do things that look very much like banking. Thus: decentralized finance. What is DeFi? Fair question. For folks who tuned out for a bit in 2018, we used to call this “open finance.” That construction seems to have faded, though, and “DeFi” is the new lingo. In case that doesn’t jog your memory, DeFi is all the things that let you play with money, and the only identification you need is a crypto wallet. On the normal web, you can’t buy a blender without giving the site owner enough data to learn your whole life history. In DeFi, you can borrow money without anyone even asking for your name. I can explain this but nothing really brings it home like trying one of these applications. If you have an Ethereum wallet that has even $20 worth of crypto in it, go do something on one of these products. Pop over to Uniswap and buy yourself some FUN (a token for gambling apps) or WBTC (wrapped bitcoin). Go to MakerDAO and create $5 worth of DAI (a stablecoin that tends to be worth $1) out of the digital ether. Go to Compound and borrow $10 in USDC. (Notice the very small amounts I’m suggesting. The old crypto saying “don’t put in more than you can afford to lose” goes double for DeFi. This stuff is uber-complex and a lot can go wrong. These may be “savings” products but they’re not for your retirement savings.) Immature and experimental though it may be, the technology’s implications are staggering. On the normal web, you can’t buy a blender without giving the site owner enough data to learn your whole life history. In DeFi, you can borrow money without anyone even asking for your name. DeFi applications don’t worry about trusting you because they have the collateral you put up to back your debt (on Compound, for instance, a $10 debt will require around $20 in collateral). Read more:There Are More DAI on Compound Now Than There Are DAI in the World If you do take this advice and try something, note that you can swap all these things back as soon as you’ve taken them out. Open the loan and close it 10 minutes later. It’s fine. Fair warning: It might cost you a tiny bit in fees, and the cost of using Ethereum itself right now is much higher than usual, in part due to this fresh new activity. But it’s nothing that should ruin a crypto user. So what’s the point of borrowing for people who already have the money? Most people do it for some kind of trade. The most obvious example, to short a token (the act of profiting if its price falls). It’s also good for someone who wants to hold onto a token but still play the market. Doesn’t running a bank take a lot of money up front? It does, and in DeFi that money is largely provided by strangers on the internet. That’s why the startups behind these decentralized banking applications come up with clever ways to attract HODLers with idle assets. Liquidity is the chief concern of all these different products. That is: How much money do they have locked in their smart contracts? “In some types of products, the product experience gets much better if you have liquidity. Instead of borrowing from VCs or debt investors, you borrow from your users,” said Electric Capital managing partner Avichal Garg. Let’s take Uniswap as an example. Uniswap is an “automated market maker,” or AMM (another DeFi term of art). This means Uniswap is a robot on the internet that is always willing to buy and it’s also always willing to sell any cryptocurrency for which it has a market. On Uniswap, there is at least one market pair for almost any token on Ethereum. Behind the scenes, this means Uniswap can make it look like it is making a direct trade for any two tokens, which makes it easy for users, but it’s all built around pools of two tokens. And all these market pairs work better with bigger pools. Why do I keep hearing about ‘pools’? To illustrate why more money helps, let’s break down how Uniswap works. Let’s say there was a market for USDC and DAI. These are two tokens (both stablecoins but with different mechanisms for retaining their value) that are meant to be worth $1 each all the time, and that generally tends to be true for both. The price Uniswap shows for each token in any pooled market pair is based on the balance of each in the pool. So, simplifying this a lot for illustration’s sake, if someone were to set up a USDC/DAI pool, they should deposit equal amounts of both. In a pool with only 2 USDC and 2 DAI it would offer a price of 1 USDC for 1 DAI. But then imagine that someone put in 1 DAI and took out 1 USDC. Then the pool would have 1 USDC and 3 DAI. The pool would be very out of whack. A savvy investor could make an easy $0.50 profit by putting in 1 USDC and receiving 1.5 DAI. That’s a 50% arbitrage profit, and that’s the problem with limited liquidity. (Incidentally, this is why Uniswap’s prices tend to be accurate, because traders watch it for small discrepancies from the wider market and trade them away for arbitrage profits very quickly.) Read more:Uniswap V2 Launches With More Token-Swap Pairs, Oracle Service, Flash Loans However, if there were 500,000 USDC and 500,000 DAI in the pool, a trade of 1 DAI for 1 USDC would have a negligible impact on the relative price. That’s why liquidity is helpful. You can stick your assets on Compound and earn a little yield. But that’s not very creative. Users who look for angles to maximize that yield: those are the yield farmers. Similar effects hold across DeFi, so markets want more liquidity. Uniswap solves this by charging a tiny fee on every trade. It does this by shaving off a little bit from each trade and leaving that in the pool (so one DAI would actually trade for 0.997 USDC, after the fee, growing the overall pool by 0.003 USDC). This benefits liquidity providers because when someone puts liquidity in the pool they own a share of the pool. If there has been lots of trading in that pool, it has earned a lot of fees, and the value of each share will grow. And this brings us back to tokens. Liquidity added to Uniswap is represented by a token, not an account. So there’s no ledger saying, “Bob owns 0.000000678% of the DAI/USDC pool.” Bob just has a token in his wallet. And Bob doesn’t have to keep that token. He could sell it. Or use it in another product. We’ll circle back to this, but it helps to explain why people like to talk about DeFi products as “money Legos.” So how much money do people make by putting money into these products? It can be a lot more lucrative than putting money in a traditional bank, and that’s before startups started handing out governance tokens. Compound is the current darling of this space, so let’s use it as an illustration. As of this writing, a person can put USDC into Compound and earn 2.72% on it. They can put tether (USDT) into it and earn 2.11%. Most U.S. bank accounts earn less than 0.1% these days, which is close enough to nothing. However, there are some caveats. First, there’s a reason the interest rates are so much juicier: DeFi is a far riskier place to park your money. There’s no Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) protecting these funds. If there were a run on Compound, users could find themselves unable to withdraw their funds when they wanted. Plus, the interest is quite variable. You don’t know what you’ll earn over the course of a year. USDC’s rate is high right now. It was low last week. Usually, it hovers somewhere in the 1% range. Similarly, a user might get tempted by assets with more lucrative yields like USDT, which typically has a much higher interest rate than USDC. (Monday morning, the reverse was true, for unclear reasons; this is crypto, remember.) The trade-off here is USDT’s transparency about the real-world dollars it’s supposed to hold in a real-world bank is not nearly up to par with USDC’s. A difference in interest rates is often the market’s way of telling you the one instrument is viewed as dicier than another. Users making big bets on these products turn to companies Opyn and Nexus Mutual to insure their positions because there’s no government protections in this nascent space – more on the ample risks later on. So users can stick their assets in Compound or Uniswap and earn a little yield. But that’s not very creative. Users who look for angles to maximize that yield: those are the yield farmers. OK, I already knew all of that. What is yield farming? Broadly, yield farming is any effort to put crypto assets to work and generate the most returns possible on those assets. At the simplest level, a yield farmer might move assets around within Compound, constantly chasing whichever pool is offering the best APY from week to week. This might mean moving into riskier pools from time to time, but a yield farmer can handle risk. “Farming opens up new price arbs [arbitrage] that can spill over to other protocols whose tokens are in the pool,” said Maya Zehavi, a blockchain consultant. Because these positions are tokenized, though, they can go further. This was a brand-new kind of yield on a deposit. In fact, it was a way to earn a yield on a loan. Who has ever heard of a borrower earning a return on a debt from their lender? In a simple example, a yield farmer might put 100,000 USDT into Compound. They will get a token back for that stake, called cUSDT. Let’s say they get 100,000 cUSDT back (the formula on Compound is crazy so it’s not 1:1 like that but it doesn’t matter for our purposes here). They can then take that cUSDT and put it into a liquidity pool that takes cUSDT on Balancer, an AMM that allows users to set up self-rebalancing crypto index funds. In normal times, this could earn a small amount more in transaction fees. This is the basic idea of yield farming. The user looks for edge cases in the system to eke out as much yield as they can across as many products as it will work on. Right now, however, things are not normal, and they probably won’t be for a while. Why is yield farming so hot right now? Because of liquidity mining. Liquidity mining supercharges yield farming. Liquidity mining is when a yield farmer gets a new token as well as the usual return (that’s the “mining” part) in exchange for the farmer’s liquidity. “The idea is that stimulating usage of the platform increases the value of the token, thereby creating a positive usage loop to attract users,” said Richard Ma of smart-contract auditor Quantstamp. The yield farming examples above are only farming yield off the normal operations of different platforms. Supply liquidity to Compound or Uniswap and get a little cut of the business that runs over the protocols – very vanilla. But Compound announced earlier this year it wanted to truly decentralize the product and it wanted to give a good amount of ownership to the people who made it popular by using it. That ownership would take the form of the COMP token. Lest this sound too altruistic, keep in mind that the people who created it (the team and the investors) owned more than half of the equity. By giving away a healthy proportion to users, that was very likely to make it a much more popular place for lending. In turn, that would make everyone’s stake worth much more. So, Compound announced this four-year period where the protocol would give out COMP tokens to users, a fixed amount every day until it was gone. These COMP tokens control the protocol, just as shareholders ultimately control publicly traded companies. Every day, the Compound protocol looks at everyone who had lent money to the application and who had borrowed from it and gives them COMP proportional to their share of the day’s total business. The results were very surprising, even to Compound’s biggest promoters. COMP’s value will likely go down, and that’s why some investors are rushing to earn as much of it as they can right now. This was a brand-new kind of yield on a deposit into Compound. In fact, it was a way to earn a yield on a loan, as well, which is very weird: Who has ever heard of a borrower earning a return on a debt from their lender? COMP’s value has consistently been well over $200 since it started distributing on June 15. We did the math elsewhere but long story short: investors with fairly deep pockets can make a strong gain maximizing their daily returns in COMP. It is, in a way, free money. It’s possible to lend to Compound, borrow from it, deposit what you borrowed and so on. This can be done multiple times and DeFi startup Instadapp even built a tool to make it as capital-efficient as possible. “Yield farmers are extremely creative. They find ways to ‘stack’ yields and even earn multiple governance tokens at once,” said Spencer Noon of DTC Capital. COMP’s value spike is a temporary situation. The COMP distribution will only last four years and then there won’t be any more. Further, most people agree that the high price now is driven by the low float (that is, how much COMP is actually free to trade on the market – it will never be this low again). So the value will probably gradually go down, and that’s why savvy investors are trying to earn as much as they can now. Appealing to the speculative instincts of diehard crypto traders has proven to be a great way to increase liquidity on Compound. This fattens some pockets but also improves the user experience for all kinds of Compound users, including those who would use it whether they were going to earn COMP or not. As usual in crypto, when entrepreneurs see something successful, they imitate it. Balancer was the next protocol to start distributing a governance token, BAL, to liquidity providers. Flash loan provider bZx has announced a plan. Ren, Curve and Synthetixalso teamed up to promote a liquidity pool on Curve. It is a fair bet many of the more well-known DeFi projects will announce some kind of coin that can be mined by providing liquidity. The case to watch here is Uniswap versus Balancer. Balancer can do the same thing Uniswap does, but most users who want to do a quick token trade through their wallet use Uniswap. It will be interesting to see if Balancer’s BAL token convinces Uniswap’s liquidity providers to defect. So far, though, more liquidity has gone into Uniswap since the BAL announcement, according to its data site. That said, even more has gone into Balancer. Did liquidity mining start with COMP? No, but it was the most-used protocol with the most carefully designed liquidity mining scheme. This point is debated but the origins of liquidity mining probably date back to Fcoin, a Chinese exchange that created a token in 2018 that rewarded people for making trades. You won’t believe what happened next! Just kidding, you will: People just started running bots to do pointless trades with themselves to earn the token. Similarly, EOS is a blockchain where transactions are basically free, but since nothing is really free the absence of friction was an invitation for spam. Some malicious hacker who didn’t like EOS created a token called EIDOS on the network in late 2019. It rewarded people for tons of pointless transactions and somehow got an exchange listing. These initiatives illustrated how quickly crypto users respond to incentives. Read more:Compound Changes COMP Distribution Rules Following ‘Yield Farming’ Frenzy Fcoin aside, liquidity mining as we now know it first showed up on Ethereum when the marketplace for synthetic tokens, Synthetix, announced in July 2019 an award in its SNX token for users who helped add liquidity to the sETH/ETH pool on Uniswap. By October, that was one of Uniswap’s biggest pools. When Compound Labs, the company that launched the Compound protocol, decided to create COMP, the governance token, the firm took months designing just what kind of behavior it wanted and how to incentivize it. Even still, Compound Labs was surprised by the response. It led to unintended consequences such as crowding into a previously unpopular market (lending and borrowing BAT) in order to mine as much COMP as possible. Just last week, 115 different COMP wallet addresses – senators in Compound’s ever-changing legislature – voted to change the distribution mechanism in hopes of spreading liquidity out across the markets again. Is there DeFi for bitcoin? Yes, on Ethereum. Nothing has beaten bitcoin over time for returns, but there’s one thing bitcoin can’t do on its own: create more bitcoin. A smart trader can get in and out of bitcoin and dollars in a way that will earn them more bitcoin, but this is tedious and risky. It takes a certain kind of person. DeFi, however, offers ways to grow one’s bitcoin holdings – though somewhat indirectly. A long HODLer is happy to gain fresh BTC off their counterparty’s short-term win. That’s the game. For example, a user can create a simulated bitcoin on Ethereum using BitGo’s WBTC system. They put BTC in and get the same amount back out in freshly minted WBTC. WBTC can be traded back for BTC at any time, so it tends to be worth the same as BTC. Then the user can take that WBTC, stake it on Compound and earn a few percent each year in yield on their BTC. Odds are, the people who borrow that WBTC are probably doing it to short BTC (that is, they will sell it immediately, buy it back when the price goes down, close the loan and keep the difference). A long HODLer is happy to gain fresh BTC off their counterparty’s short-term win. That’s the game. How risky is it? Enough. “DeFi, with the combination of an assortment of digital funds, automation of key processes, and more complex incentive structures that work across protocols – each with their own rapidly changing tech and governance practices – make for new types of security risks,” said Liz Steininger of Least Authority, a crypto security auditor. “Yet, despite these risks, the high yields are undeniably attractive to draw more users.” We’ve seen big failures in DeFi products. MakerDAO had one so bad this year it’s called “Black Thursday.” There was also the exploit against flash loan provider bZx. These things do break and when they do money gets taken. As this sector gets more robust, we could see token holders greenlighting more ways for investors to profit from DeFi niches. Right now, the deal is too good for certain funds to resist, so they are moving a lot of money into these protocols to liquidity mine all the new governance tokens they can. But the funds – entities that pool the resources of typically well-to-do crypto investors – are also hedging. Nexus Mutual, a DeFi insurance provider of sorts, told CoinDesk it has maxed out its available coverage on these liquidity applications. Opyn, the trustless derivatives maker, created a way to short COMP, just in case this game comes to naught. And weird things have arisen. For example, there’s currently more DAI on Compound than have been minted in the world. This makes sense once unpacked but it still feels dicey to everyone. That said, distributing governance tokens might make things a lot less risky for startups, at least with regard to the money cops. “Protocols distributing their tokens to the public, meaning that there’s a new secondary listing for SAFT tokens, [gives] plausible deniability from any security accusation,” Zehavi wrote. (The Simple Agreement for Future Tokens was a legal structure favored by many token issuers during the ICO craze.) Whether a cryptocurrency is adequately decentralized has been a key feature of ICO settlements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). What’s next for yield farming? (A prediction) COMP turned out to be a bit of a surprise to the DeFi world, in technical ways and others. It has inspired a wave of new thinking. “Other projects are working on similar things,” said Nexus Mutual founder Hugh Karp. In fact, informed sources tell CoinDesk brand-new projects will launch with these models. We might soon see more prosaic yield farming applications. For example, forms of profit-sharing that reward certain kinds of behavior. Imagine if COMP holders decided, for example, that the protocol needed more people to put money in and leave it there longer. The community could create a proposal that shaved off a little of each token’s yield and paid that portion out only to the tokens that were older than six months. It probably wouldn’t be much, but an investor with the right time horizon and risk profile might take it into consideration before making a withdrawal. (There are precedents for this in traditional finance: A 10-year Treasury bond normally yields more than a one-month T-bill even though they’re both backed by the full faith and credit of Uncle Sam, a 12-month certificate of deposit pays higher interest than a checking account at the same bank, and so on.) As this sector gets more robust, its architects will come up with ever more robust ways to optimize liquidity incentives in increasingly refined ways. We could see token holders greenlighting more ways for investors to profit from DeFi niches. Questions abound for this nascent industry: What will MakerDAO do to restore its spot as the king of DeFi? Will Uniswap join the liquidity mining trend? Will anyone stick all these governance tokens into a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO)? Or would that be a yield farmers co-op? Whatever happens, crypto’s yield farmers will keep moving fast. Some fresh fields may open and some may soon bear much less luscious fruit. But that’s the nice thing about farming in DeFi: It is very easy to switch fields. Themis (MIS) Launches Pledge Mining Platform, New Opportunity Occurs to Grow Wealth With the development of blockchain technology, obtaining data on the chain only is no longer satisfying and how to bridge the real world and the blockchain world has always been the direction of the technological breakthrough. Under this background, Oracle Machine came to our attention. In particular, with the popularity of the DeFi concept, the industry starts to witness a boom of the application of Oracle Machine in financial derivatives, trading platforms, gambling games, and prediction markets. At present, Oracle Machine represented by Themis is developing fast with a good momentum, leading the trend of the development of Oracle Machine and continuing to consolidate the basic technical support for the DeFi revolution. Themis’ mining system has been launched in the market, which is refreshing and appealing (see https://themisoracle.com/#/credit for details on the Themis mining). 90% of MIS, the native token of Themis, will be used for mining output. The entire mining mechanism runs through a distributed oracle protocol, which sets up three roles: data provider, data validator, and arbitration node. Reward and punishment mechanisms are applied to ensure the smooth ecological operation. How does Themis mining work? Is it a new way to become wealthy? What are the characteristics? To answer these questions, we need to analyse the distribution mechanism, mining mechanism, and token value of Themis. With a fairer mining mechanism, small and medium-sized miners can enjoy better benefits One of the core values of blockchain is fairness and justice, and allowing everyone in the network to play a role in the system without permission. However, Bitcoin mining is now monopolized by several mining machine vendors such as Bitmain, leaving little space for other miners to participate. If those old PoW public chains, such as Bitcoin, has formed the head effect in mining, what about those new projects? Let's take Cosmos as an example. Since Binance joined its validator node, it has instantly ranked top with the strong financial strength and user base of the top exchange, making the small and medium nodes hard to participate. After comparison, we can find that the mining mechanism of MIS is very friendly to ordinary users. Assuming that there are 12 mining transactions in a block, the ranking according to the MIS pledged by each transaction would be as follow: https://preview.redd.it/1kfccgps2pg51.png?width=832&format=png&auto=webp&s=bf6c7f614c600826006bc2bf8a6026292c3b328c The pledge ranking is based on the jump ranking weighting algorithm rather than the weighted average of the user pledge amount, which can prevent MIS from being controlled by a small number of people, avoid monopoly, creating a win-win situation in the Themis community. https://preview.redd.it/pme9tcd62pg51.png?width=832&format=png&auto=webp&s=049f899d2a5ee3ce64007d5cc0ae3ed6167c2b3a Compared with other mining projects, Themis has introduced a unique pledge ranking method in the mining design. Users in the best ranking area will get the most benefits, which is a good mechanism guarantee for attracting more users to participate in mining. At the same time, it can lead to the decentralization of data providers, ensuring the decentralization of the oracle system and the positive development of the community. How can miners join in Themis mining? The answer is to become a part of the ecology by playing the role of either data provider, data validator, or arbitration node. The data provider is mainly responsible for providing various types of data, and the data validator verifies and challenges the data offered by the data provider and provides new data. The arbitration node arbitrates the query raised by the data validator and come up with the final result. Both the data providers and validators of Themis need to pledge MIS to obtain the qualifications, and the caller of external data also needs to pay MIS assets when accessing the data of Themis oracles. If the data has been verified as correct, data providers and validators will receive mining rewards, and the more they pledge, the more rewards they will receive. In the mining design of Themis, miners can acquire MIS by providing verifiable random number or offering the price of in-chain assets. Whenever miners call mining contracts, the system will charge no service fee (excluding the service fee of ETH). In addition, if no mining transaction occurs within a certain period of time, the first newly-emerging block containing mining transactions will acquire all the MIS rewards. In this way, miners can be encouraged to continue mining and maintain the ecological stability of Themis. The number of MIS mining for each mining transaction of miners is calculated as follows: First, calculate the number of MIS mining rewards N contained in the block of the packaged mining transaction. If the height difference between the block and the previous block containing the mining transaction is y, then N = y * 20. The MIS mining quantity of this mining transaction is M, then M=Xi/(📷)×N. Among them, X is the ranking of the MIS pledge amount in the block, and those who pledge the same amount of MIS have the same ranking. Few official pre-mining, while 90% belongs to the community Based on the official announcement, the distribution of MIS is: The total amount of MIS is 1 billion, 10% is reserved for early project promotion, the remaining 90% are produced by mining, in which 75% are directly awarded to data providers, 10% to developers, and 5% as reward for arbitration nodes and ecological incentive. The production of mining will be progressively decreased and released with ETH. For some current popular VC-invested projects, institutional holdings hold more than half of blocks and unlock the block every month, which is a huge stress for ordinary pledge users. Many projects also went wrong because institutional investors do not abide by the rules. For MIS, because there is fewer official pre-mining, the selling pressure will be smaller, which is more in line with the value of the blockchain. The release plan of developer and arbitration node and ecological incentive is as follows: https://preview.redd.it/nld8k8gb2pg51.jpg?width=926&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c2435c993cf86b2bf6b0c4d2a1935708734de97 The release plan of data provider incentive is as follows: https://preview.redd.it/kgia5n6d2pg51.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad1bfe7796fdaec58f3caede2f2a2083c0a07724 The MIS awarded per block reduces by 10% in every 4 million blocks, and the reward per block at present is 20 MIS. We can see that the allocation of MIS follows the following principles. First of all, as MIS is the platform certificate of Themis, it is very reasonable to reserve 10% of MIS for early project promotion. Secondly, 90% of MIS is produced through sustainable mining. This proportion can motivate contract users and miners to conduct contract mining, truly implementing the spirit of win-win community and token economy. Finally, among the 90% of MIS, better incentive mechanisms have been adapted, mining reward ratios are subdivided, which can attract more investors to participate in mining. Reasonable mining mechanism highlights the project value of Themis Themis, as a public chain that provides a mechanism to solve the problems in Oracle Machine, has a unique charm in the value of MIS. From the perspective of the number of tokens, the total amount of MIS is 1 billion, and the total mining pool is 900 million. 90% of the tokens are generated by mining, and the mining output gradually decreases its release with the Ethereum block, showing a great potential in its future added value. The earlier you participate in mining, the more profit you can gain. From the perspective of Themis’s ecological design, Themis is committed to the original intention of building a price oracle. The data provider pays on-chain fees and pledges a certain amount of MIS, and determines the income obtained according to the scale of the pledge; the validator can make profit from challenging the data. Also, any smart contract developer or user need to pay the corresponding fee when calling Themis, and this part of the profit will be distributed to the data provider in proportion. Through this design, a logical closed loop is completed to ensure the healthy operation of the entire ecology and achieve the goal of mutual benefit. In Themis, all parties in the ecology can work together to grow more wealth. In all, MIS has a huge potential for future development and arbitrage, and of course, a great profit potential as well. Today, public chains like Themis are not just a technology platform, but also a symbol of future economic operation mode which connect between the blockchain and the real world. Themis, with a fair, justice and open network through mining, is building a strong token ecology, connecting external chain data and the systems, realising data interaction between blockchain and the real world, and more importantly, creating a new mode of token economy. AMA AT DETECTIVE ID (25/06/2020) Before welcoming any questions, I would like to briefly introduce STATERA PROJECT. Statera is a smart contract deflationary token pegged to a cryptocurrency index fund. By including STA in an index fund with Link, BTC, ETH, and SNX you can buy one token and access the price action of four of the leading cryptocurrencies. You can also invest directly in the index fund (balancer pool) and receive the benefits of fees and BAL tokens paid to you while also having an automatically balanced fund. Lastly the deflationary mechanics of STA increases the chance for positive price action while decreasing beta (volatility). This is all found in a smart contract that is fully decentralized, the founders can no longer augment the contract in any way and this has been confirmed by a third party code audit through Hacken. Q1 : please explain in more detail about Statera, what is the background of this project? and when was it established? The dev of this project had previously created another deflationary token BURN. When the Balancer Labs released the Balancer Protocol, he had an idea to combine the two, deflationary token and a pool of tokens, making the first deflationary index fund. It started in the end of May and on the 3rd iteration, May 29th - a trustless version was launched that we see today. As briefly explained earlier, STATERA or STA is an Index Deflationary Token built on Ethereum blockchain; Index: Contains a token suite of world class leading crypto assests BTC, ETH, LINK, SNX with STA. Deflationary: On every transaction of STA 1% of the transacted amount is sent to 0x address on ethereum, burned forever, thus reducing the circulating supply of STA Index+Deflationary: STA is mixed with BTC, ETH, LINK SNX in a portfolio, backed by liquidity on a protocol known as balancer (balancer.finance) This platform serves as a market maker for the token suit. The Index suite is of equal rate of 20%, that is 20% of BTC, ETH, SNX LINK and STA, Thus, anytime there is an increase in value of any of those coins or tokens, balancer automatically trade them for STA in order to keep the token suit ratio balanced. And anytime there is an increase in the value of STA, the same process applies. while doing this trade, it enables further burning on every transaction, thus facilitating more token scarcity. In addition to this, Statera was deployed with contract finalised, that is, the index suite can not be altered, It is completely out of Dev's control. Q2 : What are the achievements that have been obtained by Statera in 2020? And what goals do you want to achieve in 2020? By this we assume the questionnaire is asking for a roadmap! First, the project is barely a month old, and within just a month, our liquidity has grown from $50,000 to over $400,000 currently above $300,000. Among the things we have accomplished so far is the creation of market value for STA's Balancer liquidity pool token BPT, which is currently over $1000 per one BPT. Regarding what we set to achieve: The future is filled with many opportunities and potentials, currently, we are working on a massive campaign to introduce our product to the outside world. We have already made contact with different and reputable forums and channels regarding marketing and advertisement offers, some which we are currently negotiating, some which we are awaiting response. All we can say for now is that the Team is working hard to make this the Investment opportunity every crypto enthusiast has been waiting for. Statera has the goal of putting cryptocurrency into every portfolio. We believe we have a product that increases the returns of investing in cryptocurrencies and makes it easier to diversify in this space. We have done so much in June: articles, how to videos, completed the audit, tech upgrades like one token liquidity additions, and beginning our many social communities. We have been hard at work behind the scenes but things like sponsorships, features, and media take time, content makers need days if not weeks to develop content, especially the best of the best. We are working tirelessly, we will not disappoint. We have plans for 2020-2025 and will release those in the next month. They are big and bold, you’re going to be impressed by the scale of our vision, when we say “Cryptocurrency in every portfolio” we mean it. In 2020 more specifically we are focused on more media, videos, product offerings, and exchanges. Q3 : What is the purpose of STA token? How can we get STA? The purpose of STA is an investment in the first deflationary index fund. The whole index's value rises from these aspects: 1. The index funds (WBTC,WETH,SNX,LINK) appreciate in value 2. When the index tokens are traded, the pool receives transaction fees - 1% 3. STA burns on transactions, so it's deflationary nature increases its value as the total supply drops 4. Balancer rewards Index holders with BAL token airdrops every week You can invest via the 'Trade' links in stateraproject.com website. Easiest way is to do it using ETH. The monetary policy of our token is set in stone and constantly deflationary. This negative supply pressure is a powerful mechanism in economics and price discovery. Through the lowering of supply we can decrease your beta (volatility) and increase your alpha (gains). Our token is currently only top 40 in liquidity on Balancer, however our volume is top 10! You want to know why? Because Statera works. Statera increases arbitrage, volume, fees, BAL rewards, and liquidity. Our liquidity miners in our Balancer pool are already making some of the highest BAL rewards on the platform, one user we spoke with made 18% in June, that’s over 150% APY! Our product is working, 100% (or you could say 150%), and when people start to see that, and realize the value, the sky's the limit. Q4 : can we as a user do STA mining? The supply of STA doesn't increase anymore, it only decreases due to the burn feature. So there is no way to mine anymore STA. Only way to acquire the tokens is via an exchange. The monetary policy of our token is set in stone and constantly deflationary. This negative supply pressure is a powerful mechanism in economics and price discovery. Through the lowering of supply we can decrease your beta (volatility) and increase your alpha (gains). Our token is currently only top 40 in liquidity on Balancer, however our volume is top 10! You want to know why? Because Statera works. Statera increases arbitrage, volume, fees, BAL rewards, and liquidity. Our liquidity miners in our Balancer pool are already making some of the highest BAL rewards on the platform, one user we spoke with made 18% in June, that’s over 150% APY! Our product is working, 100% (or you could say 150%), and when people start to see that, and realize the value, the sky's the limit. Q5 : The ecosystem of a public chain has a lot to do with the level of engagement and participation of third-party developers. How does Statera support the developers? Not really. Our project is focusing on investment opportunities for the cryptocurrencies. The cryptocurrency tokens that are not used and are just sitting in a wallet can work for you by being added to an index fund and appreciate in value over time. First off, what we have created is a new asset class, I’ll repeat that, a new asset class. This asset has never existed: “Deflationary Index Fund,” what does that mean for finance? What will developers do with this? It’s hard to give a finite answer. We hope there are future economic papers on our token and what it means to be a deflationary index fund. With the addition of synthetic assets and oracles you can put any asset into the DeFi space: Gold, Nikkei 225, USD, etc. STA can be combined with any assets and bring the benefits of it’s ecosystem and deflationary mechanism to that asset. STA, the token itself, also gives you access to the price action of any asset it is paired with. Put simply STA’s balancer pool(s) give you a benefit in holding them, and STA’s price will reflect it’s inclusion in Balancer Pool(s) (and possibly future financial instruments), so STA is a bet on DeFi as a whole. When we say as whole, we mean as whole: what happens if you include STA in a crypto loan, or package it with a synthetic S&P 500 token, or use it as fee payment in a DeFi platform? Being fully decentralized it is up to our community to make this happen, social engagement and community are key. We are constantly bringing community members onto our team and rewarding those that benefit the ecosystem. in addition, Statera is a fully community project now. Paul who is the current team leader was an ordinary member of the community weeks ago, due to his interest and support for the project, he started dedicating his time to the project. Quite a number of community members are also in the same position, while Statera was developed by an individual, it is being built by the entire Statera community Community Questions (Twitter): Q1 From: @KazimKara35 The project tells us that the acquisition and sale of data between participants is protected by code of conduct and how safe is deployed on the blockchain, but how do you handle regulations while operating on a global scale? Statera is decentralized token, similar to other utility crypto tokens and same regulations apply to it as others. his is actually a benefit of our decentralized nature. This isn’t legal advice, however in the past regulating bodies have ruled that the more decentralized a project is, especially from launch, the less likely they are to be deemed a security (see: Ethereum). This means they can be traded more freely and be available on more platforms. We are as decentralized as you can be. The data itself is all secured through the blockchain which has been shown to be a highly secure medium. We do not store any of your data and as long as you follow best practices in blockchain security there are no added security risks of using Statera. We don’t, and literally can’t, hold anymore personal information than is made available in any blockchain transaction. and that "personal information" is more likely than not just your ethereum wallet address, no "real world" data is included in transactions Q2 from: @Michael_NGT353 What is Mechanism you use On your Project sir? Are you Use PoS,PoW or other Mechanism Can you explain why you use it and what is Make it Different? Our token is an ERC-20 token and it's running on the Ethereum blockchain. The Ethereum's POW mechanism is currently supporting the Statera token We run on Ethereum, so we are currently PoW. With ETH 2.0 we will hopefully be PoS this year (hopefully). We use it because ETH has over 100 million addresses and around a million daily transactions. We are currently at about 1,900 token holders, we are just touching the edge of what is possible in this market. We chose the biggest and the best network available right now to launch our product. We think the upside is huge because of this choice. Being the biggest network it is also one of the most secure, no high risk vulnerabilities have been found in Ethereum or in our code (we've had our code audited by a third party, Hacken, and you can read their audit on our Medium page), so we also have security on our side Q3 From : @Ryaaan_Nguyen Can you list some of Statera outstanding features for everyone here to know about? What are the products that Statera is focusing on developing? As mentioned earlier by GC, First off, what we have created is a new asset class, I’ll repeat that, a new asset class. This asset has never existed: “Deflationary Index Fund,” what does that mean for finance? What will developers do with this? It’s hard to give a finite answer. We hope there are future economic papers on our token and what it means to be a deflationary index fund. With the addition of synthetic assets and oracles you can put any asset into the DeFi space: Gold, Nikkei 225, USD, etc. STA can be combined with any assets and bring the benefits of it’s ecosystem and deflationary mechanism to that asset. STA, the token itself, also gives you access to the price action of any asset it is paired with. Put simply STA’s balancer pool(s) give you a benefit in holding them, and STA’s price will reflect it’s inclusion in Balancer Pool(s) (and possibly future financial instruments), so STA is a bet on DeFi as a whole. When we say as whole, we mean as whole: what happens if you include STA in a crypto loan, or package it with a synthetic S&P 500 token, or use it as fee payment in a DeFi platform? We touched on this a bit in the question on what makes us special compared to other exchanges. We have created a product that synergizes with Balancer Pools creating a symbiotic relationship that improves the outcomes for users (our product can also synergize with future DeFi products). By including STA in an index fund with Link, BTC, ETH, and SNX you can buy one token and access the price action of four of the leading cryptocurrencies. You can also invest directly in the index fund (balancer pool) and receive the benefits of fees and BAL tokens paid to you while also having an automatically balanced portfolio (like an index fund with dividends). Lastly, the deflationary mechanics of STA increases the chance for positive price action while decreasing beta. We want to package Statera with assets across the whole cryptocurrency space, with an emphasis on DeFi. We also want everyday people to be able to invest quickly in crypto while also feeling reassured their investment is set up to succeed. We are focused on developing a name brand that people go to first and foremost when investing in crypto: cryptocurrency in every portfolio. This is all found in a smart contract that is fully decentralized, the founders can no longer augment the contract in any way and this has been confirmed by the third party code audit. This is a feature in and of itself, some argue that Bitcoin’s true value is in it’s network effect, first mover advantage, and immutability. Statera is modeled on all three of those and has those features in spades. The community now owns our token, the power in that, giving finance and power to the people, is why we are here. Q4 From : @futcek What do you think about the possibility of creating new use cases in DeFi space for existing real world assets by using crypto technology? What role do you see in this creation for Statera? I think my answer above actually answers this perfectly, Statera in and of itself is a “new use case”, a “deflationary index fund” has never existed, I’ll copy and paste the other relevant part: “With the addition of synthetic assets and oracles you can put any asset into the DeFi space: Gold, Nikkei 225, USD, etc. STA can be combined with any assets and bring the benefits of it’s ecosystem and deflationary mechanism to that asset. STA, the token itself, also gives you access to the price action of any asset it is paired with. Put simply STA’s balancer pool(s) give you a benefit in holding them, and STA’s price will reflect it’s inclusion in Balancer Pool(s) (and possibly future financial instruments), so STA is a bet on DeFi as a whole. When we say as whole, we mean as whole: what happens if you include STA in a crypto loan, or package it with a synthetic S&P 500 token, or use it as fee payment in a DeFi platform? Being fully decentralized it is up to our community to make this happen, social engagement and community are key. We are constantly bringing community members onto our team and rewarding those that benefit the ecosystem.” Statera is a way to make your investment more successful, and owning Statera let's you benefit from other people using it to make their investments more successful (a self feeding cycle). Q5 From : @Carmenzamorag Statera's deflationary system is based in that with every transaction 1% of the amount is destroyed, would this lead to lack of supply and liquidity in the long term future? How would that be fixed? The curve of supply is asymptote, meaning that it will never reach zero. The idea is that the deflationary process will slowly decrease the supply of STA, which – combined with a fixed or increaseing demand – will result in STA appreciating in value. Evidently, as the STA token increases in value, the amounts of STA being traded will slowly decrease: The typical investor might buy 10.000 STA at the current rate, but in the future (proportional to an increase in the valueation of STA) this number will tend to decrease, hence the future investor might only buy 1000 STA. This of course results in less STA being burned. Additionally, STA is divisible to the 18th decimal, why – even if the supply was to reach 1 STA – there would be a sufficient supply. Well this would be a question for a Mathematician, and luckily we’re loaded with them (as seen above)! I’ll try to illustrate with an example. 1% of 100 million is 1 million, 1% of 10 million is 100,000. As we go down in supply the burn is less by volume. What also happens at lower supply is higher prices (supply and demand economics). So those 1 million tokens burned may be worth $20,000, but by the time overall supply is at 10 million those 100,000 tokens may also be worth $20,000 or even more. This means you transact “less”, if you want to buy 1 Ether now with Statera you need 8,900 STA which would burn 89 tokens. If Statera is worth $100 you only need 2.32 statera (.023 tokens burned). Along with this proportional and relative burn decrease, tokens are 18 decimals long, so even when we get to 1 token left (which mathematically would take decades if not centuries, but that is wholly dependent on usage), you are still left with 10 to the 18th power, or one quintillion “tokens”. So it’s going to take us a while to have supply issues :) Nuked Phase (3rd Part) Q) What is your VISION and Mission? Our working mission and vision: Mission: Provide every investor with simple and effective ways to invest in cryptocurrency. Decrease volatility and increase positive price pressure in cryptocurrency investments. Lower the barrier to entry for more advanced investment tools. Be a community focused and community driven cryptocurrency, fully decentralized by every meaning of the word. Vision: We aspire to put “cryptocurrency in every portfolio”. We envision a world where finance is given back to the people and wealth building strategies withheld only for affluent individuals are given to all. We also strive to create an investment environment based on sound monetary policy and all the power that comes with a sound asset. Q) What are the benefits of STA for its investors in long term? Does STA have Afrika as an important area for its expansion? We have ties to Africa and see Statera as a way for anyone and everyone to invest in cryptocurrency. The small marketcap of statera makes it's price low and it's upside massive. Right now if you wanted to be exposed to the price action of four cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, Link, SNX) Statera is a way to gain that exposure in a way that has a huge upside, compared to the other four assets, there are risks in investing in any small cap but with those risk come outsized rewards (not investment advice and all answers are solely my opinions 😊) Q) In the long run, why should we trust and follow STATERA? How do you raise awareness and elimination of the doubts of investors / partners / customers?. You're really asking "How do I trust myself and other crypto investors" The project is FULLY decentralized, it is now in the hands of the community. We would venture a guess that the community wants their investment to succeed and be worth more in the future, so you are betting on people. wanting to make themselves money on their own investment. This is a pretty sure bet. The community being active and engaged is key, and we have short term and long term plans to ensure this happens Q) No one can doubt the strength of #Statera. But can you tell us some of the challenges and difficulties you're presently facing? How can you possibly overcome them? We're swinging outside our weightclass, we don't see litecoin or SNX, or any other crypto product as our competition. Our competition is NASDAQ, Fidelity, etc. We want to provide world class financial instruments that only the wealthy have access to in the traditional world to everyone. Providing liquidity, risk parity, being paid to provide liquidity, unique value propositions, are all things we want to bring to everyone. However we are coming up in a hectic space, everyday their is fud and defamation on the web, but that is the sandbox we chose to play in and we aren't grabbing our ball and going home. We can tell you that we will not disappoint and fighting all the fud that comes along with being a small and upstart project only fuel our fire. Building legitimacy is our largest challenge and looking at our audit, financial report, and some things you will see in the coming weeks, we hope you see we are facing those challenges head on. Q) What is the actual uniqueness of #Statera.??? Can you guys please explain tha advantages of #Statera over other projects.?? When we launched there were no other products like ours. There are now copies, and we wish them the best, but we have the best product, hands down. Over the next couple weeks this will become apparent, if it hasn't already, also a lot of the AMA answers dug deeper into our unique value proposition, especially the benefits we provide to Balancer Pools which shows the benefits we would provide for any index fund. We are a tool to improve cryptocurrency investing Q) Fragmentation, layering and cross-chain are three future solutions for high-performance blockchains. Where is Statera currently? What are the main reasons for taking this direction? We operate on the Ethereum chain, as it upgrades our services and usability will upgrade. We are working on UI and more user friendly systems to onboard people into our ecosystem Q) How STATERA plan to make room and make this project known in the world of crypto, full of technology and full of new projects very good in today's market? We think we have a truly innovative product, which - when first understood - appeals to most investors. Whether you want a high-volatility/medium-risk token like STA or whether you are more conservative and simply just plan on adding to the Statera pool BPT (which is not nearly as volatile but still offers great returns). We plan on making Statera known to the crypto world through a marketing campaign which slowly will be unravelled in the comming days and weeks. If interested, you can check out an analysis of the different investment options in the Statera ecosystem in our first financial report: https://medium.com/@stateraproject/statera-financial-reports-b47defb58a18 Q) Hello, cryptocurrencies are very volatile and follow bitcoin ... and does this apply to Statera? or is there some other logic present in some way? is statera token different from a current token? Are you working on listings on other exchanges? Currently uniswap is somewhat uncomfortable for fees. We are also on bamboo relay, saturn network, and mesa. Statera will be volatile like all cryptocurrency, this is a small and nascent space. But with the deflationary mechanic and balancer pool, over time, as marketcap grows it will become less volatile and more positively reactive to price. Q) Security is one of the most essential characteristics for a project to get reputation. How can #Statera Team assure to their community that users assets and investments will stay safe from unwanted agents? We have been third party audited by the same company that worked with VeChain to audit their code. Our code has been shown to be bulletproof. Unless Ethereum comes up with a fatal security flaw there is nothing that can happen to our contract (there is no backdoor, no way for anyone to edit or adjust the smart contract). Q) Many investors see the project from the price of the coin. Can you give us advantages why Statera is so suitable for long-term investment? and what makes Statera different from other similar projects? Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective. A question you can ask is “What if this fails”? But you can also ask, “What if this succeeds”? Cryptocurrency is filled with asymmetric risks, we think if you look into the value proposition you will find that there is a huge asymmetric risk/reward in Statera, and we will make that even clearer in our soon to be released litepaper. You are on the ground floor of a simple but highly effective solution to onboarding people into defi, cryptocurrencies, and investing. Our product reduces volatility and increases gains (decreases beta and increases alpha in investor terms), which is highly attractive in any investment. The down side is there but the upside outweighs it exponentially (asymmetric risk) Q) What your plans in place for global expansion, are Statera focusing on only market at this time? Or focus on building and developing or getting customers and users, or partnerships? Can you explain this? We have reached out to influencers in other countries and things are in the works. We have also translated documents and are working on having them in at least 4 languages by the end of July. We were founded globally, our team is global, and we are focused on reaching all 7 billion people. Q) Now in the cryptofield everyday there are new projects joining in the Blockchain space. They are upgraded, Well-established and coming up with innovative technology. How Statera going to compete with them? What do you think, one day Statera will become useless And will be lost into the abyss of time for not bringing any new technology? We are the first of our kind, no one had a deflationary index fund before us. Index funds will be the future of crypto (look at the popularity of etfs and indexes in the traditional markets). We are a tool to make your index function better and pay you more. As long as people care about crypto index funds they will care about the value STA brings to that. We have an involved and long term plan to reach dominance over a 5 year span, this is not a flash in the pan, big things coming Q1. You say that the weight and proportions of your tokens are constant. So how have you managed to prevent market price speculation from generating hypervolability in your token price? Do you consider yourselves a kind of stablecoin? Q2. How many jurisdictions allow the use of Stratera products and services? Are they available for Latin America? @joloroeowo The balancer ensures an equal ratio of 20% amongst the five tokens included in our fund. This, however, does not imply that the tokens are stable. Rather, the Balancer protocol helps mitigating price fluctuations. Q) How can I as a Statera participant participate in liquidity mining, and receive BAL as reward? What are the use cases of $STA token, and how are users motivated to buy and hold long term? The easiest way is to go to stateratoken.com and click trade then BPT. You can also buy all five tokens and click on portfolio then add liquidity. Balancer is working on a simpler interface to add liquidity with one token, we are waiting on them. I think we explained the use cases above Q) What do you plan have for global expansion, is Statera currently focused solely on the market? Or is it focused on building and developing or acquiring customer and user or partnership relationships? Can you explain it? We are currently working on promoting the project and further develope our product, making it lucrative for more new investors to join our pool and invest in the STA token. Q1) Statera have 2 types of tokens, so can you tell me the differences between STA and STAC ? What are their uses cases? Is possible Swap between them? Q2) Currently the only possible Swap or "exchange" possible is Uniswap, so you do have plans to list the STA token into a more Exchanges? STAC is obsolete, we only have STA and BPT (go to our website and click on trade) stateratoken.com BPT gives you more diversification and less risk, STA gives you more volatility and more chance for big gains. Q2 we are on multiple exchanges (4), bamboo relay, saturn, and mesa we do have plans for future exchanges but the big ones have processes and hoops to jump through that can't be done so quickly Q) What business scenarios can STATERA support now? In which industries can we see the mass adoption of STATERA technology in the near future? Statera increases the effectiveness of your cryptocurrency investments. Specifically it makes cryptocurrency index funds function better, netting you higher returns, which we have already seen in just one month of implementation. Right now, today, you can buy our BPT token and increase the functionality of holding a crypto index fund. In the future we want every single web user to see and use our product Q) Do you plan to migrate to other platforms like Tron, BinanceChain, EOS, etc. if it is feasible?? Migrating our current contract is not. Starting new offerings on those other chains could be possible, they aren't on our radar currently but if the community requests them we are driven by our community Q) ETH Blockchain is a Blockchain have many token based in it, i have used ETH blockchain long time and i see it have big fee and need much time to make a transcation so Why you choose to based STA in ETH blockchain not other like Bep2 or Trc20 ? Simply: 100 million addresses, 1 million transactions a day. The more users we have the more we will benefit our community. We hope ETH 2.0 scaling will fix the problems you mention. Q) No one achieve anything of value on its own, please can you share about Statera present and future partnerships that will drive you to success in this highly congested crypto space? We have a unique product that no one else has (there are people who have copied us). We can't announce our current and future partnerships yet, but they will be released soon. Our future hopes of partnerships are big and will be key to our future, know we are focused on making big partnerships, some you may not even be thinking about. Q) According to the fact that your algorithm causes 1% of each transaction to be destroyed, I would like to know, then, how you plan to finance yourself as a project in the long term? The project is now in the hands of the community and we are a team of passionate people volunteering to help promote and develope the Statera ecosystem. But then, how do we afford running a promo campaign? We have lots of great community members donating funds that goes to promoting the project. In other words, the community helps financing the project. And so far, we have created a fantastic community consisting of passionate and well-educated people! Q) There are many cryptocurrency startups were established by talent teams, but they got problem in raising capital via token sales due to many factors as bear market, bankrupt etc. This leaded their potential startups fail. So how will Statera break these barriers and attract more funds from outside crypto space? We are community focused and community ran. When you look at centralized cryptocurrencies you can see the negative of them (Tron, ADA, etc.) We believe being fully decentralized is the true power position. You the owner of statera can affect our future and must affect our future. This direct ownership means people need to mobilize and organize to push us forward, and it is in their best self interest to do so. It's a bet on our community, we're excited about that bet Q) What business scenarios can STATERA support now? In which industries can we see the mass adoption of STATERA technology in the near future? Statera increases the effectiveness of your cryptocurrency investments. Specifically it makes cryptocurrency index funds function better, netting you higher returns, which we have already seen in just one month of implementation. Right now, today, you can buy our BPT token and increase the functionality of holding a crypto index fund. In the future we want every single web user to see and use our product Q) Why being a hybrid of a liquidity pool and an index fund? What are the main benefits about this? By being a liquidity pool the exchange side of the pool (balancer also functions as an exchange) gives you added liquidity for more effortless, effective, and cheaper rebalancing. You also benefit from getting paid the fee when people use the exchange AND getting paid BAL tokens that are worth $15-20 USD. These are not benefits you get with an index fund, meanwhile the liquidity pool rebalances just like an index fund would Q) Which specific about technology and strategy of #STA that make you believe it will be successful and what does #STA plan do to attract more users in the upcoming time? I think the idea behind Statera is truly ingenious. We have made an index fund, which investors are highly(!) incentivised to invest in, namely because the ROI, so far, has been huge. An increase in the pool liquidity (index fund) indirectly translates into an increase in the price of STA, why we think the STA token - combined with its deflationary nature - will increase in the long run. The mechanism behind this is somewhat complex, but to better get an understanding of it, I suggest you visit our medium page and read more about the project: https://medium.com/@stateraproject The hash rate distribution is best when split among more Bitcoin mining pools. Bitcoin Mining Pool Hash Rate Distribution. Bitcoin Mining Pool Options. For a fully decentralized pool, we highly recommend p2pool and Multipool.us. The following pools are believed to be currently fully validating blocks with Bitcoin Core 0.11 or later: How Bitcoin Private Mining Pools Developed Over Time? Bitcoin private is essentially a merged fork of Bitcoin and Zclassic, which itself is a fork of Zcash. It was released in March 2018 and quickly started gaining popularity. Many Bitcoin Private mining pools were accepted and added to the network by the coin developers. Joining a mining pool is the logical thing to do if you want to make money mining Bitcoin. As you can see the pools vary in size, payment methods and fees. If you’re just starting out perhaps it would be best to join a large established mining pool in order to gain some experience. Bitcoin Wallets. Before joining a mining pool: You’ll need a bitcoin wallet. Why? This is because all Bitcoin mining pools will ask you for a Bitcoin address that will be used to send your mining rewards and payouts. Our guide on the best bitcoin wallets will help you get a wallet. Read the full guide. The Biggest Mining Pools What is a Bitcoin Mining Pool? If you already read our guide on Bitcoin mining, you know that new Bitcoins enter the circulation as a “prize” for a miner who manages to guess the solution to a mathematical problem.The winning miner get to add the latest block to the blockchain and update the ledger.. By design, the more miners you have, the more difficult the problem gets, and vice versa. There are two option mining solo or mining pool .This is the top 3 bitcoin mining pool that available to join. 1)GENISIS MINING *SMART *PROFITABLE *GOOD PRICE 2)BITCLUB NETWORK * ONE OF BIGGEST ... Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Mining Pools Explained Best Mining Pools PPS vs PPLNS ... VoskCoin 4,686 views. 18:17. How to choose a Bitcoin mining pool - Duration: 6:02. bitcoin master Recommended ... What is a mining pool and why is it best to mine Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on mining pools? Here is our review and explanation of mining pools, how ... Today we look at the top 4 bitcoin mining pools and determine which one is the best. 🏦 Fiat to Cryptocurrency EXCHANGES 1) Coinbase - Buy Cryptocurrency With Fiat → BTC-BCH-ETH-LTC In this video I cover how to choose a crypto/coin and mining pool for use with MobileMiner for iOS. It's a CPU miner, so it'll do best with a coin on the CryptoNight, Gost, or X11 algorithm.

Episode 14 – Flint and Cascius: Keep the Darkness at Bay The second interlude begins! Louis teaches Flint how to use social media to reconnect with the world. Flint goes about his daily life, being the local cryptid and mysteriously solving everyone's problems without them even knowing. Cascius takes a brief break from running away from his haunted doll and attempts to find psychic help. He makes a few discoveries, but none of them are what he wanted. Intro/Outro Music: “Eyes in the Bayou” by Ronnie Palmieri Background Music: “Cattails” and “Thinking Music” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Art by Anna Collins Production by Bristol Pod Works - Make your podcast dreams come true at https://www.bristolpodworks.com

Two Brazilian associates noticed a big cryptid canine that the witnesses described as a ‘werewolf’. It adopted and stored tempo with the pickup they had been using in. This account was delivered to my consideration. I wanted to right a few of the damaged English: “I am 20 years previous and I stay in Brazil, São Paulo State. What I’ll inform right here occurred to me, within the yr 2017, right here in my metropolis. A pal, who I am going to name Thiago, made me an invite to spend a day at his father’s place. My metropolis is simply outdoors Jacutinga-MG, BR. It was a Saturday, and I went with him within the morning. We had a very nice day. We had a barbecue, swam, ate fruit, talked and helped his father to prune different timber, it was actually cool. When it bought darkish, at evening, round 20:00, Thiago’s father requested us to depart. His father had a Fiorino das Antigas pickup truck. We had been each within the bucket, sitting speaking. We sat with our backs to the cabin’s rear window, wanting again. We had already gone a couple of kilometer. The 2 of them there, wanting on the highway, in direction of the again of the truck. When his father slowed all the way down to undergo a tunnel, he got here up behind a tall black form, rapidly. I assumed it was a really massive canine with a vivid eye. On the time we commented: “What’s it? What animal is that?” It stood, like an individual, on high of that ravine. It was wanting in direction of us and was about 40 or 50 meters from the truck, which was shifting away. We checked out one another and really scared and confused. Then we appeared again on the animal. Then, the animal was standing on four legs once more, and ran down the ravine in direction of the highway. When he reached the aspect of the highway, within the rush downhill, he jumped the opposite approach, crossing the complete highway into the other ravine. Thiago tells me: “That could be a werewolf! The werewolf started to observe and parallel the truck by way of the woods. He went by way of the woods, we noticed leaves and branches flying, we heard the branches breaking, and we noticed him passing among the many timber. So Thiago requested his father to hurry up, as a result of there was one thing following the automotive. The daddy requested: “What’s it?” And he stated: “I feel it is a werewolf!” Quickly, we arrived on the river, and crossed a slender bridge. I do not know why, however he did not cross the river, and he stayed up there on the financial institution, watching us, till he disappeared from view on the curve. I had by no means seen or believed that there was a werewolf, regardless of listening to tales from my mother and father and grandparents. Now I keep away from going to the countryside at evening. What marked me most on this story was the soar. A implausible soar from one aspect of the highway to the opposite. And me and Thiago seeing all the pieces from Fiorino Uno’s bucket. If it weren’t for the river, that werewolf may need jumped on Fiorino to catch us.” MP NOTE: There appears to be a excessive variety of upright canine or ‘werewolf’ account originating from Brazil previously decade or so. I do not know what these witnesses noticed, but it surely undoubtedly was not a median canine. Lon********** UNEXPLAINED CRYPTID / BIGFOOT / UPRIGHT CANINE / HUMANOID ENCOUNTER OR SIGHTING? A evaluation of ‘Winged Cryptids: Humanoids, Monsters & Anomalous Creatures Casebook’ by Linda Godfrey

Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant) seems to be showing up as a guest at every other convention I attend nowadays and she has new books out each time. She's seriously prolific so it's about time I started in on her work if I want to stand a chance of ever catching up. Her primary series appears to be her October Daye books, which started with 'Rosemary and Rue' in 2009. She ratcheted up to two of those per year, until she began the InCryptid series to alternate with it. This is the first novel in the latter, which currently runs to five books. A new one appears each March, while a new October Daye book shows up every September; the next in that series will be book ten. I thought I'd start with the shorter series first, especially as it began as McGuire was getting seriously established. I liked it a lot, not only for its core adventure into urban fantasy but for the sheer breadth of supernatural beings which she hauls into scope. Never mind vampires and werewolves; those are passé and it's time for, well, pretty much everything else, from bugbears and hidebehinds to waheela and madhura. The framework is of a world where supernatural creatures live amongst us but without us ever realising it. They're just regular joes; albeit with their own little quirks and talents, as befit different species. An ancient group of fanatics, the Covenant of St. George, are dedicated to eradicating them all from the face of the earth; but, a century or so ago some rebel Covenant members split away from the fold, realising that they were doing bad not good. Today, they are known by cryptids everywhere as the Price family and they're our heroes. It won't be too surprising to find that we follow one of them, Verity Price, as she attempts to build a dancing career under a pseudonym in Manhattan, only to get caught up in all sorts of cryptid shenanigans, complicated by the presence of a rookie Covenant boy named Dominic de Luca. They should be enemies, of course, but you know how books like this are; it doesn't take long for the pair of them to leap into bed together and their inherently shaky relationship is likely to build over the many books to come. As obvious as some of this truly is, it's a major success for a number of reasons. One is that the characters start interesting and only get more so as things progress. We do meet many other members of the Price family here but mostly only in brief scenes over the phone that merely hint at how interesting they would be as leads, too. Very's brother breeds basilisks and her grandmother visits the underworld whenever the dimensions align so she can search for her lost husband. Only her adopted cousin Sarah gets a major presence here and she's a blast. We don't meet any Covenant members except Dominic this time out, but their presence looms over the story like the Sword of Damocles. Surely they'll show up at some point in the series, probably soon. Another is that many of the characters are cryptids, which gives them firm opportunities that are usually grabbed with both hands. Very is a waitress at Dave's Fish and Strips, run by a bogeyman who employs a variety of wild and weird species as strippers and waitstaff. The main thread of the story, which revolves around a dragon that may be sleeping under the city, trawls a number of them into its relentless march forward, not only the one who's a dragon princess but who hasn't ever seen a male of her species because they're supposedly extinct. McGuire feeds us these species like she has a million of them in backup and she starts early with the Aeslin mice who live in Very's apartment. These are a gift to anyone who wants to adapt this into a live action television show, though it would cost some CGI dollars to animate them. They're really mice but they're also religious freaks with eidetic memories and a penchant for celebrating everything, like the Holy Feast of Kissing the Next Man Who Walks Through That Door. Oh yes, there's comedy here as McGuire writes with a practiced sass that comes through not only in her characters and the ways she troubles them but in how she stages her chapters and introduces their settings. She also hints at far more than she shows; which is a great way to grab our interest, if the Aeslin mice weren't enough on their own. We hear about a lot more cryptid species than we meet and some of them have to show up for their close ups, Mr. De Mille, soon. For instance, she explains about the Johrlac, better known as cuckoos, at length but manages to throw in Apraxis wasps just for good measure. They have precisely nothing to do with the story but their inclusion as an aside in an explanation is glorious. I immediately wanted to read a book about Apraxis wasps. And cuckoos. And bugbears, lindworms, Jersey Devils and the rest. Clearly McGuire writes quickly and that shows because this is a quick read, even at three hundred and some pages. 'Discount Armageddon' is a fun novel, fast-paced and alive, but it's also an introduction. By the time we reach the end of the story and turn the page into the brief glossary of cryptid species referenced thus far, we feel like we've lived in this world with these characters for years and it's an odd feeling to realise that no, we've only just finished book one. This wasn't my first experience of Seanan McGuire or of this series, as she had an InCryptid short story in the 'Press Start to Play' anthology which I reviewed in February. I enjoyed that but it was far from my favourite piece in that book. This, however, drew me firmly into the InCryptid universe and I'm eager to follow up with 'Midnight Blue-Light Special,' the second book of the five currently on shelves. Watch this space. ~~ Hal C F Astell Click here for reviews of the rest of the InCryptid series. For other books by Seanan McGuire click here

Would you take part in a literal Bigfoot hunt ? Image Credit: YouTube / CEN An Oklahoma lawmaker is hoping to establish an official hunting season in the state for the enigmatic cryptid. While there are many people who are skeptical about the existence of an unknown species of large hairy biped roaming the forests of North America, Rep. Justin Humphrey certainly isn't one of them. Humphrey, who represents a southeastern district of Oklahoma famous for its Bigfoot sightings, has introduced a new bill which urges the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish a bona fide Bigfoot hunting season during which the killing of the cryptid would be totally legal. If the bill passes, it will come into effect at the beginning of November. "The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall promulgate rules establishing a Bigfoot hunting season," the bill states. "The Commission shall set annual season dates and create any necessary specific hunting licenses and fees." As you might expect however, establishing such a bill is going to take some persuasion. "It is a real bill, yes," department official Micah Holmes told Fox News "Here at the department, we use science to make management decisions, and we do not recognize Bigfoot as a wildlife species in Oklahoma." As things stand, it seems highly unlikely that the bill will actually pass. Exactly why Humphrey thought it would be a good idea remains unclear. Source: Fox News | Comments (41) Similar stories based on this topic:

“Cryptid Command“, my latest embroidered patch set is now live on Kickstarter until October 31, 2015. The patches feature Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and Aliens/UFOs all with a fun military-themed look. The main funding goal was reached in under 6 hours on launch day, and the campaign has since unlocked the first of many stretch goals, which include additional patches, stickers, magnets, PVC emblems and more. Campaign pledges are funneled back into the campaign reward merchandise to offer backers more and more merchandise the higher the campaign funding gets. Pledge now and help unlock more stretch goals and get more free items with your reward!

As some may already know, a monumental milestone in cryptozoological research has been realised. Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, has been brought into the light of day. In a press release dated November 24, 2012, DNA Diagnostics Inc has revealed that a five-year long genome project, led by Dr. Melba S. Ketchum of Nacogdoches, TX has confirmed the existence of Bigfoot. “Dr. Ketchum can confirm that her team has sequenced 3 complete Sasquatch nuclear genomes and determined the species is a human hybrid: “Our study has sequenced 20 whole mitochondrial genomes and utilized next generation sequencing to obtain 3 whole nuclear genomes from purported Sasquatch samples. The genome sequencing shows that Sasquatch mtDNA is identical to modern Homo sapiens, but Sasquatch nuDNA is a novel, unknown hominin related to Homo sapiens and other primate species. Our data indicate that the North American Sasquatch is a hybrid species, the result of males of an unknown hominin species crossing with female Homo sapiens…”” So what does this mean? Quite simply, it means that Dr. Ketchum has potentially discovered genetic evidence that supports the existence of Sasquatch. Even though we’ve still yet to get a good glimpse of the big fella, if true, this revelation does much to legitimize cryptid research. As noted above, the findings suggest that Sasquatch’s maternal lineage is human, which begs the question, when did they diverge from our evolutionary path? The details of Ketchum’s study are set to be published in the near future, and it’s likely to spark a frenzied discussion about exactly what these findings mean. However, sceptics are already decrying the discovery, citing Ketchum’s methodologies and past behaviour as reason to deny her findings. It should be noted that, in general, scientific findings such as these are not announced in this fashion. Typically the results of such research would be published for peer review and confirmation before being brought into a more public forum, but this fact alone does not negate the potential of her discovery. In light of her results, Ketchum, for one, is already calling for legal action to protect Bigfoot. “Genetically, the Sasquatch are a human hybrid with unambiguously modern human maternal ancestry. Government at all levels must recognize them as an indigenous people and immediately protect their human and Constitutional rights against those who would see in their physical and cultural differences a ‘license’ to hunt, trap, or kill them.” Whatever these findings mean in the long run, it’s encouraging to see that mainstream science is beginning to take paranormal topics seriously. For more information, see the preliminary press release here: http://www.dnadiagnostics.com/press.html As many already know, this story has developed into an internet fiasco. Read more about the Ketchum drama here: Bigfoot; The Ketchum Story

Nemesis is a downloadable pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts. It is the fourth and final DLC to come out for the game. The DLC has a red color scheme for its label. The DLC was released on August 5th, 2014 on Xbox Live (Xbox 360 and Xbox One), and on September 4, 2014 for PlayStation Network (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4) and PC (Steam). Like the previous DLC, Invasion, this DLC pack does not include any new weapon, unlike the first two DLC packs that came before it, Onslaught and Devastation, which introduced the Maverick/Maverick-A2 and the Ripper, respectively. Multiplayer Maps[edit | edit source] Showtime - A reimagined version of the fan-favorite Shipment from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, fight for your life in a futuristic death arena. The Slot Machine Field Order delivers one of three random rewards: a map-wide turret system, an airdrop of multiple care packages, or a deadly gas attack. Subzero - A Canadian submarine base with strong interior and exterior positions. Complete a Field Order to call in the snow beasts, shadowy monsters that hunt down any enemies caught in the blizzard. Extinction Episode 4: Exodus[edit | edit source] - Main article: Exodus (Extinction) The fourth and final episode of Extinction is known as Exodus. Earth is overrun with Cryptids, and humanity’s last hope is a space shuttle containing the world’s brightest minds. The CIF team must activate the power consoles necessary to launch the shuttle, but in their way is nearly every Cryptid species encountered in previous episodes. They will also have to deal with the Ancestors – a powerful new enemy with mind control and psionic attacks. The fate of mankind rests in your hands in the largest Extinction experience ever. Easter Eggs[edit | edit source] As with all of the previous map packs, players can find easter eggs on the DLC Multiplayer maps and earn bonus XP for completing the passive "Egg Hunt" operation. Each of Nemisis' four DLC maps has one "Extinction Egg" hidden somewhere in the map, and must be shot once to count towards the task. Once all four are found, players are rewarded a bonus 2000XP. This can only be done once, but it also must be done in a public multiplayer match, not in a private match or Squads. - Dynasty: At the A Dom Flag, the southwest corner, look out west towards the harbor, there is a small boat with red sails; the Egg is sitting on its back deck. - Goldrush: Go to the south mine shaft, move towards the edge of the ground and look east into a cavern in the back wall; the Egg is hanging on the left part of the cavern. - Showtime: Go west across the B Dom Flag towards the west wall where the stage with the pyrotechnics going off is at; climb up the two black boxes, sprint jump over onto the shack with the red-orange 1 2 3 signs, look in the room with the broken windows and the Egg is inside. - Subzero: Go to the northeast corner where the missile silo door is partially open. Jump on top of the latching mechanism on the ground, look down the silo tunnel, and the Egg is on the center right at the bottom of the tube. Additionally, when players survive through the first door/generator on Exodus after the Eggs are found, they get an additional 10,000 XP on Extinction. And finally, when the players have found and achieved all the Extinction Easter Eggs in all four of the DLC packs, they will earn an Extinction Egg patch for Multiplayer.

|Guide||♦||2 Triplogs||0 Topics| Go prepared! - Caving Checklist A Cryptid Habitat ? Geology: Just 20,000 years ago lava flowed into the Hat Creek area. The top crust hardened as the lava continued to flow underground. Eventually the lava flow slowed and drained out of these now formed lava tubes. The shape resembles man made subway tunnels thus the name. Subway cave is the largest accessible cave that has been located in the Hat Creek area. Legend: The Atsugewi Indians lived in the area. They are also referred to as the Hat Creek Indians and belonged to the larger nation of Pit River Indians. Historians believe their population to have been about 3,000. The Atsugewi avoided the caves as they believed an ape man lived in the caves. This could be an early sighting of Sasquatch. Warning: This is an unescorted trip underground. Make sure you are prepared to Spelunk with proper preparation, equipment and a partner. Visibility underground is zero without a flashlight. Flashlights are available for rent at the Old Station information center just a half mile south of Subway Cave on Highway 89. There are some low ceilings and the cave floor is rough, rocky and unforgiving if you fall. The cave temperature is a constant 46 degrees. Hike: After a short walk from the trailhead, stairs lead into the cave. After your eyes adjust to the darkness the beauty of the cave starts to reveal itself to your senses. Done in a clockwise direction you enter at the Devils Doorway and proceed down Stubtoe Hall. Around the first bend a test of lights out will amaze at how dark it can be. Proceeding thru the wind tunnel the ceilings will range from 6 feet to 19 feet tall. Hesitating here you can feel a slight breeze. Arriving at a Y, taking a left you will dead end at Lucifers Cul-de-sac. Return to the main cave bear left thru the Sanctum. You then come across a partial collapse which is reassuring. The cave is 1300 feet long but seems much further when traveling it. Stairs at the far end will bring you out into the blinding sunshine and the trail circles around back to the trailhead. Check out the Triplogs.

With interests in science and nature, I explores topics from a unique and sometimes controversial perspective. The Mermaid Legend We humans have been fascinated by mermaids for a long time. A few hundred years ago, the myth of beautiful semi-human women living beneath the sea was widely believed by superstitious sailors, many of whom spent weeks or months crossing foreboding oceans. But even today people love mermaids. They’re everywhere, from animated films to Vegas-style shows to confusing so-called documentaries. Most mermaids are depicted as beautiful, female creatures, alluring and gentle and possibly a bit naïve about the ways of us landlubbers. But it wasn’t always so. In ancient times, mermaids usually brought bad news in the form of shipwrecks, death by drowning, and storms. Even pirates feared that mermaids might trick them out of their loot, or send their ship to the bottom of the sea out of vengeance. Woe to the sailor who crossed a mermaid. In the olden days, sailors and ship passengers spotted mermaids all the time, and many ocean-going folks regarded mermaids as real creatures of the sea. Of course, many experts write these sightings off as the delirious hallucinations of seamen who had been out on the ocean too long, away from women or any other civilization for that matter. Some cite the manatee as a possible culprit when it comes to animals which may have been misidentified as “mermaids”. That makes sense well enough. Mermaids and other sea monsters are likely the products of wild imaginations and too many hours spent at sea. If that's true, we’d have to think there would no longer be mermaid sightings in modern times. The oceans of the world are well explored and people are (theoretically) much wiser when it comes to what’s really out there beneath the waves. As our collective knowledge of the sea increased, mermaids should have vanished into the realm of superstition and myth. But that's not the case. There are alleged mermaids sightings even today, from around the world. So, what are these people seeing? Eventually, we can't help but wonder if there is something to these stories, and if sailors from days of old maybe weren't so delirious after all. Do mermaids exist and, if so, where is the proof? How could it be possible that a half-woman, half-fish is really out there? Mermaid Myths vs Real Stories Like any cryptid with an enduring legacy, people from around the world claim to see mermaids. Unfortunately, there is also the occasional hoax, manipulated video footage, and plain-old honest mistake. For this reason, it’s important to take any sightings account with a grain of salt. But there are a lot of mysterious creatures allegedly out there, tucked away in the shadows, safe from mainstream science. Is it possible mermaids are real but elusive animals, hidden beneath the vast veil of the world’s oceans?. There’s a big problem with this idea. Mermaids, mermen – merfolk – are described as having the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. This works just fine for mythology, as there are all kinds of creatures with mixed-up bodies throughout ancient legend, but it makes things tough when we look at it from a biological perspective. Humans are mammals and fish are, well, fish. You don't need a doctorate in marine biology to figure out that humans and fish have very different physiologies, and it’s pretty much impossible for a creature to retain the characteristics of both. The pairing doesn’t work. On the other hand, perhaps we’re taking the “fish” part too literally. Witnesses who see mermaids often catch only a fleeting glimpse, and may only describe their tails as “fish-like” for lack of a better word. Ancient sailors and seamen may not have known any other way to describe them. But what if mermaids are, in fact, 100% mammalian? There are numerous well-known examples of aquatic mammals with fin-like tails: Whales and dolphins, dugongs, and manatees. Even pinnipeds, with their flipper feet, could be mistaken for having fish-like tails. Does this mean there is a species of undiscovered mammal that closely resembles humans swimming around in the ocean? Aquatic Ape Theory Conventional theory on human evolution states that at some time in the distant past the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens descended from the trees, left the forests, and moved out into the savannah. In this environment most of the evolutionary changes that separate us from the apes took place. But there is a minority opinion in the field of anthropology that disagrees. They say by the time we moved into the savannah we had already been through a great deal of evolution because a close ancestor of Homo sapiens underwent an aquatic phase. This is known as the Aquatic Ape Theory / Hypothesis. According to its proponents, our ancient ancestors would have spent a great deal of time in the water, perhaps the majority of the day, and would have begun to exhibit certain evolutionary adaptations to this lifestyle. Before these attributes could fully develop, circumstances forced our ancestors out of the water and into the savannah. Aquatic Ape Theory Explained in Detail Evidence Suggesting the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis Champions of this Aquatic Ape Theory cite several attributes modern humans share with aquatic mammals, which are not present in savannah mammals: - Relative hairlessness: Other hominids are covered with hair, even though they may come from the same areas of the world where mankind evolved. Why did our ancestors lose their fur coats? According to Aquatic Ape Theory (AAT) it was because they were spending a lot of time in the water. Like with other aquatic mammals, all that hair just got in the way. - Bipedalism: The ability to walk on two legs gives us great advantages over other animals, namely the ability to move at high speeds while still having our hands available for tool (or weapon) use. But proponents of AAT say this adaptation didn’t evolve on the savannah, but in the ocean. An upright body would give our ancestors an advantage when it comes to getting to the surface and breathing air, or keeping their heads above water when wading in shallows. - Body fat: Humans have more fat than any other primate, and gain fat at an exceptional rate when compared to other mammals. You may think this is because of fast food and five-cent-wing happy hours, but according to AAT, it is because, like whales and dolphins, our ancestors were aquatic mammals. It’s not just the amount of fat we carry, but where it’s distributed. Much of our fat is subcutaneous, or under the skin, and that, they say, is more indicative of an aquatic environment. - Large brains: Some proponents of AAT have insinuated that our impressive brain-to-body ratio is due to an aquatic past. They say the fats and other substances found in seafood contributed to the evolution of a better brain, and only when our ancestors began to spend more time in the sea did this big brain become possible. - Respiratory system: AAT advocates suggest that our ability to control our breathing is unusual for a land mammal and more indicative of those that have evolved in an aquatic environment. Furthermore, the position of our larynx seems more like an aquatic mammal and is unlike other land mammals. Aquatic Ape Theory and Mermaids So what does Aquatic Ape Theory have to do with mermaids? Nothing, really. AAT is a concept subscribed to by a very small number of researchers, and even they do not extrapolate it out to suggest an explanation for the mermaid phenomenon. When people talk about Aquatic Ape Theory, really they’re only talking about human evolution, not mermaids. But it doesn’t take much imagination to wonder what might have happened if supporters of AAT are correct. And, if not all of our ancestors left the sea and moved to the savannah. What if some stayed in the ocean, and continued to evolve into mermaids? This is the theory explored by Animal Planet in their 2012 pseudo-documentary Mermaids: The Body Found. The film was shot with a real vibe to it, and many people were so convinced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association had to put out a short post stating their position on the subject. Their conclusion: Mermaids are, indeed, mythical. Aquatic Ape Theory does present a compelling explanation for how a fully aquatic human-like creature may have evolved. Like modern whales that evolved from land mammals long ago, is it possible that a species of ape, descended from the same ancestors as we humans, may have evolved a flipper tail while retaining a human-like upper body? To live a fully aquatic life in the ocean a hominid would have to undergo amazing evolutionary changes. If true, no doubt it was driven into the sea in search of food. But how does it hunt? How does it avoid predators? How smart is it? How deep can it dive? Where does it live? So many questions arise out of this scenario, and all we can do is speculate. The Evolution of Mermaids What Would a Real-life Mermaid Be Like? The following is only theory, but if we assume mermaids evolved from a similar ancestor as humans we can make some educated guesses about their lifestyle, behavior and some of the attributes they may possess: - Intelligence: With big brains and a lineage close to modern humans, mermaids have to be pretty smart. Dolphins and whales are fairly intelligent as marine mammals go, but mermaids would be far beyond their level. This no doubt made adaptation to an aquatic environment easier, as their problem-solving skills would have helped them along the way. - Social Living: Humans, and our ancestors, are/were social animals. If mermaids are real, they probably live in small groups and work together in a social community. Might they construct habitat under the ocean? Who knows, but at the very least they must maintain contact with each other and coordinate their efforts. - Tool Use: It seems likely that a big-brained primate would utilize tools. Do they construct and use specific tools? If they do, we haven’t found them. At the least, we’d have to assume that, like chimpanzees, they may use objects like rocks or other undersea items as tools. - Elusive and Rare: The ocean is a dangerous place, and no doubt mermaids would be on the menu for many creatures, just as humans were on the African savannah. They would have learned to hide and stay clear of danger quite well, one would think. This brings up an unlikely comparison to another well-known elusive hominid: Bigfoot. If Bigfoot is able to remain hidden in the woods of North America, what are the chances we would ever find a mermaid in the vastness of the ocean? - Predatory Behavior: It was food that drove our ancestors close to the ocean, and if AAT is correct it was food that sent them into it. While it’s likely that mermaids may enjoy some ocean veggies, the protein and essential fats from shellfish and other sea life are what AAT points to as the driving force behind brain expansion. They may or may not be taking down large prey, but certainly, we can assume mermaids are catching and eating lobsters, shrimp, clams, mussels, and other easy-to-grab critters. - Dangerous to Humans: While they wouldn’t likely prey on humans, in the same way you wouldn’t corner an adult chimp or gorilla it is probably wise to avoid a confrontation with a mermaid. Especially in their own environment, one would think they would be more than equipped to quickly dispatch a creature as feeble as a human. Do Mermaids Really Exist? Back in 2009, locals in the town of Kiryat Yam, Israel, claimed to see a strange creature offshore in the evening. They described it as having the body of a young girl and the tail of a fish. The town offered a one-million-dollar reward to anyone who could show concrete evidence of this mermaid, but so far it has gone unclaimed. Was this a real mermaid? If mermaids are really out there, and Aquatic Ape Theory really does explain their evolution, they probably don’t look much like pretty, young girls. And, they wouldn’t have tails like fish. They would be like any other mammal in the sea: perfectly evolved at the skills necessary to find food, avoid predators, make baby mermaids, and not much else. Once we put the pieces together we can see that any mermaids that evolved from this set of circumstances would probably be intelligent and adept at defending themselves. They might live in social groups, and they might use tools. They might even be dangerous, as early sailors warned. Unlike in the movies, an encounter with a mermaid may not be a pleasant thing. In many minds, this makes mermaids even more interesting. An aquatic descendant from the same family tree as humans would, like in the Animal Planet film, turn science on its ear. Unfortunately, just like in the film, until we have a body it’s all just theory. The Mermaid Poll dave schulz on January 20, 2020: William don't know where you got that idea. If you show harm of course that may happen, that sure happens with sasquatch. In their own rights they are a beautiful god created beings just as the sasquatch. Respect is key here. dave william c otto on January 18, 2020: i know this creatures found themselves bound to the depths of the sea,far away from any wicked,some people are denying the right to observe them,you must not deliver a gospel about that creature, it's bad-luck dave schulz on January 16, 2020: I think they exist, have seen a few pictures of dead ones and heard a story of a alive merman on the other side of Vancouver island. dave mama on November 17, 2019: oh jeez I'm not sure if they really exist but wth the little idea of what I know abt mermaids, I think they are real. marc verhaegen on March 27, 2019: For a scientific update of the Littoral Theory of human evolution (more accurate term than "aquatic ape"), please google "coastal dispersal 2019 Verhaegen". Xiomara Alejandre on January 07, 2019: we may know a lot about planets land animals and sea creatures but we don't know much about mythical creatures even if their was someone out there who knows about mythical creatures that might not mean that we have to listen to what he discovered maybe if that person knows it would be better if we found out ourselves. like a quote says "take it from someone who doesn't know much rather than someone who is wise" by Xiomara Alejandre. "Take it from someone who believes rather then a person who doesn't believe" by Xiomara Alejandre and in case your asking yes I did make that quote I even bet my life that I made the quote but don't come chasing after I really want to be a poet or a quote artist ;) kenneth e allbee on June 25, 2018: mermaids do really exist Ed Kwasnick on March 25, 2018: We know far more about the moon than we know about our oceans. We constantly discover species of fish thought to be extinct. Maybe we have just not yet discovered a mermaid. cryptid (author) from USA on November 08, 2017: Thanks for the kind words, Blandina. Unfortunately that's the best I can do on author info. There is plenty of info out there on aquatic ape theory, though. Good luck with your presentation! Blandina on November 07, 2017: I really like your article, I wish I could use this for a presentation of these theory's , I would like to use you as a source , however there's not enough information about the author. GGlove84 on July 07, 2017: I'm sorry but the evidence is there. If you believed everything the Goverment tells you, then I feel sorry for you. The Danish National museum actually has a real mermaid skeleton for people to see. Also, are many fossils barrier that were found by archiologists. The natives and Egyptians made ancient cave paintings of mermaids. All of the explorers documented seeing mermaids. People nowadays have seen them, but they are fast sea creatures impossible to trap. Finally, 95% of the ocean is undiscovered, so instead of discovering new planets or going to the moon, we should be learning more about out oceans, flat earth, saving dangered species. Don't get me started on the underground cities, reptilians, mind control, human and animal experimentation, Area 51, ect that the gov deny. Me on February 08, 2017: well they honestly could exist we as humans haven't discovered all of the more than 50% of the oceans, so i believe they exist. Also, you did an amazing job on the article cryptid (author) from USA on December 26, 2016: @someone: The Animal Planet show was not a real documentary; however, it did present some interesting theories on how mermaids might exist, if they do. someone on December 25, 2016: I watched the documentary from animal planet. In that story they found a body, is this a real one or just a fake one to make the theory more thrustworthy? Because I'm just not sure. cryptid (author) from USA on July 18, 2016: @Malak: Presumably mermaids would give birth to live young in a similar way as other marine mammals. Malak on July 16, 2016: This is really interesting good job xoxox Btw someone knows how do mermaids give birth ?????? Anomynous on July 02, 2016: Evolution doesn't exist. Mermaids don't exist. davante on February 29, 2016: I believe it. We only discovered 15% or so of the wirlds species. I makes to much sense. Sea levels rising, vast oceans that havent been fully explored. We thought the Kraken was fake... giant squid pops up. Maybe they arent pretty but adapting to the ocean they pribably would be bluish or grey. Communicate with sonar or something like whales. Swim fast have big black eyes to see underwater and be extremely strong especially on land. Holding their breathe for long periods of time. Maybe they are simewhere in the bermuda triangle or antartica, you never know but i wouldnt say its not real. Science is great but sucks if you dont have evidence. I believe in mernaids just as much as i believe in aliens HI on February 02, 2016: MERMAIDS ARE VERY REAL! Chelsea on August 27, 2015: What if mermaids are on the top of the food chain? Imagine, humans became the top of the food chain because of our intelligence with weapons, etc. What if mermaids were able to reach our same level? Surely an interesting thought. Shandiin on June 11, 2015: Mermaids are really real and special to the world Subham Roy on May 26, 2015: Yaa its really verymuch Interesting. Anything in this world is possible.And I think people should Investigate there... And Oceans are too vast As More vast than land. cryptid (author) from USA on May 21, 2015: Thanks nathalia. I'm not sure I believe mermaids exist either, but I do think the Aquatic Ape hypothesis is interesting on several levels. Nancy on May 20, 2015: I like your article on mermaid although I don't believe that they exist. prince bethel from Africa on February 06, 2015: I believe mermaids exist. I know there is a different world under the sea, as big as the normal terrestrial world. They live like normal humans, buy and sell, get married, and even visit our own plane to make friends with humans. Nice hub, so interesting! cart1234 on January 22, 2015: A great read,loved the meg article I don't go in Tue ocean But love the thought that if meg h nted like a great white,and they can jump out the water up to 6 ft imatine what meg could do..wow. Susette Horspool from Pasadena CA on November 13, 2014: I would assume that these animals are not dangerous to mermaids, unless mermaids threaten them. Same is true on land. Dolphins, especially, are always friends to mermaids in the old stories. I can easily see them fishing together, playing together, mermaids even helping sick dolphins get well - sewing up deep cuts, etc. cryptid (author) from USA on November 13, 2014: Hi Siphiwe. We have to assume mermaids would have developed strategies to evade predators, just as other medium-sized marine mammals have, and just has early humans did on the savanna. Some of the them surely do not escape from sharks, etc! SIPHIWE THEMBA on November 12, 2014: this is interesting but i would like to know how do they survive or live in water with dangerous fishes like; Sharks and Dolphines Susette Horspool from Pasadena CA on October 07, 2014: I also think that's possible, vineliner. Plus we're polluting the shores and waters close to shore so much that it must not be tenable anymore for mermaids to live close to humans. cryptid (author) from USA on October 07, 2014: Could be, vineliner. Certainly if mermaids do exist they must have adapted in some way that makes them very rare to the human eye. Hal Gall from Bloomington, IN on October 06, 2014: I recently read an article saying the reason why the mermaid sightings are so rare is that they have moved to deeper waters due to being hunted. Don't know if that is true, but it seems plausible. peachy from Home Sweet Home on October 05, 2014: there are a lot of mermaid sightings but not proven yet cryptid (author) from USA on October 05, 2014: Interesting thoughts, watergeek. I agree we need to see serious evidence to accept such an outlandish idea. However, in itself Aquatic Ape Theory is fascinating to ponder in regard to human evolution. Thanks for your comment! Susette Horspool from Pasadena CA on October 05, 2014: It's funny how many of us who write about mermaids use that drawing of the mermaid combing her hair. It's certainly alluring, isn't it? I agree that if mermaids still exist, they must be intelligent. I also agree that we won't know for sure until we see actual evidence - humans are like that. But I wouldn't go so far as to dismiss the possibility outright, until we've explored more than just the 5% of the ocean that the NOAA says we have. cryptid (author) from USA on October 03, 2014: Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. Yes, unfortunately the documentary was a hoax, but I still give them credit for coming up with an interesting theory. rls8994 from Mississippi on October 03, 2014: This was such an interesting hub to read. I watched that documentary as well and then found out it was a hoax which was disappointing. I think it is certainly possible that creatures such as this exist. Maybe one day we will know for sure :) Chauncey St Clair from New York City on October 02, 2014: I saw the documentary a couple of years ago and found it very interesting. I liked the "furthering" of a Darwinian concept. I don't see why we should write off the aquatic ape theory. What if it's already happening as we speak and we are several million years away from it becoming a reality. Great article, thanks for writing it! Carissa from ky on October 02, 2014: I watched that one document not too long ago... it gave me the creeps. But I was fascinated Anthony Altorenna from Connecticut on October 02, 2014: Mermaids are real. Well, not the sirens that lured ships into the rocks but the sailors of yore thought they saw something. So whatever 'it' was, it was real enough to them. But no, there are no real mermaids. cryptid (author) from USA on September 21, 2014: They're not, coolcat . . . yet. coolcatkidd on September 19, 2014: Why are mermaids a big. Problem cryptid (author) from USA on September 11, 2014: Careful, Charly. People who say things like that often later end up saying things like, "I never believed in Mermaids until the day when . . . " :-) Charly on September 10, 2014: Mermaids, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, blah, blah, blah. Don't exist. All just books, stories, cartoons and movies to keep us entertained and we're entertained alright. Thoroughly. wonder on September 02, 2014: Well, if we have not found it out yet... I think it won't happen ?? Crystal skulls are real. But we have not found crystal boddies... cryptid (author) from USA on September 01, 2014: Thanks Robert. What a life indeed! I suspect any aquatic human ancestors didn't have it so easy though. robertzimmerman2 on August 31, 2014: Interesting read and it made me think of the Japanese monkeys that sit in the hot springs all the time. What a life! Alan from West Georgia on August 07, 2014: This is very interesting, there are many things that humans have left to discover. Maybe one day someone can actually confirm the existence of these mystical creatures. cryptid (author) from USA on July 22, 2014: Great points, Lindani! lindani kumalo from jo'burg on July 22, 2014: i too believe that perhaps there is more to creation than what we know presently, as for the controversy of whether the species should or shouldn't be discovered, i think that the aquatic apes may be an endangered species, imagine the amount toxicity the air has on human health, how much more devastation could our technologies have on these creature if left unattended, i am thinking of cause about all the oil spills, rubbish dumping and unattended fish traps the world over, here in South Africa for example, about twenty tonnes of debris of worn down vessels is dumps in the oceans annually, i think they should be protected like the rhinos and the like troutflytim on July 02, 2014: Bigfoot is real and I've seen one. Our egocentric view that we know all there is to know about this planet will slowly shrink as does the space on it shrinks...you will see the proof soon. mbuggieh on June 10, 2014: Yes---the entire "documentary" was a hoax; a total fabrication. cryptid (author) from USA on June 10, 2014: Hi Dango. Unfortunately, I think most of that evidence was fabricated for the Animal Planet documentary. Dango on June 09, 2014: There has been artifacts pulled from fish out of nets, look like ancient spears. There was a body recovered from a military sonar testing that some scientists found, but come later the government confiscated body saying it was contaminated with human dna. dynamite on March 01, 2014: i prefer the megalodon cryptid (author) from USA on February 02, 2014: Thanks satari6122. It is interesting to wonder what might really be out there! satari6122 on February 01, 2014: I love this. It's great, and I do believe that mermaids, along with other mythical creatures, do exist. Lovely article. x Smart girl 101 on October 14, 2013: Exactly we only descoverd 1.8 percent of the ocean Hercules Rockafeller on October 14, 2013: I only have 1 problem...our oceans are NOT well explored, in fact, it is the complete opposite. We have explored more of the moon than our oceans. Other than that, good read. cryptid (author) from USA on August 06, 2013: Thanks skperdon! I sure do love the mystery of it all! You have some fascinating ideas yourself there. skperdon from Canada on August 06, 2013: Interesting hub Crytid! I've always loved fantasy stories especially the beautiful ones and have often wondered whether they stem from real creatures long ago. Maybe some of these creatures were created by science experiments. I have also watched documentaries that unravel myths of yore, I have also seen documentaries of the wonder stories of the Hindu Gods, the present speculations are that these were alien beings that visited earth a long time ago. Similar to speculations that the pyramids were built by aliens a long time ago. Don't you just love the mystery of it all? Swinter12 from Earth on August 04, 2013: I had never heard of this before...truly interesting! cryptid (author) from USA on June 08, 2013: Possibly, John, but hopefully not all of them! john on June 07, 2013: mermaids got eatan by megaladon cryptid (author) from USA on November 20, 2012: I agree about the fish tank thing, Qudsia. On the other hand, if they are out there part of me sure would like to know! QudsiaP1 on November 20, 2012: Cryptid, I watched that animal planet session where they talked about it. I was absolutely amazed by it and why not? Surely there is more to heaven and earth than we know of and much like the ending of the documentary; I would much rather prefer mermaids remain a mystery than become ornaments of huge fish tanks and circuses. cryptid (author) from USA on November 20, 2012: Stclairjack from middle of freekin nowhere,... the sticks on November 20, 2012:

The Story of The Batsquatch – the terror that Mount St. Helens awoke 1980, up in Washington State, God itching to once more throw his weight around… KABOOM!!! Everything goes tea kettle up, white becomes black, black becomes white, up is down, down is sideways, Mother Earth hugs the toilet rim of existence like a bachelor post-party pre-wedding; the whammy of all hangovers. Mount St. Helens has gone so nuclear that even Hiroshima feels like a wide-eyed pre-school kid looking at how the seniors really get things done. The Earth stands still, and from the wreckage, from that “Dead Zone”, after the terrible noise, in that horrid landscape of ash, death, and silence, something wicked stirred. The mountain was tucking itself back to sleep, letting Morpheus take her away, but something demonic would not follow its example. Nothing could have stood the onslaught unleashed by St. Helens, at least nothing human. On the fringes of that desolate plane, the Batsquatch spread its wings and roared!!!! The Skinny on the Batsquatch The Batsquatch is a huge flying cryptid/monster/pipedream/great micro-brewed IPA that was apparently sighted near Mount St. Helens right after the 1980 eruption. The creature is similar to the Ahool and Orang Bati of South Asia; a primate with the distinction of leathery batwings. The whatever it is, shares a great deal of commonality with the legendary Mothman of Virginia, we’ll get to that in a moment. Its name derives from the words “bat” and another of the Washington States world-famous cryptids, the Sasquatch. Stories of the creature abound, particularly in the aftermath of that hectic world-shaking volcanic event. Its status has shifted over the years; from a supernatural event to a folkloric manifestation of Washington’s collective consciousness. Like the Loveland Frogman or the Jersey Devil, Batsquatch has been adopted by the natives and has become an icon of its land. A mascot that’s even featured on the label of one of the region’s most popular beers. Mount St. Helens’s Hissy Fit The Batsquatch awakened from its dormant hibernation when the Washington State’s natural icon, Mount St. Helens got a bit of indigestion… the equivalent of 1.600 times the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II indigestion. As far as wakeup calls go, 24 megatons of thermal energy, was a doozy. To say the Batsquatch woke up grumpy would be underselling the amount of “I hate Monday’s” venom the thing was spewing. Mount St. Helens had remained dormant for almost 140 years. Its last period of activity occurred between the 1840s and the 1850s. That long slumber was interrupted in March 1980… the day Jimmy Carter asked himself: “why did I want to be President again? Sick and tired of getting woken up in the middle of the night by a toady whispering in my ear: ‘trouble.” From below, everyone stared in disbelief and amazement as the tall-tales signs of something fishy going on were visible from the summit of the volcano. A series of blast smacked the region into a panic on May 18, 1980. By the time everyone got their heads on straight Mordor had erupted. A huge explosive cataclysm, the type Micheal Bay can’t get enough of, blanketed the sky and blotted out the sun; Nature showing the other reprobates in the prison yard why “mama” deserves respect. It is the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history. And the aftermath wasn’t a picnic either. The eruption was followed up by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes. Plumes of toxic fumes and cascading magma fractured the landscape and even created a large bulge and break on the mountain’s north slope. The event was an economic groin punch. For years the region couldn’t get back on its feet, and the Federal Government was feeling the blowback of helping out and shelling out relief aid. Jimmy Carter’s political career never recovered and to a degree, his approval ratings suffered from this calamity. Approximately, 57 people were killed during the blast. More the 200 houses, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway, were erased from the face of the earth in the blink of an eye. Toxicity and leftover ash from the blast might have been responsible for countless other deaths throughout the years. When U.S. President, Jimmy Carter, surveyed the damage he declared that the zone looked as desolate as moonscape photos from NASA missions. And, if tall-tales are to be believed, another of the consequences of the St. Helens eruption is the Batsquatch. A Description of the Batsquatch The Batsquatch is said to be a large humanoid monstrosity clocking in at more than 9 feet tall and weight of two grown grizzly bears. The creature is said to have piercing yellow eyes, blue-tinged dark fur, razor-sharp teeth, a wolf-like muzzle, bird-like wings, a broad muscle-bound torso, and bat-like wings that span up to fifty feet. The beast is also said to have psychic abilities. Telekinetic powers allow it to affect man-made objects like car engines, radios, and television sets. The first sightings of the monster occurred post St. Helens’ eruption. The appeared everywhere. Curious folks, rescuers, investigators, or anyone trampling around the blast zone were aware – from word of mouth warnings – that something roamed the area. At night, during those few years after the eruption, only the brave and foolish would dare go out into the darkness and try their luck. For years, the Batsquatch was a Washington State legend… a creepy crawler folks would frighten their children with. A legend, a tall-tale, folklore, and nothing more. The St. Helens eruption was slipping into the memory banks, the nation was recuperating, the region was getting back on its feet, why dwell on the bad? And part of that bad was the Batsquatch. The 1994 Fiasco In April 1994, Brian Canfield was driving in Washington’s Pierce County when his vehicle suddenly stalled. Canfield, smacked the thing a bit, got out, and popped the hood. He looked inside… when.. suddenly… BLAM. Something landed on top of his car, the vehicle’s suspension squirmed and buckled. Canfield, the hood blocking his view, swallowed, took a deep breath, and did like a lemur; he took a quick peek above the metal rim. Scratching his chassis, snarling, and looking like it wanted a fight, the Batsquatch stood. Canfield ran, the creature leaped. “Feet don’t fail me now!” When Canfield got back to town, the back of his shirt was torn, his truck was all scratched, and his nerves were wrecked. People chalked it up to the man having one of “them nights.” In 2009 near Mt. Shasta in California, several hikers witnessed a huge creature with leathery wings fly out from a crevice in the mountain. The creature was either the dreaded Batsquatch or a pterodactyl/thunderbird. Descriptions vary. In June 2011 a man was in his yard walking his dog. The man went to pick up the dog when he saw something flying in the sky. “I saw something flying sky. It had bat wings, blue fur and had a face similar to eyes glowing red. It was about 9 feet tall at the least after I watched it just flew away. “ On April 14, 2014, at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron OH, a class witnessed a giant black mass zoom by the window of their homeroom at flash-like speed. The phenomenon gains momentum every summer, particularly in campgrounds, as folks start to tell stories around the fire concerning the fearsome creature. The Mothman Connection Many parapsychologists and cryptozoologists can’t help but point out the incredible similarities between the Batsquatch and the Mothman phenomenon. - Both occurred during and after a cataclysmic event. - Both cryptids have the power to affect man-made objects. - Both cryptids have piercing blazing eyes and huge wings. The main difference, it would seem, is that Batsquatch seems more hostile and aggressive, whereas the Mothman is a more gentle creature. For more ghoulish tales and macabre mysteries, check out our blog.

If you’ve ever grown tired of the typical politicians running for office, you may be interested to learn about the Hodag: a mysterious cryptid that launched an unsuccessful bid for United States president in 2016. "...it was just a hulking, humanoid figure that was almost as black as the night around it..." "...there was a very large swirl in the water and up came a creature I was not prepared to lay my eyes on...." "I've met some people who swear they've seen Bigfoot... I've heard stories from people who... you have to believe them." "Michelle and I really struggled at first to decide how to approach the creatures. At the time we were writing this there were a large amount of Bigfoot style films being released like “Exists” and “Willow Creek”, so we knew to avoid that route. I had always wanted to see creatures that were almost more tree-like and blended with nature." Let's follow the trail of an elusive Dogman... photo. I noticed this story from the Mirror, whose headline read "Huge 7ft beast described as 'half human, half animal' leaves residents TERRIFIED after ‘savaging two dogs'." The story in the article mentions this that two dogs have been butchered (a German Shepard and a Pitbull), and … Continue reading Is it Real or the Werewolf from “Harry Potter?” Alleged Dogman photo from Argentina. "You can feel it when they are around..." The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word cryptid as “An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the yeti.” For the following witnesses to living cryptids, there is no dispute. In this series of National Cryptid Society’s case files, you will read what … Continue reading GET OUT: Bigfoot Force Michigan Homeowners to Leave Property "As we get closer it gets clearer, and I realize what I'm looking at is skinny, hairless and grey, human like but definitely not human." Four new National Cryptid Society Case Files for your consideration. 'Bownessie' has been recorded on camera several times in the last 11 years and I believe that the descriptions of the animal clearly pass the test for misidentification, with many of the sightings leaving little room for rebuttal of the plesiosaur theory.

Variety: Beta Film Sells YA Horror Series 'Cryptid' to Germany's Joyn Germany's Beta Film, a prime mover of this and next week's virtual TV marketplace, has sold "Cryptid," produced by Dramacorp for the Nordic Entertainment Group's Viaplay SVOD service, to Joyn, the new German AVOD venture launched in 2019 by Discovery and ProSiebenSat.1. Underscoring how regional and big national streaming services are now energizing production and distribution in Europe, the sale also marks a first cornerstone licensing pact on "Cryptid" which in its high-school YA horror tropes and comic book aesthetics, plus short format narrative, aims to break new ground in Europe. The series is also eliciting "strong interest from other big European territories," said Beta Film's Justus Riesenkampff. "Cryptid" is also the first project at a new specialized pan-European genre production brand which Dramacorp is launching later this year. Currently in final post-production, which is continuing under Dramacorp head Patrick Nebout despite COVID-19, "Cryptid" will world premiere in competition, as originally announced, at Canneseries. Though the TV festival has been pushed back to October's Mipcom, and MipTV cancelled, "the fact that MipTV is not taking place will not refrain us from offering it to buyers. We at Beta are adapting to the situation in creating a virtual marketplace for our content," Riesenkampff said. Shot in Swedish, "Cryptid" kicks off in what look like Nordic Noir style in a placid Swedish lakeside village of Mörkstad. But the sudden dramatic death of the high-school jock appeals far more to the cannons of YA gore. A group of students set out to explain the bamboozling death. They are drawn, however, in classic horror movie style, to the shores of the local lake, where four teens disappeared years before, dragged under its waters. The school authorities and parents refuse to believe that anything is awry: When one student, who has witnessed the death, returns home, traumatized by the demise, over dinner his father prefers to talk about a recent exhibition than the extraordinary and inexplicable event at school. Developed from a pitch by graphic novelist Sylvain Runberg, "Cryptid" is directed by David Berron ("Black Lake"). The writers' room mixes seasoned TV talent such as Morgan Jensen and Henrik Jansson-Schweizer who wrote and directed respectively "Superswede," with Jansson-Schweizer also taking a writing credit on "Midnight Sun," with key creatives from the YA space such as novelist Anna Jakobsson Lund. "Every sale is important to us, but Germany is an especially important market for Scandinavian drama," said Riesenkampff. He added: "We are happy to be able to deliver television that meets the requirements of new players such as Joyn; the fact that 'Cryptid' was created within the Beta Group means that our model of distributing content produced within the group also works in the new world of streaming, or maybe especially there." "'Cryptid' is one of Scandinavia's first young adult horror shows, it's a short form series, made up of 10 22-minute episodes and even though it's shot in Swedish and deals with universal teenage angst, it is not Nordic Noir," said Nebout, head of Dramacorp, a joint venture with Beta. "It's definitely not social-realistic," he added. "We're upfront about the genre. It's young adult content, and it's a supernatural thriller with clear horror elements." Looking to transfer the sensation of a graphic novella to the small screen, "the show's look and feel has its own identity. Tonally and visually the series has an heightened look, which is a departure from your typical Nordic show. SFX and VFX were designed to further enhance the graphic novel atmosphere," Nebout explained. He added: "Story-wise, there's inspiration from both Nordic mythology and cult gothic writer HP Lovecraft's universe. The end of the first season opens up for an extended universe, just as in many graphic novels."

The beast creature type includes most animalistic creatures, usually those that resemble cryptid, mythical, extinct or existing animals, most of them being mammals, birds or reptiles. Most creatures that look like animals but are not charmable are beasts. There are some animalistic creatures that have their own species though, such as dinosaurs. List of hostile NPCs - Only during or after quests.

Old news, but still big news: Unsolved Mysteries is now streaming on Amazon, and for free if you’re a Prime member. I’ve already written about five spooky segments from Season 1, but they’ve since added two more seasons. Season 2 admittedly misses more than it hits, but Season 3 is loaded with all-time classic segments. (It even has the one where that woman sweats gold foil.) Below are five more segments that I’ve deemed CREEPY, from the show’s second and third seasons. Not all of them are scary in an on-the-nose sort of way, but the thing about Unsolved Mysteries is that the segment could be about long-lost cousins and you’d still wanna shit. On Amazon: Season 3, Episode 1 This segment KILLED me as a kid. A family discovers a videocassette on the side of the road, which contains evidence of arson from an unknown locale. The video was recorded by the arsonist himself, who gnarls over footage of a house set ablaze with supernaturally-charged gibberish. I suppose I should’ve known from the barely-pubescent monster voice that this was just an idiotic prank gone too far, and sure enough, we’re later informed that the culprit was a troubled young man who flirted with satanism. (Specifically the sort of satanism that normally only exists on bad television, where all of the evil paraphernalia looks like junk from Pier 1.) Course, when the segment first aired, that information hadn’t yet been tacked on. I was ten years old at the time, and the idea of devilish boogeymen setting our house on fire and then doing spooky play-by-play from down the street kept me up night after night after night. SCARIEST PART: The arsonist said many strange things during the recording, but the line that struck everyone most was “LOOK AT IT, OMAR!” We were never given any information about who Omar might’ve been, but I pictured Lucifer from Ghosts ‘n Goblins. The Blinking Crucifix (aka Miracle Cross) On Amazon: Season 2, Episode 2 This segment wasn’t intended to be creepy, but I’d still call it one of the all-time scariest. Catholicism is filled with spooky imagery, and with no disrespect meant, I think a life-sized ceramic Jesus hanging bloodied on a six foot cross is waaay past my personal threshold. Making matters eerier, the segment suggests that the statue’s eyes may be opening and closing, meant as a sign from God. The witnesses interviewed sure seem to believe it, even if half of them appear more spooked than blessed. (For a segment about a religious miracle, there’s a pretty undeniable air of dread.) The shaky evidence was later dismissed by the Catholic church. Unsolved Mysteries tried to put a good spin on it, but research indicates that the pastor who originally went public stepped down soon after that dismissal. Skeptics could easily surmise that the miracle was simply invented to “drum up business,” so to speak, but that was certainly never proven, and it’s at least true that some people really truly believed that Jesus was blinking. SCARIEST PART: I don’t know if the statue used in the segment was the genuine article or a ringer, but boy was it hard to look at. The statue was cut to and zoomed in upon in ways that seemed specifically devised to make Jesus look spookier. The second image shown above stuck with me for years. Kelsay House Ghost (aka Samuel’s Ghost) On Amazon: Season 3, Episode 16 Objectively, the scariest-ever “ghost segment” on Unsolved Mysteries was Tallman House — aka Tallman’s Ghost — which if you’ll recall was the one about imaginary fires and invisible witches tormenting a family in every room of their house. Tallman House is not yet on Amazon, but this is a nice substitute that plays out like a diet version of that segment. It’s kind of a winding story, but here are the basics: Family buys old house. Old house is filled with spirits. Spirits “adopt” the family and randomly materialize as they see fit. It was an excuse for Unsolved Mysteries to dust off its most beloved effect, where you see glowing, semi-transparent people dressed like the cast of Westworld. Any segment that featured one of those ghosts was an auto-win, but this segment featured hordes of them. SCARIEST PART: After the homeowners move and rent the house to new tenants, the ghosts become more aggressive. One of them chases a little kid out of the house, and then evilly grins at him from the front window. It was obviously bullshit, but the shot of Grandpa Ghost peeping into the front yard was among the most chilling in Unsolved Mysteries history. On Amazon: Season 2, Episode 17 This segment isn’t exactly “creepy,” but I needed to work a cryptid in somewhere. Many of my favorite Unsolved Mysteries segments dealt with super fake but plausibly-possible creatures, ranging from Bigfoot to the Loch Ness Monster. It’s just pleasant nonsense to me now, but back in the day, I accepted even the worst evidence as concrete and imagined a world filled with apemen and Laprases. In this case we had Ogopogo, a sea serpent said to live in British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake. Remember Elliott from Pete’s Dragon? Take his head and throw it on a 50 foot snake body. That’s Ogopogo. This segment didn’t do much for Ogopogo’s credibility, as it leaned heavily on “serpent” footage that is outright proven to be a goddamned beaver. Stack is scripted to cast doubt, but the comparison photos could’ve only been more identical had they actually been identical. Sorry, Ogopogo. You’ll get ‘em next time. SCARIEST PART: There’s nothing inherently frightening about this segment, but the beauty of Unsolved Mysteries’ cryptid studies was that they left you imagining encounters with creatures that were even more bizarre. If you weren’t careful, you’d cook up serious nightmare fuel. Scared to Death (the Cindy James case) On Amazon: Season 3, Episode 18 I’ve written about the Cindy James case several times before, so I’ll try to keep this brief. After reporting incidents of harassment and violent attacks for years, Cindy James is found dead outside of an abandoned house. It absolutely looks like a murder, but it was almost certainly a suicide. It’s a creepy segment for sure, and it stays creepy no matter who you believe. It’s also a perfect example of why you should use Unsolved Mysteries more as a jumping-off point than a final word. If a particular segment seems fascinating, I strongly encourage you to look up more about its subject. Unsolved Mysteries naturally had to truncate these stories, but it often left out hard facts that would’ve completed altered how you perceived things. Given that this segment featured interviews with Cindy’s parents and hired investigator (all of whom believed in the “murder” scenario), the show treats the possibility of suicide with heavy skepticism. Having read several books about Cindy James, she was obviously the architect of her own harassment campaign, which culminated in what may have been an accidental suicide, but still a suicide. SCARIEST PART: It’s gotta be the shot of Cindy’s private investigator finding her unconscious with a threatening note stabbed through her hand. That actually happened in real life, and it’s so frightening to imagine Cindy doing it to herself. Look for more Unsolved Mysteries tributes in the near future. Hell, I could probably get two more articles out of Season 3 alone. It’s the show that keeps on giving, assuming that what you want is trouble sleeping.

Please help us congratulate Samantha San Miguel on the sale of SPINELESS!! From PW Children’s Bookshelf: Rachael Stein at Sterling Children’s Books has acquired Spineless, a middle grade debut by Samantha San Miguel that follows Algie Emsworth, whose asthma takes him from 19th-century London to a health resort in the jungles of Florida. An aspiring naturalist, Algie longs for adventure—but between a supposed curse, reckless poachers, and the possible discovery of a fabled cryptid, this trip might be more than he bargained for. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Hannah Fergesen at KT Literary negotiated the deal for world English rights. SPINELESS delves into a world I’ve never seen before in fiction: the sprawling, lush, and, astoundingly, historically accurate grand hotels of Florida’s jungles during the 19th century. The mystery and magic of this world comes through on every page, and I cannot wait for the world to experience the world Samantha has created and the characters who navigate it.

In technology they call it vaporware. In cryptozoology it's called a cryptid. But Nice Price or Crack Pipe is all about the cars, and that's why we call it... the Vector. Not only did the Wagoneer Limo get you to the show on time, but it evoked the inner Larry the Cable Guy in a few of you, producing a dead-even NPOCP vote! That's probably because the back roads behemoth was based on a beloved American legend- the Jeep Wagoneer. Another flag-waving automotive legend is that of a U.S.-built supercar intended to take on the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, and one that over the past 40 years has become more myth than motorcar. Jerry Wiegert grew up in Detroit. That may have had something to do with his following the dream of turning his junior high notebook drawings into three dimensional, four-wheel reality. Wiegert's first company was dubbed VDF, or Vehicle Design Force, where Uma Thurman played the funny one. They produced one fiberglass-shell mockup before being reformed as Vector Motors - named after that roller - and began a nearly 4 decade saga of unfulfilled dreams, unflagging self-promotion, and corporate drama. Along the way they announced various prototype cars, all stylistically based on that first, iconic VDF pusher. Although more fully engineered, and able to move under its own power, the next iteration of the Vector, the W2, never reached production. But that didn't stop Motor Trend magazine from producing annual cover stories touting its mythical performance and imminent availability. Wiegert took the car to every auto show and car-related event in the country, trying to drum up interest and venture capital. In the process, he racked up over 100,000 miles on the 600-bhp twin-turbo Chevy powered prototype. The successor W8 disposed of the Chevy for a Rodeck aluminum V8, with wet-sleeves and again the twin turbos. Shunning their reputation as nothing more than a tease, Vector actually produced 17 of the W8s- and sold them! Their most notable customer was Andre Agassi who spent less time with the car than he did married to Brooke Shields, returning it after breaking down despite having been warned that the car had been delivered unfinished. The W8 was followed up by the Avtech WX-3 which returned the company to its roots by not being produced. Shortly thereafter, Wiegert was forced out of Vector through a hostile takeover by the Indonesian company - and good Transformer - Megatech. That company also sought to forgo years of tradition and actually produce Vectors for public sale. They determined that the most expedient way to do so would be to throw out the aerospace tech semi-monocoque chassis and one-off racing motor, and replace them with the modified chassis and V12 engine from the Lamborghini Diablo, as, at the time, they owned that company as well. So, that's what we have today- a Vector M12 which is really a mid-nineties Lambo in drag. The switch from sidewinder to longitudinal engine placement means the Vector body had to be elongated, and the cabin pushed forward. While it still sports many of the iconic Vector styling cues, the proportions are funky and it just doesn't look right. The 4-cam Bizzarrini-legacy motor puts out a healthy 500-bhp, but that pales in comparison to the 1000-bhp Wiegert had promised back in the company's glory days. That's not to say this silver bullet can't get out of its own way, it should be blisteringly quick, and have a top speed in excess of 200-mph. And strangely, all the Lambo parts will mean repairs and maintenance will be easier. Plus, the Vector had Lambo doors before Lambo had Lambo doors. As you might expect, the mileage is as low as the roofline, at only 3,900, meaning it was probably only used by a little old lady to drive to church on Sundays. The condition looks factory fresh, and as one of only 14 ever built, the $139,900 cost buys you not only a very quick piece of history, but exclusivity as well- as long as you can get past the Miata turn signals and Cavalier tail lamps. After this car was produced, Megatech imploded, selling Lamborghini to VW/Audi, and the assets of Vector to local management, for pennies on the dollar. Jerry Wiegert bought them out and returned the company to its rightful position as the world's leading non-producer of supercars, a reputation it enjoys to this day. So, would you shell out $139,900 for a chance to own not just a car, but a soap opera star? Or, do you want to maintain your tradition of not buying Vectors? Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

By now you’ve probably heard America’s borders are under attack. Canada has launched an armada of killer geese in an attempt to shoot down American aircraft. Earlier this week, US Airbus 320 was struck by a flock of Canadian Geese, taking out its engines, and forcing it to crash into the Hudson River. Fortunately everyone survived, but be warned, killer geese are intent on striking again. As part of Dapper Cadaver’s Monster Mondays today I invite you to gander at a gaggle of ghoulish geese. Dromornis- The Great Goose of Armageddon Dromornis were flightless geese over 10 ft tall that ate meat and plants and terrorized Australias first aborigines. They were a cryptid known as Mihirung paringmal to the aborigines, and considered mythological until they’re skeletons were unearthed in the 20th century. These were basically dinosaurs dressed in goosedown. And there wasn’t just one of them, there were dozens of species, including the giant, carnivorous Bullockornis, so named because a giant killer goose sounds like a load of bullocks. Dasornis – The Toothed Terror of the Sky. These geese could easily take down a plane, since they were almost as big as a Cesna.Dasornis had a wingspan of 20 feet, and a long crocodile beak lined with jagged teeth. The circled the shores of England 50 million years ago. With such monsters in Gooses not to distant past, it’s no wonder they’re so prone to attack, whether by chasing you in the park or shooting down on passenger planes. So grab your pitchfork and light the torch, it’s time to storm the castles of Count Duckula

Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 29th, 2009 With the recent attention that an actress has brought to Nessie, it seems only fair to revisit the most famous celebrity cryptozoology sighting of all time. Which report would that be? President Jimmy Carter’s encounter with a cryptic attack rabbit? Commodore Stephen Decatur’s observation of the Jersey Devil? No, hands down, no pun intended, there is only one sighting that shall rank as the #1 entertainment cryptid event ever: It has to be the Anna-Marie Goddard incident. In August 1995, among the redwoods of California, a documentary crew was filming a pilot (“Adventures”) in which a Dutch model and actress named Anna-Marie Goddard (born January 13, 1970) was involved. By accident, a Bigfoot was seen and taped, after the production for their episode was filmed. Ms. Goddard has been called the “Playmate” in this incident because historically she had previously been chosen as the Playboy’s 40th Anniversary Playmate of the Month in January 1994. Goddard was also the Playmate of the Year for the Dutch edition of Playboy. She also had and has appeared in numerous Playboy videos. (There are lots of photos of Ms. Goddard that can’t be posted here, needless to say, but her presence on the Internet is widespread.) Anna-Marie Goddard does not appear in the so-called “Redwoods video” (although she is in outtakes I’ve privately viewed). But she was in the enlarged recreational vehicle (RV), being used as crew working space, when the moving images were taken. The footage was captured by chance as the members were joking around, relaxing, and taping each other with a personal hand-held videocam during the downtime after shooting. As was written afterwards: “Music plays, beers froth and the ever-present video camera is running as the crewmembers relax after a long week’s work.” The actual video most often shown, taken by crew member Craig Miller, demonstrates that a casual encounter does seem to have been captured on tape. An apparent upright Bigfoot is shown going in front of the film crew’s RV, and appears to be displaying an erect phallus. The undertones of Goddard’s presence are significant in analyzing this entire scenario and how this video is viewed. In my “Sex and the Single Sasquatch” writings and lectures, for years, I’ve been mentioning that it does seem some Bigfoot are attracted to trailers, almost as if the design of mobile homes and RVs parallel the construction of Orgone accumulators (a/k/a Orgone boxes), which are suppose to be sexual-energy-generating or -collecting containers. Are Sasquatch getting a sexually-related vibe from trailers, almost like an energy beacon that is drawing them nearer? I can think of several encounters near such objects, but there just is no other like the famed “Playmate” footage, later to be called the “Redwoods Video,” taped near a RV. Or is it because trailers, mobile homes, and RVs are most often located on the edges of civilization, at the fringes of rural and wild areas? Or has the “Redwoods Video” been overblown, having been erected in importance, beyond what it should have been? Suddenly, the driver glimpses a shadowy movement at the periphery of the headlights. “Look! It’s a f—ing bear!” he shouts to his companions. Eager to catch it on video, the cameraman zooms in on the retreating figure. Through the rain, the crew see what they take to be a massive, shaggy bear. It walks upright, arms swinging at its sides, around a slight bend in the road some 30m or so ahead. “Let’s go get it!” someone shouts. The driver accelerates forward as the hirsute figure glances warily back. But instead of the protruding snout of a bear, there is a flat, human-like face. “That’s not a bear,” one of them realises. “What is that?” asks another. The driver brakes to an abrupt halt as, without warning, the apparition steps in front of the oncoming vehicle and crosses the road in the direction of the nearby Smith River. The headlights reveal a hair-covered giant, towering nearly 2.5m (8ft) tall. “Switch to full beam,” someone urges. Taken aback by the bright beams, the figure raises its arms defensively, then moves with unhurried deliberate strides, pausing momentarily to glare back with a “what-the-hell-are-you-doing-here?” expression. “Oh my God … it’s Sasquatch!” someone exclaims. The astonished crew take in the sloping brow, broad flat nose, high flaring cheekbones and broad well-muscled neck and shoulders. And then the giant vanishes behind a massive redwood tree. In all, fewer than 30 seconds have elapsed. Attempts to follow it are futile in the rainy darkness…. For more, but uncritical, discussion on the Redwoods video, see BBC Wildlife, September 1998 by Jeff Meldrum and Richard Greenwell. The question must be asked, would the initial attention to this video even been there without Ms. Goddard’s involvement? Were not her outspoken candid statements that she had seen a Bigfoot (for example, on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and on “Weakest Link”) critical to this video being viewed more widely? What about acknowledging her bravery in coming forward as an eyewitness? What about examining the themes of speculation underlying this video because of her part in the story? While Goddard’s presence may be underplayed by some researchers, it is only proper to look at why this was originally entitled the “Playmate video,” giving her due credit for her openness about her experience. Clearly, her celebrity was important to having this whole event become known. This video is an enhanced version of (the former “Playmate video,” now) the “Redwoods video” (taken August 28, 1995, about 8:30 p.m.). The half-hour news program “Hard Copy” first aired the video on November 10, 1995. The item was entitled as “The Playmate and the Primate,” with host Terry Murphy saying it was “the exclusive video of Beauty and the Beast.” For the historical record, Dr. Jeff Meldrum renamed (around January 10, 1996) what was at first called the “Playmate Bigfoot video” to the “Redwoods video,” so it would be taken more seriously. Would you agree this is the most famous celebrity cryptozoology encounter? Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

Context? Context is for casuals.4.04 / 5.00 21,889 Views Hexagon Puzzle Game4.03 / 5.00 20,979 Views An old style, pixel-art noir adventure, inspired by classical point-and-click games.3.92 / 5.00 11,296 Views My dad made a new blog entry which is focusing on the topic of the Patterson Film - Y'know.. The famous Big Foot video that was captures in the 60's. He makes a few interesting points, just thought I'd let you guys know... We've discussed it a few times in this club and I figure he wouldn't mind hearing some opinions on the subject if you guys have an interest in it all. I still don't know what to think of the video or existence of the Big Foot personally - So I'm staying out of it. PSN ID: REDSiN66 I'm not entirely sure if this counts, but I did hear every once in awhile that Slenderman was a Cryptid or something like that. And if he really is, I will say that he and Bigfoot ran into eachother, Slenderman would make him look like a total wuss. " Finding originality on newgrounds is like reaching into a fishbowl and saying that you're fishing" -Natick Check out my Reddit, dudes. At 2/19/12 03:59 AM, Amaranthus wrote: I guess i'll just leave this here http://animal.discovery.com/tv/finding-bigfoot/map/. I watched all of the videos on the map and I have to say I wasn't impressed with any of them. I'm not saying that there is no chance that the yeti (or what ever you want to call it) exists but you have to admit that most of them seem like a guy in furry one piece PJs. The problem with these sorts of things is you'll always get the guys who just want to create a hoax and see if anybody will believe it. At 5/2/12 08:14 AM, Amaranthus wrote: I'm not even thinking that it's real. But i enjoy the illusion. I enjoy reading about the crop circles in the UK that turned out to be guys with planks. Sometimes you have to laugh at what some people can make others believe. I imagine they had a good laugh at the newspapers when they read them the next day. At 5/10/14 09:34 AM, Amaranthus wrote: Bump with a Loch Ness monster picture from this year. That's been debunked or whatever. It's a boat. That may not be the best source, but just look it up for yourself. I wish it was true though, the photo looks very convincing. Until fuckers do all this shit to disprove it. PSN ID: REDSiN66

More About the Author Hunter Shea is the product of a childhood weened on The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone and In Search Of. He doesn't just write about the paranormal - he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. His novels, Forest of Shadows, Evil Eternal , Swamp Monster Massacre , Sinister Entity, Hell Hole, The Waiting and Island of the Forbidden are published through Samhain Publishing's horror line. Hell Hole was named Horror Novel Reviews #1 horror novel of 2014. His first thriller novel, The Montauk Monster, was released June, 2014 as a Pinnacle paperback, and was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the best reads of the summer. His follow up Pinnacle novel, Tortures of the Damned, a post apocalyptic thriller, will be out July, 2015. That will be followed up by his latest cryptid tale, The Dover Demon in the fall through Samhain. His horror short story collection, Asylum Scrawls, is available as an e-book, straightjacket not included. Hunter is an amateur cryptozoologist, having written wild, fictional tales about Bigfoot, The Montauk Monster, The Dover Demon and many new creatures to come. A copy of his book, The Montauk Monster, is currently on display in the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, ME. He wrote his first novel with the express desire to work only with editor Don D'Auria at Dorchester (Leisure Horror). He submitted his novel to Don and only Don, unagented, placed on the slush pile. He is proof that dedicated writers can be rescued from no man's land. He now works with Don, along with several other agents and publishers, having published over ten books in just four years. Hunter is proud to be be one half of the Monster Men video podcast, along with his partner in crime, Jack Campisi. It is one of the most watched horror video podcasts in the world. Monster Men is a light hearted approach to dark subjects. Hunter and Jack explore real life hauntings, monsters, movies, books and everything under the horror sun. They often interview authors, crytid and ghost hunters, directors and anyone else living in the horror lane. Living with his wonderful family and two cats, he's happy to be close enough to New York City to get Gray's Papaya hotdogs when the craving hits. His daughters have also gotten the horror bug, assisting him with research, story ideas and illustrations that can be seen in magazines such as Dark Dossier. You can follow his travails at www.huntershea.com

Posted by: Loren Coleman on September 6th, 2006 The 70th anniversary of the Thylacine’s extinction is September 7th! Do they still walk among us? Did Steve Irwin see one in Tasmania? The last captive thylacine died in the Hobart Zoo on September 7, 1936. Today in Australia, the day is now known as “Threatened Species Day.” Ten years ago it was known as “National Thylacine Day.” The last thylacine (third one pictured below) was captured in 1924, with its mother and siblings, in Florentine Valley, Tasmania. In 1933, this last thylacine, a female, was sold to the Hobart Zoo. (Whether or not it was ever named “Benjamin” is a subject of much debate.) The world’s last captive then died in that zoo three years later. In the same year, 1936, or in 1938, by some accounts, the Tasmanian tiger was added to the list of Protected Wildlife. Finally, 50 years after the death of the last captive, in 1986, the thylacine was declared extinct by international standards. But sightings in the wild persist. Do they live today out in the forest bush of Tasmania (almost 400 sightings), on mainland Australia (over 4000 sightings), or in the rainforests of New Guinea (a handful)? As mentioned earlier this week, the late Steve Irwin went to Tasmania and filmed an episode of “The Crocodile Hunter” about the search for the Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger. He reportedly may have captured footage of a Thylacine. (Read more on this angle here at Steve Irwin #1 and Steve Irwin #2.) The Thylacine today is the subject of much discussion and searching within cryptozoology. The cryptid, for example, is the subject of one of the best cryptozoology books of recent years, Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger, shown here with well-known artist Alexis Rockman’s cover, in all of the spectacular colors of the Tasmania rainforest. Many locations have good museum collections educating the public on the Thylacine, especially in Australia and Tasmania. In the United States, in the traveling exhibition, at Bates College’s Museum of Art and Kansas City’s H&R Artspace, Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale, many exhibits are tied to the thylacine, including more Rockman paintings, a full-size steel thylacine sculpture by Rachel Berwick, the continuous running of the last footage of the Hobart Zoo thylacine, Tasmanian tiger popular culture souvenirs from Jeffrey Vallace’s collection, and a 2001 footcast of an allegedly post-extinction Thylacine encounter and other items from my cryptozoology museum. Will evidence of the Thylacine be found in the next decade? In 1984, Ted Turner offered a $100,000 reward for proof of the continued existence of the Thylacine. It went unclaimed by the time it was withdrawn at the end of the 20th century. Reportedly still current, an offer of $1.75 million (probably Australian dollars) has subsequently been offered by a Tasmanian tour operator, Stewart Malcolm, but this is also unclaimed today. Click on this 1910 image for a full-sized version Thanks to the one-sentence reminder from Chris Rehberg in Sydney about this anniversary, which stimulated me to write the above and share these images with you. Rehberg has likewise decided to author his own reflective moment about this event at “70 years extinct! Or is it?” Xeni Jardin at Boing Boing acknowledges this story, in “Get ready for National Thylacine Day, Sept. 7!”. And as she learned, the Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is not a feline, but a “tiger” only in looks. It’s a dog-sized carnivorous marsupial. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

“But I do believe in the paranormal, that there are things our brains just can’t understand.” – Art Bell I recently came across new information on the ‘Maryland Dogman’…so I decided to update the orginal past: Back in May of 2011 I posted a narrative describing theSnallygaster, legendary beast from my neck of the woods in Maryland. A nother cryptid from this region is the Dwayyo…not as well known as the Snallygaster, but just as terrifying to those who have encountered the creature. In the late 18th century, the Pennsylvania Dutch started to settle on the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line in Carroll, Frederick &Washington Counties. Not long after setting down their new roots, tales of the Hexenwolf started to circulate. The description of this beast was similar to the Dwayyo…‘a mammalian biped with features similar to a wolf, but the stance and stature of a human.’ These farmers raised livestock for food and revenue, so it was important that their domestic animals be protected from the beast. You can read the rest of the post here.

The Cryptid Bestiary A traveller's guide to creatures of myth and legend by Jack Boyd The definitive guide to mythic and legendary creatures such as Bigfoot, Nessie, and Chupacabra. Contains full color illustrations and descriptions of 10 beasts. or create an account to post a comment.

Posted by: Dave Coleman on October 26th, 2012 HALLOWEEN CRYPTID. Hard to choose, but don’t put it off if you’re planning on going as a squatch. This popular edition pictured below is already sold out on some websites. Range: $76 to 125, depending on various extras, etc. HALLOWEEN DELUXE-SQUATCH. If you have a few hundred more to blow than the Basic Edition Squatch Costume above? Blow that 1% advantage in style with this Deluxe Job. Cost: $449, an 18% Halloween Only special! 😉 RICHIE RICH CRYPTID COSTUME FANTASY. If you just won the Lottery? Try this on for size! It’s a mascot costume, actually, but hell, you think anyone at the Halloween party is gonna give a damn as they beg you to pose with them for cell phone snaps? 😉 Price: A reasonable $1,299.95, plus $35 shipping if you want it for October 31. RoooaAAArrrr! 😉 Author of THE BIGFOOT FILMOGRAPHY, a new non-fiction reference guide and critique of Cine du Sasquatch. From McFarland in Fall 2011. Hardbound. Oversized.

Top 10 Bizarre Cryptids A cryptid is a creature who may be thought by some people to exist, but is not recognized by the scientific community. Cryptids appear frequently in folklore and mythology but – as you will see – tales of them appear still to this day. One cryptid that is well-known is Bigfoot. After the giant squid was discovered, I became fascinated (and creeped out) by these bizarre creatures. This list is in no particular order. Champ and Nessie are creatures that have similar backgrounds and descriptions. People have reported seeing these creatures in Lake Champlain, USA, and Loch Ness, in Scotland. Reports of Nessie describe the creature as being 20 feet long with dark grey skin. She is reported as having humps and at least one set of paddles. She has a head similar to a horse‘s. Witness reports vary on the description, but not by a lot. The most reported sightings of Nessie occurred in the 1930s and still occur to this day. Champ has been sighted for as long as 400 years. Native American tribes have even older legends of a beast in Lake Champlain. Champ is also described as being about 20 feet long (lengths vary) with a serpentine body. He also is reported as having a horse-like head. Champ has had laws pushed through to protect him. The most interesting thing about Champ and Nessie is that they are thought to be dinosaurs that managed to survive. Descriptions of them are similar to a plesiosaur. Chupacabras have been reported to suck the blood out of livestock, similar to the way a vampire would. The chupacabra has been a very confusing subject for crypto zoologists to research because descriptions vary so much. American “chupacabras” have been usually proven to be a canine breed. Usually, they have mange so bad that they look like another creature entirely. Researchers have found sightings as early as 1974. They have also found that the chupacabra is similar to a creature in legends of the Taino Indians. The Puerto Rican sightings have gathered the most interest. Sightings had been reported from 1995 to 1999. The chupacabra has been reported as having large glowing red or orange eyes, huge fangs, sharp claws, spikes running down it’s back, and as standing on two limbs. In one sighting, the chupacabra changed colors before their eyes. One theory is that they are a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong. These little guys were sighted in Flores, Indonesia, from ancient times to the 19th century. They’re described as hairy and short with big guts. They walk like humans. They are said to have mimicked the words people said to them. Australians and Indonesians found skeletons of a new species of human at an archaeological site. They were believed to live over ten thousand years ago. The skeletons were about a meter tall. These skeletons were thought to possibly be the ebu gogo of Indonesian folklore. The ebu gogo have been used by Indonesians as a scare tactic to get their children to behave. The term “ebu gogo” means grandmother who eats anything. Legend has it that the ebu gogo and the people lived in peace… for a while. The ebu gogo started killing crops and the humans’ animals. They fled to caves when the humans started killing them. These caves were eventually set on fire after the ebu gogo stole a baby. Some were said to have fled to the Liang Bua caves, which is the cave where the archaeologists found the small skeletons. Springheel Jack has been reported in London, New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Argentina, from 1837 to our time. Springheel Jack is thought to be a tall and thin man, who wears a tightly fitted hat and a black cape. He has large claws and sometimes his eyes are described as glowing a bright red. In 1837, a man, thought to be a police officer knocked on a woman’s door, claiming to have caught Springheel Jack. She came back with a candle and the man had disappeared. She went outside to find a man by her gate. After giving the man the candle, who happened to be Springheel Jack, he attacked her. He spit white and blue flames out of his mouth and tore at her dress and face with his claws. He fled after the woman’s sister came out after hearing her screams. In 1877, people reported their bullets shooting through him, while he remained unharmed. In the 1930s, he was reported being in Silver City, New Mexico, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The reports remained the same. In 2005, he has been reported as jumping from one roof to the next, up to five meters high and ten meters long. Some people link him to Jack the Ripper. Shadow people are reported worldwide and since the beginning of recorded history. Shadow people seem to be living shadows. They are usually seen out of the corner of peoples eyes. Some people see semi-transparent dark splotches. They vanish as soon as a person realizes what they saw. When people see shadow people a feeling of despair and fear overcome them. There have been some reports of being attacked or chased by these shadows. The shadows are usually larger than a normal shadow and doesn’t resemble the person’s silhouette. I have personally came across a shadow like this and a dreadful feeling came over me for a brief moment. It was abnormally large and moved, when I did not. This beast was sighted in Wisconsin, USA. It has been sighted since 1936. It runs on all four limbs, or its hind limbs. It is said to be about six feet tall, built like an athletic man and covered in shaggy hair. He has a wolf-like face with yellow eyes, that glow in the light. A woman said it was the closest creature to resemble a werewolf that she had ever seen. He has a horrible odor of decaying meat. In 1936, this beast was seen digging in an Indian burial site. The watchman prayed for his life upon seeing him. The beast reportedly said “gadarah” to him and walked away on his two hind legs. Gadara was a Greek city, located east of the Jordan River. It is mentioned in the New Testament. According to the Bible, Jesus met a man who was thought to have been possessed by evil spirits. This man was so strong that he could break through chains. When the man saw Jesus, he worshiped him. He told Jesus his name was Legion, and that there were many like him. Jesus cured him of the evil spirits, by transferring them to a herd of pigs. The pigs then ran into the sea and died. The theory is that the beast of Bray Road was trying to tell the man about his kind and that his kind has been around since biblical times. This creature has been sighted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, USA. Sightings have been reported since 1966. The moth man is a gray and winged creature with large glowing red eyes located in what would normally be the creature’s upper chest. It is about six feet tall and wider than a man. The first report was made by five males who were at work in a cemetery. As they were preparing a burial site, they had seen a creature that appeared to be man-like fly over them. In another report, a group of people were chased while they were in their vehicle going at least 100 mph by a similar creature. The mothman had managed to keep up with them for a while, before flying away. They claimed the mothman did not flap his wings while flying. Some people even reported their car completely dying, momentarily, when they have sighted the creature. The mothman has also been linked to UFO sightings and seemingly legitimate claims of “men in black” visits at a newspaper office. Atmospheric beasts are reported to have semi-solid bodies and are often invisible. They can fly, but have no visible wings. Sometimes atmospheric beasts are reported as UFOs. Ivan T. Sanderson claims that most UFOs are actually atmospheric beasts. He theorizes that atmospheric beasts are animals that live in the clouds. Sometimes the atmospheric beast is reported to change shape, color, and texture. People who believe in atmospheric beasts think that the creature will die if they ever touch the ground. Some people even report them spitting streams of water at them. Others report that the beasts smell like mildew and feel like a giant soft tongue. They also seem to resemble animals of the sea, rather than land animals. The Maryland goatman has been seen in Prince Georges County, Maryland, USA, since the 1970s. It is reported as having the lower body of a goat and the upper body of a man. He also has the horns of a goat. He’s about 7 feet tall and 300 pounds. The goatman was first sighted by a couple of lovers who had been making out in their car. The goatman had an ax in his hand, while staring at the couple. He then ran into the woods. A woman reported that she had seen the creature in her backyard while her dog was barking urgently. She was too scared to go outside and found that her dog had had it’s head chopped off, when she went outside the next morning. There are legends of this creature in Africa. He is said to have looked like a mix of a man and a monkey. Legend had it that the creature had magical powers and enjoyed the taste of human flesh. Female pongos turned into gorgeous women in order to get close enough to a man to eat him. Pongos and humans could reproduce hybrid kids who looked like normal humans, but had cannibalistic tendencies. In 1847, the pongo was amazingly discovered to exist. However, it is now called a gorilla and known to be a vegetarian. Okay, I admit this animal is obviously no longer a cryptid. However, it shows that reports of cryptids may sometimes be over-exaggerated, and if some are found to exist they may actually turn out to be pretty damn ordinary.

By Mark Zhuravsky | The Playlist June 6, 2014 at 3:15PM Deviating from caustic comedies, Bobcat Goldthwait reaches into his toolbox and delivers a surprising foray into found-footage horror. "Willow Creek" embraces the limitations of this now-tired genre and breathes new life into it—it's not a true original but certainly a memorable rumination. Effectively a two-hander with our leads Jim (Bryce Johnson) and Kelly (Alexie Gilmore) dominating the frame for the majority of the running time, "Willow Creek" does a commendable job in fleshing out the ill-fated couple. Presented as a malformed Bigfoot documentary, Jim, steeped in cryptid mythology, strikes out to retrace the steps once taken by Roger Patterson and Bob Gilmin, whose footage, though largely dismissed as a probable hoax, remains hotly debated and cited. Along for the ride is his skeptical partner, Kelly, who embarks on the venture to support the idealistic Jim, enveloped by the Bigfoot legend and reveling at the townsfolk who've made a living out of marketing it. As they delve deeper into the forest, leaving their car behind and setting up camp, strange occurrences accumulate and begin to take a toll on the couple and their relationship. For the majority of its wisely-brief eighty-minute running time, Goldthwait pulls no punches, offering up tidbits that hint at the evolving relationship between Jim and Kelly, their personalities primed for subdued, gentle clashes. The actors bring a refreshing lack of foreshadowing, though the film can't help but trot out several locals to make enigmatic comments or suggest that the city slickers hightail it back to where they came from. Johnson and Gilmore perform well and there is a sense of getting to know them as more than fool-hardy victims, but rather people making bad decisions that land them in an environment out of their control. Don't be surprised when much of the press concerning the film zeroes in on a single unbroken take toward the end of the film. The couple has encamped near the Patterson-Gimlin site, and Jim is awoken by noises outside of the tent. He rouses Kelly and switches on the camera and what follows is an fiendishly clever set-up and a challenging single take, our leads listening for any noise, whispering to each other as the sounds escalate and grow ever closer. It may not translate well to a YouTube clip but the dread stirred up by Goldthwait and co. is startling and uncomfortable to boot. Found-footage films embrace the distinctive structure that sees a first act introducing the locales and locals, the second slowly tipping over into danger as the leads begin to explore the homestead's underbelly and a final denouement with the tourists out of their depth and fallen victims to bloodletting. "Willow Creek" fits that mold and yet remains distinctive in how it draws out the violence we expect, maybe even need. We won't risk spoiling the finale, which does feel underwhelming after the centerpiece long take, but it does more than tip its hat to "The Blair Witch Project" and will certainly satisfy the viewers pondering whether it is the mythical creature visiting havoc on our unprepared protags or backwaters meth dealers punishing them for encroaching on the turf. The restraint shown here, the patient partitioning of things that go bump in the night, is what sets "Willow Creek" apart, if only for the moment. It's a canny horror film and a derivative one, but as a reminder of the power of suggestion, the unseen dwarfing even the grandest budgets, prodding our imagination into provocatively chilling us to the bones, the film deserves an easy recommendation. [B-]

THE CENTRE FOR FORTEAN ZOOLOGY ANNUAL REPORT 2005 “Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me; Other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me What a long, strange trip it's been.” The Grateful Dead: Truckin’ It seems incredibly weird that the CFZ is just about to enter its fifteenth year – a decade and a half of cryptozoological research. It seems that every year, when I sit back to write this report, I find myself looking back on the proceeding twelve months and wondering how we possibly ever managed to fit so much in! It has been an odd year – beset by personal dramas – but it has been a successful one. The first few months of the year went according to plan. The General Council meeting in January sorted out a great deal of the administrative problems that we had been having, and the publication of my book Monster Hunter opened the doors for a new range of CFZ books. Out were to go the old spiral-bound, home-made books, and in was to come a new range of perfect-bound paperbacks. The entire CFZ Press range was to be revamped with new material, extra pictures, and new artwork by Mark North. Graham – later assisted by Oll Lewis – took over the job of running the ailing and elderly CFZ forum and has turned it into a thriving cyber-community which spills out into a `Virtual CFZ’ in the animated chatroom ‘Habbo Hotel’. It is all getting very strange. We spent much of the next three months working on Richard Freeman’s book; Dragons; More than a Myth and everyone who visited the CFZ during the late winter and spring of this year found themselves roped in to working on the project! My girlfriend Corinna, my cousin Pene, and Oll Lewis (a new CFZ recruit from South Wales), all found themselves working on the index, and proof-reading, of this mammoth work. Well over a quarter of a million words long, the book is the first scientific study of dragons for over a century, and when it finally appeared in early July it was well worth the wait. However, by then, the world of the CFZ had changed forever. In May, Richard, Chris Clark, John Hare and Dave “Davinian” Churchill went to Mongolia on the largest and most ambitious CFZ expedition yet: The search for the fabled Mongolian deathworm. They were in Mongolia for a month, during which Mark North – who had sadly been made redundant – found himself living almost non-stop in Richard’s room in Exeter and working on the dragon book and also our first crypto-novel – Chris Moiser’s While the Cat’s Away. I spent much of May at Corinna’s house in Lincolnshire working on my next book (The Island of Paradise – my second book about Puerto Rico), and planning CFZ events for the second half of the year. In early June, the day after Richard returned, we had the second council meeting of the year, with the ranks being boosted by Oll Lewis and Lisa Dowley. Work started on capitalising on the successes of the Mongolian expedition – they had not actually found the deathworm, but had amassed more eyewitness testimony than ever before on the subject, and had also found reports (hitherto unknown in the west) of dragon-like creatures in the Gobi Desert - when something happened that was to change the CFZ for ever: My father was taken seriously ill. Corinna (who happened to be visiting me that weekend) and I went up to see him and were shocked by what we saw. He was so ill and emaciated that there was no way that he could be left alone any more. Three days later Graham and I – thinking, I must admit, that my Dad would not live more than a few more weeks at most – moved in to the old family home in North Devon. I must be a better nurse than I realised, because six months later we are still here! As many of you will know, it has long been my plan to move the CFZ to a rural location and to set up a proper visitor’s centre. Over the years I have been only too aware that some people have been somewhat disappointed when they saw the physical reality of the CFZ. A Japanese TV crew once came to film us about something, and almost the first thing that they said was: “But we thought you had a centre!” We did – and do. The CFZ is now unquestionably the biggest cryptozoological research organisation in the world. We are the largest publishers of cryptozoological material in the world, and each year we undertake at least one major foreign expedition. But it is unquestionably true that – until now – visitors have come to see a rather grotty mid-terraced house in an unprepossessing Exeter housing estate. Now, this is all about to change. My old family home is a rambling house in over a third of an acre of land in rural North Devon. It has outbuildings and a large conservatory as well as a fine old garden. Since June, I have been living here full time again for the first time in a quarter of a century. Graham has moved in as well, and we are joined by Mark North, Richard Freeman and John Fuller on shifts. In August we started moving the main CFZ Office, and I am proud to announce that I have reached an agreement with other family members that when my father finally dies, the CFZ will buy out their interest in the property, and we will finally have a visitor’s centre. There will be a museum, a library, a laboratory, and room for our collection of exotic animals. There will be a permanent display of our ongoing researches, and what’s more, the village has an outstanding Community Centre that we can use for a nominal fee. Within the next few years we will be able to fulfil one of our major objectives, and the planned centre will be a major resource for cryptozoologists across the globe. In August we left the village and came back to Exeter for the sixth annual Weird Weekend. It was the most successful event to date. In Richard’s words: “If the Fortean Times UnConvention is a wine bar then the CFZ’s Weird Weekend is sitting back on the sofa with a six-pack and watching re-runs of League of Gentlemen. This year’s convention was again held at the Cowick Barton pub in Exeter. The pub was close to capacity, as the event has grown so much over the last three years. Far from the embarrassing early years when speakers rivalled attendees in numbers, the Weird Weekend is now thriving and can lay claim to being the biggest Fortean gathering in the UK outside of London. There were 14 talks in all but as with anything you are involved in organizing you never have time to truly appreciate it. I missed many of the lectures this year as I was off behind the scenes doing this, that and the other. Nick Redfern travelled all the way from Texas to give us two talks. The first was on the Texas Bigfoot. Most of us think of Texas as desert and scrub but in the east, on the borders of Louisiana, there are huge forests and swamps. After the Pacific North West and Florida, Texas is one of the real BHM hotspots in the US. Nick also spoke about his new book ‘Bodysnatchers in the Desert’ (sounds like a 1950’s B-movie!) and his theory that the ‘aliens’ at Roswell were deformed human children used in altitude experiments by the US government and Japanese scientists pilfered by America after WW2. It makes a damn sight more sense than little grey men. Over from Ireland was one of my favourite Fortean authors, Peter Costello. His books ‘In Search of Lake Monsters’ and ‘The Magic Zoo’ were benchmark works that inspired a generation of researchers. In his talk he looked back over his distinguished career searching for lake monster in his homeland and in the UK. Speaking of Ireland I think that when you look in the Encyclopaedia Britannica for said country there should be a picture of Ronan Coghlan grinning cheekily whilst holding up a bottle of porter. One of the weekend’s highlights was the talk by everyone’s favourite twinkly-eyed rascal. The subject was mermaids. Not high up on the list of beast likely to actually exist, I hear you cry. Well you could be wrong. Ronan provided a convincing argument for the existence of an aquatic primate. Not quite the fish tailed, blonde beauty of myth but a more ape-like beast. That line between man and beast was also blurred by Jon Hare in his talk on Sumatran weretigers. This was Jon’s first ever lecture but you wouldn’t know it from listening to him. His was widely regarded as the best talk of the weekend. He covered obscure martial arts from the Sumatran jungle that involve fighting on all fours and thinking like a tiger (Jon must be one of the few Westerners than have ever practised this art.) Forget the image of a tiger-human hybrid; this is something much stranger, involving beliefs in tiger ancestry and possession by tiger spirits. On a less threatening note, the lovely Gail Nina Anderson looked at the portrayal of fairies in art. She showed that this was less of a reflection of true fairy lore and rather a projection onto them of the current trends and fashions. Contrary to the popular image, fairies almost never have wings and are often both ugly and malevolent. I was, however, amazed to find out she doesn’t like Richard Dad’s painting ‘The Fairy Feller’s Masterstroke’, one of the few portrayals of fairies as disturbing creatures. Chris Moiser (who wandered around carrying a life-sized toy panther) examined the fortean fauna of the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stretched far beyond ‘The Lost World’ and included an elephant sized, subterranean bear in the Peak district (I wonder what he had been drinking when he thought that one up?) My old mate Steve Jones dealt with strange creatures associated with holy wells and springs. These ranged from fish and snakes to dragons and great wyrms. As always he was seen walking abroad with his mighty horn (er drinking horn that is). My own humble offering was a recounting of the CFZ expedition to Mongolia. Some of the treats I missed included award winning author Jeremy Harte on Fortean happenings recorded in medieval literature, and Simon Sherwood on black dogs. David Farrant gave us his theories on the nature of the paranormal. Richard Ingram looked at conspiracy theories. But it wasn’t just lectures. John Harrigan gave an intense and disturbing theatrical performance in the alter ego of Dr Bleach. Raised in a graveyard with corpses as friends he roamed the audience giving out deformed dolls with messages inside, like diseased fortune cookies. The performance was a prologue for Dark Nights of the Soul, a six-part horror / cryptozoology / fortean / occult anthology play being held at the Horse Hospital in London. Sam Shearon provided a menagerie of cryptid artwork in a jaw-dropping display of artwork. The reputedly-haunted Monk’s Room in the Cowick Barton was given over to Sam’s amazing paintings of monsters that looked so real that you half expected them to lunge out of the canvas and sink rows of stiletto-like teeth into the soft flesh of you face or stomach. Other delights included Bob and Sid’s excellent Apra Book stall, CFZ awards, quizzes, much drinking, a Russian restaurant, and extreme right wing phallic ray guns. And the best thing? Not hide nor hair of rescue mediums, healing crystals, psychic questing, or guardian angels”. We raised nearly £1,000 for CFZ funds and this year was so successful that we are forced to look for a larger venue, so next year’s event will be held at the aforementioned community centre here in Woolsery. The following speakers have already been confirmed: And there will also be an exhibition from Mark Fraser, and workshops from Paul Vella, Paul Crowther, Oll Lewis and Chris Moiser. The `Foolish People` Theatre Company will also attend for the second year running, and we hope that within a month or so we shall be able to announce further speakers and attractions. The village is easy to find and we shall be laying on a complementary minibus from Barnstaple railway station, as well as cut rate deals with local hotels, camp sites and B+Bs. In the autumn the CFZ made its first foray onto the legitimate stage with Richard Freeman’s high profile collaboration with the aforementioned `Foolish People`. “Those of you at the last Unconvention may have seen the Foolish People theatre group stall. I was lucky enough to see their excellent production Ruined Steel earlier this year. As it turns out John Harrigan, creator of the group is interested in cryptozoology! Foolish People’s next project is a co-production with the CFZ. An ark of six plays featuring six classic monsters is being written by John. Entitled Dark Night of the Soul they are to feature Richard Freeman as a narrator much like Rod Serling in the Twilight Zone with Jon Hare as his able assistant. Richard is writing notes for the plays and suggesting story themes. The six plays will feature dragons, basilisks, were-tigers, vampires, the Wendigo, and little people. See Foolish People’s website www.foolishpeople.org for more details.” In November Richard and I spent several days at Loch Ness, courtesy of the American magic duo Penn and Teller. We were filming a segment for the show Penn and Teller: Bullshit! which will be shown sometime next year. We have come in for some criticism for appearing on a TV show that will not add anything to the sum total of cryptozoological research, but as I said at the time: I will not be at all surprised if P+T do take the piss. It was always a serious possibility, but I think it was worth it because we not only got paid a heck of a lot of money which was badly needed to swell CFZ coffers (100% of my fee went into the CFZ funds as usual), but got to make good relationships with Adrian Shine and Willy Cameron. It has not been a bad year. It has not been the easiest that we have had, but we are in a better position than we were twelve months ago, and that is the main thing. The only real downside to the year has been the fact that our publication schedule has been delayed somewhat. We have published four new books and four re-issues, but only two issues of the journal; and the Yearbook has been held up until the spring. Issue 37 of Animals & Men is very nearly finished and will be sent out in January, but I am awaiting some important information without which it would be difficult to publish. Also coming soon in the new year is the long awaited Big Cat Yearbook edited by Mark Fraser, reissues of The Blackdown Mystery and the first two volumes of A&M reprints and a deluxe 30th Anniversary edition of The Owlman and Others. There will be a General Council meeting in January and we will then be able to announce the expedition and investigation schedule for the year. As always we are in desperate need of donations of time, money and expertise. The CFZ makes quite a lot of money but, boy, do we spend it fast! We are currently carrying out research all over the world and every penny earned goes straight into these projects. We do not ask for money for personal gain. We are all capable of supporting ourselves, but if we are to continue our programme of research we MUST have more money and more manpower. If you are interested in cryptozoology (whether or not you are a member of the CFZ) and feel that you can help, send donations via PayPal or feel free to email me on email@example.com. Until next time, many thanks for all your support this year…. (Director, Centre for Fortean Zoology) December 8th 2005

These are my notes, credited in part to past investigative work done by the late Ramona Clark Hibner who lived at the time I met her in Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida. The notes I made during phone conversations with her in the early days surfaced recently and it seemed like an appropriate time for me to address the same Florida issues she expressed some concern over; some of them still relevant these 15 years later. During her tenure in research, the bulk of Ramona's work was sent to John Green in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia and index-card-catalogued in his B.C., Museum Archives in Vancouver. Not all of her work in Florida was published in his book “Sasquatch, the Apes Among us…” and not all of it was published in Bord's publication: “The Bigfoot Casebook.” To follow are a small number of those reports, some of them taken directly from the archived index cards out of the Archival Manuscript Records, British Columbia Archives...to wit, the collection of records from John Green (Victoria, 1979) as part of its manuscript collection, MS-1132. There are fourteen (14) volumes in total in this collection, which deal with Sasquatch sightings in Canada and the United States. The remaining notes we were able to recover reflect Ramona's concerns about certain issues in Florida that were of some concern and in her memory, I'll bring those issues up to date and address them head on... Before her untimely death, Ramona Clark Hibner was one of the few women doing investigative research in the early days. She was a member of George Kelly's Evaluation and Technological Investigator teams and the South Mountain Research Group of Brooksville plus a number of other investigative BF groups in Florida & elsewhere across this nation. She covered the eastern seaboard from Florida north into Tennessee, some of the southern states, a few of the Midwestern states but primarily Florida where she made her home with husband, Duane. We shared a number of things in common, both of us having had close up encounters with the hairy folks; both of us having almost identical creature descriptions - her's in Florida, mine way out west. In those days we shared a common wish to understand what the hairy ones were and how it is they are able to survive on their own. I was at that time, her naïve student and for the most part, her captive audience. Ramona's passing was a huge loss to the gathering of relic homin data for research purposes… I miss her and I miss the work she was capable of producing and the reasonable no nonsense good judgment she brought to general research. Florida's Sasquatch smaller in stature? In the gathering of Ramona's files, I came to a significant realization. What research can take away from her earliest contributions, if anything, is perhaps a truth about the false notion that persists in certain circles and in crypto-publications that the southern Sasquatch, also known as the Florida skunk ape, is shorter in stature than the adult Bigfoot in the northeast or the northwest. This concept appears to be untrue and is more likely the creative exaggeration published by an east coast cryptozoologist. He is the same crypto-guy who is quoted on a recent MonsterQuest TV program as saying that the green reptile-skinned Lizardman reported in the Carolinas was “nothing more than an algae covered Bigfoot.” Hogwash! This is the same Maine cryptozoologist who unwisely suggested that apes in Florida came to the States on slave ships! His tendency toward careless hyperbole is the worst kind of misinformation and frankly along with many of you, I am tired of dealing with it. Getting it straight... Florida's adult Bigfoot is NOT less than five feet tall with shorter legs, it isn't physically capable of a literal run on all fours; it doesn't have tiger-sized eye-teeth or fangs dripping with saliva, it isn't given to knuckle-walking or side-stepping like a crab, it is not dog-faced and its eyes are not capable of projecting red streams of light. General Bigfoot research needs to understand that witnesses who describe these science fiction features are not describing any of the known characteristics of the Sasquatch. I don't pretend to know what witnesses must be seeing, but a logical explanation might be that there simply must exist other entities in the bush that may or may not feed into these odd-ball descriptions that foul up and confound the database…that isn't to say that Floridians aren't seeing these things, only to equate these features with Bigfoot isn't a happening thing…come on! In all of Ramona's archives, only one Sasquatch report is listed less than 6 feet tall, the rest are listed in the same height range and weight distribution as all other North American Sasquatches. It is possible that the one outstanding report containing the description of a lesser-sized Sasquatch was that of a juvenile. Whatever the case, one report does not constitute a variety of a smaller species or sub-species; Ramona wasn't an advocate of sub-species anyway and neither am I. Certainly no where in her records did she indicate her belief that the Florida ‘skunk ape' was any different from those describe in other regions. I noticed though, in the late 1960's - early 70's, Ramona still referred to the hairy ones as a ‘yeti'… not ‘big foot' and certainly not 'skunk ape,' …a moniker nobody likes much. Florida's Glowing Red eye reports One odd descriptive detail that Ramona found perplexing and one that was a slight surprise to me was the high number of glowing red eye reports in her files. Generally, red eyes are more often associated with alien beings, moth man, chupacabra, lizardman, werewolves, and occasionally a descriptive report associated with the southern dogman reports. Glowing red eyes & eyes that “project” or beam any color out of the eye socket is NOT a known characteristic of a hominid. The ill-informed in research who have not studied, examined this notion do a serious disservice to research when they perpetuate alien concepts with hominids. If anything, the concept that hominids are capable of projecting red eye glow is more supportive of another life form completely separate from human and non-human primates. Retinal Reflection, glowing eyes, eye shine and so on… The late anthropologist Dr. Grover Krantz on pg 159 of his book “Big Footprints” states that, “it is suffice to say that there are reports of yellow, orange and red reflecting eyes being the most common; stories about “glowing eyes” may safely be discounted.” I would tend to agree with Krantz on that note and suggest that the glowing red eye business belongs to something other than a Sasquatch, albeit interpreted by the observer as a Sasquatch …it simply cannot be. Any report of light projecting from a Sasquatch eye is so contradictory that Krantz made no attempt to make any scientific sense out of the allegation in his book. Reading further in Krantz's paperback, I began laughing at his theory; Krantz also states in that same book, “The sasquatch is clearly a nocturnal species,” but then Krantz defeats his own statement by adding, “John Green records the same number of sightings by day as by night.” How can he conclude Sasquatches are “clearly nocturnal” with reports showing six of one and a half dozen of another? The subject photographed by Roger Patterson was filmed mid-day, which is reasonable evidence for the diurnal argument, yet for some reason Krantz concludes sasquatches are nocturnal; we had some lively discussions over that one! On the subject of Sasquatch self-luminous eyes (projected, glowing or other color eye shine) I want to share with my readers this memo I received from Dr. W. Henner Fahrenbach: “I sincerely wish that any talk about "self-luminous" eyes would be relegated to discussions of the Morlocks in the "Time Machine." It is a truly ludicrous, at best a science fiction concept, probably closely related to such items as music producing ears. Admittedly, I did write a spoof piece to the IVBC some years ago about this weird idea, suggesting the biological basis for such structures, e.g., eyeballs filled with luminescent bacteria feeding on the decaying retina or the photo-receptor cascade of the rods and cones being driven backwards by unknown mental discharges, mostly of the uncontrolled variety. But in the present, the more sane context, such stuff should properly be shunned. There is no excuse needed for rejecting the possibility of some postulated irrational and absurd phenomenon until such time as some evidence, at least a strong circumstantial one, and a scientific rationale is provided.” (Fahrenbach, March 3, 2000) I had the opportunity to discuss this and other points several times with Ramona by phone back in the ‘90's and she wondered if the idea of “red eye and red eye glow” didn't have its origins in crypto articles such as moth man yarns, extraterrestrials or some other unknown apart from a bigfoot? Were her witnesses really seeing genuine Bigfoot, or something else? It left a measure of wonder to us both, how bizarre this red eye phenomenon really is... Ramona's own experience with a close up visual in Florida included no red eye description, “its eyes were fully human,” she told me, "brown in color with huge rounded shoulders towering above its thick torso; he was in the 7 foot tall range." Other Florida oddities mistaken for the Sasquatch… In 2004, a bizarre case in point: A sighting in Polk County, Florida by Jennifer Ward of an alleged Bigfoot that looked more “alien” than it did a Bigfoot. It was unfortunate that Scott Marlowe kept any communication from me & general research away from Ms. Ward; nobody was ever able to speak with her directly that I know of, in fact that she existed was even in question. The sketch of that non-bigfoot oddity is here. Whatever these people are seeing, it is not Sasquatch. Ward's sketch looked nothing like the hairy hominids of North America but it immediately reminded me of another sketch more closely resembling the October 1965 Nelson County, Kentucky description of the Kentucky "whortlechort," yes that is what they called it, a whortlechort, beats all, doesn't it? The similarities between the whortlechort and Ward's Florida creature description are worth noting. The sketch of the whortlechort is on an external site, scroll down on that page for the witness sketch. Certainly Ward's Florida swamp monster account is not descriptive of the North American Bigfoot neither is the Kentucky Whortlechort; - so, what exactly are these other entities mistaken for a Sasquatch?? Readers can gather what conclusion they wish from those two records for I have never had an interest in werewolves, moth man, aliens, chupacabras, Spring Heel Jacks or others listed under the heading, ‘cryptozoology.' For me, it has always been a daunting task just to maintain focus on the singular Sasquatch mystery and the truths surrounding those stories, -Ramona agreed in principle…"why confused a mystery with another mystery?” For the moment, let us agree that the bipedal hair-covered giants in the southern states are descriptively the same as the Sasquatch in other regions of North America and generally are no more ape like than the hairiest human. This hair business observed in the Sasquatch may not be an ape characteristic after all, even though there is an occasional bomb that goes off in this research by those who would spin it that way! I have always had a dislike for the use of the term, “skunk ape” or references to any use of the word ‘ape,' ‘creature' or ‘animal' when talking about the Sasquatch. They are not apes in my humble opinion; apes of course are not indigenous to the United States and Canada; no fossil record exists for apes and no ape ever evolved to walk upright. North America does however, have a record of giants for which little is said. Sasquatches in such places as the “southern states” are still described virtually the same as any in the northern states and Canada. False claims that “these apes came over on slaves ships,” or “…those apes in Florida were the end result of a Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus train wreck which loosed apes into the Florida landscape” and other forms of misguided logic form a basis for the confusing of feral apes and hairy hominids like the Florida Sasquatch. Dog men are descriptively canine-like; apes are pongids and no ape ever evolved to walk upright, the Sasquatch is upright-walking-human-like... a hominid; none of these are descriptively the same no matter what spin is put on them by either bias. The train wreck Regarding the rumor that apes were loosed from a circus train wreck in Florida, luck shined upon me again. I was contacted through my website by long time friend Joe Colossa, an employee of Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus. Some may remember Colossa as the man who found and photographed well-defined juvenile Sasquatch tracks along the sandy shores of the Merced River in the Yosemite Valley of central California in September of 2007. For awhile, I corresponded with Joe & his family on a regular basis, occasionally broaching the subject of the possibility of an alleged train wreck in which a number of apes were freed into the Florida Everglades, a story that may have spawned a rash of ridiculous rumors that the Florida Bigfoot was smaller and more ape-like and that it had perhaps, bred with the big folk. I asked him ‘if' in the history of the circus such a thing ever happened, it had not and certainly not in Florida. I was temporarily encouraged. There was however, a rumor that such an event supposedly happened on February 5, 1952 in Evington, Virginia where there exists today a rusted-out relic of a locomotive tagged “the gorilla train-wreck site.” The story goes that on a winter's night in February, a broken rail caused the derailment of the northbound Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus train, a train whose next normal stop would have been in Lynchburg, Virginia. The much exaggerated rumor told of a train allegedly carrying well over fifty gorillas that were part of some special trapeze act; many of the apes along with other animals were said to have perished in the accident, excluding thirty-five gorillas that supposedly escaped from the wrecked cars into the woods near Evington,Virginia and of course from there, ever after into the annals of local legend, rumor and government cover-ups so the stories go. Moreover, the rumor claimed attempts to capture the chimpanzees & gorillas had no success; the apes of course gaining infamy in the newspaper accounts that followed of ape-mischief and shenanigans too numerous to count supposedly happening in and around Campbell County, Virginia. This of course, never happened but it made for great reading in media print in an era where all the news was in newspapers & magazines; today of course few read newspapers, everything is centered on the Internet. As luck would have it, Joe Colossa of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus Inc and his good friend who was the expert historian on circus events, Richard Flint, formerly a curator at the Smithsonian informed me it was never a Ringling Brothers train wreck that night in Virginia; the RBBB trains are always housed for the winter months in Florida, and records show they were housed in particular during the month of February 1952. The circus did not leave to go on road-tour until March when it traveled to Madison Square Garden in New York City with a much smaller equipment and animal selection; they didn't need all the tents and extra animals etc until much later in April of 1952. More telling was Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey overall history, which records that it never carried more than two maybe three apes at a time on any of their trains…ever! It is also interesting to note here that circus veterinarians were quick to say that male apes were generally castrated to facilitate easier handling by trainers which should keep them less excitable should they ever become loosed in the center ring; unneutered male apes can be very dangerous in a circus facility that caters to small children around a center-ring event. It also follows that a castrated circus ape cannot repopulate the generations upon generations claimed as having happened in the southern states, the Virginia bush or in the Florida Everglades by cryptozoology; it simply never happened. For me, if I had any doubt that there might exist feral apes in Florida or the southern states as a result of any train wreck, the word from Ringling Brothers historians cleared up that idea. In reality, it is highly unlikely that apes ever escaped and repopulated anywhere in the wilds, including the Everglades and the suggestion that slave traders allowed whole apes, then regarded as a no-trade-worthless commodity to take up valuable slave space on their ships is ridiculous. There is no record that I could find of any such cargo; the closest wild thing? Parrots and mynah birds on rare occasions and those didn't take up slave space but hung in cages on board ships bound for America from Africa's Gold Coast. I failed in my attempts to track down some other lesser-known circuses that may have been at the root of the Evington, Virginia story; if it wasn't a Ringling Brother's story, could the story have taken place with some other circus? The short-lived Captain Eddy's Trained Wild Animal Circus had as their permanent address, Huntington West Virginia but that would have been only 1958. In 1952, as related in the "gorilla train-wreck story,” the only other circus in the area was the Rogers Brothers Circus act out of Ft. Myers, Florida but their history records no acts with any of the great apes; the great apes were regarded as too dangerous a cargo to have where large numbers of young children make up the spectator listings. As for the cryptozoology tales and the newspaper accounts, who is to say literary license wasn't taken? One of the worst offenders at taking 'literary license,' was apparently Loren Coleman, the self-described "world's leading cryptozoologist" who was always known to exaggerate, embellish or invent cryptid creations in the name of sensationalism; anything to gain attention; his literary works written purely out of imagination like his proposed 9 varieties of mystery primates where he added creatures with fins like merbeings. In the end, some believed that the rumor came from something written in one of Ralph Helfer's circus elephant books. One Florida resident told me it was more likely that giant boars/hogs with bristle hair about the body were most likely the object of these strange sightings, not any non-human primate. Another Floridian insisted that some domesticated chimpanzees kept as pets may have been loosed during hurricanes. Recently I took notice of an incident cited in the southern State of Mississippi where a friend of mine had occasion to observe an ape chained in a tree on the property of a local resident. I see that as a disaster waiting to happen for both the ape and any unsuspecting visitor that ape might attack. Mississippi isn't the only state that has adopted regulations designed for keeping as pets, non-human primates, specifically gorillas, chimps, orangs, gibbons, macaques, baboon and mandrills. Permits are required plus $150 annual per each primate or monkey; owners must be 21 & have no less than 2 years experience in care & handling of the species plus carry $100,000.00 in liability insurance for "each" ape or monkey and all of them must have a microchip implanted in its body. Housing for primates in Mississippi including personal residence is required to have an 8 ft fence and a secondary facility separate from personal housing. The housing of non-human primates is also strictly regulated. Fish & Game tell me having a chained ape in a tree in your yard here in California would be illegal. Owning any of the great apes in Florida is regulated and requires microchipping. Aside from the import expense, daily feed and specialty veterinary care, a special permit, licensing and a bond is required plus adequate insurance before permits are issued and inspection makes those permits difficult to obtain. The tougher laws became the norm after a Connecticut woman was killed by an ape some years back. "In other words,” Senator Dave Aronberg (D –FL) said, “these are unpredictable animals, you cannot have an ape as a pet on a whim in Florida; new laws prevent that.” In tribute to Ramona, her timely contributions to research, her fieldwork and her honest dedication to the mystery, I will list only a handful of the listings in her files… she was a woman ahead of her time, before the Internet collecting data the hard way…by foot, long distance phone calls, sweat and typed or hand-written USPS mailed letters. What a privilege it was to have obtained some of her work and an even greater privilege to be able to look back and remember her. ...Bobbie Short Of particular interest below, is the Dade County Public Safety Department report by anthropologist Dr. Gordon Strasenburgh, Ph.D., that I found tucked in with Ramona's notes. In one of her interviews with Mrs. Rebecca Leinberg of Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia; the witness recounted a couple of stories from the 1950's near Boston, Thomas County, Georgia. In 1951 Mrs. Leinberg heard the dogs barking fiercely, she went outside with a flashlight and saw a giant of a man on the front porch cornered by dogs. It was an upright hairy man. Her husband shot at it and it ran off. On another occasion, Mrs. Leinberg's stepfather was alone in their shack at night when he saw a tall black-faced man at the window. He went for his pistol, went outdoors and fired the gun at it thinking it was a naked Negro man. It ran in the bushes. Next morning they found tracks about 20 inches long and figured the creature to be at least 7 feet tall. The story was second hand but reflects an era of time when sightings did occur… (Ramona Hibner) The Lockridge Monster: During the 1970's, the name "Lockridge Monster" was attributed to a creature in the Turkey Creek area north of Lockridge, Iowa. According to one of the late Ramona Hibner reports, Mr. and Mrs. Herb Peiffer allegedly saw a large bushy-haired creature on their turkey farm there in Lockridge, Jefferson County in October of 1975. Hibner's report stated that 2 other Lockridge women residents also saw the huge creature; one exclaiming it had a rather ape-like face and was covered in hair much like a bear would be. (Credit: Ramona Hibner, South Mountain Research Group of Brooksville, Florida. The report was also published in the Des Moines Register, 1975) Ramona lived west of Orlando, north of Tampa on Florida's west coast. The North Harney Hooter Louise Hart and her father John D. Hart were anchored in their flat bottom boat off Lostmans River entrance, Monroe County, Florida, in spring 1973 when they noticed a dark shadow beneath their boat that moved off and into the river shallows. As they watched, they saw a large man emerge from water. He pulled himself up out of the water and shook himself off like a wet dog; he was clearly covered about his body with hair. The man wore no clothes, was much taller than the average man; he turned and looked in the direction of the Hart's boat, then walked off into the scrub brush. The Hart's eventually told the story to fellow anglers Smitty and Avette Smith over at Chokoloskee Bay's old canoe ramp and were told the man they saw was probably the North Harney Hooter; a crazy man or wild man who hung out around there at Harney where he howled and hooted from the banks at sports fisherman. The same wild man was reportedly spotted the previous year (1972) swimming or fishing near Onion Key where terrified fisherman left the area. One more account with a similar 7-foot tall creature description supposedly seen climbing in and out of the Mangroves with glowing red eyes south of Chokoloskee in 1972; it was unknown if that report was connected to the North Harney Hooter. (Ramona Clark) A group of people whose names are listed as unknown east of Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida reported in October of 1974 they saw a skunk ape on a backwoods road and that it had followed their car to the highway. The Sheriff was notified, bloodhounds led down highway to the swamp. (Hibner) St. Petersburg Times article involving Ramona is here where she refers to it as a ‘yeti:' http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/hernando-cnty74.htm 1974 and 1975 According to the St. Francisville Democrat in Tunica Hills, Louisiana – published on April 7, 1977; there was a story of a 16-inch two-toed footprint found there in 1974. (It was probable a gator track w/missing toe)… Bryant Conway in “Successful Hints on Hunting and Tracking White Tail Deer,” said Bigfoot roamed there in Tunica Hills Wildlife Management area and in Concordia Parish, Fort Adams, Francisville to Jackson Back to Baker areas. According to the article, a deer hunter shot at one three times in 1975. Allegedly, a boy and girl photographed one of these 6-7 foot high hairy monsters near Unham Springs (corrected to read Denham Springs) and in another report, a crippled Bigfoot was seen near Pride by two boys fishing – that would be East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. (Story investigated & filed by Ramona Clark and later summarized then sent to John Green in 1977) Martin County, Florida, near Lake Okeechobee, Martin County, Florida: A Mrs. Humphrey reported on March 6, 1975 that while driving, they evidently collided with a 7-8-foot tall skunk ape/bigfoot that was running fast across road; the car was damage. (Ramona Clark) According to a news article published in an issue of “True Detective” in 1976, by author Dean Bostick: a rookie policeman by the name of Kim Dunn reported seeing a tall skunk ape loping across a road at the edge of town in Miramar, Broward County, Florida on January 23, 1975. During that investigation, Ramona Hibner uncovered several other stories credited to Broward County files, in much earlier years (40's –50's) all fitting the description of an upright walking man figure, naked, hair-covered and black with height ranges from 6 to 8 feet tall with substantial bulk about the upper body, human leg shaped man figures… (Investigative follow-up originally by Ramona Clark) ...and this 3/24 report I found originally in Ramona's files evidently investigated by Dr. Gordon Strasenburgh, Ph.,D... http://www.bigfootencounters.com/sbs/florida_police_report.htm Hernando County, Florida A group of teen-agers out after dark on Halloween said they saw a large black figure watching them walk across a dirt road for another house to trick or treat. The teens claimed the creature flashed glowing red eyes at them from behind a pine tree. They ran to the safety of the nearest house. (Hibner) Ramona interviewed Deputy Sheriff Tom Williams of Cape Coral, Lee County Florida in June of 1976. Sheriff Williams put a spot light on an animal bent over in a pond, drinking or trying to fish, he wasn't sure. It loped off into the underbrush on two legs, was built large but was short, maybe four to five feet in height and short hair covered all over it's body. The creature hissed and growled at Williams but seemed non-aggressive. The following month, Tom Drinkwater watched an apelike “beast” lope across a road in the same general vicinity. It was tall, hairy and smelled like it had tangled with skunks. (Ramona Clark Hibner) John Holley, age 43 of North Fort Myers, Lee County Florida and his brother Bill, their friend John Kersey also of North Ft. Myers were driving on a dirt road RT 31 in the evening of June 6, 1976 when all three of the saw a 6 foot tall ape in a clump of pines about ten yards off the side of the road, standing there, upright. It had black hair. Deputy Warren Vallier found tracks in the wet dirt 2-3 inches deep in the soil crossing the ditch to the fence and then into thick brush. Hair from barbed wire fence sent for study. Holley saw it walk away into the woods making giant strides. (UPI, & Ramona Hibner and John Green) Condensed from card files: Children of MacDonald family saw a large skunk ape walking among the trees from their vantage point on a high deck. Also some elderly people saw hairy apes on Pine Island and there, 5 toed human-like tracks were found. This area is in Lee County, Fort Myers, Florida, September 1976 (Ramona Hibner to John Green) Two girls reported a large creature covered with hair from head to foot while they were camping in a pasture in Laurel, Sarasota County, Florida on January 17, 1976. They said it had long dark hair that hung over its face that had large shiny green eyes. It was hunched over and when it became aware it was being observed, ran away upright, “waddling.” (Ramona Hibner) Hernando County, Florida near Brooksville… summer of 1976 A skunk ape was sighted by children in a drainage ditch at dusk. It was dark in color. There were other sightings near Brooksville in July. (Hibner) Ramona investigated a report from a woman near Lake Lindsay, 8 miles north of Brooksville, Hernando County Florida in April of 1976. The woman told June Petrus that she saw a creature cross an open pasture at the break of dawn. It had long hair on its head down to its shoulders; was dark brown and walked fast like big, heavy men to when in a hurry. The thing went into the woods by Hwy 476. (Hibner) In Brooksville, Hernando County Florida - Mrs. Joyce Hudson's stepbrother saw a creature jump up a bank on Croom Road and run into an orange grove. The smell was terrible, like rotting flesh. It was about 8 feet tall, dark brown in color, moving upright like a man would; head of hair quite long and heavily built. (Hibner) Various witnesses & campers came forward to report to Ramona Hibner that at the Silver Lake entrance to Withlacoochee River Canoe Trail in Croom Wildlife Reserve, in the off-road bike trail area they saw an 8-foot tall, black haired, upright walking creature that smelled like a dead animal. It growled, and then it screamed and then ran off into the woods, this was at dusk. It came from the direction of the river and looked wet. This incident occurred 17 miles west of Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida June 25, 1976. Fort Myers News Press Newspaper dated June 19, 1976 reported two teenagers watched a skunk ape in a marshy area near Grove City in western Charlotte County, Florida. (Hibner) Donald Duncan of Dunellon, Florida, Citrus County told Ramona he and his 5 year old son saw a skunk ape in or near trees in their yard at 3 a.m. that night heard dog commotion; went out onto their porch and saw creature rolling in the sand outside the gate with three mongrel dogs. Duncan fired a round in their direction with his .22, which caused the dogs to take off and the creature to stand up. He saw it from 30 feet away, said it had reddish brown hair, was about 7-8 feet tall, black skin and red eyes weighing about 450 lbs. Duncan said it was graceful but shot at it twice causing it to “howl like a wolf.” Duncan was available to take a lie detector test; he found a puppy with a broken neck, his colt injured and saw tracks, one foot seemed broken, had four toes and the other track had three toes. (Ramona Hibner sent report to John Green.) A number of informants near Dunellon, Citrus County Florida told Ramona Clark Hibner that an elderly man with a 40 acre piece of property claims a tall skunk ape has been there for the past 5 years and recently started coming up to the house. There were three-toed tracks found, probably gator. A 14-year-old girl saw it and several other men shooting at the thing with .22's. No other details. (Hibner) In early July 1976, Ramona had a report from Stan Moore who told her the story of a woman in Fayetteville, Lincoln County, Tennessee who saw a really huge brown bigfoot standing in a ravine, 20 yards away from where the woman was; the interesting notation here is that this sighting is close to Flintville, site of the April 1976 reports… In 1977 Ramona interviewed Preston Elliott of Center Sandwich, Carroll County, New Hampshire. In the summer of 1942, Preston was cutting spruce in the late afternoon, looking up from his work he saw a 6 to 7 foot tall hunched “gorilla-looking” creature that came close and hung around and followed him for about 20 minutes. The creature was described as “nearly upright with long legs.” The witness said nobody would believe his story because he was 13 or 14 at the time. During that same interview with Preston Elliott of Sandwich, Carroll County, NH., the witness told Hibner that in February of 1977 he found footprints that were 16 to 17 inches long, 6 to 7 inches wide, 5-toes across but the tracks were slightly distorted due to rain, clear toes barely visible. The tracks led to a small shed, then came back down by a frozen stream and crossed over and went some 2000 yards to a highway and crossed that. (Ramona C. Hibner) Again, that year Hibner interviewed another New Hampshire witness, this time a Regina Evans of Milford, Hillsborough County who stated she saw a sasquatch-like creature on May 5, 1977. The creature shook her camper with her two sons inside. The investigation yielded tracks all around the camper that were 16 inches long by 8 inches wide; had a large toe with 4 other toes even. The tracks around their camper led to a logging road a half-mile from a flea market where a similar incident happened on May 7th, 1977. (Hibner) Another report Ramona filed came out of Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi January 17, 1977 and involved Dorothy Abraham and several other residents of Irving Lane who reported to police an “almost human” creature that growled at a dog and fled when the patrol car appeared. Three people in one house said they all saw “huge hairy creature well over 6 feet tall, dark, barefooted and naked; walking with a limp appearing to be curious.” Police found large footprints and some broken limbs. There were similar reports in this area in 1975 and 1976, some published in the Natchez Democrat News on January 20, 1977 – her notes read: “…upright” bare footprints have been seen on Dilbel's sandbar five miles south of town. Sam Corley's son and another man saw large tracks at Sandy Creek 6 months ago…” Ramona Hibner… Then, published in the Brookhaven, Mississippi Leader, on February 16, 1977 – Ralph and Paul Case reported to Ramona tracks found by Buie Mill Road, west of Loyd Star; boys found huge footprints extremely deep in the soil about 15 inches in length or more. Later found more deep footprints leading into a heavily wooded area on Buie Mill Road. Picture of the tracks in the newspaper were huge 5 toes in a row, very wide bare footprints. There were other accounts of a huge hairy upright walking creature, dark in color, naked, almost human seen by several residents in the Natchez area. Brookhaven & Loyd Star is in Lincoln County. On February 18, 1977, The Miami News published an account by Delray Beach Police Lieutenant Lorenzo Brooks that occurred in Palm Beach County. According to Florida investigator Ramona Hibner, the superintendent of a nearby golf course, just west of town told an interesting part of the story. He said he had seen a black, hairy seven-foot tall creature down drinking from a lake near the second tee. His description fit the local stories of the ‘skunk ape.' “…There are three golf courses in Delray Beach: The Delray Beach Golf Club course, The Lakeview and the Villa Delray golf courses. I don't recall specifically which one it was; it's been almost ten years since that conversation.” Duane and Ramona Hibner also investigated a 1977 Pasco County report from people at Moon Lake near Port Richey where there had been several sightings of huge upright walking gorilla-like creatures. Three members of one family saw three of them walking in the yard of their home; the largest creature was reportedly described to Ramona Hibner as a full ten feet tall. The Miami Herald published a report on January 10, 1974 that stated Richard Lee Smith, who lived at the time on State Road 27 near Hollywood in Broward County Florida told police that just after midnight he ran into something on the road that was “huge and seven or eight feet tall, dark-colored and human-like.” Smith said the thing resembled a gorilla; a strange creature of some sort suddenly jumped in front of his car. After it was hit, it ran limping into the Everglades. There was another report of one hit by a car near Gainesville the following February but the Hibner's had no details written in that file. In Ramona Hibner's notes she writes, "... Florida Representative Paul Nuckolls from the Fort Myers District attempted to have the Florida State Legislature protect skunk apes from molestation with a one-year jail term and a $1,000.00 fine....the bill was defeated in June, 1977 -- "Shouted down" according to the St Petersburg Times Newspaper. It is interesting to note that the Criminal Justice Committee did pass this bill. John Green published this on page 280 of "Sasquatch, Apes Among Us.” Ramona writes that Gordon Strasenburgh turned up perhaps the best story of all from the files of Dade County Public Safety Department: Dade County Public Safety Dept Miscellaneous Report #72168-1 Reported by: Ronald Bennett, 46 w/m 2820 SW 106 Avenue. Phone 226-3619 ”Suspicious Incident at Black Point-Goulds Canal, 12:00 a.m. March 24, 1975” Police were dispatched: 2:26 a.m. Arrived: 2:31 a.m. In Service: 4:22 a.m. Remarks: The reported stated that at the above time, date and location the witness and his son Michael Bennett and a friend Lawrence Groom w/m 54 yrs 223-0108, while driving down a dirt road toward Black Point near the water dyke they observed what appeared to be a giant ape-like man, approximately eight (8) to nine (9) feet tall and very heavy set, black in color with no clothes, standing next to a blue Chevy and rocking the car back and forth with great force. The witness further stated they observed a man getting out of the vehicle in a hysterical manner and yelling for help. When the lights of the vehicle that the witnesses were in lit up, the ape like man turned and went into the mangroves. The witnesses stated they could hear the thing moving through the mangroves. At this time the witness' vehicle was turned around and leaving the area. Upon departure they did not see where the man in the blue Chevy went. South District Station #4 was notified and responded to the area. A search of the area for the blue Chevy and the ape like man produced negative results. Note: The location of the incident can be variously described as the eastern end of 248th Street SW, 87th Avenue SW and Biscayne Bay and Snapper Point. Comment: To get from the location of the sighting to the Bennett home would take no more than an hour and probably thirty minutes. So it is clear that the incident was discussed at least an hour and a half before the elder Bennett decided to call the police. Mrs. Bennett told me that her son began his story with the predictable: “Mom, you're not going to believe this, but …” The Charlie Stoeckman family, his wife Leslie and two sons Charlie and Shawn were out hunting bottles north of Tavernier, Florida – Monroe County on July 14, 1977. They saw the creature in the mangroves; they related that they smelled an odor like a wet dog. It went crashing off, emitting a high-pitched cry like a dolphin bark. On July 22, that same year, Mrs. Stoeckman saw the creature around 3:00a.m., reflecting colorless eyes and a silhouette of huge shoulders and head! It was approximately 8 feet tall in brush 30 feet away. Mr. Stoeckman phoned the sheriff but the skunk ape crashed off again into the bushes. The report was written up in the Miami Herald on July 26, 1977… (Citation: Ramona Clark Hibner to John Green) Another interviewee of Mrs. Hibner was a security guard for John's Nursery in Apopka, Florida where he was working the night of October 3, 1977. The security guard, a Mr. Donnie Hall claimed a ten-foot tall hairy Bigfoot attacked him tearing his shirt off in the process. He fired several shots “in vain” toward the reddish-gray-haired chest of the creature with smallish ears. The Florida Game Commission agent reported to have found tacks at the nursery. The full story made the Orlando Sentinel Star on October 5, 1977. (Ramona Hibner) It must have been a busy year, Ramona reported several Lee County incidents, one in August and another in September of that year near N. Fort Myers by a Sean MacDonald who saw a bigfoot creature on Captiva Island, near N. Ft. Myers. The first time it walked between him and the boat dock and the second time after a series of storms all week, Sean saw it again causing him to “blubber hysterically.” Captiva is an island in the Gulf of Mexico, north of Sanibel Island, which was once a pirates' refuge. After that it was not seen again. (Hibner) Stan Moore reported tracks found then cast, - presumably Sasquatch near Westmoreland, Sumner County, Tennessee in early February. No other details (Noted by Ramona Hibner) Gibsonton, Hillsborough County, Florida - Large human-like bare footprints, 17 –inch x 6-½ inch were discovered. (Hibner) Port Orange, Volusia County, Florida Witness reported an eye to eye sighting with a hair-covered creature that occurred at approximately 2:00 a.m. in July of 1976 while driving on Taylor Road, in Port Orange, Florida - south of Daytona Beach. At that time, this area was quite rural and Taylor Road was only two lanes; today it is a 6-lane roadway. The witness, Martha Cowell said, “When the creature realized we were closely approaching it lifted its head and looked directly at me. Our eyes locked and didn't break until we decided to “move it” and get out of there. The creature didn't look angry or frightened; it looked more quizzical than anything else. It didn't attempt to move, walk or run away. I would estimate that if standing the creature would have stood approximately 7 to 7 ½ feet tall and weighed between 400 and 500 pounds, although all of its hair may have made it look heavier than it was. It was covered with long, somewhat wavy and matted, Irish-setter red-colored hair. The hair on its chest wasn't as thick and long as on the rest of its body. Hair covered the face, but the hair on the face was short like a sheep dog. There is mention of Ramona's sighting in this old 1974 news item in the St. Petersburg Times: http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/hernando-cnty74.htm By Bobbie Short in memory of Ramona Clark Hibner, Florida Researcher; comments to firstname.lastname@example.org Hibner, Ramona Clark, files, phone calls & notes 1996 Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida Colossa, Joe Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus 2007 Flint, Richard Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus 2007 historian Morrison, Paula G. circus historian Fahrenbach, Ph.D., W. Henner March 2000 letter from Oregon Strasenburgh, Ph.D., Gordon, anthropologist Green, John BC Museum files 2002 and correspondence Krantz, Dr. Grover S. (1931- 2002) “Big Footprints” and “Bigfoot - Sasquatch Evidence” additional personal correspondence in 1998 & 1999 Napier, Dr. John Russell (1917 -1987) “Bigfoot, The Yeti and Sasquatch in Myth & Reality” Green, John, (1927 - ) 1978 “Sasquatch the Apes Among Us,” Hancock House Schaffner, Ron - 2009 - "The best editor ever..." Back to stories? Back to Bigfoot Encounters Main page Back to Newspaper & Magazine Articles Back to Bigfoot Encounters "What's New" page Portions of this website are reprinted and sometimes edited to fit the standards of this website under the Fair Use Doctrine of International Copyright Law as educational material without benefit of financial gain. This proviso is applicable throughout the entire Bigfoot Encounters Website.

Posted by: Loren Coleman on September 11th, 2006 Have you heard that the young Bigfoot caught in Maine has been sold to a mystery buyer for $17 million dollars? Don’t laugh. Yet. That’s what I’m being told has happened. When a Vegas casino or secret international corporation announces they have a baby Bigfoot in the near future, I don’t want anyone to say they weren’t informed here first! The capture and transportation of a baby Bigfoot (a/k/a "Yarwen" – whatever that is) would not have been an easy activity to accomplish. Above is part of the relocation, imagined, comically but sadly, by Peter Loh. Okay, okay, your credulity has been challenged, right? You think I have gone over to the darkside or at least the tabloid side of cryptid-reporting, humm? Well, consider this. In the role of a reporter, one should convey to you what is being fed to the media without taking in everything, hook, line, and sinker, correct? Besides, this baby Bigfoot is "breaking news," if you know what I mean, and someone is putting a lot of energy into developing the plot. Therefore, with no value judgement tied to whether this material is worthless or informative, here is what is known, up to this point. In the end, could this be an interesting critical analysis experience? Is there a kernel of reality in any of this? Or can we at least understand that the first step in exposing a hoax is sharing all the data from various sources, in one place? Perhaps lessons to learn are there in the future. For now, here’s a summary of what I’ve gathered, from interviews and emails, arranged in a third-person timeline to try to make sense of this, if there is any sense to be made. Hopefully, the revelations seen in this timeline may be instructive and assist each of us in deciphering this together. Chronology of Baby Bigfoot Capture Story August 22, 2006: The date of an alleged Maine-based "baby Bigfoot" sighting is posted in a webstory. August 26, 2006: Informant "New Jersey B" receives an email from "Tuck Hayes" of New Jersey saying: "Who do I contact to sell a Bigfoot body? I will have a complete body to sell soon. The bidding starts at $1,000,000.00 tax free. It will go to the highest bidder." ("New Jersey B" is a BFRO investigator who shares this email with Loren Coleman after September 4th.) August 28, 2005: The “General Hunting Season” for Bear in the State of Maine opens and runs through November 25, 2006. Hunters are allowed “one bear” per season, with a license. September 1, 2006: Email reveals to Loren Coleman that two Bigfoot are allegedly confronted in "north woods of Maine" at "dawn on Friday." One of the Bigfoot is said to be 8.5 ft tall with orange-brown hair is killed and buried. Another Bigfoot called a "cub" – said to be 3.5 tall, weighing 121.5 pounds, and docile – is captured. Informant, "dominick perez" says this is "no hoax." September 1, 2006: This young Bigfoot (called "Yarwen" by this individual) is reportedly transported back to New Jersey via restraints, using handcuffs on a rollbar. (This information comes out in later emails when "perez" writes Loren Coleman: " i drove the thing all the way home in the back of my truck handcuffed to the roll bar.") Handcuffs? If the individual is truly linked to law enforcement work, he might have naturally had some with him. But would they be useful in restraining a baby Bigfoot? September 2, 2006: Loren Coleman receives an email on this Saturday, offering a first look at the young Bigfoot. But no information is given about the writer or the Bigfoot’s exact location, and no confirming photographic proof is shared. The emailer, "dominick perez" is determined to be "psychologically erratic" in emails. September 2, 2006: A million dollars is "no enough money" for the emailer, but person signs himself as "dominick perez" wishes to have Loren Coleman represent him anonymously for much more. He wants "$100,000 for photos which you can come and take." This "perez" claims he will "list the creature on ebay with an opening bid of $10,000,000" and he "will give" Loren Coleman "10% of whatever we eventually get, and you will have the honor of breaking the story." September 2, 2006: Although emails are signed "dominick perez," the person says that "’dominick perez’ is not my real name." September 3, 2006: After trying to calmly talk to "perez," during a flurry of Sunday emails, Loren Coleman gets this message – "i’ll tell you what… look on ebay in about a week and you will see a live video. i will give the exclusive story to one of your competitors..[and]…check ebay periodically and you will have all the photo evidence you need. this ends my communications with you." September 4, 2006: New Jersey "perez" ends emails and thus Loren Coleman is released from any "confidentiality," so the first of two "Yarwen" columns are written on Cryptomundo. September 4, 2006: After the Cryptomundo item is published, backchannel communication to Loren Coleman are of two kinds, (a) Bigfoot contactees who wish to talk to "perez," and (b) investigators who volunteer to backtrack the ISP on "perez." Bigfooter "Dan" quickly discovers that "perez" lives in Paterson, New Jersey. Sasquatch detective Steve Kulls discovers that "perez" who says that is not his name actually has an email address that is owned by "Dominick J Perez…Paterson, NJ," who has an internet footprint of dental and health insurance "recommendations" to others in chatrooms and on email lists. September 4, 2006: "New Jersey B" uses the Perez email address, which was shared with him by Loren Coleman for identification purposes only, to directly email Perez. September 4, 2006: Perez writes back to "New Jersey B." His email contains the following info: "yes indeed i have the beast in my possession…if a woman can sell a piece of grilled cheese in the image of the virgin mary for thousands imagine what this is worth. my fee for viewing the creature and photographs is $100,000….we can sell that but the cub is going nowhere for less than 10 million." September 4, 2006: Perez writes "New Jersey B" that he (Perez) works "in law enforcement. if you want to see this thing it will be done on MY terms. i risked my life to capture this thing not you. i cannot believe this. i would think that you would be jumping through hoops at the prospect of being able to validate your research. would you like me to mail you a hair sample that you can have tested?" September 5, 2006: Tim Cassidy and others tell Loren Coleman about Andy Davis’ August 22 posting about a "baby Bigfoot." Filmmaker Andy Davis is producing an indie film about a young Sasquatch. The text of the "August 22, 2006" sighting posted is: Over the past week, while in pre-production for our latest film, we learned that a Baby bigfoot was found in Maine…which happens to be the state we live in…and also happens to be the one of the subjects of our next film. As we speak, we have assembled a team of hunters that will be working around the clock for the next few days to see if they can "drag one in" for us…I think we’re going to be successful in our venture. Check back soon for more updates and evidence on baby bigfoot. Davis discusses in several conversations and confirms on September 5th to Lore n Coleman that what was posted was really about the Turner "Mystery Beast" before Davis understood the initial reports were merely about a dead dog killed on Route 4. Someone mistakenly told Davis about the Turner "dead body" find by using the phrase "baby Bigfoot." It turns out to be an unfortunate mistake, as Andy Davis feels wrongly accused of being behind a publicity stunt for his new movie. He knows nothing about Perez or the New Jersey story, and no emails link to him. September 6, 2006: Perez emails "New Jersey B" – "i found one of you competitors who was wise enough to take me up on my generous my offer. he has seen the creature (he actually fainted!), a 10 minute video has been made and you will see a huge announcement in the coming days. you blew it. i believe deep down you have no faith in your ‘research’. you don’t really believe they exist. you have seen countless disappointments and hoaxes and you have given up on believing. nowit has cost you millions and the legitimacy and recognition you so desperately seek. that honor has been granted to another. you losers profess to be cryptozoological investigators but you’re naught but a bunch of frauds. no wonder people think you are a bunch of [deleted profanity] nuts. you aren’t even intelligent enough to cash in on a sure thing. September 6, 2006: Perez says "this competitor" whose "name you will soon know" has no respect for other Bigfoot researchers. September 9, 2006: Loren Coleman receives a new email, which says, "loren you fool! …you were given a once in a lifetime chance to see a live one (Bigfoot)? you passed up a killer offer… the…captured…bigfoot… sold..to a mystery bidder for 17 million. you could of had 1.7 mil! anyway, the body of an adult (Bigfoot) is buried on the northermost banks of the royal river. wanna go a diggin’?" Is this merely a new "captive Bigfoot" story from you know who? Commenters have assumed using a rollbar to restrict the movement of the baby Bigfoot would have exposed the creature to being seen by the public, but some rollbars are inside of vehicles. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

FiltersShow / Hide - All Events - Theatre & Shows - Days Out - Anywhere In The UK - Location: Anywhere in the UK Radius: ... miles This event has been and gone! Catch the next one: Check out the info below for future tour dates, and track them to receive alerts when they tour near you Never miss another 'Jeremy Wade' show River Monsters Face To Face: Jeremy Wade "Jeremy Wade, the presenter of the global hit series River Monsters, biology teacher and angler turned seat-of-the-pants explorer will undertake a live tour to 13 venues in March 2014! This is a rare opportunity to see Jeremy live for an evening of mystery, mayhem and monster wrangling. Man-sized piranhas, fish that electrocute, nine-foot river sharks (yes, river sharks) ... You've seen the programmes; now find out what it takes to deliver these outlandish creatures to the TV screen, with video footage, tall stories and on-stage demonstrations! The fifth thrilling series of River Monsters starts on ITV in January 2014 and this season Jeremy Wade will be, amongst other adventures, tracking down legendary mutant fish in the nuclear wastelands of Russia's Chernobyl, and on a quest for perhaps the most famous freshwater cryptid ever - Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster!" Info provided by the Event Organiser Track this event - Event has been added to your calendar - Any important updates will be sent to your email address - Add to your personal Ents24 calendar - Sync with iCal, Outlook and others - Receive important updates - 1 person currently tracks this event Venue: The Carriageworks Theatre Enquiries: 0113 2474746 Bookings: 0113 2243801 → Leeds 9 min walk

Monster Diary: When Mysteries Collide The good folks at Anomalist Books – Patrick Huyghe and Dennis Stacy – have just published my latest book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures. It’s a book about which they say: “MONSTER DIARY is the latest saga in Nick Redfern’s ongoing series of worldwide road-trips in search of strange creatures and terrifying beasts. In this transatlantic trek, Redfern is hot on the trail of…a Mothman-like creature in Wisconsin; giant eels that lurk in the canals of Birmingham, England; a spectral mammoth and a ghostly big-cat in American woods; Bigfoot in New Mexico; a Chupacabras in the wilds of Oklahoma; vampire-like beasts roaming the valleys of Wales; and California’s very own shape-shifting Skinwalkers.” Patrick and Dennis continue: “MONSTER DIARY reveals that many of the unknown animals of our planet are not all they seem to be. They may appear to be flesh-and-blood creatures, but is that what they really are? “Redfern sets out to prove that the true nature of the fearsome creatures that dwell in dark and shadowy woods, atop imposing mountainous peaks, and within the depths of murky lakes and rivers can only be understood with a knowledge of ancient rituals designed to conjure up foul life forms from some terrible realm, ominous sacrificial ceremonies undertaken in the dead of night, and disturbing occult rites. Monsters do exist. Monsters are among us. But they are not what you probably think there are.” The book is written in definitive road-trip style, and covers my many and varied investigations of strange creatures from early 2009 to late 2011. But, there’s something else, too. It’s something that will likely get mainstream Cryptozoologists, Ufologists, ghost-hunters, and investigators of the paranormal in states of fury. And, no doubt, it will provoke a great deal of eye-rolling and head-shaking, too. What is it? I’ll tell you! The numerous examples I cite in the book where bizarre beasts, supernatural phenomena, and UFOs have all crossed paths; time and again, and to deeply significant degrees. As many will know, I hardly hold the most conventional views on all of the above phenomena, and I’m pretty much convinced that, in some fashion we still don’t really understand, they’re all inter-connected. And that’s one of the main threads of Monster Diary: this curious cross-over of Fortean phenomena, with Cryptozoology playing a major roll in that cross-over. For example, one of the things I talk about in the book is the US Army’s 19th Century Camel Corps – a program where, in the pummelling desert heat of the American southwest, the military used camels for a while, rather than horses, to carry and transport supplies, munitions, etc. I include in the book a number of stories of people seeing what sound like ghostly, spectral remnants of the old camels – even today. But, here’s the thing: as I note in the pages of Monster Diary, a number of those sightings have been made in the direct vicinity of Giant Rock, California – home, for years, to legendary Flying Saucer Contactee, George Van Tassel. And that’s not all. I also make mention in the book of some very curious cross-over synchronicities that occurred to me while I was researching my 2010 book, Final Events, and which dealt with Jack Parsons, Aleister Crowley and sacrificial frogs – all of which tied in with me stumbling upon what looked like a sacrificed frog sat atop my very own scaled-down version of Stonehenge, and which occurred when, for days on end, the skies of my back-yard were near-endlessly plagued by very low-flying black helicopters. Yes, it was very bizarre! Then there’s the weird story – that I also relate in the book – of how a piece of cryptozoological graffiti found at a legendary UFO site seemed to provoke a sudden wave of reports, sightings and curious “coincidences” concerning the very same, famous cryptid portrayed in the spray-painted artwork. I could, of course, go on and on. But, the point is that on so many occasions now – many more are related in the pages of Monster Diary – I have come across case after case where puzzles of a cryptozoological and strange animal variety cross paths with so many other supernatural phenomena, to the point where trying to investigate sightings of bizarre beasts in a cryptozoological context -and nothing else – simply does not work. Or, rather, it certainly doesn’t work for me. I fully realize that belief is an undeniably powerful thing, and trying to demonstrate to Ufologists, monster-hunters, and ghost-seekers that their favorite topics of investigation might not be so separate as they conclude them to be, is no easy task. But, something is going on, there’s no doubt about that. And that’s the chief thrust of Monster Diary: demonstrating, road-trip-style, that the unknown animals that populate the skies, waters and forests of our world are not what they appear to be. They’re far worse and much stranger…

The sound of colours III Hey!The sound of colours III2 years ago in Art Features More Like This This month's topic is scapes. I hope you like it! Reaching the Ice Fortress... by XavierJamonet Chamonix Needles ID by alexandre-deschaumes badwater pattern by porbital Rise of a new day by Aphantopus icy beach by mescamesh When The Moon Shines by torivarn sky-high by CaveCanem42 A breath of Hope by iNeedChemicalX Aurora and the Milky way by erezmarom Maloti Pass : Reprocessed by hougaard Spring Evening by TobiasRichter - There is a House - by ldinami7e Fields of gold by emmanueldautriche First light by emmanueldautriche High Pressure by DrewHopper Winter Wonderland 28 by doruoprisan Impart by IvanAndreevich Sheep and Volcanoes by FlorentCourty Long Reef Red by Glenn-Crouch Like a painting by Philippe-Albanel all of meall of me2 years ago in Personal More Like This Dune by MarcinFlis :thumb396116192: moonshine by matze-end .: Rhythm :. by oguzceng Kotabaru Barrier by abdieft somewhere (Premium Content) by sth22art All we have... by Lissuin five crows by selimselimoglu Blind Spot by Philomena-Famulok behind the window by alexsanndra two from onetwo from one1 year ago in Art Features More Like This zik zak ziggurat by aerendial swirling by aerendial Leaving me to become the ashes by Zewar-Fadhil Cold, alone in a void from An endless world by Zewar-Fadhil The shape that parting takes by mehrmeer Shards by mehrmeer La disparition by ambrosia3 CXXXVIII by ambrosia3 kzXIII by keinziel all 4 u by keinziel Friday Feature: Issue 042A Collection of -Friday Feature: Issue 0422 years ago in Art Features More Like This Ice Desert by mizarek XX by eulalievarenne Lost in clouds by iLoran an ordinary sadness by BlauBeerKuchen . .. . .. . . . .. .. . . by Frozen-photo :iconmaliusorbit: :iconsoals91: :iconbrandtcampbell: :iconisaay: :iconaltingfest: :iconlioncourt7: :iconjonniedee: :iconhgonzag: :iconmar-jus: :iconwurstgulasch: :iconmizarek: :iconeulalievarenne: :iconiloran: :iconblaubeerkuchen: :icona1d3z: :iconfrozen-photo: Ophelia Overdose calendar 2014FINALLY...Ophelia Overdose calendar 20142 years ago in Personal More Like This After its success, a new calendar is waiting for u! Thanks to all people who bought the calendar so far, I really appreciate the support!! ♥ HOW TO ORDER ♥ Just send an email: What happy customers say: "I must say, I was very impressed with the quality and actual size. I originally though that I was paying a little too much, but now I feel that I should have paid more" "The quality of this product is outstanding! The printing and paper quality is excellent!" "The selection is absolutely magnificent and will never ever let this go." I am moving (and offline for a while)I know it's been silent for a while.I am moving (and offline for a while)2 years ago in Personal More Like This I just got my first own house, and I'm currently in the process of moving there. It's quite a mess at the moment. Moving boxes all over the place. There are a lot of things to take care of. And I don't even have a decent internet connection. But in the end, I'm certainly looking forward to having my own place to work on my art and stuff. So it's gonna take me a while until I'm up and running again. In the meanwhile. Enjoy some epic music: Update november 4th, 2013: Well... I just got the key recently. So I can begin moving in. There's still a lot of stuff that I need to take care of. Buying machines, furniture, and that kind of stuff. But it's slowly moving forward. I'm expecting to be in my new house in a week or 2, or maybe 3. And I hope to have internet by then. See you around~! The Hunter Who Wasn'tI was dressed like a tree and smelling of acorns and doe urine, a curious perfume of my own mixture which makes me invisible to a buck who's better sense has been blinded by the rut, an event that peaks in Kansas on 11/11, which, by the way, is my birthday.The Hunter Who Wasn't2 years ago in Personal More Like This And I was sitting on a log in a nice piece of woods, on a doe path crossing a gully, when I turned, and there was a buck about this far away:but with humongous antlers, fully grown out of velvet into six points, with eyes just as sweet as those of my friend above, yet stronger and bigger, and frankly, much more healthy, and I said to him, "Damn, you're beautiful. Now go on your way, knowing that a man can trick you, by looking and smelling like a pissed-over tree." Which he did, turning back often, with remorse. For a friend is a friend, no mat CLOSED | BLUE CONTEST| 60 points giveaway! Hello!CLOSED | BLUE CONTEST| 60 points giveaway!2 years ago in Deviant Events More Like This Would you like to win some free handmade jewelry? Or in simple way be given points? If the answer is yes read this journal #edit1: I added two more prizes and extended the date to 23th of February to make more people join it! Hope you use the time well :3 you can see all the entries here What are the rules of the contest? You have to make an artwork. It can be really everything: digital art, traditional art, mixed media, craft, photo, text or anything what comes to your mind. There's only one rule: it has to be something blue, connected with b GIVEAWAY! almost 50 watchers!heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey there sweety pies i'm about to reach the 50 deviant watchers and i'm on the mood so i said, why not? So,first of all, here are the prices CHOICES if you win :GIVEAWAY! almost 50 watchers!2 years ago in Personal More Like This Option # 1 : One of the Pacman's ring collection Option #2 a white okay okay adjustable ring! Or ! option #3 : a kawaii duck charm Yeah , so that's pretty much it , you can enter your name up to 4 times! First of all : for your name to appear 1 time on the list, comment over here , for your name to appear 2 times in the list give your like to my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salos-Craft-Shop/690716824280660 (please tell me if you did and you username) , if you want to apper 3 times, choose one of my facebook page's photo and share it and for your 4 time on the list , Art School or State School?Hey Friends, I published this on Doodle Alley already, but I thought you guys might benefit from this kind of discussion too. Let me know what you think!Art School or State School?3 years ago in Personal More Like This I've been (quietly) following your cartoon essays for a while--I adore them and appreciate you sharing them. I imagine you get a lot of emails from people asking about creative direction, their meaning in life, existential angst, etc. And I know you're a cartoonist and not a licensed therapist (although hey, I never claimed to know everything about you), but I was hoping you'd be able to help me. I'm pursuing a career in comics. I *wish* I could say that I was attending the School of Visual Arts, the Art Center College of Design, etc., but those are rather cost-prohibitive. Instead my soul is being sucked out of me at a public university. I'm aware that where I attend school isn't the end-all of what career I have and what level of success I reach, but I'm not learning what I want to learn. Currently in my drawing clas From My Favorites: IXTrying a little different style with this week's, hope you like it.From My Favorites: IX3 years ago in Art Features More Like This Volume I | Volume II | Volume III | Volume IV | Volume V | Volume VI | Volume II | Volum Imaginary YouImaginary You2 years ago in Art Features More Like This Sie Ist Idaho XX by filmgoerjuan '' by tejido shortsea2 by carpeemorteem we sing, we love and we dance by Chaerul-Umam Lily in the dream by mariasvarbova T6 by MargotMi dark moon by MartaSyrko Regardez moi... by fraisedesbois68 Anastasia by Anna1Anna :thumb410480966: :thumb404902608: The lone survivor by AshtrayheartRomina Pawn Four by IMustBeDead Light as i can be by AshtrayheartRomina Flowers in December II by zemotion Motherland Chronicles #34 - In the Secret Garden by zemotion Her highness by JimP4nsen Breathe by Muse1908 Porcelain Ann by Lileinaya Berries by madobe Raspberry Rose by la-esmeralda Mystic Queen by EbruSidarPortrait I still remember by EbruSidarPortrait secret garden by esmahanozkan :thumb412071595: _Essence. by josefinejonssonphoto Rainbow by EbruSidarPortrait adrienne innocent by JackyRoyalTS Untilted by dreamlikeuniverse Pure by namimosa Anna by Hart-Worx Serene by FlexDreams There's a she wolf in your closet by AshtrayheartRomina ANGRY DOLL by Gesell FALLEN by M0THart Dreamcatcher Print by pishchanska in good times and in bad times by Nilanja when the heart guides the hand by illdispose Kim by RejeanBrandt k444 by jarrod343 Royal cannibal by xJNFR Brygida by Grymin Hope Mitchell - 9966 by grodpro LUCIA by simsalabima Earth is tired... by A-Finch girl emotion by MartaSyrko the secret by SenoritaPepita Anna by cbyn :thumb39585756 Akw-Art-Design's Iphone Background Collection My Iphone Background Collection!Akw-Art-Design's Iphone Background Collection2 years ago in Personal More Like This YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/AkwArtStudio FB Akw-Art Studio: https://www.facebook.com/AkwArtStudio FB Akw-Art-Design: https://www.facebook.com/AkwArtDesigns IOS 8 Design: <iPhone 5 & iPhone 6> IOS 6 Design: <iPhone 4 & iPhone 5> Iphone 4 Guilty Crown Inori Yuzuriha by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Baka to Test Kouta Tsuchiya by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Magi Morgiana by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Magi Kougyoku Ren by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Love Live! Umi Sonoda by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Love Live! Honoka Kousaka by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo Mashiro Shiina by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Date A Live Tohka Yatogami by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 KHR Vongola G by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Another Misaki Mei by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Medaka Box Kumagawa Misogi by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Nekomonogatari Neko Hanekawa by Akw-Art-Design Iphone 4 Shakugan no Shana Christmas Shana by Akw-Art-Design People are AWESOME- Part 1-digitalDIGITAL ARTPeople are AWESOME- Part 1-digital2 years ago in Art Features More Like This These colors again by LeaglemResistant God Engelbert (advanced version) by dalisacgGoddess of Destiny by YayashinThe Avengers- Iron Man vs. Thor Key Frame by andyparkartHera by TheRafaEntrance to Hata Zukal by TitusLunterapplibot - legend of cryptid by Reza-ilyasa Lighthouse by Tira-Owl Canyon by aJVLYou stole my jungle! by TrungTHThe Great North Road by PhilipstraubYggdrasil by Derlaine8 dA love for everyone! #93dA love for everyone! #932 years ago in Art Features More Like This As the title suggests, this news article’s goal is to spread the dA love into everyone’s heart! You will find here a little bit of everything, from awesome interviews with talented artists, art features, group promotion to random deviants' features. I hope you will find this informative and entertaining! Interviewed artist: thinkpastel :iconthinkpastel: Tell us what defines you as a person. Believe it or not, I've been sitting here a good 10 minutes trying to come up with a decent answer to this question (I even considered Google-ing it. True story.) Anyway, I didn't find any, so I guess that my almost pathological uncertainty is what best defines me How did you find out abou BestDA photos Collection #7BestDA photos Collection #72 years ago in Art Features More Like This At the attick by tia0608 The Sea to Tir Na Nog by CookmePancakes rambling by davespertine5854 by CookmePancakes Sea level by dinabelenkoa kiss goodbye by emznocedoOne in a million by naked-in-the-rain Memoria by RonnyEngelmannLast hope by Piscisvolantis Lurker by annajordanart I_..OO.._I by RonnyEngelmann Waves II by Matthias-Hakerroots to grow wings to fly by Traumsturm Severan men!For the sake of reference for Snape-artists, I´ve assembled a little list of men who I think make good models/references for any fanartist tring to find their own vision of Severus Snape and move away from the movie version that is kinda burned into our collective minds (no hate to Mr. Rickman, whom I still maddly love ).Severan men!3 years ago in Personal More Like This Now, not all of these guys are perfect picks, of course, some might be too handsome, not thin enough or not have the right complexion...but overall I feel like if you mix and match they can be great references to work with. Enjoy and add your own in the comments if you want (Ps: Pictures will be links only for better viewing ) Jordi Caballero (Spanish dancer, choreographer and occasional actor) - A personal favorite of mine. He has the nose, the sharp features(that also look great with facial hair for those who like their Snape with a beard or a goatte), the deep dark eyes, the flair for the dramatic, the imposing aura, a wiry and muscular bui Fashion Makes the World go Round Welcome to a feature that includes a selection of pieces from the Fashion photography galleries, Fashion-themed news and contests, a Fashion artist of the week, and some more fun stuff!Fashion Makes the World go Round 1 year ago in Art Features More Like This From the Fashion Photography gallery: abstract red v.2 by bwaworga On Top Of The World by ImaginaryRosse bricks by RowanVerditeNova Liu Zhihui by Race-Queen Ethereal Angel by Erica-Muller A Little Grunge Story by JotVelZet Flower garden by SisterSinister Jenalu by DanOstergren NYC Workshop by EmilySoto Railway by HatedxLove Back in the past II by rainris Papilio in Mist by RavenaJuly Fashion related news: FashionIllustrators are hosting a contest with amazing prizes! Find out more Help Needed: Our Mom had major surgery----EDIT Apr. 03 2013---Help Needed: Our Mom had major surgery3 years ago in Personal More Like This Thank you so much for everyone helping us out, on behalf of me and my siblings, we would like to thank all of you. :iconuhuhuhuplz::iconuhuhuhuplz::iconuhuhuhuplz: Words can't express how much I wanna thank all of you guys... Just like in the movies/telenovela/anime scene...but its happening in real life... I had to raise 40K (1000$) on my own in order to pay the first half of Mom's hospital bill so she can continue with the medicines.... And the hospital was like giving me only 1 night and half a day to do it... No relatives to help me but I got my angel friends...God is still so good! That time I said to myself "I'll not go back in the hospital without the money, whatever happens" Thank you so much for my Master who lended me some large amount of money and kept me company, to mamu jeanne and to dear real life true friends Soramio (who had to rush to the bank) cocojam who lend me money also and audiiyan arranging the paypal set up... And to thes Emotion :thumb65310339: freedom by Olga5 Kilja by sowi01 A Horse's love by Chloeholmes7 Closer by MsCarmen Zingaro in studio by Vikarus Creation by gler-augu Bianka by wielu Horse in Dusk by BlueSem White Horse by teslaextreme Max by MsCarmen Malisha by vadalein Part-series-3 by photocrafter Windswept by tempest-hollow Andromeda's dreams by amisiux :thumb152720083: Sylwia and Bojar 7 by paula2206-photo Friesian by rainyrose23 Flicker II by attlid never leave you by Equuskath From a Fairytale III by Colourize locked behind these fences by passionforhorse hugs by equinelovex Together by JayeTatone She Dreams by blackmaster111 true friendship never dies by dimundi-official white passion by sultan-alghamdi Sea horse by holdyourhorses RHYTHM OF THE HORSE by M0THart Golden beard by Ephreet The Pestilence of Horseflies by stealersweep Steam by equinelovex :thumb306777708: Discovery by Pawssou 000012 by patagami Mane by bureska In the fog by lazureblood liquid by triple-bar Way in to sun by Hikari-kirin The Chase by starrynightxxi Love by jillsahner Horse II by odpium Snow Charge by Goodbye-kitty975 Wild Horse 4 by bovey-photo Siglir by Caoshica Horse traders III by vulezvrk horse by Ventana-Graff Stallions by sowi01 Imagine that ... by Jutyna :thEmotion2 years ago in Art Features More Like This Highlights of the Week - 11th EditionHighlights of the Week - 11th Edition2 years ago in Art Features More Like This Lilith, Immortal Queen... bewitching creature of sweet smile, your eyes have caught men's soul while your lips have made them your slaves, the soft cadence of your hips weave a velvet blanket, unleashing their craving for possessing you, they fall to your knees surrending to you, lost in ecstasy and desire, trying to subjugate you with lust and unpleasant demands, wanting you to be the servant, imagining you belong to them without knowing and understanding that you are superior to men, your rose fragrance intoxicate the ones who want owning you crimson kisses deceive their thoughts while your delicate hands caress their bodies and leading them towards the sheol, Where men realize the power you hold, An immortal Queen reigning in her own paradise... A new edition of Highlights of the week!,congratulations to our selected artists! Enjoy our feature! ANOTHER YEAR WITHOUT A SAVIOR - 2014 - 2ANOTHER YEAR WITHOUT A SAVIOR - 2014 - 22 years ago in Art Features More Like This kitty crystalline ::: by Birgit-Zartl-Photo Auf dem Weg by feigenfrucht wet secret by johngiannis27 Time Report by RichardLeach conscious thought by DanNeamu Man, what did I doSo I uploaded this as a curiosity and sudden realizationMan, what did I do3 years ago in Personal More Like This And my god, when I saw this afternoon the response, like 400+ comments? A hot debate I created about beauty, being natural or not. I kinda feel like a troll But on to the point, Please, I just want to say before anyone jumps into conclusions, I am neutral on the matter. I don't care if wearing make-up is good or bad, or makes you look better or worse. I'm just stating the obvious; people can be transformed by make-up. My purpose of this is to actually show make-up is another form of ART, and to me, being the most important tool in my work, makes wonders. Sometimes being natural is boring (NOT ugly I say), and my goal is to create characters that can't exist but are born and molded from my head to you by makeup. And they are not always beautiful, not to me. But I don't care. I don't know if any of you get it, what I'm trying to say, or if it makes any sense. But whatever, thought I had to say it. : SUMMER CONTEST - CLOSEDSUMMER CONTEST - CLOSED3 months ago in Deviant Events More Like This Rules to enter the Contest "Summertime and the livin' is easy" This contest is running on the group AllArtSupport but the members of the affiliated groups Soulcollectors, TheFavouriteShowcase, TraditionalPainting and Global-Photos are also welcome to submit to the contest folder; The contest starts on the 30th June 2015 and you have until the 31st August 2015 (it won't be extended) to submit; All works should be new (posted on DA from the 30th June 2015 until the end of the contest); You may submit 2 pieces (any medium, except literature): one piece in July and other piece in August; If you didn'

Saturday, May 11, 2013 Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins Tangle With Dragons In Eric Styles' LEGENDARY Sources: Avery Guerra / Robert Hood Film maker Eric Styles is presently working in China on a brand new 3D monster epic entitled 'Legendary'. The production has gone through numerous name changes over the past few months including 'Legendary: The Shocate' and 'Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon.' Though the films' new poster will remind fans of Jurassic Park and Roland Emmerich's terrible 'Godzilla' mess this time it isn't dinosaurs or mutated iguana's that has actors Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins traveling to China to wander through caves and dine on Kung Pao Chicken. Any guesses what they may be looking for? Yes, indeed it's dragons and unlike the cast of Finding Bigfoot, Lundgren and company actually find exactly what they are looking for. Here is your plot: Travis (Adkins) and his team travel to China in search of what isn’t supposed to exist … their mission to capture a cryptid that is wreaking havoc in a remote village where a water pipeline is being built. They need to do this before Harker (Lundgren), the legendary bounty hunter, finds and kills it — and before anyone else falls victim to its rage. Check out the pics: 'Legendary' features an international cast that includes Chinese and UK actresses Yi Huang and Lydia Leonard.

The Abominable Snowman is also known as Yeti or Metoh and is a legendary bipedal creature believed by some to inhabit parts of the Himalayan mountains. The Yeti may either be class... The Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman, is a large ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Asia. There is no scientific evidence of its existence. Abominable Snowman is a common name for the yeti, an apelike animal cryptid said to inhabit the Himalaya region of Nepal and Tibet. Abominable Snowman ... Sep 10, 2008 ... gypseann 1 year ago. The abominable snowman scared the hell out of me as a child. Read more Show less. Reply · 4 5 ... Features the voices of Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Frankie Muniz and Lacey Chabert. Selected Special Features on the Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman Formats Available: The above information is on the Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abomin ... More » Videos. The Abominable Snowman -- Trailer for this chilling monster tale. Photos. The Abominable Snowman (1957) Peter Cushing and Forrest Tucker in The ... Nov 27, 2012 ... The Yeti, once better known as the Abominable Snowman, is a mysterious bipedal creature said to live in the mountains of Asia. It sometimes ... Yeti: Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas. A tibetian fortress below the mountains were the Yeti is supposed to roam. The Himalaya Mountains, the 4.3/5.0 rating. See The Abominable Snowman on the Amazon Movies and TV store. Great savings on a wide range of DVD, Blu-ray, and 3D-Bluray titles. Oct 17, 2013 ... The Abominable Snowman in pictures. It is one of the world's most enduring mysteries, attracting both curiosity and fear. Now, a British scientist ...

The Truth About Neandertals Neanderthal man is the name given to the bones and tools found in parts of Europe and Asia. Scientists believe that these men first appeared around 600,000 years ago though others place the date at 350,000 years ago. The name relates to both the location where the first specimen was found, as well as the a theologian who lived in the immediate area. Studies have found that around 5% of the genes found in modern man are also found in this early man. In 1829 the first Neanderthal skull was found in Belgium. The skull looked so misshapen that researchers assumed it was some type of bear. It wasn’t until 1857 that researchers discovered it was human. At least 400 other specimens have been found since then. Studies on these bones uncovered the fact that these people stood five feet tall and weight a little more than modern day humans, but were much stronger. Marcellin Boulle discovered the fossil of a Neanderthal and originally helped spread some misconceptions. He stated that these people stood hunched over, had massive amounts of body hair and looked more like an ape or monkey than a man. Later studies found that the fossil he worked with was actually of a much older man and therefore only explained how these people looked when they aged. Resources on Neanderthal man include: - Neadertals : gives basic information on the background and discovery of these people. - Neanderthals on Trial : offers videos and more information on the DNA testing used on early bones found. - The Neanderthal Theory : discusses the link between common diseases today and the early version of men. - Natural History Museum : focuses on the diet that early man consumed. - Fossil Science : discusses the diet of early man in depth and what these people ate regularly. - Neanderthals : provides background information including when the bones of these people were found. - Neanderthal Study Guide : gives questions and an overview of the topic for students. - Ten Myths About Neanderthals : lists common myths associated with early man and the truth behind those myths. - Neanderthal Man : gives basic facts about Neanderthal man and his lifestyle and habits. - Homo Neanderthalensis : offers a short overview on these people and their lives. - BBC News : focuses on the similarities between modern man and early man. - The Neanderthal Sites : discusses popular sites, with photographs where bones and other relics were found. - Neadertals : gives information on the tools, diet and discovery of these early men. - Krapina Neanderthals : focuses on the findings of Neanderthal man in Croatia. - Neanderthal DNA : discusses the DNA findings scientists have discovered in early man. - The Cryptid Zoo : offers information on early man and the things they did and ate. - Comparing Neanderthals : compares the brain of early man with modern man. - Tools, Weapons and Artifacts : focuses on the artifacts researchers have found relating to early man. - The Way We Were : discusses the 1999 findings that proved another version of Neanderthal man once existed. - Neanderthal Facts : provides basic historical facts relating to Neanderthal man. The twentieth century brought new changes to the idea of Neanderthal man. Gone were the days of primitive background checks, replaced with modern day technology. Using computer imagery, scientists were able to give these people faces and determine what they looked like. Researchers discovered that these people had a flat skull that looked large and exaggerated, a middle portion of their face that stuck out and large lips. With all the advances available in terms of technology, researchers will hopefully uncover more facts and features in the future.

Topic: CRYPTID - Fundraiser. Become a Producer! I only have 41 days to meet/exceed my goal on Kickstarter to fund CRYPTID, a low budget B-horror movie. Please help me spread the word on this project. Paste the link below on your Facebook page, Twitter account, MySpace page, and any other forum you frequent. The video on the Kickstarter page will explain the project. A pledge of $1 or more will help me reach my goal. Go to Kickstarter.com by clicking the link below and check it out. There are great rewards for those that help, such as movies and posters. Please share this with your friends. It will help out in a big way!

How special is this? We have two episodes of the Monster Men for the price of…well, zippo, actually. The things we do for love. Since the first appearance of Frankenstein in print, the horror genre has been rife with tales of terror based on the concept of science gone wrong. When man meddles with Nature or oversteps his bounds, the repercussions are very, very nasty. That goes for science fiction, too, perhaps even more so. I love mad scientists. Their creativity and singleminded obsessions are enviable, and it’s always fun to see them get their comeuppance in the end. On the latest episode of Monster Men, we tap into this genre defining vein (after tapping into a beer or two) by repeating #ScienceGoneWrong like chattering babboons. I promise you’ll get a kick out of this one. What are some of your favorite science gone wrong books and movies? What legendary horror actors and characters would make your Mount Rushmore of horror? Jack and I went into this thinking it would be easy (especially with a few cocktails under our belts). Man, were we wrong. Trying to whittle 100 years of horror down to 4 ain’t easy. Here’s our attempt at tackling the impossible. Who would make your Mount Rushmore? As part of the Monster Men podcast, I’ve gotten to interview great writers and super interesting peeps over the past 4 years. This time around, I think Jack and I have topped ourselves. We interview Daniel Rumanos – illusionist, paranormal investigator and debunker, member of the Dracula Society, writer for Honeysuckle Magazine and a man cloaked in as much mystery as he is controversy. As I said in the interview, he probably has the coolest business card of anyone we’ve ever met. So strap yourselves in as we delve into the world of magic, ghosts and vampires…. OK, I realize that was a bit of a cheeky title, but it’s true! The Monster Men take a deep dive into a wonderful book about the vixens of Hammer. It’s the ultimate coffee table book for horror fans. We also give some reading recommendations to warm up your cold winter nights. Crack open a beer, turn down the lights and step into the Monster’s Lair! You know I can’t have a book release without the Monster Men discussing it over beers and peanuts (both off camera, of course). Get the inside scoop on Island of the Forbidden and how it relates to Sinister Entity and Forest of Shadows. When I wrote this one, I added a bunch of horror movie references. Jack and I discuss a few of the horror clues peppered throughout the book. You’ll find that the little island I’ve created is no safe place for the likes of Gilligan and the Skipper. If you like a good ghost story with teeth, this is it. Note on the set my favorite Christmas present – actual drive-in movie speakers! I have a dream of building a working mini drive-in in my yard some day. All will be welcome to watch classic flicks under the stars. It’s a cold and windy day here in the northeast. With the wind, it’s been below zero for a few days. A perfect day to just sit and write and look at the ice and snow outside my window. I’m working on a new cryptid novel right now. The manuscript and I are in the honeymoon phase where everything is peaches and cream. That should end in a week or so, then it’s on to the real work in this relationship. I love my muse, but we don’t always see eye to eye. What have you all been doing to stay warm? And for those of you who live in warm weather, when can we come visit? As you all know, I posted my top 13 horror movie list a month back. My Monster Men brother Jack did his own list, with some flix I didn’t see or stupidly forgot to add to my own list. In this episode, we mash the two together and wax poetic about the cream of last year’s (children of the corn) crop. Since very few horror movies have come out so far in 2015, this gives you a chance to catch up on what you missed before we get inundated with fresh meat. Let me know what some of your favorites, and least favorites, were in 2014. After we filmed this episode, we sat down to watch a classic of our youth, Without Warning. Gotta love any movie with Jack Palance and Martin (nobody gives 2 fucks for Bela!) Landau trying to out-ham the other. It was waaaay slower than I remembered, but still had a few creepy moments. This was mandatory late night viewing when I was a kid. I’ve often been overheard saying I prefer a bad horror movie to a good non-horror movie. I won’t go so far as to say I’d rather sit down and watch THE COLLECTION over THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, but you get the point. On a side note, I saw an extended version of my favorite spaghetti western, introduced by the late Eli Wallach, about 8 years ago. I even got to meet him before the show. Talk about the most magical night you can have at the movies! Anyway, if you dig horror, you regularly sift through a lot of stinkers, panning for terror gold. We here at Monster Men Central invited author Jason Brant to wax unpoetic about some of the worst the genre has had to offer. Some are so bad, they must be seen, sometimes enjoyed again and again. And others, well, we’ve warned you. Yep, I dropped a lot of F bombs in this post’s title. Before I ramble on, I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to you all. If there’s one thing I’m grateful for (actually, there are many), it’s all of you who wander over to my blog and read my books and just keep me going. You are all bad motor scooters and mean go-getters. I also want to give thanks to fellow author and horror douche (his words, not mine), Jason Brant for being on the Monster Men. We actually shot 2 episodes with Jason because we had such a good time. The first one is all about found footage movies. Just when I thought the subgenre was done, a slew of new flicks flooded the market this year. Jack, Jason and I go through a bunch, telling you which ones to seek out and which to avoid. As you can see, I found my cowboy hat in the bottom of my closet just before we started filming, much to my wife and daughters’ chagrin. My youngest asked me if I was going to a rodeo, since I was also wearing a flannel shirt and jeans. Just a quick update on the writing front, my next cryptid novel is in the hands of my beta readers and line editor, aka my sister. As soon as I sent it out, I got to work on a little novella that promises to be a demented ride straight to hell. If all goes well, expect 4 new books in 2015, plus some short stories. And now I’ll leave you to your turkey and booze and football. Enjoy the long weekend. What better day to kick off a mini-blog tour for my weird western, HELL HOLE, than on Halloween? There’s guaranteed to be something in that twisted yarn to make you say your prayers before turning out the light. To follow the tour (with guest posts, interviews and reviews), all you need to do is click the banner below. Big thanks, as always, to Erin at Hook of a Book for putting it all together. And check this out. My main monster man, Jack Campisi, just released an official Monster Men music video. It’s going to be displayed on our YouTube channel, Monster Men 13. Tired of ‘All About That Bass’ playing in circles in your brain? Let the Monster Men take over! Perfect background music while you put on your Halloween costume today! We expect to get no fewer than 300 trick or treaters tonight as we rock our annual house party. Hope I’ll have enough brain cells left this weekend to finish my next cryptid novel. What are you all doing for Halloween? Please tell me my neighborhood isn’t the last bastion for balls to the wall trick or treating. It’s finally here….just a few days until the unholy feast of Samhain! We have hundreds of goodie bags ready for the little ghouls and witches that come by the house. Pumpkin beer is in hand and in the fridge. My costume is set – the big bad wolf from the movie, You’re Next. I bought the mask off the guy who wore it in the film. Pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. As part of the #Horrortober fun, I’ve been sticking to my pledge to watch at least 1 horror movie a day. As of the 28th, I have over 40 movies under my belt. The rest of this week is devoted to the classics – Halloween, Halloween 2, Friday the 13th Part 6, The Funhouse and The Haunting. Now, you may ask, why Friday the 13th Part 6? To me, this is when the franchise took a crazy turn and became a nightmarishly fun event. When I saw it in the 80s in the theater, they oversold the seats. A pretty girl asked me if she could sit on my lap and we were making out 5 minutes after Jason was resurrected. The rest of the time was spent yelling and howling and having a blast. You can never duplicate the vibe of those 80s movies at home. And of course, I’ve plowed through my reading list. So many great books out there begging to be made into movies. I wanted to do something new this year, so I took my kids on a nighttime tour of the famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. It was pretty incredible. You get to walk through 2 miles of dark passageways by lantern, stopping at famous tombs and mausoleums. I hadn’t realized they filmed the original Dark Shadows movie there, along with a Ramones video for Pet Sematary. Oh, and there’s that whole Headless Horseman legend as well. The best part was when we were at the back of the tour pack and I told my girls to turn around. You couldn’t see 5 feet behind us, the darkness was so complete. I whispered, “Anything could be back there.” That got us all walking a little faster. Went to the Chiller Theatre con this weekend. Wow. Saw so many cool folks and spent way more than I had planned. I’ll have a separate post on that soon. Last but not least, I’m just a few days away from finishing the first draft of my new cryptid novel. I’ll reveal who the monster is in the coming months. To help get you in the mood, the Monster Men present our 3rd annual Halloween episode. Turn down the lights, grab a beer and crucifix, and enjoy!

Following our extensive coverage of Devastation’s new Extinction level, Episode 2: Mayday, including the new Alien Armory and Chaos Mode, it’s time to look at the new multiplayer maps. We’ll start with Unearthed. A dormant Cryptid hive dominates the playing field, with signs of alien activity abound. Re-imagined and Redefined Inspired by Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare 3’s popular Dome multiplayer map, Unearthed challenges teams with a tight layout consisting of three major landmarks: the Hive in the south, the Bunker to the west, and the Research Facility in the north. Vehicles and medical equipment litter the open space between, cutting sight lines and forcing players to constantly check their angles. While sharing geometric similarities with Dome, Unearthed introduces a completely new aesthetic along with some unique twists to the formula: Field Order: Seekers We’re not alone out here. After completing a Field Order in Unearthed, there’s a chance you’ll be rewarded with a care package drop housing 3 bloodthirsty Seekers. The Seekers follow you through the map, giving chase to enemy players and detonating at their heels. Let’s just say it’s not a pretty sight for the other side. You’ll know you’ve acquired the Seekers upon receiving the KEM icon from a Field Order care package. With the marker in hand, check your surroundings and fall back to your teammates. Call in the goods once you’ve got some room to breathe, otherwise you risk placing your Cryptid allies right into enemy hands. There’s Something Up There Between the Hive and Research Facility, a lone crane holds something up and out of reach. See if you can find a way to lower the box down — recent reports mention some kind of secret weapon held up in there. If you notice the lowered crane during a match, try activating its arm using the box’s control panel. Hang on for the ride and rain destruction from above. Prep Your Loadouts A good Unearthed match can lead to a huge boost of XP, but you have to be prepared. While learning the map’s sight lines and shortcuts is vital, it’s equally important to possess a strong array of loadouts for different situations. If your team is leading, pick an aggressive loadout. Use the Muzzle Brake or Rapid Fire attachment, and combine the Hardline and Quickdraw perks. Craft a loadout with Lethal and Tactical Grenades to flush out enemies hiding indoors, an especially important tactic during objective-based modes. If you start to fall behind, or wish to play more conservatively, go stealthy with the Silencer attachment, use Ballistic Vests in the Support Strike Package, and stay hidden with the Off the Grid perk. Take it slow, target enemy players too busy running and gunning to watch their corners, and get back in the fight. Whether you’re playing aggressively or defensively, Devastation’s Ripper SMG/assault rifle hybrid is a great choice for Unearthed, offering close quarters power while fighting in the Hive, Bunker, and Research Facility, as well as providing range when pushing toward or defending from any of these locations. Blast Through Operations For the completionists out there, Unearthed is a perfect map for the Generate New Loadout feature. Set your Operations preference (tracked or near completion) and wreck havoc. Remember to reset your loadout every few matches to ensure that you’re always working toward new goals. Unearthed is available in Devastation, the second downloadable content pack for Call of Duty®: Ghosts. Along with Unearthed comes multiplayer maps Ruins, Behemoth, and Collision, as well as Episode 2: Mayday, the next chapter in the Extinction saga. Also included is the Ripper, a new hybrid SMG/assault rifle that adapts to many situations. Devastation is now available for purchase on Xbox LIVE, followed by the PC and PlayStation Network on May 8th, 2014.

Translated from Mizuki Shigeru’s Mujyara Iriomote Island in the Okinawa island chain is sometimes called the Galapagos Island of the East. When the Iriomote yamaneko (Iriomote mountain cat; 西表山猫) was discovered, it came as no surprise to the inhabitants. In fact, the islanders insisted there were two distinct species of feline predators on the island, the house pet-sized yamaneko and a great cat the size of a panther. Biologists deny the existence of any “great mountain cat,” even though islanders have several names for the beast. Yamamaya is the local name for the discovered Iriomote yamaneko, “maya” being the word for cat in the Iriomote dialect. His larger cousin is alternatively called the yamapikaryā (meaning “the glittering thing on the mountain”), the mēpisukaryā, or the pingimaya. The names mēpisukaryā and pingimaya mean “shinning eyes.” All of the terms come from the beasts’ mysterious eyes that glow in the dark of the forest. The Iriomote Yamaneko was discovered in 1965 by Ryukyu University professor Takara Tetsuo. Before the official discovery, the island was investigated by animal-author Togawa Yukio who claimed that there was good evidence for the existence of the yamapikaryā as well. He estimated that the population was even smaller than the elusive yamamaya, which numbers about 250 cats. Although evidence of the yamapikaryā has never been found, Iriomote islanders can tell terrifying stories of walking through the dense mountain forests and finding themselves under the gaze of a pair of lamp-like eyes staring out from the dark. Hearing that, I think the great mountain cats still exist today. I found this oddity while flipping through my Mizuki Shigeru books looking for cat yokai that would fit with my current theme. The Iriomote yamaneko is an actual animal, a rare endemic cat species discovered as stated in 1965 by Takara Tetsuo. I think this is an interesting Shigeru entry because it shows just how wide is Shigeru’s definition of the word “yokai.” In English, the “great mountain cat” is what we would categorize as a cryptid, along the same lines as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other “great cat” legends such as England’s Beast of Exmoor. To Shigeru, however, these are all yokai. Japan has a few legends of big cats. The original stories of the neko-mata was of a great beast like a tiger, and not the split-tailed cat we know today. It is unknown if these accounts were based on an actual creature; there is fossil evidence of a small prehistoric Japanese tiger, which could be a factual basis of the yamapikaryā. Read more yokai magical animal tales on hyakumonogatari.com:

Ever heard stories of the killer tree!? Well, I have and I must say they’ve been enthralling! The killer tree (also referred to as the Man-eating tree) is the legend of a cryptid carnivorous plant which is so large that it can actually kill & consume a living person or a large-sized animal. Nepenthes rajah is known to be the largest carnivorous plant that has the biggest & most deadly known traps. This plant is known to produce pitchers close to 38 cm (or 15 in) in height with volumes that go up till 3.5 litres (or 0.92 US gal; 0.77 imp gal). It is extremely rare for this species to trap a small mammal. The Killer Tree: Madagascar tree The first ever report that was documented of a man- eating/killer tree was nothing but a hoax. It was in the year 1881, that Carl Liche (a German explorer) documented a story in ‘South Australian Register’ wherein he stated that there was a sacrifice that was performed by a tribe named “Mkodo” in Madagascar. This killer tree was further given publicity when Chase Osborn (the former Governor of Michigan) mentioned this tree in his book titled ‘Land of the Man-eating Tree’ (in the year 1924). Chase Osborn stated that the missionaries as well as the tribes in Madagascar had full knowledge of this hideous man-eating tree & he confirmed Carl Liche’s account. The year 1955 brought forward yet another book by Willy Ley (a science author) titled ‘Salamanders and other Wonders’ which stated that Mkodo tribes, Mr. Carl Liche, as well as this man-eating Madagascar tree was nothing but a fabrication and someone’s figment of imagination with no truth what so ever behind it. Ya-te-veo: Central America’s killer tree Ya-te-veo translates into ‘I see you’ and in Land & Sea by J. W. Buel (in the year 1887), this Ya-te-veo plant is depicted as a carnivorous plant that catches & consumes large insects…not just that, it is even said that this killer plant in Central as well as South America has attempted to consume humans. This killer tree has been found in Africa as well as shores of Indian Ocean and there have been numerous descriptions of this man-eating plant. However, majority reports have stated that this tree is short and has a thick trunk with long tendrils that are the weapon through which it entraps its prey. The killer tree has appeared a couple of times in literature: - The series titled ‘Harry Potter’ showed a plant by the name of ‘Devil’s Snare’ that tries to consume Harry & his buddies by entrapping them in its vines. - The Day of the Triffids (by John Wyndham) shows killer trees that not only walk, but also use venomous lashes to hunt their prey. - Beyond the Deepwoods, which happens to be the 1st story in The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell, Twig (the protagonist) comes face to face with a killer tree called Bloodoak.

Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 9th, 2005 Shelly Williams, 49, the world-renowned primatologist credited with gathering convincing evidence of a new species of great apes, a cryptid primate known to cryptozoologists as the Bili or Bondo ape, was shot in the back around 2:30 pm, on November 7, 2005. She apparently was the innocent victim of an unrelated drug shooting in Smyrna, Georgia. Williams remained in critical condition in intensive care at Atlanta Medical Center. The bullet, which passed through her spinal cord, grazed the nerve before glancing off her liver and lodging in her diaphragm. While police have some leads, no arrests had been made. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that "Williams is credited as the first scientist to identify a previously unknown group of large apes in the jungles of Central Africa. The animals, with characteristics of both gorillas and chimpanzees, were sighted by Williams in 2002 in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo." A report about Williams’ discovery of the mysterious cryptids published in 2004 in the British magazine New Scientist said that if the apes are confirmed to be a new species of primate, it could be "one of the most important wildlife discoveries in decades." Her discovery was reported as one of the top stories in cryptozoology for 2004. The Atlanta Journal Constitution summarized, in their long article on the shooting, Shelly Williams’s work on the Bili ape: Williams captured the previously unknown apes on video during a visit to the Congo in 2002. She described her encounter with them in the New Scientist article. "Four suddenly came rushing out of the bush towards me," she told the magazine. "If this had been a bluff charge, they would have been screaming to intimidate us. These guys were quiet. And they were huge. They were coming in for the kill. I was directly in front of them, and as soon as they saw my face, they stopped and disappeared." In a January article in Time magazine, Williams defended her discovery against scientific critics who have discounted her methods. "The unique characteristics they exhibit just don’t fit into the other groups of great apes," she told Time. The primates could be a new species, a new subspecies of chimpanzee or a hybrid of chimpanzee and gorilla, she said. "At the very least, we have a unique, isolated chimp culture that’s unlike any that’s been studied," she said. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

Saturday, October 10, 2009 RICHARD FREEMAN ANSWERS: The orang-pendek is said to have mainly black fur. Some reports refer to 'honey-coloured' hair. Personly all the witnesses I have spoken to have said it had black hair. A Kubu cheif called Nylam said the one he saw had black hair tinted with red, whilst another Kubu cheif, Tarib, said the one he saw was black fading to blond and grey. As for the vitriol, I expected no less. The people involved have never been on a scientific expedition in their lives; you can tell by the infantile comments they come out with like "a good photo is better than DNA evidence." The main protagonists are known to us. They wantonly attack anything the CFZ does because we have published excellent books by authors that they hate for petty and babyish reasons. This man and his tawdry little organisation have achieved absolutely nothing whereas the CFZ have mounted many expeditions around the world, published over 50 books (not vanity publishing; real publishing) and has successfully run a world renowned conference for ten years. I rest my case. We saw a Thing the other night. Not sure at all WHAT it was, but both myself and Gareth saw it. We were driving back from Darlington to home at about 10pm on Wednesday 7th October, and just west of Harperley roundabout on the A698 to Wolsingham, when “it” flew in front of the car. Whatever it was, was not a bird, and was not a moth or bat. It was approx. 3 feet long, about 1ft wide at the head, tapering down to a short tail. It was white and almost see-through – like a cloud, perhaps – pear-drop shaped, and moved very fast. It rose from a hedge (or from the ground close to the hedge), which borders the road. Then it sped across the road at about 30ft high. Not sure how fast it was going, but a few mins later we saw a tawny owl flying across the road, and the Thing was much faster than the owl. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am not suggesting that the Thing and the owl were connected in any way. It was incidental and only serves as an indication of air-speed. The site we saw it at was close to the POW camp, which has recently been put up for sale on ebay. There are no street lights nearby, and it is a remote area of the high north Pennines. Very few dwellings, not much human activity, other than the fairly quiet A689. There was very little wind, and it was quite dark as it was cloudy/overcast. No rain. It has been a delight having her here, and both Corinna and I have not only enjoyed her company but found her to be a great help, and are looking forward to her next visit. And we both take back all the forebodings we now admit that we had. Lancashire cheese soup is delicious! (8am-10am New Zealand time on Saturday mornings-there is a Listen button at the website so you can hear it through the net. Check what this will be in your local time by going to http://www.worldtim Rhys Darby and David Farrier On The Air! (the Cryptid Factor) We'll let the boys explain how they're going to brighten up your Saturday mornings with…The Cryptid Factor: "If I ever had the time in my busy Hollywood schedule to listen to radio, this would be the show I would listen to, it's a show about mystery, adventure, monsters and bollocks. Two of New Zealand's greatest minds combine to bring you two hours of 'must watch' radio. This radio show is about keeping alive the spirit from the golden age of mystery and adventure and gives the public a rare glimpse at my serious side as I discuss things like the migration patterns of Yeti - arguably the most important thing to hit New Zealand radio since Bad Jelly the Witch. And the opportunity to work with David Farrier is...something I have to put up with to do this show." "The Cryptid Factor is a show about cryptids - that is, animals unknown to science like the Yeti, Loch Ness monster and the Mongolian Death Worm. It's an area of obsession for both Rhys and myself and we're both mutually tickled we've met someone else who's into it. And that a station like George will let us share it with New Zealand. So yeah, we'll be chatting about the subject in amongst playing our favourite tunes. There's never been a radio show in New Zealand celebrating cryptozoology. This has always stunned me a bit, and when I found Rhys was equally passionate about the issue, planning a new show seemed pretty logical. Of course saying "planning" makes it sound really planned - all we've really done is given the show segments various names. We're a particularly proud of a segment called 'vocalisations' We'll be breaking a few radio rules... we're having a very visual section about cryptid art. The fact you can't see pictures on the radio won't be stopping us. As for music, well, Rhys has just this minute handed me his Daft Punk CD - what could go wrong?!?" Find out what indeed could go wrong every Saturday morning on George FM. The Cryptid Factor with Rhys Darby and David Farrier on George FM. Saturdays, 8-10am, George FM. For interview opportunities, contact dean@georgefm. Follow us: twitter.com/ Saturday means the YNT song of the week so here we go with a nice mellow song today “Life is a boat” by Rie Fu: And now, the news: Say what you like about the crayfish but they were really nice to their mother.

Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 20th, 2009 Once upon a time, yet another comic book appeared with the Wendigo theme. Folk songs have materialized, as well, about the strange beast. Do you know of any old folk songs of cryptids? I’m reminded of one, of a weird creature in Canada, which I discussed in Mysterious America. Mention of it is in the Songs of the Miramichi, in Folksong No. 47, which is entitled, “The Wild Cat Back on the Pipe Line.” It told of the people who saw a strange animal while they were working along the pipeline. One passage goes: The next one that saw it, his name was LeClair. He said ‘twas no monkey, nor neither a bear, For he came from Australia and knows it is true, For he saw many like it, ‘twas a big kangaroo. This song, written by Jared MacLean, is dated 1948, and serves as a historical backdrop to the recent mystery kangaroo reports I was tracking out of New Brunswick. As the title of the song demonstrates, the kangaroo and phantom panther accounts often merge. But was the song about a mystery felid, a mystery ‘roo, a peculiar primate, or a Windigo (a/k/a Wendigo and other forms)? My friend Jerome Clark, well-known researcher, scholar and author of Fortean and anomalistic works, has written some modern songs in the style of folk songs. That fact also naturally means he collects various cryptid folk songs. Old folk songs and ballads sometimes evoke encounters with ghosts, demons, fairyfolk, mermaids, and other such entities (even, in one elusive instance I have been trying to document since the 1970s, a mid-19th-Century Nebraska sky serpent). Maybe the readers of Cryptomundo can assist him with that special quest. Do you know any 19th Century folk songs about “sky serpents”? Figurine above is from the Hulk Legends Series 1: Wendigo. Jerry Clark continues: I do a lot of CD reviewing, so packages containing new releases regularly show up on my doorstep. Yesterday brought a disc from the folksinger Mickey Clark (no relation), Winding Highways. Among the cuts is a song, “Wendigo,” written by Dwain Story in the 1960s. I’d known vaguely of its existence, but this is my first hearing of it. Clark’s liner notes remark, “The Wendigo is a Native American legend shared by the Cree and the Ojibwa, and is said to be half-bird and half-man, with fiery feet.” On the other hand, anthropologist Richard J. Preston has written that the Wendigo (Witiko in some spellings) is a “cannibalistic, monstrous person reported to have been encountered by Algonkian Indians in the northern forest.” Wendigo legends are sometimes cited in the Sasquatch literature. Several academic papers on the subject, including Preston’s, are to be found in Marjorie Halpin and Michael M. Ames, ed. Manlike Monsters on Trial: Early Records and Modern Evidence (Vancouver and London: University of British Columbia Press, 1980). ~ Jerry Clark “Wendigo” by Dwain Story My home’s way up to the north they say Where the hunter may die all alone Red men have told a legend so old Of death whose sound is a moan. I fly where the forest meets the sky I race the northern wind where I go My feet are on fire as I run and I cry My name is Wendigo. Where I walk are the prints of my feet They burn through ice and snow And the hunter who sees looks above in the trees It’s the mark of the Wendigo. White lakes and trees in the moonlight A sound so lonesome and low Is it the wind, or a cry in the night? The image below of a Wendigo confronting a human is from the Dark Horse comic series B.P.R.D. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

Thursday, January 14, 2010 From what I can gather this sort of thing happens quite often, and so from now on each day we make back-ups of all the blogs, and so if this ever happens again we can just import the backed up version into a new blog and start again. Hopefully, however, we shall be flagged with the computer that originally sent out the spiderbots as being bona fide and it won't happen again. I am particularly pleased for Gavin Lloyd Wilson who has worked so hard keeping the thing going. It must have been particularly galling to think of all that work - 2173 posts - going to waste. But it hasn't and with the daily back-ups it won't, so all's well that ends well. However, whilst on the subject of prolific CFZ bloggers, can I recommend Graham Inglis's blog. He has just posted a post about Hawkwind nearly a year after his previous posting (which was to apologise for not having posted anything for the previous two years!) Nice One Dude. Several witnesses have seen the Hartland cat in the woods and farmland around the areas of Hartland and Woolsery for a number of years. (And yes, these sightings date from long before we moved into Woolsery before some armchair pundit with half the facts decides to act like an internet tough guy and accuse us of making the whole thing up). If local rumours are to be believed there is more than one of them too. Jon is currently making a film about the big cat sightings in the area and our friend Emily’s investigation of those in the locality that she began after hearing of a sighting of the cat by her uncle. Around this time of year, two years ago, we received a ‘phone call from Roger Heywood from Duerdon farm just outside Woolsery about a sheep kill. He had seen the sheep happily frolicking about in the field the afternoon before, but the next morning found the animal skinned with most of the flesh removed. Roger did the sensible thing and called his local mystery animal investigation team and we sent Richard Freeman to take a look. After examining the corpse Richard was left in no doubt that a big cat had dispatched the unfortunate sheep. Today (the 13th of January) Roger made another ‘phone call; he had some unusual prints in the snow. As the light was fading Graham and I quickly grabbed a tape-measure, my notepad, a torch, digital camera and film camera and hot-footed it (well ‘hot-four-wheel-drived it’ technically but lets not split hairs here) to Duerdon Farm, where Roger was waiting. We then followed Roger’s tractor to the field where the tracks had been found. By the time we reached the field, twilight had set in, but in the powerful headlights of the tractor we could see a line of tracks stretching from one end of the field to the other. Most of the tracks were in the deep, otherwise unbroken virgin snow that covered the field but when they reached tracks from a previous visit of the tractor they followed this track for a few paces. When I asked Roger when the tractor track had been made he said it was from yesterday evening and because he found the animal’s tracks when he had been out at about 2pm this means the tracks must have been made between around 5pm and lunchtime the next day. Not wanting to disturb the line of animal tracks, I walked down the existing tractor tracks to get a closer look at the animal tracks. The tracks themselves were very interesting. One set in deep snow that I examined closely showed that the animal was placing its back paw in the imprint of the forepaw; this is not something canines do when they walk so that, along with the shape of the prints, meant that I could eliminate dogs and foxes from my list of possible culprits. There was no sign of webbing between the toes either, which was a good indication that the tracks were not made by otters. I hesitate slightly to say that these prints were definitely made by a big cat though because of the toes; there are five of them. However, a number of big cat researchers have found anomalies in the paw prints they’ve found in their area, including things like apparently non-retractable claws or polydactylism, which might be consistent with interbreeding among a very small group of individuals over several generations. Keeping it in the family can play havoc with feline Hox genes it would seem and polydactylism in felines it is not all that uncommon; my childhood pet cat, Tigger, started off life as part of a family of stray moggies on a farm and had more than her fair share of digits for example. As well as the possibility of it being a big cat, I would also consider the possibility of the prints having been made by a badger but there are one or two problems with this theory too as none of the tracks show evidence of claws as one would expect to see in a badger track. And then there is the size of the prints. The print from the forepaw measures about 8cm by 9cm and the back paw print measures 5cm by 6 cm with a stride length of 71cm. This is rather larger than a badger where the forepaws would be expected to be around 4-5 cm and the stride would be about 50cm, so if it is a badger then it would have to be huge and such a large badger could perhaps be considered a cryptid in itself. As well as taking a number of photographs, Graham also made use of the digger scoop of Roger’s tractor in order to be lifted aloft to get some photographs of the tracks stretching across the field. Once we had obtained as many photographs as was possible in the fading light, we returned to Roger’s house where I filmed an interview with him and then it was home to Myrtle Cottage to inform Jon of what we had found. If the snow hasn’t thawed by tomorrow morning we hope to be able to get plaster casts of some of the prints, but in the meantime take a look at the photos, what do you think? Is it a big cat, an abnormally large super badger, or something else entirely? I have two stories. Firstly, from the Jackdaw column in The Guardian of February 19th 1997: `A cat`s tale.` (No,I`m not being very original today am I ?! ) “The large number of tail–less cats in the Flensburg * area on the German-Danish border is thought to be the result of a bomber crash in 1942. On the night of October 12 that year, 27 Halifaxes of 4 Group attacked the U-boat base at Flensburg, 12 being shot down by a new type of Swiss manufactured Oerlikon flak gun moved into the area a few days earlier. Kurt Peuschel,then a boy of 14, and some of his school friends,were allowed by the German guard to inspect one of the crashed bombers, believed to be W7717 of 10 Squadron from Melbourne. The guard told them that five of the Canadian crew had been taken prisoner and that two bodies had been removed. The prisoners had asked the guard to look for their cat mascot,a tom,which they would recognise because it had no tail. Kurt and his friends were enlisted in what proved to be a fruitless search for the cat. Now married and living in Switzerland, Kurt visited his 90-year old mother last year and while with her saw a local TV station report on the large number of cats without tails in the Flensburg area. The report attributed them to the missing mascot, which was thought to have been obtained when the crew were at a rest centre on the Isle of Man. Taken from the Air Mile, the Journal of the RAF Association. Thanks to AJ Lne for spotting this jewel. (1) * I had a German girlfriend from Flensburg that I met in Derry. She was deeply into the poetry of John Cooper Clarke. I bet you never knew that!! Next, a favourite of mine, old moggies: “ The cat`s whiskers Spike is oldest moggie at 29. A 29 year old ginger and white tomcat called Spike was yesterday crowned Britain`s oldest living moggie. The 10lb puss – who is the equivalent of 203 in human years- won an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. Owner Mo Elkington claimed Spike ….lived so long because she feeds him trendy “healing” plant Aloe Vera. She said “ I put some in his food every day. It keeps his fur healthy and protects him against rheumatism.” Aromatherapist Mo,47,of Bridport, Dorset,bought Spike as a kitten for half – a – crown at a market. She only discovered Spike was a record breaker when she took him to a vet.She said: “ I`d no idea his age was that unusual but the vet was staggered so I called the record people.” Mo added: “ He must be lucky because he was bitten by a huge dog at 19. Vets didn`t think he`d live. Britain`s oldest cat died in Devon in 1957, aged 34. (2) Of course this is 11 years ago, so by now there may have been a new record. 1.The Guardian February 19th 1997. 2. The Sun. October 15th 1999. The Beatles Blackbird Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting to be free…. 1 Extraordinary Animals Revisited by Dr Karl Shuker (4) 2 Big Cats loose in Britain by Marcus Matthews (5=) 3 Man Monkey - In Search of the British Bigfoot by Nick Redfern (5=) 4 The Mystery animals of Britain: Kent by Neil Arnold (7) 5 In the wake of Bernard Heuvelmans by Michael Woodley (-) 6= Dark Dorset by Mark North and Robert Newland (7) 6= Big Bird by Ken Gerhard (-) 8= Monster - the A-Z of Zooform Phenomena by Neil Arnold (1) 8= Dr Shuker's Casebook by Dr Karl Shuker (2) 8= Big Cats in Britain Yearbook 2008 (-) 1 Monster - the A-Z of Zooform Phenomena by Neil Arnold (4) 2 Extraordinary Animals Revisited by Dr Karl Shuker (2) 3 Big Bird by Ken Gerhard (2) 4 Dr Shuker's Casebook by Dr Karl Shuker (-) 5 Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on stamps by Dr Karl Shuker (3) 6= The Mystery animals of Britain: Kent by Neil Arnold (6) 6= The Island of Paradise by Jonathan Downes (-) 6= The Owlman and Others by Jonathan Downes (8) 6= In the wake of Bernard Heuvelmans by Michael Woodley (5) 10 The Mystery animals of Britain: The Western Isles by Glen Vaudrey (-) Last month's positions in this pinky colour, which I think is called cerise. This was a weird Christmas sales-wise. We are still about 30% on what we should be in the UK, but in the USA we had our best Christmas ever. I had a theory that the basic Australian 'Pumas' were mostly introduced golden cats from Indonesia, perhaps of an unusually large size. Golden cats are a poorly-understood group and there are cryptid candidate golden cats for both the African and South Asian cats, which are medium-sized puma-like cats. Heuvelmans thinks the Mngwa is an unusually coloured giant variety of the African golden cat and I might submit some photo ref. for that idea some time. In this case, there is some genetic evidence for cats that were introduced into Australia from Indonesia at 6000 years ago approximately: one of my professors at IUPUI mentioned that he had done research that demonstrated that. (Incidentally, I have heard some good definitive reports of jaguarundis running loose in both Illinois and Indiana, but that is also another matter for another time) However, in the case of the Australian cats, something else is happening that is very unusual: some of the leopard-sized cats are being killed and then tested, and their DNA turns out to be ordinary house-cat-derived. It is thought that these Maine coon cats are related to the equally large and thick-furred Scandinavian skogskat, also known as the viking cat. I have done up a comparison for the big cat as compared to a more average one: actually the reports have them getting even bigger than I have shown, but showing the large size as big as reported makes it look too unreasonable. And it also seems that rumour has it that Americans allowed pet or mascot pumas to run loose in Australia, allegedly both in the late 1800s and in WWII. I would not be surprised if that was also the reason for 'Panther' reports in New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii. On this day in 1179 the order of the knights templar was given formal approval by Pope Honorius II. Four-inch Chihuahua 'is priceless' Camel-drawn solar van passes through Alice Pony is left to drown in frozen canal Gay man who tried to poison lesbian neighbours with slug pellets over three-legged cat feud walks free Dog Senses Arcata Earthquake at News Station Kylie Minogue congratulates giant carp catcher on Twitter Q: What’s a fish’s favourite Kylie song? A: ‘Carp’ get you out of my head.

Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 26th, 2010 Illustration by Dean MacAdam/DownEast Cassie and other cryptids haunt the Gulf of Maine. DownEast Magazine has a new article, “Mysteries of Maine,” for June 2010, at their online site. The column by Rob Sneddon liberally adds a few Maine cryptid cases, in these subsections: What was the “Turner Beast”? (that includes notes on black panthers and pumas), and But what about sea monsters? It is a rather good discussion, if I say so myself. Of course, there’s a joke in that statement, needless to say. Thanks for the heads up from J.Meuse. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

Posted by: John Kirk on May 2nd, 2014 When I grew up I was rebellious and wanted to be anything but the establishment. Still do. There is that streak in me that doesn’t feel comfortable with straight stuff. I am a longhaired old hippy minus the drugs so sometimes in life things happen that you just can’t fathom. A few months ago a hipster magazine published an article about myself, Paula and friends of ours here in BC who are sasquatch aficionados. I never in a month of Sundays thought that Readers Digest would buy the story from the author and republish it in their monthly publication. Below is a link to the Canadian edition with the story of Thomas Steenburg and me and my wife. There is a line there that compares me to Professor Snape in Harry Potter which really makes me smile. Let me know what you think of it. Cryptozoologists face long hours, probable divorce and societal scorn. Still, they take to the forest looking for something bigger—and hairier—than themselves. Thomas Steenburg went into the British Columbia wilderness in April 1986, and he didn’t come out again until Halloween. He was looking for Sasquatch. One day in early summer, the 25-year-old, on several months’ leave from the army, was searching for prints in the shoulder of a forest service road northeast of Whistler. As he scanned the ground, he heard a noise. Suddenly, something huge charged at him. He started shimmying up a cluster of thin trees, but claws grabbed him by the backpack and dragged him toward the ground. “For whatever reason, she let go, and I climbed right back up those trees,” Steenburg says. Turning his head, Steenburg saw that the creature was no Sasquatch, but a grizzly bear. The bear shuffled and huffed around the base of the trees before lumbering toward deeper forest. Two of the bear’s claws left puncture wounds in Steenburg’s lower back—he still has the scars today. He was shaken but not ready to abandon the hunt. A few weeks later, an American couple said they’d seen something pace through their camp on the bank of the Chehalis River. Steenburg went to the site and found the best Sasquatch tracks he had ever seen. “That sealed my fate,” he says. “If it wasn’t for that find, I might have given up on the Sasquatch mystery and gone on to what my ex-wife used to call ‘more important things.’” Today, Steenburg drives a dark-blue SUV with “Sasquatch Research” and his phone number printed in big letters on the side. A kind of freelance Sasquatch stalker, he runs a one-man cryptozoology operation in Mission, B.C. Broken down into its component Greek parts, cryptozoology means “the study of hidden animals.” Hinted at by folklore, legend and eyewitness accounts, the objects of cryptozoologists’ dogged pursuits are creatures—called cryptids—not proven to exist. (“Not yet proven,” cryptozoologists hasten to add.) Famous examples include the elusive, white-haired yeti of the Himalayas (a.k.a. the Abominable Snowman); the long, rippling serpent of B.C.’s Lake Okanagan, Ogopogo; the spiny, goat-sucking reptile chupacabra of the Americas; and, of course, the hairy bipedal hominid Bigfoot, called Sasquatch in Canada. Cryptozoology is young enough—and fringe enough—that to even call it a field is controversial. There’s no governing body monitoring the practice; you can’t earn a degree in it; and, except in rare cases of oddball private patronage, no one will pay you to do it. The only requirement for being a cryptozoologist is to call yourself one. As a hobby, it’s hunkered down where science and pseudo-science meet. Yet, when modern cryptozoology emerged in the mid-20th century, its proponents kept up a tone of academic seriousness. These researchers want their work to be appreciated as a valid offshoot of orthodox zoology, rather than a pursuit of the paranormal. They hunt for evidence, hoping to find definitive proof that will earn their cryptid—and maybe themselves—a place in mainstream science. “Timekeeping is the last thing a Sasquatch investigator is capable of doing,” declares John Kirk, president of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club (BCSCC). Things aren’t going as planned at the club’s annual barbecue. A rogue bear was sighted at their usual venue in Sasquatch Provincial Park, so the BCSCC has settled for a manicured patch of grass at an RV park closer to Harrison Hot Springs. Worse, the guy who’s supposed to bring the meat has gone AWOL. Finally, up pulls an open-air utility terrain vehicle, and a cooler of hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages is carried from the trailer in back. The club’s VP and webmaster fires up a portable grill, and the annual general meeting of cryptozoologists kicks off. Dressed in camo flood pants and a sleeveless black T-shirt, with a baseball cap over his long hair, Kirk looks like he’s in a Harry Potter spinoff where Professor Snape cuts loose on vacation. I ask him how much time he devotes to cryptozoology. “Too much, eh?” he asks his wife beside him. Between staying up to date on the literature, writing his own articles and handling the club’s newsletter, he says it’s about five hours. A week? I ask. No, he says, a day. Not counting time in the field. On shows like the Discovery Channel’s Finding Bigfoot, investigators thrash and bellow their way through the woods, always just missing a cryptid encounter. It’s Sasquatch cast as a more dangerous Polkaroo. For serious researchers, the reality is more mundane: drive into the backcountry or to the site of an alleged sighting, and pick over trees, mud, bushes and logs. The aim isn’t to encounter the creature face to face, but rather to find evidence of its presence: footprints, hair, tissue, Sasquatch scat. Kirk might spend a whole day combing a small patch of woods; interesting finds might come only once or twice in a lifetime. Read the rest of the article here. One of the founders of the BCSCC, John Kirk has enjoyed a varied and exciting career path. Both a print and broadcast journalist, John Kirk has in recent years been at the forefront of much of the BCSCC’s expeditions, investigations and publishing. John has been particularly interested in the phenomenon of unknown aquatic cryptids around the world and is the author of In the Domain of the Lake Monsters (Key Porter Books, 1998). In addition to his interest in freshwater cryptids, John has been keenly interested in investigating the possible existence of sasquatch and other bipedal hominids of the world, and in particular, the Yeren of China. John is also chairman of the Crypto Safari organization, which specializes in sending teams of investigators to remote parts of the world to search for animals as yet unidentified by science. John travelled with a Crypto Safari team to Cameroon and northern Republic of Congo to interview witnesses among the Baka pygmies and Bantu bushmen who have sighted a large unknown animal that bears more than a superficial resemblance to a dinosaur. Since 1996, John Kirk has been editor and publisher of the BCSCC Quarterly which is the flagship publication of the BCSCC. In demand at conferences, seminars, lectures and on television and radio programs, John has spoken all over North America and has appeared in programs on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, TLC, Discovery, CBC, CTV and the BBC. In his personal life John spends much time studying the histories of Scottish Clans and is himself the president of the Clan Kirk Society. John is also an avid soccer enthusiast and player.

Latest Folklore Stories With the added pressure for educators to meet the new requirements of the Common Core Standards, Story Cove LLC is releasing a new Classroom Version for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade. An article in the latest issue of Herpetologica discusses the results of a 3-year study that examined how salamanders use their microhabitat in order to predict their reaction to natural or human-based ‘Luca The Werewolf Daughter’ is filled with courage, love and surprising turn of events. Salmiya, Kuwait (PRWEB) August 21, 2014 Like everyone else, PROVO, Utah, Aug. “Mermaid Down,” a highly original and award winning screenplay by Jeffrey Grellman, from a concept created by Grellman and clinical psychologist, Dr. Golfer’s Grail Indoor Golf & Tap will host Mashable's fifth annual Social Media Day on Monday, June 30 from 6 – 9 p.m. Tampa, FL (PRWEB) June 24, SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from Orange Silicon Valley called Unicorns, Startups, and Giants: The New Billion Dollar Dynamics of the Digital Landscape shows that La Dentellière is a new digital publishing house that makes books specifically for the tablet market, designed by artists. Creature Weekend, the nation's premiere Cryptozoology Conference held annually at Salt Fork State Park in Ohio, is pleased to announce its 2014 Speaker Lineup. Cambridge, It seems every few months some new evidence of Bigfoot surfaces on the web and a new video purportedly capturing the elusive beast on film is setting the Internet on fire this week. Beast of Bray Road The Beast of Bray Road is a cryptid roaming the area of Elkhorn, Wisconsin and from northern Illinois to Vancouver Island, Canada. It has been labeled as werewolf in local news articles but has never been observed transforming from human to a wolf. It has been described in various accounts as being bear-like, resembling Bigfoot and wolf-like and being able to walk on two legs. Its size varies from two to four feet tall when on all four legs, and around seven feet tall... Mapinguari The mapinguari or mapinguary is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia. It is also known as the Isnashi. Several attempts to find physical evidence that the creature exists have been conducted. Samples have been gathered, but when analyzed it was found to be from known animals and some of the castings of tracks were inconclusive. Native folklore has described the creature as having only one eye, long claws, backward feet, a... The Pukwudgie is a small humanoid from Wampanoag folklore. The legend of this creature began in connection with the Wampanoag people's first beliefs that a creation giant had created most of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Pukwudgies were jealous of the way the Natives adored the creation giant, but still tried to help them, though their efforts were in vein. So the Pukwudgies decided to torment the Wampanoag people instead. Because of this, the Pukwudgie was best to be left alone, or bad... Sharlie is a cryptid that is believed to inhabit Payette Lake near McCall, Idaho. Other names for this reptile-like creature are Slimy Slim or The Twilight Dragon of Payette Lake. Native Americans believed that an evil spirit lived in the lake before western settlers arrived in the area. The first documented sighting of the creature was in 1920 when a group of workers saw what they thought was a log, but it began to move. In August 1944, several groups of people reported seeing a 30... The Wild Man of the Navidad has been claimed to be the first Bigfoot in Texas. It was widely reported in 1837 along the Navidad River, in Sublime, Texas. The slaves of that era called it “The Thing That Comes,” because it was never seen, but evidence pointed to something being there. During the night inside the cabins, food would go missing; their fattened hogs would be replaced with thin ones. However, no valuables were never touched. Tools would sometimes go missing but would return... - a meat pie that is usually eaten at Christmas in Quebec

The best part of reading Cryptomundo is learning about some of the second string cryptids that, while they may not be as spectacular as Nessie or The Ropen, are perhaps more likely to be derived from unknown, real world animals. One of these is surely the Shunka Warak’in. From wiki: The Shunka Warakin (also shunka warak'in) is an American beast from cryptozoology and mythology that is said to resemble a wolf, a hyena or both. The first discussion and description of this cryptid was by Loren Coleman in his columns and articles throughout the 1980s, especially as formally recorded in Cryptozoology A to Z. It was reported from the Great Plains during pioneer days, by both white settlers and Native American tribes. The sightings have become much less common in the last century, causing most supporters to suggest the animal is now extinct. Cryptozoologists have suggested several possibilities for the identity of The Shunka Warak'in, including hyaenodons, dire wolves, members of the subfamily Borophaginae (hyena-like dogs), or Chasmaporthetes (the only true American hyena). Unfortunately, the best piece of evidence for the existence of the animal, a wolf-like creature shot in 1886 by a Mormon settler named Israel Ammon (I.A.) Hutchins and then mounted (see picture above), disappeared shortly thereafter and was lost to Science. Now after 121 years, the taxidermy mount has been found. The creature that once spooked some of the Madison Valley’s first white settlers has come home. “I never doubted the story,” said Jack Kirby, grandson of the settler who shot the animal. After reading a Halloween-themed Chronicle story about local legends of strange creatures, Kirby tracked down the mount in the Idaho Museum of Natural History in Pocatello. As several commentators at Cryptomundo noted, the animal appears quite wolf like, and one wondered if the original taxidermist might have manipulated the dead animal to make its mount look more spectacular, which prompted this response from Huntress re 19th century taxidermy practices: Some or all of the skeleton could be under the skin [rather than the mount being skin stretched over a frame]. Smaller mammals were re articulated and covered in clay or wood wool was wrapped around forming the muscle structure. If the taxidermist was not very talented the underlying form could be misshapen. The skull is almost certainly original and they can hopefully extract DNA from a tooth. Caution should be taken by anyone handling these old mounts. Gloves and a respirator are recommended due to the arsenic used to tan hides back then. Apparently, a lab in Maine has already agreed to do DNA testing.

A group of hard-working Yelp reviewers think they deserve minimum wage (at least!) for all the free labor they have put into judging local establishments, and have filed a class action lawsuit against the review site. Reading through their reviews, however, suggests their prose isn't worth much. The theory goes: Free Yelp write-ups provide value to the company, ergo dedicated reviewers act as free labor, and that's illegal. The lawsuit compares the situation to a "21st century galley slave ship with pirates banging the drum to keep up the fast pace and to fill the pockets of their stockholders with treasure," an extreme analogy for what boils down to volunteer work. Not much about the logic behind the lawsuit makes sense, and Yelp has dismissed it as "frivolous," per the company statement provided to Fast Company: This is a textbook example of a frivolous lawsuit, it is unfortunate the court has to waste its time adjudicating it and we will seek to have it dismissed. The argument that voluntarily using a free service equates to an employment relationship is completely without merit, unsupported by law and contradicted by the dozens of websites like Yelp that consumers use to help one another It's hard to disagree with Yelp. The site's members are volunteers. At one point the lawsuit argues that Yelp coerced these "employees" to write more because the site offers incentives for those who write more. The situation, as TechDirt's Mike Masnick points out, doesn't sound that much different than the lawsuit filed by the unpaid Huffington Post bloggers, who ultimately lost. But let's set all of that very good reasoning aside and for a moment ask the question at the core of this: Are Yelp reviews worth anything? Certainly, in aggregate, they sustain the company's business. But, as single entities, it's unclear if they warrant minimum wage, if that. Of the four people listed in the filing, two of them got "fired" from Yelp—to use the language of the suit—and their reviews no longer appear on the site. Yelp removed their accounts because they had violated their user policies. However, one of the plaintiffs Darren W. (aka Darren Walchesky), has written more than 1,200 reviews for the site. Here's one for the drugstore chain Walgreens: Holy crud! Kay and I came here last night after dining at the new Atria's restaurant nearby in the Bill Green Shopping Center, and I couldn't believe the selection of toys, Halloween gear, housewares, and snacks. It was like a miniature Wal-Mart! Unfortunately, like Wal-Mart, they've been hit with lawsuits involving racial discrimination, proprietary drugs, distributing oxycodone, selling tobacco, profiting from customer's private information, and overcharging Medicaid. But they're open 24 hours. And it's clean, well-stocked, and organized. That's neither poetry nor intrepid reporting. This five-star one for a shop called Rubber Duck, however, attempts the poetry angle: Rubber Ducky is the one. The beacon of good tidings and then some. Seemingly intangible and born of the sun. On October 20th, its 3 week stand was done. Its hype as enormous as its dimensions, I kept picturing a grizzled, discontented local loner in a trucker cap hiding on a hillside with a pellet gun, aiming for the giant mallard's head to end "all dat rubberneckin' 'n traffic 'n 'at." Belgian vandals stabbed the floating sculpture, yet even those without an inner child couldn't destroy it. Like energy, Rubber Ducky is unkillable and merely reconstitutes itself elsewhere. Florentijn Hofman, the Dutch sculptor who created the massive piece of art, did Andy Warhol proud. As if it were a cryptid, Kay and I caught a brief glimpse of it prior to a Stage AE concert without having time to photograph it. Ominous yet gentle, geese surrounded it as if it were their savior and loving, devoted god. Its mission is over in Pittsburgh. May the rest of the world know its joy. Rubber Ducky is The One. It made the mighty Allegheny so much fun. By certain definitions, that qualifies as poetry. Parts of it have a rhyme scheme. But, it's a far cry from a New York Times restaurant review. The quality of the review has little to do with the merits of the lawsuit. (The crux is that since these people don't have contracts with Yelp, they don't have to write anything, ever.) But, it shows that one single reviewer provides little value to either Yelp or the user. It's the aggregate of information that makes the service useful by creating a star ranking system. Sure, without all the reviewers, Yelp could not function. But lots of people review things for reasons other than getting paid. Until that changes, the site can do without the few volunteers that demand more, especially since they're far from professional critics. [Image: Flickr user Jenny Downing]

Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 24th, 2006 Show You The Money? $5000 Could Be Yours Cryptozoologists, Bigfooters, and others pursuing hidden animals are despondent all the time about not having any funding for their quests. But right now, people have no excuse for complaining if they miss out on the money that is out there for the taking. Ask yourself, have you obtained a cryptid-related photo and are keeping it in a drawer that might get you $5000 in your effort to continue your search for Bigfoot? Well, act quick. Your time is running out to turn it in for that contest you first heard about last October. The contest submission deadline is around the corner, on February 3rd! Click image for larger version The number of photos received at the Duel Masters Creature Appreciation photo contest headquarters, thusfar, is surprisingly low. I wonder why folks who need fiscal support and want to do serious research aren’t sending in some entries to qualify for money that is waiting to be given away? Duel Masters trading cards (Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro) is going to give five people a total of $9000 for their cryptozoological photos. It goes without saying, one of those winners could be you. Not me, you! I’m one of the judges who is on their panel, so I can’t win anything. But if you don’t submit, you won’t even be considered. The prizes are $5000 for the first prize, $1500 for the second prize, and $500 for three people who win the third prizes. Do you think you have something that might make the contest’s criteria? They are a lot easier to meet than you might think. Although the Duel Masters trading card games are played by pre-teens and adolescents, there’s no age limit to this contest. A committee determined by Wizards of the Coast will use the following criteria for this contest: 1) photo successfully furthers the myth (i.e. a traditional story accepted as history; folk tale; saga) and allure of finding an elusive mythical beast, such as Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster or Yeti (a/k/a Abominable Snowman) (50%), 2) originality and creativity (30%), and 3) artistic merit (20%). Ties, if any, will be broken by re-judging exclusively against criteria No. 1. I had nothing to do with the criteria for this contest, and, for example, I read their use of the word "myth," as "legend." Most of all, I am extremely happy to see that they have ruled out computer-based fakery (e.g. PhotoShop and related software computer distortions), in these photos. I will keep high standards, as a judge on this contest, as you can imagine. But I also understand the creative process some young people might go through to express their interests in cryptozoology. As an artistic process, this contest is an interesting mix of art, creativity, and cryptozoology, of course. As a forensic process, this contest (which is limited to United States submissions) could reveal some interesting bits of new evidence supporting Bigfoot. (I would assume entries for Nessie and Yeti will be rare, but maybe not. Americans travel a lot.) So dust off that photo collection, get out there in the field to snap a new pix, or take a photo of that Bigfoot that has visited your family’s farm for three generations and mail it in to: “Duel Masters Photo Contest,” c/o Hunter Public Relations, 41 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10010 or email it to Remember, you’ve got until Friday, February 3, 2006 (the 16th birthday of one of my sons, coincidentally)!! How can I be any clearer about this? Don’t sell yourself short. You could be a winner – of money. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, July 10. All times are Eastern. White Collar (USA, 9 p.m.): Did you know this show has been on for four seasons? Why, then, does it feel like it’s been running since the Carter administration? It could have something to do with the fact that USA splits its seasons into two stretches, then airs them about six months apart. It could have something to do with how Matt Bomer seems to always be lurking unseen around the edges of pop culture, like a particularly handsome cryptid who guest stars on TV shows. Or it could just be how we once dreamed that episode where Jimmy Carter played the part of Tim DeKay. At any rate, the show’s back, and it remains one of TV’s breeziest pleasures. Kenny Herzog will be happy to walk you through it for the next several decades. Frontline (PBS, 9 p.m.): Proving that it knows how to have a good time, tonight’s Frontline takes a look at the last several decades of the AIDS crisis among the African-American community. It’s a story of horror, followed by something like hope, and we’re sure it will be a day brightener for all of us. Workaholics (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.): The guys welcome “two members of a strongman group with a religious bent,” and while we’re not sure what that means, Kevin McFarland certainly hopes it means that the show is finally acknowledging the phone-book-ripping awesomeness of the Power Team. TV CLUB CLASSIC Dawson’s Creek (11 a.m.): Back when this show debuted, Kevin Williamson, its creator, was still best known for writing Scream, rather than creating, er, Dawson’s Creek and/or The Vampire Diaries. So the series did a throwaway episode inspired by that film. Brandon Nowalk knows there are three killers. Six Feet Under (1 p.m.): We always enjoyed when Ruth’s sister would show up because she was such a fine character and because we enjoy when Patricia Clarkson wanders onto any nearby screen to sing, dance, and make merry. John Teti once met Patricia Clarkson in a Walgreens, and she changed his life. Police Squad! (3 p.m.): And so Erik Adams comes to the end of the road with his coverage of Police Squad! We hope that he’ll ride off into the sunset, light blaring on his hood, to spend a little time remembering the good old days with special guest star Florence Henderson. WHAT ELSE IS ON The Real Housewives Of Orange County (Bravo, 8 p.m.): It’s a full night for Bravo’s signature reality franchise. In the first of two new episodes tonight, the housewives must learn how to use social media, which we assume entails all of them closing their eyes and blindly flailing at keyboards. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (BBC America, 9 p.m.): If you never saw this excellent docu-reality series about the British chef’s attempts to improve the eating habits of a small town in West Virginia, BBC America is re-airing both seasons starting tonight. Check it out if you like, uh, encouragement and peas? Trust Us With Your Life/NY Med (ABC, 9/10 p.m.): ABC is taking the occasion of baseball’s all-star game to debut a couple of new shows. First, Ryan McGee will review the antics of the latest improv comedy sketch show. Then, Phil Dyess-Nugent takes a look at a new workplace reality show about a hospital. Covert Affairs (USA, 10 p.m.): We covered the last season of this show, but only, like, two of you read about it. Still, since a new season debuts tonight, we’re going to make sure the two of you who cared know that it’s on. Attention! Piper Perabo is back with more spy-ish adventures! Now get back to work. Stick It (Oxygen, 8 p.m.): Maybe you enjoy the generally enjoyable Missy Peregrym. Maybe you’re a sucker for sports movies not about baseball or boxing. Maybe you like the weird chemistry between Peregrym and Jeff Bridges. There is always a good reason to say, “Fuck it! I’m watching Stick It tonight!” Lost In La Mancha (Sundance, 11 p.m.): Terry Gilliam and Johnny Depp head off into the middle of nowhere to make a movie of Don Quixote, and since you remember how it won 12 Oscars, breaking the record for most Oscars, you know how well it turned out. Here’s the story of how the film was made. MLB All-Star Game (Fox, 7:30 p.m.): It’s the All-Star Game! Nobody cared about it a week ago. Nobody will care about it a week from now. It just might screw over some poor, deserving team in the World Series. But, by God, we’re all going to give the biggest shit we possibly can about it for just one night. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Opening Act (Monday): Plucked from obscurity (or, rather, YouTube) to open for major musical acts, the groups on Opening Act could make for enjoyable reality TV fodder or could make for incredibly boring “feel-good” stories. Molly Eichel watched the first episode to let you know which was the case.

A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja. It's been 5 years since the outbreak that wiped out 85% of the world's population, but the war between Re-Animates (Re-Ans) and Humans wages on. Most of the major cities are still ... See full summary » Travis and his team travel to China in search of what isn't supposed to exist ... their mission to capture a Cryptid which is wreaking havoc in a remote village and they need to do this ... See full summary » Two former para-military operatives, Johnny and his police detective friend Peter, search Bangkok to find the killers of Johnny's beautiful daughter Angel - Leaving carnage and retribution throughout city. John looks to take down Luc Deveraux after a home invasion claims his wife and daughter. The fight pits John against Andrew Scott and an army of genetically enhanced warriors; meanwhile, he must contend with a UniSol in relentless pursuit. Jean-Claude Van Damme, The year is 1912 and you are accompanying 3 reporters on a voyage of a life time. A voyage on the grandest ship afloat. The R.M.S Titanic. on your journey you will meet the ships captain, her designer and the owner of the White Star Line. Lao San is a young veteran high in Kungfu power but low in intelligence. After landing on a job as a body guard for a wealthy antique collector, Lao San finds out his boss's plot to rob the National Art Museum. Even clichés can be nice to watch. So while the title is talking about a "stranger/foreigner", the plot itself is actually pretty common. You might have seen similar stories told and some even in a better fashion (hopefully). But this still is a lot of fun, if you let it. There are some nice little visual tweaks here and there and the editing style is all over the place too. It might not be your taste, but you can't fault the movie for trying. Scott Adkins delivers again and you can see why he sort of revives the 80s action movie style almost by himself. He has that kind of charisma and I don't mean that in a degrading way. The dog sub story is good and even Christian Slater isn't a big letdown as he was in his last couple of movies ... 2 of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

The Grinning Man is the name given to one or more mysterious figures that has become associated with various reports of paranormal activity. The Grinning Man is sometimes described as being an extraterrestrial, MIB or a hominid cryptid and was investigated by notable paranormal author John A. Keel and ufologist James Moseley. Arguably the best known Grinning Man was Indrid Cold, who appears during the Mothman sightings. Reports of Grinning Men often occur during periods of increased UFO reporting. Well-known author, paranormal investigator, and journalist John A. Keel visited the boys in Elizabeth, New Jersey, three days after the incident. Along with Keel came UFO lecturer James Moseley and actor Chuck McCann. Munov and Yanchitis were interviewed by Keel separately in the home of Mr. George Smythe and both boys told the exact same story. "The man was over six feet tall, they agreed, and was dressed in a sparkling silver coverall costume that shimmered and seemed to reflect the street lights. There was a wide black belt around his waist." The boys also said "He had a very dark complexion, and little round eyes...real beady...set far apart." The most frightening and bizarre aspect of the encounter is the fact that "They could not remember seeing any hair, ears, or nose on this figure." Perhaps the most famous sighting of a Grinning Man is reported to have taken place on October 11, 1966 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The entity was sighted by two boys, James Yanchitis and Marvin Munoz, as they were walking home along Fourth Street and New Jersey Street when they reached a corner parallel to the New Jersey Turnpike. The turnpike is elevated and there is an extremely steep incline going down from the busy street above which leads to Fourth Street. A very large, high wire fence runs along the edge of the street, making it incredibly difficult to near impossible for anyone to want to climb up the incline to the turnpike above. There are bright street lights in that area, which gave the boys a good glimpse of what they called "the strangest guy we've ever seen." Yanchitis noticed the strange entity first. "He was standing behind that fence", he stated later to investigators. "I don't know how he got there. He was the biggest man I ever saw." "Jimmy nudged me", Marvin Munoz reported to police, "and said, Who's that guy standing behind you?' I looked around and there he was... behind that fence. Just standing there. He pivoted around and looked right at us... then he grinned a big old grin." The figure reported by witnesses became associated with extraterrestrials because it was sighted shortly after a UFO report. The report states that a "blazing white light as big as a car" almost hit the 550-foot tall television tower outside of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. A policeman and his wife witnessed the object move in a slow manner north, and it then disappeared beyond the nearby hills. On the other side of the hills, Sergeant Benjamin Thompson and Patrolman Edward Wester, of the Wanaque Reservoir Police, also witnessed the same light at around 9:45 p.m. as it flew low over the reservoir. "The light was brilliantly white" officer Thompson stated, "It lit up the whole area for about three hundred yards. In fact, it blinded me when I got out of the patrol car to look at it, and I couldn't see for about twenty minutes afterwards." Several Grinning Man reports were made in 1966, during the same period as the Point Pleasant, West Virginia Mothman sightings. These reports were recorded by John A. Keel in chapters 5 and 10 of his book The Mothman Prophecies. - The first encounter happened on November 2, 1966, a man named Woodrow Derenberger was driving his panel truck after a hard day of work. As he drove up a hill outside of Parkersburg on Interstate 77, he heard a sudden crash. A vehicle was speeding behind him, and it suddenly cut in front of him and slowed down. Derenberger looked in amazement as the vehicle that passed him looked like "an old fashioned kerosene lamp chimney, flaring at both ends, narrowing down to a small neck and then enlarging in a great bulge in the center." The "thing" blocked the road, and a door slid open on the side of the it. Then a man stepped out, the man was around 6 feet tall, with long dark hair combed straight back. His skin was heavily tanned. He wore an outfit that was made out of some sort of glistening green material. He was grinning broadly. The man spoke to Derenberger telepathically and said his name was "Cold", and went off asking him strange questions, and the two talked for a few minutes. Then the strange entity said that he would visit Derenberger again, and he got back in the craft, and left. - Another case described in chapter 10 in the Mothman Prophecies book, happened in the home of the Lillys, a family living in a rural section of Point Pleasant. The Lillys were witnessing strange lights in the sky right above their home at least every night, as well as poltergeist-like manifestations inside of their home. Mrs. Lilly said "We've seen all kinds of strange things...blue lights, green ones, red ones, things that change color. Some have been so low that we thought we could see diamond-shaped windows in them. And none of them make any noise at all." Automobiles near the Lilly home would stall unexplainably, and kitchen cabinets and doors inside the Lilly home would slam inexplicably in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep. Their living room door, which was chained and snaplocked at night, was sitting there wide open the next morning as if someone had opened it somehow from the outside. They would hear loud metallic sounds, "like a pan falling", and Mrs. Lilly said she hear a sound like "A baby crying" throughout the inside of the home. It seemed to come from only a few feet away from her in the house, but there were no babies in the home and she never saw anything. (Keep in mind that the Mothman was known to utter a cry that sounded similar to a baby crying or woman screaming.) John A. Keel, who personally investigated and questioned the Lilly family, asked them "Did you ever dream that there was a stranger in the house in the middle of the night?" Linda Lilly, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lilly then confessed her story. She described how she woke up one night and saw a very large figure towering over her bed. "It was a man, a big man. Very broad. I couldn't see his face very well, but I could see that he was grinning at me." Mrs. Lilly said that she heard a terrible scream that night, and Linda ran into her room screaming "There is a man in my room! There is!" She refused to sleep alone ever since the encounter.

Super-sized birds are one of the most tantalizing topics for researchers of cryptid animals. Most of these weird flyers resemble some type of actual bird (often a type thought long extinct) that would seem to put them in the “likely to be ‘real’” category – except for their wingspan usually reported at 20 feet or more, their massive bodies, and their penchant for carrying off live creatures considerably larger than the rabbits, fish and squirrels preferred by even the largest of our known birds of prey. The 2005 sighting near Hayward, Wisconsin by a Minnesota businessman named John Bolduan that I chronicled in American Monsters describes one of the better observations I’ve seen anywhere of these creatures. Bolduan’s sighting was in close range in full daylight and included seeing the bird on the ground, taking off, and then flapping away, with nearby trees, tall grasses and roadway for size comparisons. It had a stork-like appearance, but Bolduan hasn’t been able to match it to any known species. Since the time that I had to submit the manuscript for that book, I’ve received other reports of oversized avians that I wish could have been included. A brief summary: - Pike County, PA, autumn 1996 or 1997: A woman reported seeing a huge birdlike creature gliding over the trees during the day. She stopped her car to watch it and estimated it was the same length as her car, 17 feet. She tried reporting it to an area animal preserve and to a game warden, who both told her she had probably seen a vulture, but she said it looked nothing like a vulture and could not find anything to compare it to other than something prehistoric. - State Line Island, Nebraska, May 1995: In another daylight sighting, a man hiking along the North Platte River encountered two birds standing in a clearing that appeared the size of large humans but were covered with black feathers and had raptor-like heads. No markings. One turned and looked at him, then both spread their wings to an estimated 20 foot span and jumped from the ground. One was carrying a small deer in its talons and had a hard time getting airborne with it as the other bird screeched from the treetops. He believed the deer was the same small doe he had seen at that site the day before and estimated its weight at at least 75 pounds. - Clements, Michigan, spring 2014: NOTE — I’m withdrawing this report of a “giant” bird that had been sent by a third party. Subsequent interviews with the actual witnesses revealed this was almost certainly a turkey vulture. According to the father and son, it had the typical pinkish-red, unfeathered head and other characteristics of this bird that is probably the Midwest’s most oft-misidentified bird of prey. Just goes to show the importance of a little extra digging, and my apologies for posting the brief version prematurely! - On the other hand, as if to make up for that one, I received another report from Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee, that was indeed submitted by the original witness who answered follow-up questions. Her sighting occurred in fall, 2006, in daylight, as she and her three-year old son stood in the backyard of the home they were renting. She noted that the area had enough natural cover that they often saw deer, coyotes and other wildlife. She wrote, “A bird that resembled a golden eagle, except that it was about the same height as me (five feet, four inches) landed 15-20 feet away from us, looking me in the eye. We all remained still, staring at each other for a while. I remember feeling a little scared, as it could easily fly away with my 3-year old, but also a great reverence as I felt the bird was deciding how it felt about us being on that land.” The woman added that they all stood for about 20 seconds, eyeing one another, before it flapped away with “great ease.” After it left, she took a yardstick and measured what its height and wingspan would have been according to where it had stood in relation to corresponding features of her lawn, and said it stood 50-55 inches tall (about a foot shorter than she thought at first) with a 12-foot wingspan. A golden eagle may have a 5 1/2 to 8-foot wingspan but stands only about 27-36 inches tall. She added that the breast color of the bird she saw was “creamish,” which is not usual for this species. Was it a golden eagle? If so, it was a specimen considerably larger than the known dimensions of that species, with unusual coloring. I do think what ever it may have been, it probably was interested in checking out her 3-year old, and that’s the scariest aspect of this encounter. Golden eagles have been known to seize small deer and domestic animals.

Here are a few interesting reader submission reports: The following story happened to me in late summer 1984. A girlfriend and I were just east of Saskatoon along the Yellowhead HIghway giving her new van a test run on the open road. We stopped at the side of the highway for some reason. It was 2:25 in the morning and pitch black. At this time I got a panic attack and felt that 2 men wearing leather jackets were approaching, armed with either knives or guns. I shoved my girlfriend into the van, I jumped into the passenger seat yelling that we had to get out of there fast or we were dead. The panic attack lasted 15 minutes ending at 2:40. The next night when I got to work my co-worker told me he had been held up the night before at gun point by two young men wearing leather jackets. From the time he was held up to the time the police picked the two men up was 15 minutes, 2:25 to 2:40 in the morning. Ron Bear or Bigfoot? My grandmother lived on a farm twelve miles east of Winchester, KY. She used to talk about the time she looked out her kitchen window and saw her two young granddaughters feeding biscuits to a bear across the fence. Fearing for their safety, she ran outside and said she 'scared that bear so bad it forgot to drop to all four and ran away on its hind legs". Hmmm... I was seven years old in 1965 and my big brother and I rode one of our grandparents' horses over to our uncles' farm. As we were coming out of the railroad tunnel the horse reared in fright and I fell off, landing on my back knocking the breath out of me. As I stared up at the sun, my brother kept saying "Did you see that?" as he tried to control the horse. When we arrived at my uncles' house my brother told him what happened and my uncle said, "It must've been that 'bear' that lives under the railroad track". Hmmm... Both of these incidents occurred in the early sixties near the tiny hamlet of Trapp, Ky. Greg Giant Sloth-Like Beasts - Ware County, GA One Autumn I caught sight of a large animal moving through the cypress trees of the swampy area that borders one of the fields I work. I live in Ware County, Georgia. I was working the field at the time and noticed the movement. It was late afternoon and still light out. The animal was huge, hairy and walked on all fours but I did see it rear up once. It reminded me of a black bear but much larger and lighter in color. I was about 200 yds. away from it but I still had a good look. I know for a fact that this was not a bear. I've seen black bears in the Okefenokee and this didn't look like one of those at all. I later saw a picture of an animal, a Mapinguari, that is supposed to be a legend. I swear that is what I saw. Have you heard of this animal? I haven't seen it since but there have been a lot of cypress trees tore up lately and I'm wondering if it has been causing it. Some people have said for many years that there are swamp bea in Ware County but I never paid it no mind until now. Henry Huge Flying Creature - New Miami, OH On Monday May 9th, 2011 around 5:45am, I was on my way to work headed north bound in to the village of New Miami, OH on Seven Mile Avenue. I left the traffic light at the southern most edge of town in to a dark stretch of road when a large flying creature swooped in over my car and snatched up a small animal in the road ahead of me at the edge of my head lights. As a construction worker, I feel I can judge the size of objects fairly well. This creature had a wing span of at least 12 feet and was jet black. It completely blocked the view out of my windshield and then some and moved at a very high rate of speed. I was traveling between 35-40MPH. It had to have been traveling at around 70-80MPH. Like I stated before is swooped down grabbed the animal and was gone over the trees very quickly. I've researched large predator birds and raptors indigenous to Ohio and there are none that fit the description of what I saw. If you have any other questions about my experience please feel free to email me back. Tex Phantoms & Monsters: Strange Encounters Phantoms & Monsters: Cryptid Encounters Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster

Review these Search Results or Search More. Posted by: Craig Woolheater on February 22nd, 2011 Beast Hunter is hosted by Pat Spain, a biologist and explorer who travels the globe in search of mythical creatures, immersing himself amongst the tribes, people and cultures on his quest to find the truth between fact and fiction. Read: New CryptoZoo TV Series: Beast Hunter on Nat Geo » Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 7th, 2010 The species was the subject of the first scientific articles on fossils ever published in the United States. Images. Read: First Ever Jefferson’s Ground Sloth Discovered In Colorado » Posted by: Loren Coleman on October 4th, 2010 Paul S. Martin developed the idea that early humans had hunted North America’s Ice Age big game, including ground sloths, camels, mammoths and mastodons, to extinction. He took an active interest in cryptozoology. Images. Read: Pleistocene Extinction Expert Dies » Posted by: Loren Coleman on April 9th, 2010 It was an interesting week; here is a bit of a review of the story that became the gorilla in the middle of the news room. Only one mystery remains, it appears. Images. Read: Media Listens: “Oriental Yeti” = Civet? » Posted by: Loren Coleman on February 8th, 2009 Few in cryptozoology realize that Charles Darwin is quite directly linked and responsible for a species that may be the source of an ongoing cryptid investigation. Images. Read: Darwin’s Cryptid » Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 30th, 2008 You remember the scene from the end of the first Indiana Jones movie? Recall the endless rows of boxes in storage in that secret warehouse? Of course, the reality is that most large museums around the world actually do have such storage areas. The “outfront” exhibits at most museums are impressive. But, for example, I […] Read: Secrets of Room N008 » Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 27th, 2007 The Top Ten Cryptozoology Stories for 2007 by Loren Coleman, Cryptozoologist and Author, Mysterious America, Cryptozoology A to Z, and other books. From Bigfoot to Yeren, and from dwarf killer whales to dwarf manatees, it was quite a year. Welcome to this year’s top stories in cryptozoology. It wasn’t heaven during 2007 for the cryptids, […] Read: The Top Ten Cryptozoology Stories for 2007 » Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 11th, 2007 Photographs of the replicas under examination, in most cases, are generously shared by Dave Plenn of The Dinosaur Farm, who retains all copyrights to the images. Today, at Replica Cryptia, the representations examined are those of the Giant Ground Sloth or Megatherium. In recent years, replicas of this species of Amazonian megafauna have become significant […] Read: Replica Cryptia: Giant Ground Sloths » Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 9th, 2007 On July 9th, from NBC’s Today Show to worldwide news service rewrites of the Sunday New York Times article, this all is keeping this new Mapinguary mania alive. And we all thought the interest in this creature was dead a decade ago. Sadly, the articles being spread from the UPI are often headlined with this […] Read: Mapinguary Madness » Posted by: Craig Woolheater on June 30th, 2007 A statue of the Mapinguari, an Amazon legend, in the Chico Mendes Park in the city of Rio Branco, Acre. (Lalo de Almeida FOR THE NYT) It’s stinky, hairy and mean – but is Amazon Big Foot real? RIO BRANCO, Brazil: Perhaps it is nothing more than a legend, as skeptics say. Or maybe it […] Read: Stinky, Hairy and Mean – Amazonian Bigfoot? » Posted by: Loren Coleman on October 28th, 2006 Please click to enlarge this image of Bigfoot as drawn by Paul Smith, and sepia-colorized for the cover of Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America The Top 50 Cryptids From Around The World Cryptids are the yet-to-be discovered animals or recovered supposedly extinct zoological species that are being sought by cryptozoologists, zoologists, anthropologists, […] Read: Loren’s Top 50 Cryptids » Posted by: John Kirk on February 28th, 2006 Tony Xavier was my mother’s first cousin. Tony and his family lived on a huge farm outside of the bustling metropolis of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Xavier family busied themselves with raising cattle, crops and enjoying the good life that a successful enterprise can bring. Brazil is well-known for a number of cryptids such as […] Read: The Onca, Mystery Cat of Brazil Remains as Elusive as Ever » |Top | Content|

Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 24th, 2008 St. John’s Day The date June 24 is one tied to some of the weirdest happenings. Enjoy the day, and keep a watch out for the unusual to occur. What’s that behind you? Here is a rundown of some previous events on this day: Knights Templars display “Mysterious Head” at Poitiers (1308). Founding of the Order of the Garter (1348). John Cabot discovers North America (1497). Galileo released (1633). “Woman of the Wilderness” utopian community arrives in America (1694). “W of W” angelic visions (1701). Grand Lodge of Freemasons inaugurated (1717). Ambrose Bierce born (1842). Red rain, Italy (1877). Ice fall, Ft. Lyon, Colorado (1877). Fall of jelly-like mass, Eton (1911). Fred Hoyle born (1915). Mick Fleetwood (1942) and Jeff Beck (1944) born. First day of “flying saucer” history, Mt. Rainier & Mt. Adams, Washington State – Kenneth Arnold sighting (1947). Filmstock fire kills seventeen people, Brussels (1947). Movie theaters evaluated during huge fire, Perth Amboy, NJ (1947). United Airlines plane struck by lightning over Cleveland (1947). Invasion of grasshoppers battled with flame-throwers, Guatemala/El Salvador (1947). Woman attacked and killed by bees or wasps, Seattle (1947). Bizarre aerial sightings near Daggett, California (1950) and on Iwo Jima (1953). The deaths of various aerial and related phenomena researchers, writers, and fans (Frank Scully, June 24, 1964; Frank Edwards, near the coming midnight of the 24th, still on June 23, 1967; Arthur Bryant, June 24, 1967; Richard Church June 24, 1967; Willy Ley, June 24, 1969; Jackie Gleason, June 24, 1987). June 24, 2006 saw the death of renegade publisher Lyle Stuart who published anomalist writer Frank Edwards’ Fortean book, in 1959, Stranger than Science, a paperbook full of information on cryptozoology as well as ufology. Two Inuits kill a huge, yellow-furred bear at Rendezvous Lake, Barren Ground, Canada, June 24, 1864. The bear was similar to Arctodus simus, which died out in the Pleistocene. Naturalist Robert MacFarlane acquired the bear’s skin and skull, and shipped the remains to the Smithsonian Institution, where they were placed in storage and soon forgotten. Eventually, Dr. Clinton Hart Merriam uncovered the remains, and in 1918, he described the specimen as a new species and genus, calling it the “patriarchal bear,” with the scientific name Vetularctos inopinatus. Today, it is often recognized as a new species, Ursus inopinatus. (Thanks to Matt Bille and Mnynames.) On other June 24ths, locals have Bigfoot sightings, Logan and Union counties, Ohio (1980). Chupacabras encountered outside disco, Maria Elena, Argentina (2000). Moose hunters see Bigfoot, near Fort Simpson, NWT, Canada (2002). Mysterious fire erupts in Gallipolis, Ohio resident’s car on bridge from Ohio to Point Pleasant, West Virginia (2003). Massive unusual aerial phenomena, Xalapa, Mexico (2005). “Aren’t You Chupacabra to See Me?” airs for first time on Cartoon Network (2005). Nestle uses Bigfoot-costumed marchers to launch Kit Kat Limited Edition – Cappuccino at the Giant Mahkota Parade, Malacca, and Jusco Tebrau City, Johor (2005). June 24 was the grand opening date of Bates College Museum of Art’s “Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale” exhibition (2006). St. John’s Day (”Jaanipäev”) is a major traditional holiday in Estonia, celebrated by singing around bonfires, in Estonian communities in the United States and Canada as well as in Estonia itself. The glow-worm, because it usually starts appearing around St. John’s Day, is called “Jaaniuss”–”St. John’s Worm”–in Estonian. (Thanks to T. Peter Park, who is Estonian.) Unexplained events. Mysterious fiery outbursts. Strange cryptid sightings. Beltane fires. Little people. Miracles. Bathing. Round dances. Collecting of glowworms. Folkloric incidents. Weird encounters. Cryptozoological openings. Mystery deaths. Respect the wonder and adventure of the 24th of June. What’s in the mix on this day in 2008? Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 24th, 2011 Churubusco, Indiana, experienced a series of good sightings of a large turtle, “the size of a dining room table,” in 1948-1949. The event is recalled in stories of the “Beast of Busco.” The community became labeled as “Turtle Town, USA,” and has one of the longest running cryptozoological festivals in America, their “Turtle Days.” I visited the area for a couple days, to document what a town that seems aware of their place in cryptozoo history has done with their legacy. What I discovered is a Churubusco on the doorstep of more fully realizing the cryptotourism potential of their Giant Turtle, nicknamed “Oscar.” What I also found and documented is a rival town claiming to have physical evidence of the 1949 turtle and labeling it as “Beast of Busco.” Do they? First of all, Churubusco has embraced, publicly, their 1949 encounter with national fame, when the Beast of Busco became the subject of American media wonder. Evidence of this is everywhere, extending daily, well beyond the annual event of their Turtle Days weekend. The local McDonalds was redesigned a half-decade ago and a new addition was a wall of panels sharing the history of the Giant Turtle, with giant photographs from the 1949 hunt for the cryptid. It makes for an impressive display. Next, throughout the town, there is a variety of roadside art examples, from a huge statue at the entrance to the town park, a street corner concrete turtle, and painted signs (e.g. little league, park, town entrance) everywhere. The local newspaper, the Churubusco News sells an overview of the history for five dollars and a Turtle Days baseball cap. But the marketing of the monster ends there. The tiny History Center is only open Mondays and Thursdays, and does not sell any Beast of Busco souvenirs. The town, which sports various storefronts for rent, could use a “Beast of Busco” museum. A small location open year-round could share the cyptozoological history of the place, with ease. Right now, there is not one store that sells Oscar turtle figurines, teeshirts, or any locally written chronicle of what is a history that is embraced by this town (save for the 1999 anniversary booklet at the paper). Even worse, access to the Beast of Busco site of the sightings is on private property today. Fulk Lake, three miles out of town on Madden Road, is surrounded today by brushy overgrowth, hard to see from Madden Road, and cut off from further exploration. “No trespassing” signs are posted, and this is gun country that takes its “no trespassing” quite seriously. The lake area can be seen a bit and photographed from a safe distance. Meanwhile, a nearby town, on the other side of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is exploiting the Beast of Busco in a very commercial fashion. In Decatur, Indiana, I found a restaurant and bar named “2 Brothers” and it has embraced the Beast, using it for decades to get people to come to their place. In the Decatur, Indiana establishment is a large snapping turtle shell, with a taxidermy-preserved head, quite old, reportedly from the 1940s. Painted on it is “Beast of Busco.” The owner refused an offer to buy it (of course) with the well-rehearsed answer: “Sure, you can buy it, if you buy the whole restaurant and bar.” The “Beast of Busco” shell was about a yard long (I could not more closely examine it, although photos were allowed). A sizeable turtle yes, but this was no giant. Another similarly-sized shell also hangs in the bar. Is this the original “Beast of Busco”? It is doubtful, but it certainly is drawing attention away from Churubusco. In the long run that may not bode well for the cryptotourism of Churubusco. The turtle battle lines have been drawn between Decatur, Indiana, and Churubusco, Indiana. Who will win the ultimate popular cultural turtle race? Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.

Pre-interview Notes & Preparation–Marsha I want to interview Marsha because she is a credible individual (in the context that she is a professor at a Rowan University) who saw the Jersey Devil. I want to hear about the experience of her sighting—when, where, why, etc.—but I’m also interested in her interpretation of the experience, her beliefs in the supernatural, and who she is. A few of the questions I will have in mind during our conversation: Did she grow up in New Jersey? What are her interests both professionally and personally? Does she travel in the Pine Barrens often? I would also like to know what her theory is about the Jersey Devil. Does she believe the creature truly exists, or does she doubt her own experience because it goes against what is allowable in “reality”? If she does believe it exists, where does she think it originated? Does she have any theories about the creature? Does she often speculate on her experience or does it rarely cross her mind? Is she generally pragmatic in her beliefs and values or does she lean toward the supernatural? According to Postmodern Interviewing edited by Jaber F. Gubrium and James A. Holstein, two broad kinds of stories exist within interviewing: “personal narratives and folk narratives” (124). The authors of this chapter go onto explain that “Personal narratives are idiosyncratic, whereas folk narratives are collective” (124). While I consider Marsha’s story a personal narrative, it will most likely contain remnants of a folk narrative as well. Because Marsha’s story is one of many Jersey Devil sightings, I can assume that she is working within a genre to find the language to describe her personal narrative. In other words, any sighting of the Jersey Devil will most likely contain a description of the creature itself. Not coincidentally, the details of the descriptions are often the same—large bat-like wings, the head of a horse, a long tail, etc. These similarities can arise because people who experience sightings are all seeing the same creature, but they can also arise because the Jersey Devil has become a legend; consequently, many people have seen drawings, renditions, and oral descriptions of the creature. How would we know to call it the Jersey Devil if not for a form that has been previously established within our minds. More similar language will also appear because many of the sightings occur in a similar context. The Jersey Devil is not being spotted on South Beach, despite what some articles may have you believe (thanks Meghan). Rather, the sightings generally occur in the Pine Barrens; therefore, physical landscape descriptions may also appear similar. South Jersey is not the only culture that has developed a language to tell tales of cryptid sightings. I assume the Scottish have created a subgenre for sightings of the Loch Ness. And there is the Chupacabra of South America, and Big Foot of the North American wilderness, and so on. All of these cryptid sightings have created a larger, interrelated genre. The storytellers know they ought to include details about where they were and what they were doing at the time. They know to visually describe their surroundings and the creature itself. They know to describe the action of the creature and how long they saw it. Thus, I can expect Marsha’s sighting to fit some of these genre standards. However, I think her interpretation of her experience will be idiosyncratic. While the sighting itself undoubtedly interests me (otherwise I would not be researching this topic), I believe her reflection of the experience and what it means to her is where the true value will lie. With all of that said, I don’t want to carry these expectations into the interview. Easier said than done. Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment Tags: cryptids, interviews, Jersey Devil, Meghan, Pine Barrens, sightings, South Beach

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 Image Comics Single Issues Releasing June 26th, 2013 This was my first exposure to Fatale, and it was a good place to start from scratch. I have no idea who the girl is, and apparently neither does she. I really dig the gritty realism of the late Nineties vibe that is grunge-era Seattle. The art is extremely respectable throughout, especially on rendered buildings and vehicles. The composition of panels lends itself well to the modern day noir of the story. Solid purchase this week, I'd like to check out the previous tales. Just like Fatale, this is my first exposure to Five Ghosts. I'm a bit unsure about this title. The concept as described on the back cover sounds interesting: "A tragic encounter with an artifact known as 'The Dreamstone'" - but I must be dense because the only ghost I can identify is Sherlock Holmes. Maybe one is Dracula. Again, blame my ignorance on being 4 issues into the story. What I did like was the art, very similar to the Klaus Janson inks from Dark Knight Returns, just a little less focused. Story-wise, I'm never thrilled by following dream-logic. Why the main character, Fabian Gray, is being led through five tests, why is he passing those tests fairly easily? I get the sense that this is more concept than substance. I don't recommend this title, at this level, but maybe more reading is needed for a second opinion. This is a crazy big pile of Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot. I read the intro, that this was 'reality show' (because that's quality entertainment) and we're following a bunch of cryptid enthusiasts. OK, I'll bite. Then I read that we've got a character named Regan who was a former child star possessed by a demon - look, I'm sorry, but we all know that The Exorcist II was a catastrophic failure, and its not even funny to mock it. And then panel one - bam it's the X-men! The art styles are wildly diverse in this book, and its really difficult to tell if this is one story, or excerpts from lots of little sorta-related stories. Ultimately, way too pop-culture referential and organizationally confusing, and not one I'm gonna ever purchase. I know I'm supposed to be impressed by the dream team of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, who between them share an impressive portfolio of work for the majors. However, what I'm reading seems to surf the trend of 'emotional' superheroes trying to 'deal' with their privileged existence. Do I care that the snotty son of a guy who looks like Zeus-in-tights got drunk one night and decided to hover a few boats around? Do I care that Zeus's brother doesn't like him because there's a world to be ruled? Who is the true villain here - these characters paint it out to be our white-bearded flying friend Zeus, but in typical soap-opera tongue-wagging form, we're looking at the beginnings of a bitchy cabal. Not one moment of this comic shows any so-called superhero doing anything super for the less-fortunate 7 billion human beings on this planet. Ho-hum - Alan Moore's already answered the question of whether or not superheroes are this generation's deities, and whether or not they deserve our worship. Unless this story moves into something more action-oriented and ethically challenging, its a pass for me. Other titles releasing this week: Morning Glories Issue #28, Prophet Issue #36 (crazy euro-inspired art is worth checking out), Sex Issue #04, Supreme Issue #63, Think Tank Issue #08, Bounce Issue #02, Clone Issue #08, Elephantmen Issue #49.

Red Pills of the Week — November 17th Greetings, fellow Coppertops! Our weekly excursion across the Fortean side of the Matrix will show us sociable smart bombs, rogue planets and invisibility cloaks. We’ll find naive attempts to ask the White House to support out favorite hairy cryptids, and even more naive threats to destroy the Sphynx & the pyramids. And as we ponder on the mysteries of human consciousness with patients on vegetative state, we’ll say good-bye to one of the last researchers from UFOlogy’s golden age. I’ve been thinking: if the agents are capable of erasing your mouth so you can’t make a phone call, would they also erase your thumbs to stop you from Tweeting? (10) This week the whole world became worried with the escalation of hostilities between Israel & Hamas. Even though exchanging threats & bombs is practically a national past time in that part of the world, what’s new is that in this case we bore witness to a new escalation in modern warfare: the deliberate inclusion of social networks. With Israeli troops breaking the news of the Gaza strike in which a Hamas leader was killed on Twitter, one wonders if predator drones & smart bombs will start following Curiosity’s example & open accounts of their own –“BRB I’m late for my blind date & it’s gonna be a BLAST LOL LOL”– in which case we would ALL be forced to follow them… just to be on the safe. (9) Tracking who’s following (or unfollowing) you on Twitter is really easy. Tracking rogue planets? not so much –even though scientists now think these wandering objects might be more common than we previously thought, in light of the finding of one of these star-less planets 100 light-years away. “If this little object is a planet that has been ejected from its native system, it conjures up the striking image of orphaned worlds, drifting in the emptiness of space,” [Study co-author Philippe Delorme of the Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics of Grenoble] said. Rogues: they steal your moons from behind. (8) To find the rogue planet, an international team made use of the Canada France Hawaii Telescope on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. And speaking of Chile, we now have an update on the strange UFO videos taken in Chile during an air show, which we discussed on the very first installment of this column. Aside from CEFAA’s (the official Chilean department that studies aerial phenomena) study of the videos, which seem to show objects displaying velocities & maneuvers impossible to accomplish by standard aircraft, Leslie Kean sought the analysis of 2 highly respected investigators in the field: Richard Haines, chief scientist for the National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP), and retired Navy physicist Bruce Maccabee, an expert on photographic analysis of UFOs. Unfortunately, the result of the analysis is inconclusive, since both researchers came to diametrically opposite conclusions –to Maccabee, there’s no way to determine if there’s triangulation of the same object taken by different camera, and in his opinion the likeliest explanation is that the UFOs are nothing but bugs; whereas Haines thinks that two different videos DID manage to capture the same object, showing it to be larger and faster than a bug, given how the distances between the two camera locations is somewhat considerable. For their part, the CEFAA team has concluded their investigation and are ready to file this case as an unknown. They obviously don’t seem to share Leslie’s concerns that UFOs might pose a threat to air traffic –and to be hones, neither do I. As for myself, this outcome is rather anti climatic, and leaves me wondering whether we couldn’t have found ANOTHER researcher in order to have a third opinion. Alas, the Chilean videos will be now forced to join the more recent Denver footage, and cynic skeptics will be able to dismiss them as nothing but bugs –which bugs me a lot… (7) People who ascribe an extraterrestrial provenance to UFOs speculate that these craft will no doubt be equipped with some sort of cloaking device, akin to the Klingons’ birds of prey. Since invisibility would offer a tremendous advantage in the battlefield, a lot of effort is currently been put in the development of real-life ‘Predator camouflage’ –confirming my suspicions that DARPA is being run by a bunch of geeks like you & I! Researchers at Duke University made a lot of Harry Potter fans squee, when they announced in 2006 the creation of an ‘invisibility cloak’ composed of metamaterials. Unfortunately the cloak was only able to render an object ‘invisible’ to micorwaves –hardly adequate for escaping the dorm room & have some fun in the halls of Hogwarts. The system also allowed some ‘reflections’ which minimized the occultation effect. But now the same group of researchers have announced that they have perfected their system, as explained by grad student Nathan Landy, who joined the original team. “We built the cloak, and it worked,” he said in a press release. “It split light into two waves which traveled around an object in the center and re-emerged as the single wave minimal loss due to reflections.” Ten points to Landy’s house for the annual House Cup award! (6) Sure, movies have always been a great source of inspiration for many scientists & engineers, who keep struggling in bringing the magic of the silver screen to our daily lives. Take this year’s Prometheus: while plot-wise the movie left a lot of Alien fans disappointed, it did manage to show a lot of cool future tech, like for example David’s dream-scan helmet. Could a device like that become a reality in the future? The next red pill seems to show that may indeed be the case! A new research carried out in the UK & Belgium shows that communication with patients in a vegetative state may be possible. The study involved the use of fMRI scanners, and showed how patients who are completely unable to interact with the outside world are nevertheless aware of their surroundings, and can respond to direct questions. This new study might open the door for improving the treatment and quality of life of such patients. Although it could also permit patients to request the termination of their life. As always modern Science advances much more rapidly than our moral codes. (5) Now that y’all stopped head-banging, it’s important to point out how the last red pill also forces us to reconsider our notions re. the role of the human brain in the emerging of consciousness. And to further prove how little we know about the conscious and unconscious mind, let’s move on to the next red pill: a new study shows that people can process short sentences and solve mathematical equations BEFORE they are aware of the words and numbers before their eyes! The experiments were carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where more than 300 student volunteers were submitted to a technique called Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS), which consists of rapidly changing images shown in one eye, along with static images shown in the other –the ‘scary mammal’ aspect of our nature would force the changing images to take precedence, while the static images are injected subliminally to the unconscious –Tyler Durden anyone? In the second part of the study, the scientists examined how the unconscious brain processes math problems. Using the CFS technique again, the researchers subliminally exposed the participants to three-digit equations, such as “9 − 3 − 4,” for two seconds or less. Then, the participants were shown a number (without CFS masking it) and told to say it out loud. The students were quicker to read aloud a number that was the right answer to the equation they had just subconsciously seen. For example, after being exposed to “9 − 3 − 4,” they were quicker to pronounce “2″ than “3.” This suggests they subconsciously worked out the problem and had the answer on their lips. This experiment presents with a neat dichotomy: either the human brain is able to process information at an unconscious level to a degree we had never thought possible –which might be even more acute among people who excel in split-second decisions, like soldiers or first-response public servants– OR maybe, just maybe, sometimes the human mind is capable of attaining information instantly, bypassing the brain altogether. Such states of instant information are quite common in altered states of consciousness, like the ones experimented during mystical experiences. I don’t presume to know the answer to this, but I find it very neat how we’re refining our questions. (4) The fact that we might be better at Math than we realized goes counter with the recent caused by professor Gerald Crabtree, who maintains that our current society is making us stupider by each passing generation. According to Crabtree, the argument in Mike Judge’s Idiocracy is quite true, and any shepherd in the Neolithic would be smarter and more emotionally balanced than you or I –so I guess instead of playing Portal 2 we should all just swap our consoles for a nice herd of god-damned sheep! I’m not going to waste much time ranting against this nonsense –after all, Ben & Aaron voiced some of my own comments in the latest edition of the MU podcasts. Let me just point out 2 things: that 3000 years ago I doubt someone like Stephen Hawking would have had much of a chance of surviving, let alone become a productive member of society; and that 2400 years ago a guy by the name of Socrates started to warn his fellow Greeks about something which he thought would become the downfall of mankind. That terrible threat was the written book, which in his opinion allowed people to cheat and stop memorizing entire poems or philosophical treaties. And let’s just conclude by saying such fear-mongering has been used to attack everything from the Waltz, fiction novels, to movie films and Rock & Roll… so yeah, me no care me so dumb. (3) Then again, it’s news like the next one which makes you wonder if Crabtree might not be entirely wrong. This week the entire web was abuzz with fears raised by some fundamentalist pendejos in Egypt, who expressed their desire to blow the Sphinx & the pyramid for the glory of Allah –Allah… chingada! Murgan Salem al-Gohary, an Islamist leader twice-sentenced under former President Hosni Mubarak for advocating violence, called on Muslims to remove such “idols.” “All Muslims are charged with applying the teachings of Islam to remove such idols, as we did in Afghanistan when we destroyed the Buddha statues,” he said on Saturday during a television interview on an Egyptian private channel, widely watched by Egyptian and Arab audiences. What’s painful about these news is NOT that we should fear about the safety of these monuments, but that it further continues to promote a barbaric concept of Islam, whereas some 500 hundreds years ago it was completely the opposite –just think: the modern word Chemistry derives from the Arabic word al-kimia (الكيمياء) –which in itself might have derived from the ancient name given to the land of Egypt, Khem. IMHO the pyramids are as endangered of being destroyed, as are the southern states in the USA of seceding from the Union after Obama’s re-election, k? (2) Oh yes, but that sure hasn’t stopped some begrudging Southerners from promoting their wish to secede using the White House portal We the People *facepalm* You know what else that portal is good for? showing some love for Bigfoot! As reported by Cryptomundo, On November 13th Ken N. of Chesterfield, MO started a petition to “Recognize the cryptid species known as Bigfoot as an endangered species in the United States of America.” Recognize the cryptid species known as Bigfoot as an endangered species in the United States of America. Bigfoot also known as the “Sasquatch or Yeti” is in danger of becoming extinct. We the people petition the Obama administration to recognize “Bigfoot” or “Sasquatch” as an American species of animal. We plea with the Obama administration to recognize Bigfoot or Sasquatch as an American species of animal as soon as possible and put it on the endangered species list. Research is an ongoing effort in the field of studying this creature, and one day it will be discovered and shown to the American public. Please join our effort in recognizing this creature as an endangered species that needs to be saved! Here’s the link to the petition, in case you wanna join –because judging by the number of signatures gathered so far… the big fella needs ALL the help he can get. (1) Organizing online petitions for Disclosure or to recognize the endangered status of Sasquatch is a very modern way to be a Fortean. It’s almost difficult to envision how this game was played in its early days, when newsletters by UFO groups were sent through snail mail, and the best way to get the latest scoop about the flying saucers & the Space Brothers was attending a UFO conference. We certainly have come a long way since those humble beginnings… without really learning much about the mystery itself. One of the few researchers who was able to witness the evolution of UFOlogy was none other than Jim Moseley, the legendary editor of Saucer Smear. Starting up as an enthusiastic young man, Moseley gradually became ever more disenchanted with both the phenomenon itself and the people devoted in studying it, who seemed more interested in promoting their books and unverifiable ideas, than trying to work together to crack the UFO enigma. Still, Moseley never really turned into a cynic skeptic, and although he maintained a belief in the otherworldly nature of the phenomenon, his caustic sense of humor and trickstery exploits gained him quite a few enemies among researchers and true believers. I never managed to have any direct contact with Mr. Moseley, although in one occasion one of his associates did contact me via e-mail with regards to something I had commented on the famous Cash-Landrum case. Nevertheless, it is with a heavy heart that here in the pills we report the passing of such a notorious character of the wacky UFO world. Jim passed away last Friday at the age of 81. Vaya con Dios, señor Moseley. I’m sure that a person of your genial sense of humor is ought to have a great time on the other side. Until next time, this is RPJ jacking out. Remember: Love is just a word. What matters is the connection the word implies.

Alternatively known as Yoser, Tjangara, Yay-ho, Koyoreowen (southern Australia), Jimbra, Jingera, Turramulli, and Lo-an (western Australia). Yet another cousin of the Bigfoot, this time from down under. Reports of a Sasquatch like creature are also numerous throughout Australia, ever since European settlers first entered the continent. Before the coming of the settlers, Yowie sightings were made by the Aborigines and remembered in their folklore. An earlier name for the creature was 'Yahoo', which according to some accounts was an aborigine term meaning "devil", "devil-devil" or "evil spirit." More likely, the indirect basis for the name was Jonathan Swift, whose Gulliver's Travels book (1726) includes a subhuman race named the Yahoos. Learning of the aborigines' fearful accounts of this malevolent beast, nineteenth-century European settlers in all probability applied the name Yahoo to the Australian creature themselves. The term "Yowie" stared to be used in the 1970's, apparently because of the aborigine word 'Youree', or 'Yowrie', apparently the legitimate native term for the hairy man-monster. One can easily assume the Australian accent could distort "Youree" into "Yowie." Sightings of the Yowie have taken place mostly in the south and central Coastal regions of New South Wales and Queensland's Gold Coast. In fact, according to local naturalist Rex Gilroy, the Blue Mountain area west of Sydney is home to more than 3,200 historical sightings of such creatures. In December 1979, a local couple (Leo and Patricia George) ventured into the region for a quiet picnic. Suddenly, they came across the carcass of a mutilated kangaroo; moreover, said the couple, the apparent perpetrator was only forty feet away. They described a creature at least ten feet tall, and covered with hair, that stopped to stare back at them before finally disappearing into the brush. | || || | See Agogwe, Abominable Snowman, Almas, Sasquatch, Chuchunaa, Curupira, Higabon, Kaki Besar, Maricoxi, Bigfoot, Mapinguary, Yeti, Meh-teh, Nguoi Rung, 'X', Windigo, Orang Pendek, Wildman of China, Champ, Cryptid, Cryptozoology, Dragon, Loch Ness Monster, Giant Squid, Hydra, Kraken, Leviathan, Mokele-Mbembe, Sea Serpent, Sea-Wolf, White River Monster, Mysterious Primates, Love Spells -- Use these powerful love spells to help you find and keep your true love, Unbroken Curses, Mystic Gifts and Charms - New Age Gift Shop & Wicca and Pagan Supplies, The Chakra Store, The Tarot Store, Divination & Scrying Tools and Supplies, Unique Amulets, Talismans, Good Luck Charms, and Love Tokens, Powerful Witch Doctor Spell Kits, Powerful Spells - Cast by Andreika the Witch, Webmasters Make $$$, AzureGreen - Celebrating All Paths to the Divine, and The Pyramid Collection - Myth, Magick, Fantasy and Romance. Sources: (1) Anderson, Ivan T., Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life, Adventures Unlimited Press; (2) Wilson, Colin and Damon, The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved, Carroll & Graf; (3) Heuvelmans, Bernard, On the Track of Unknown Animals, Columbia University Press; (4) Wilson, Damon, The Unexplained, Scarlet Books; (5) Clark, Jerome, Unexplained!, Visible Ink Press. | || |

I’ve never been to Marfa, Texas, where dancing ghost lights have intrigued residents and visitors on countless nights for countless years; what causes the strange lights has defied logical explanation. But I have spoken with an eyewitnesses, Ed Hendricks, who for years has carefully investigated the lights. I appreciate his intense struggle to unravel a mystery that seems to defy unraveling; I respect his skill, talent, and educational qualifications; I acknowledge his careful observations, recorded in detail and shared. Nevertheless, I suggest something rarely, if ever, mentioned to explain Marfa Lights, perhaps as shocking as ball lightning or as eerie as dancing demons: a species of large flying creatures, intrinsically bioluminescent. The puzzle cries for a solution; Mr. Hendricks and I agree. I respectfully disagree with his general assumption (something like an atmostpheric phenomenon, non-living). I credit him for his work, but credit the Marfa Lights to the flights of cryptids, notwithstanding they differ from flights of birds and bats. Why do they seem, at times, to dance? Why do two lights fly apart, then turn and fly back together? The dance sometimes appears complex but the purpose is simple. It’s just their technique: a way to catch bats. Whatever the bioluminescent creatures are that make those lights, they may be the only ones who have worked harder in this area than Mr. Hendricks, with one possible exception. And just as this human researcher spends much time (pondering and writing) away from those fields just south of Marfa, the cryptid spends much time (searching for bats) away from those fields. Hendricks and others have tried to find what causes those lights, but bats flying just south of Marfa (and elsewhere) may try even harder to not be found by those lights. But how could a flying creature glow, and so brightly? Even though the lights are sometimes described with the word “fireflies,” those who have observed the dancing of Marfa Lights (true Marfa Lights, not car headlights; cars never dance) sense a power, a size, a speed that dwarfs any insect. To catch just a tail feather of an answer to that question, let’s leave Texas and fly, first to Australia and then to Tennessee. Come with me to Victoria, Australia, along Salisbury Road in Mt. Macedon. Notice, as we enter an open window, that Mr. Fred Silcock is sleeping in the easy chair by the fireplace. Now search for a thin brown book on the bookshelf. That’s the one; the spine says “The Min Min Light F.F. Silcock”. Notice the drawing of a glowing barn owl on the cover. Turn to page 12, under the heading “Min Min Intelligence,” and read the words of two observers of strange flying lights: “It definitely knows you’re there. I found it would not let us any closer than it wanted us . . . They are very playful, like a bunch of puppies chasing one another all over the place, going out and hopping up in another place. They can move pretty fast but most times move slowly, hovering and floating.” Turn to page 45, under the heading “The Common Denominator,” and read the first paragraph. A Silcock Min Min (my own label, and not to be confused with other light-phenomena labeled “Min Min” in Australia) flies with ease, sometimes against the wind. It appears to fly with intelligence, sometimes interacting with one or more other Min Mins, and this interaction can appear playful. This paragraph makes it clear that these mysterious lights in Australia behave like birds. But what birds fly around at night, glowing? Reading further we learn that there is nothing unscientific about the possibility of a self-luminous bird, although it’s a study not yet undertaken by universities, examining live or dead birds to test the Silcock hypothesis. But the book quotes many eyewitnesses who report finding the source for the Min Min glow: the “great owl” (called “barn owl” in the United States). It is Tyto Alba, found in many countries worldwide. The book mentions an observation by William Wharton, of Queensland. One night he saw a bright light on the diving board of his swimming pool. As insects flew around the light, it began to fade until Wharton could see a glowing bird that was picking at insects that had landed on the board. The book mentions many eyewitness reports that make it obvious that some barn owls, sometimes, emit a glow, and that glow can help them catch insects. Of course that would explain why the underside feathers of barn owls are white: to allow light to pass through. Of course that would explain the bobbing, weaving motion of Min Mins; that is how barn owls fly at night while hunting. Mr. Silcock makes many points for a bioluminescent Tyto Alba. Now let’s fly back to the United States, to Chapel Hill, Tennessee. Notice the railroad tracks, barely visible in the moonlight. Look down those tracks. A faint glow appears bobbing just to the left of the tracks; now it bobs over to the right. It looks like someone is approaching with a lantern, searching back and forth, but searching for what? Could this light be the lantern held by the man who was hit by a train long ago? According to the story, he was decapitated and his ghost still searches for the head. But the ghost story of a headless man searching for his head sounds like the story of the Bingham Lights of South Carolina and the Maco Lights of North Carolina and the Gurdon Light of Arkansas and . . . well, headless ghosts searching endlessly for their heads, especially down railroad lines—those stories seem endless. But with a little knowledge of the bobbing, weaving Min Min of Australia, only a little brain power can enlighten us: Australians describe the same thing. Why would a glowing barn owl fly down railroad tracks at night? If it hungered only for insects, it would sit and gobble them up. For a nocturnal rodent, how far is it exposed while crossing railroad tracks? Too far to be comfortable in daylight. But in the dark of night, why worry? Take your time. A midnight snack, for a rat, can be easy to find; humans throw trash near the tracks. Dine where you find it . . . until . . . oops. Can a nocturnal rat out-think a human? To us, it seems stupid to sit on railroad tracks, eating garbage while a light approaches. But then no rat ever born has screamed and run away from a headless ghost. No, moving lights (in a world with so many humans) should not appear dangerous to a rat, for glowing barn owls appear to be rare, or they rarely glow. And it takes no genius of an owl, glowing or not, to fly down railroad tracks at night. I think that at least a few bioluminescent barn owls live in the United States (glowing for whatever reasons), and they account for many ghost lights. But what about the Marfa Lights? The dance patterns of Marfa Lights resemble no flock of hunting barn owls. No, our old friend Tyto Alba cannot compete here and it dare not try. But it has illuminated part of the answer to the puzzle. The predators of Southern Texas show greater intelligence than most birds and some of them may be larger than any owl. This cryptid may be related to the ropen of Papua New Guinea (another nocturnal glowing flyer). If so, it will make a story more extraordinary than any headless ghost. Eyewitnesses describe the ropen like a giant long-tailed pterosaur.

Books & Music Food & Wine Health & Fitness Hobbies & Crafts Home & Garden News & Politics Religion & Spirituality Travel & Culture TV & Movies Aswang of the Philippines Recently, my cable/internet/phone services changed in my town of Hannibal, Missouri, and through my numerous phone calls to the new company in an attempt to resolve issues, I spoke with a young man in the Philippines. Although, he was not particularly helpful in getting my concerns taken care of, through the course of our conversation, he did introduce me to an interesting cryptid from the Philippines. In the folklore of the Filipino culture, the Aswang/Asuwang/Asuang is not only a generic term for all types of mythological creatures including werewolves, ghosts, witches and vampires, but also a kind of ghoul that feeds on the entrails of the dead. The evil monster is usually female, and is also known as “tik-tik,” “wak-wak” and “soc-soc.” When the first Spanish arrived to the island in the late 16th century, they noted that the Aswang were the most feared creatures of the natives. The Aswang is particularly known for replacing stolen corpses with a banana tree trunk carved in the likeness of the dead body. They are also said to be able to enter the body of a living person. Female Aswangs often appear as ugly hags. They have been known to haunt certain families and their descendants. During the day, Aswangs are said to look human, and actually hold down occupations usually related to meat such as butchers or makers of sausage. They are able to transform into an animal at will, usually a pig or a dog, sometimes a bird. If a person looks directly into the eyes of an Aswang, their reflection appears inverted. They often walk with their feet facing backwards. One type of Aswang, the tik-tik is said to transform into a huge bird or bat and attacks babies while they are inside their mother’s womb by extending a long proboscis into the womb and licking it causing the mother to have a miscarriage. The Dangga or Agitot Aswan is said to appear as a handsome flamboyant fellow who hunts women in the night. Another kind is called the Sigbin or Zegben, and many believe the Chupacabra might fall under this category. A well-known legend about a clan of Aswangs concerns the family of Tiniente Gimo from the town of Dueñas in Iloilo, a region in the Visayas. One of Gimo’s daughters brought home a friend from the university where she was studying. The clan attempted to kill the girl in her sleep, but she outwitted them and they killed Gimo’s daughter instead. Garlic, salt, holy water, and sterling silver are said to ward off the Aswang. A potion made from coconut oil and certain herbs will reveal if an Aswang is nearby. Many people in the Philippines believe these creatures still exist, and child kidnappings and grave robberies are still often attributed to the Aswang. References and additional information: | Related Articles | Editor's Picks Articles | Top Ten Articles | Previous Features | Site Map Content copyright © 2014 by Deena Budd. All rights reserved. This content was written by Deena Budd. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Deena Budd for details. Website copyright © 2014 Minerva WebWorks LLC. All rights reserved.

When most people hear the term “Cryptozoology”, they immediately think of a bunch of guys on Discovery Channel walking around in the woods looking for Bigfoot. Or, someone staking out the shores of loch ness looking for signs of a prehistoric monster. To most people, either of these groups are just nut bags looking for non existent creatures. But is there any legitimacy to cryptozoology? The truth is, there are a lot of animals that are now well known to science that were not to long ago considered myths. Let’s take a look at a few of the better known former mythological creatures that are now science fact. The Giant Squid Twenty years ago, when I was in high school, the giant squid was considered a myth. There had been a few dead specimens that had washed up on sure, but most scientists considered those mutated variations of other squids. Then, in December of 2006, someone finally caught a live specimen on video. For centuries people thought the giant squid was a myth, yet in 2006 it went from cryptozoology to scientific fact. Once a mythical sea creature, the Megamouth shark was first confirmed to exist when one was caught in 1976. Since then, only 60 specimens have been caught, or sighted, and only 3 have ever been videotaped alive and in the wild. For many centuries people scoffed at the idea of large, hairy humanoid creatures living in the mountains of the Africa. It wasn’t until 1847, when naturalist Thomas Savage obtained several gorilla bones, including skulls, in Liberia, and wrote, with Harvard anatomist Jeffries Wyman, the first formal description of the gorilla that people began to believe. A decade later, explorer Paul du Chaillu sent several gorilla carcasses back to Europe and people finally accepted the existence of gorillas. Mountain gorillas remained a myth until 1902, when they were first identified by German captain Robert von Beringe. Pandas were well known to the Chinese throughout history, however westerners thought they were a myth when the stories of these vegetarian black and white bears were first told to them. For close to 60 years, westerners marched around the woods in China looking for a real panda. One can’t help but wonder if they would have had Discovery Channel shows about them had their been TV in the late 1800’s. It wasn’t until they were finally spotted by German zoologist Hugo Weigold in 1916 that westerners began to believe the stories. For years, tales of an Indonesian island with giant reptiles on it were thought to be myth and folklore. in 1926, an expedition from the American Museum of Natural History confirmed that the tales of giant lizards were true. The leader of the expedition, W. Douglas Burden, returned with twelve Komodo Dragon corpses, and two live ones Thus proving the creatures existence to the amazement of science. When reports first began to surface of a strange egg laying mammal with a duck bill, and beaver tail first started to emerge, most scientists thought they were a myth. In 1798 when the first corpse of a platypus was brought back to Europe for study, scientists thought it was an elaborate hoax set up by a skilled taxidermist. Dr George Shaw, who first scientifically categorized the species in 1799, was so sure the carcass he had received was a hoax that he took a pair of scissors to the pelt, expecting to find stitches attaching the bill to the skin. So we may think the bigfoot hunters, and lake monster stalkers of today are nothing more then Discovery Channel fodder, The truth is, there are likely many species of animals that modern science has yet to discover. There may actually be more species of large ape like creatures living in the woods of North America. And although the chances of pliosaurs still roaming the lakes and lochs of the world may be non existent, it is very likely that there are species of giant animals in our large bodies of water yet to be discovered. So it may be wise to not write off every cryptid as myth…

In 1835, Davy Crockett reportedly wrote a letter to his brother-in-law Abner Burgin telling him of a rather strange experience in the Mexican province of Texas just six months before Crockett was killed at the Battle of the Alamo. From the letter: “William and I were pushing through some thicket, clearing the way, when I sat down to mop my brow. I sat for a spell, watching as William made his good and fine progress. I removed my boots and sat with my rations, thinking the afternoon a fine time to lunch. As the birds whistled and chirped, and I ate my small and meager ration, I tapped my axe upon the opposite end of the felled tree I rested upon. “Whether it was the axe’s disturbance or possibly the heat of the sun which caused an apparition to slowly form in front of my eyes, I know not. As a Christian man, I swear to you, Abe, that what spirit came upon me was the shape and shade of a large ape man, the likes we might expect among the more bellicose and hostile Indian tribes in the Territories. The shade formed into the most deformed and ugly countenance. Covered in wild hair, with small and needling eyes, large broken rows of teeth, and the height of three foundlings, I spit upon the ground the bread I was eating. “The monster then addressed a warning to me. Abner, it told me to return from Texas, to flee this Fort and to abandon this lost cause. When I began to question this, the creature spread upon the wind like the morning steam swirls off a frog pond. I swear to you, Abner, that whatever meat or sausage disagreed with me that afternoon, I swore off all beef and hog for a day or so afterward.” "Sasquatch Classics: The Davy Crockett Incident" (Texas Cryptid Hunter via The Anomalist) [Author Catherynne Valente (previously) posted this outstanding rant to her Facebook page; I asked her permission to repost it here so it would have somewhere to live outside of the zuckerverse and she graciously gave her permission -Cory] I live in Portland, Maine. We have recently had an influx of African asylum seekers and the […] These guys really aren’t even trying to hide how feckless and corrupt they are anymore, are they. Meet Marcus Epstein, aka Mark Epstein. Even if you feel like AirPods are worth the price tag, you’ve got to admit there’s a certain anxiety that comes with using them. What if I lose them? What if they get wet in the rain? Or drenched in sweat? Or fall into the drink you dropped them into? Shiny tech is great, but […] With the quick-fix appeal of video games and their own cell phones, it can be tough to keep kids focused on supposedly “educational” toys. And while it may seem counter-intuitive to fight tech with more tech, we’re all in when it comes to the Toybox 3D Printer. We’re not sure if anyone had envisioned a […] Whether you’re an artist, designer or just organizing a photo album, photo editing software is a must. And software designers know it: Platforms like Photoshop and Lightroom have a ton of helpful features, but you’ll pay for them in spades. Luckily, there’s some competition in the photo editing arena. Right now, Skylum’s Luminar software is […]

Let’s face it—he’s old. His howl no longer carries through the forest. His attempts at banging on tree trunks with rocks only results in nagging injuries. He’s losing his hair, and it’s not a good look. He’s tried to compensate— a makeshift megaphone for the howl, patches of moss to mask the hair loss— but it’s not fooling anyone. He can’t even shuffle out of sight fast enough not to be seen. It’s kind of sad, really. The paintings on his den wall show a much younger cryptid enjoying the private pleasures of rural life. Tree bark makes him constipated. His teeth are falling out. He’s old, and he knows it. But he’s still a Sasquatch, a Big Foot, a Bog Monster— whatever the hell they want to call him. He’s still something of a prize to the eye of a camera lens, or as a lead character of a story told around the campfire. He still has more mystery in his ingrown toenail than any deep woods tourist or monster hunting fool. After all, they’re still chasing after him— hoping to catch a glimpse, hoping for a story to tell— while he’s long past the point of caring. —Kurt Newton tries to find the humor in everything, even in growing old… and finding hair in places where hair ought not to be. More of his humorous pieces can be found at Intrinsick, Crooked Holster, and Empty Sink Publishing.

Known as the night crawlers, this video shows what appears to be two pants walking by themselves. Are they really pants? Or, are they something else entirely? Whatever these are suppose to be the videos, dates back at least several years on a home camera recording. The two beings are both caught on camera from a home security camera which was running across the street. The home is located in Fresno, California and the video recording was taken at 1:00 am in the morning. There were several dogs barking outside where the home owner lives. The owner of the camera and house across the road didn’t see anything usual initially, until they played back the camera footage. Deciding to upload this online, the video quickly spread around. The original video was apparently destroyed by the original home owner. For what reason is strange. A video story such as this is rather intriguing. There is no other information found about this encounter. People speculate many different things. Whether or not this is something extraterrestrial is anyone’s best guess. The video also goes by another name simply as “The Fresno Alien”. These unknown cryptid creatures (cannot entirely be proven or dis proven by science) have only appeared twice. Both times this happened in Fresno, California. They appear to be around four feet tall. These things have no arms and questionable heads (if any). The quality of the images makes it difficult to tell anything. They both are wearing a cloak of sorts or perhaps even a gown. The color of what they are wearing is tough to tell as well. On camera, they seem to be wearing something white, yet it may be a different color entirely. They are almost like stick figures moving being quite slender. Some think these are some kind of scouts wandering around collecting data. Others link these to Native American tribes either magic walking sticks or totems which have come to life. The next video shows a more clear picture of these same two walking alien pants creatures. They are seen together. One of them seems bigger than the other leading the way. This video was taken (according to the screen display) on 3/28/11. This video also took place in Fresno, but it is said to be more near Yosemite area. The camera is stationary and presents these alien night crawlers from the distance. The view is through the trees and they appear to be walking along a dirt back road somewhere. Unfortunately, there isn’t any other known footage found yet. Perhaps someone will come forward with more information as of now, all of this is speculation. These Fresno aliens have people scratching their heads.

GOOD TO GO: WHAT THE ATHLETE IN ALL OF US CAN LEARN FROM THE STRANGE SCIENCE OF RECOVERY CHRISTIE ASCHWANDEN AT THE BUD WERNER MEMORIAL LIBRARY Wednesday, June 19th 7PM In recent years recovery has become a sports and fitness buzzword. Anyone who works out or competes at any level is bombarded with the latest recovery products and services: from drinks and shakes to compression sleeves, foam rollers, electrical muscle stimulators, and sleep trackers. In 'Good To Go,' acclaimed FiveThirtyEight science writer Christie Aschwanden takes readers on an entertaining and enlightening tour through this strange world. She investigates whether drinking Gatorade or beer after training helps or hinders performance; she examines the latest trends among athletes, from NFL star Tom Brady's infrared pajamas to gymnast Simone Biles' pneumatic compression boots to swimmer Michael Phelps' "cupping" ritual; and she tests some of the most controversial methods herself, including cryochambers, float tanks, and infrared saunas. BIXLEY BAINES AND THE LITTLE SWEATERS PAT KITTELSON AT OFF THE BEATEN PATH Saturday, June 22nd 10AM Pat has created a series of children's books featuring Bixley Baines - a solitary knitter, who cares deeply for protecting earth's beautiful creatures. The purpose of the books is to use a whimsical story to highlight small environment issues based on true events and real science. Bixley Baines and the Little Sweaters is a story based on a true event that occured in 2000 off the shore of Tasmania, Australia. An oil tanker leaker and covered little blue penguins residing there. Little sweaters were knit and used to keep the little penguins warm during their cleaning and recovery. With a fun story and the true science plus a knitting pattern, this is a book to inspire simple solutions to caring for the environment. THE FEATHER THIEF: BEAUTY, OBSESSION, AND THE NATURAL HISTORY HEIST OF THE CENTURY KIRK WALLACE JOHNSON AT THE BUD WERNER MEMORIAL LIBRARY Wednesday, June 26th 7PM A rollicking true-crime adventure and a thought-provoking exploration of the human drive to possess natural beauty for readers of 'The Stranger in the Woods,' 'The Lost City of Z,' and 'The Orchid Thief.' On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins - some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them - and escape into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, 'The Feather Thief' is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature. THE CRYPTID CATCHER LIJA FISHER AT OFF THE BEATEN PATH Friday, July 5th 5PM After Clivo Wren's archaeologist father dies mysteriously, the newly orphaned thirteen-year-old finds out the truth: his dad was no archaeologist. He was actually a cryptid catcher, known for finding elusive beasts like the bloodsucking chupacabra. His goal: discover the one extraordinary cryptid whose blood grants immortality - before the knowledge falls into the wrong hands. The mission remains unfinished, and now there's only one person who can take the renowned cryptid catcher's place: Clivo. He may not know the first thing about monster hunting, but he's willing to give it a try - because anything beats staying home with his salsa-crazy aunt and her neurotic cats. FAILURE TO ADJUST: HOW AMERICANS GOT LEFT BEHIND IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY EDWARD ALDEN AT THE STRINGS PAVILION Monday, July 8th 5:30PM Seminars at Steamboat was founded in 2003 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings experts on a wide range of public policy topics to the Steamboat Springs community. Over the years, Seminars talks have covered the economy, foreign affairs, national security, immigration reform, health care, the media, drugs and sports, the environment, climate change, education, the 9/11 Commission and more. The vast benefits promised by the supporters of globalization, and by their own government, have never materialized for many Americans. In Failure to Adjust Edward Alden provides a compelling history of the last four decades of US economic and trade policies that have left too many Americans unable to adapt to or compete in the current global marketplace. He tells the story of what went wrong and how to correct the course. Originally published on the eve of the 2016 presidential election, Alden’s book captured the zeitgeist that would propel Donald J. Trump to the presidency. In a new introduction to the paperback edition, Alden addresses the economic challenges now facing the Trump administration, and warns that economic disruption will continue to be among the most pressing issues facing the United States. If the failure to adjust continues, Alden predicts, the political disruptions of the future will be larger still. DEEP CREEK: FINDING HOPE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY PAM HOUSTON AT THE BUD WERNER MEMORIAL LIBRARY Thursday, July 11th 7PM On her 120-acre homestead high in the Colorado Rockies, beloved writer Pam Houston learns what it means to care for a piece of land and the creatures on it. Elk calves and bluebirds mark the changing seasons, winter temperatures drop to 35 below, and lightning sparks a 110,000-acre wildfire, threatening her century-old barn and all its inhabitants. Through her travels from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska, she explores what ties her to the earth, the ranch most of all. Alongside her devoted Irish wolfhounds and a spirited troupe of horses, donkeys, and Icelandic sheep, the ranch becomes Houston’s sanctuary, a place where she discovers how the natural world has mothered and healed her after a childhood of horrific parental abuse and neglect. In essays as lucid and invigorating as mountain air, Deep Creek delivers Houston’s most profound meditations yet on how "to live simultaneously inside the wonder and the grief…to love the damaged world and do what I can to help it thrive." DUNGEONS & DRAGONS NIGHT AT OFF THE BEATEN PATH Every 3rd Tuesday and Thursday of the Month, Starting at 6 PM NEXT EVENT DATE: TUESDAY, JULY 16TH Come on out to enjoy our gaming event at Off the Beaten Path! For those of you who are unfamiliar but interested: The first Dungeons & Dragons game was played back when Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson chose to personalize the massive battles of their fantasy wargames with the exploits of individual heroes. This inspiration became the first fantasy roleplaying game, in which players are characters in an ongoing fantasy story. This new kind of game has become immensely popular over the years, and D&D has grown to include many new ways to vividly experience worlds of heroic fantasy. The core of D&D is storytelling. You and your friends tell a story together, guiding your heroes through quests for treasure, battles with deadly foes, daring rescues, courtly intrigue, and much more. You can also explore the world of Dungeons & Dragons through any of the novels written by its fantasy authors, as well as engaging board games and immersive video games. REVEAL: EMBODY THE TRUE SELF BEYOND TRAUMA AND CONDITIONING HARMONY KWIKER AT OFF THE BEATEN PATH Saturday, July 27th 2PM "All of this pain has a purpose,” 6-year-old Harmony heard from deep within as she practiced transcendental meditation for the first time. Feeling relieved by these words of hope, she knew instantly that she wanted to learn how to bring this message to life. With progressive healers as parents, Harmony was nurtured to be a healer herself. However, the painful secrets hidden beneath the façade of having well-loved healers as parents kept Harmony locked in a pattern of wounding and suffering. Conditioned to be accommodating and agreeable, Harmony thought that being nice would earn her love and approval, but instead she felt broken and lonely. With low self-esteem and unhealed trauma, she allowed herself to be victimized by men repeatedly - keeping her pain hidden away and never speaking her truth. As she set out on a long healing journey, she learned how to take her power back from her trauma and conditioning so that she could claim her healthy feminine expression - tender, powerful, and sovereign. Now a successful healer who empowers others to live in alignment with their True Self, Harmony has learned from her long journey as a wounded healer how to embody the wholeness that is her birthright and to live from this deeper place. In this vulnerable self-help memoir, she shares with you her powerful story of healing and awakening. SURVIVORS: BREAKING THE SILENCE ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE EIRLIANA ABDUL RAHMAN AT OFF THE BEATEN PATH Friday, August 2nd 2PM The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported, but its effects are undeniably long-term and severe. In this powerful book, twelve survivors share their stories and the steps they took in their journey towards healing by breaking the silence. Their accounts expose the harsh realities of child sexual abuse and explain the pain it causes, while offering hope and encouragement to everyone who has been sexually abused as a child – and those who care about them. Compassionate and sensitively written, Survivors is a useful and inspiring tool for those who have been assaulted. It also equips family, friends and caregivers to help survivors move forward with courage and confidence.

Mark Wahlberg and Ben Affleck may be the ones who get to make all the movies about Boston, but we know that our greatest celebrity is clearly the Boston Yeti. First sighted during the truly abominable snowstorms of 2015, the Yeti has become a goodwill figure of sorts, popping up for photo ops at local businesses and even making videos with Mayor Walsh. Now, our favorite cryptid has taken on the role of cultural curator, teaming up with the Coolidge to host August’s midnight movie schedule. Each film, hand-picked by the Yeti himself, stars a rampaging animal or animals – though, as the Yeti will explain, each is simply misunderstood. Submitted for our approval are the ozploitation classic Razorback, Alligator (written by arthouse favorite John Sayles!), William Girdler’s self-explanatory Grizzly, and, closing out the month, the immortal Piranha II: The Spawning, directed – no lie – by James Cameron! Like Batman, the Boston Yeti is the hero this city needs. Yeti strong. 8/5-8/6: Razorback (1984) dir. Everette De Roche 8/12-8/13: Alligator (1980) dir. Lewis Teague 8/19-8/20: Grizzly (1976) dir. William Girdler 8/26-8/27: Piranha II: The Spawning (1981) dir. James Cameron

Thanks to all the awesome backers on the Cryptid Command campaign on Kickstarter, I was able to get this paranormal-themed embroidered patch and merchandise set created. The Cryptid Command patches are now available over on my Monsterologist shop. Featuring 4 super[natural] embroidered patches, a dog tag and an I.D. card, and a PVC emblem (soft rubber dimensional patch). The officer’s kit includes: • “Bigfoot Army” embroidered patch • “Nessie Navy” embroidered patch • “Alien Air Force” embroidered patch • “Cryptid Command” embroidered patch • The “Paranormal Forces” logo PVC emblem. • Metal dog tag with the Cryptid Command shield and the Paranormal Forces logo, printed on each side. • Individually-numbered, 2-sided plastic I.D. card The kit is available with either standard plastic backing or Velcro-backed patches and emblems. The Paranormal Pledge of Allegiance: “I pledge allegiance to the Weird, and to the Altered States of the Paranormal And to the supernatural, from which they come… Many dimensions, unexplained, with oddity and strangeness for all.”

January 18, 2016 | Posted in WereWOOFS Maine is a wild state. With a little more than one million residents, it is definitely not one of the most densely populated states in America. The state is well-known for its wildlife preserves, game trails, and numerous camping sites, which leaves a lot of wilderness for strange creatures to establish a home and a reputation. Granted, Maine does not have any monsters or ghouls that stick out greatly, such as the Jersey Devil, but what the state’s mysteries lack in fame they make up for in numbers. While it is not a unique creature, Maine has quite a few stories of Bigfoot sightings, some of which date back to the 1800’s. The first recorded word of Bigfoot was in 1873, published in a book by C.A. Stevens. At first the book was thought to be fiction, as it mentioned at least six encounters with a creature matching Bigfoot’s description. Most of these stories were the classic encounter, catching a glimpse of a tall, hairy humanoid that runs away when approached or it takes notice of the witnesses, but there was one or two frightening tales as well. The book mentioned a man being torn apart a few years before it was released, a death that most believed to have been caused by mountain lions. Yet, as the author pointed out, the poor soul’s body seemed to have been slammed violently against a tree trunk multiple times, definitely not something a mountain lion could do. Aside from these early sightings, however, the encounters following are pretty typical of Bigfoot sightings. Most of them take place between Mt. Katahdin and Mr. Bigelow, and are usually reported by hikers and campers. There have been some sightings within peoples’ own yards, as well as along the highway, but oddly these reports peak in the 1980’s before dwindling significantly. Official reports now are scarce, but, as usual, one only has to venture into the dark corners of the internet to find numerous accounts of Bigfoot encounters. But Bigfoot is not Maine’s only resident cryptid. One laughably-named creature is the Spectral Moose. Before you go and have a chuckle, the locals take this beast quite seriously. Because hunting is so prevalent in this area, it is considered severely disconcerting to have a potential prize vanish right before your very eyes. People who have had encounters with the Spectral Moose describe it as a dirty white color, silvery in color and sometimes glowing faintly, with a massive set of horns that would be any hunter’s dream to display over the fireplace. The Spectral Moose appears randomly and haunts an area for about a year before disappearing again, sometimes for years at a time. Hunters often describe seeing the moose alone in the forest, though when they take a shot at it the creature simply disappears. It is uncommon for the moose to even let them get close enough to make a shot, however, maintaining a good distance between itself and the hunters. Legend says the moose’s senses are extra keen, giving it an edge over its clumsy human predators. But if the creature truly is some form of spirit or ghost, the hunters never had a chance anyway. Skeptics, usually not hunters themselves, often argue that this so-called “ghost moose” is merely an albino moose, or a very rare moose with pale coloration. Scientifically, this is possible. There is a place in Ontario where an abnormal amount of white and silver moose live. The area is famous for it. But Ontario is a good distance from Maine. The odds of one of those making it all the way into Maine is slim at best. And there is one detail that makes it seem incredibly unlikely that the Spectral Moose is one of those. The Spectral Moose is big. One hunter by the name of Houston had an extremely good look at the beast. At the time he did not have his gun and was not actively hunting, so perhaps this is why. What he described though was coming to a stretch of bog. There was a herd of moose, sixteen in all, with the females grazing in a group and the males watching over them. He stated that there were three males, two were very large, healthy specimens. And the third, in his words, “made them look like pygmies”. He described the third moose as being of luminous white coloration, calling it a monster based on its height and the size of its antlers. The hunter turned away and when he turned back the third moose was gone. Not a trace of it remained. Surely no mere odd-colored moose could reach such titanic proportions? Nobody knows what the Spectral Moose truly is, and nobody knows why it continues to show itself to outdoorsmen. It does not seem like it wished to do anyone harm, but it has certainly unnerved many people since the early 1900’s, and maybe even before then. The Spectral Moose is certainly a lot more interesting than your average sasquatch. Moving away from ghost animals, there is one more mysterious creature that roams the forests and mountains of Maine. It is known simply as the Maine Mystery Beast, or the Maine Mystery Dog. For many years some sort of creature roamed the countryside, making appearances in Litchfield, Sabattus, Greene, Turner, Lewiston and Auburn, all small towns located in northeast Maine. Similar to the chupacabra in the southwest, this shadowy creature would prey on pets and livestock, sheep, goats, cats, dogs, even bigger specimens like Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers. Often this mystery beast would tear the unfortunate animals apart, eating very little and leaving most of the remains to be discovered the following morning. People rarely caught sight of it, catching only glimpses of a black shape or glowing red eyes. Upsetting as the animal deaths were, it was the howls were the thing that made the locals fear the worst. They were unearthly sounds, shrieks from the pits of hell itself. They could not catch it, dogs would not follow its scent, but they could hear it screaming in the night. That is, until it got hit by a car. One evening a fellow was driving home when a cat streaked across the road. The cat made it to the other side, but the driver was astonished when his car jerked, as though he had hit something. Looking back, he saw a coyote dragging itself to the side of the road, mortally stricken. Or what he thought was a coyote, anyway. The next day a woman came across the creature dead in the grass. At first glance one would think it to be a dog, but looking closer there were several differences. The stubby, rodent-like ears, the blunted snout, and the broad, oddly-shaped shoulders were all distinctly un-canine. One man photographing the deceased animal remarked that he thought it looked like a mix between a dog and a rat. It was described as having charcoal-colored fur, blue eyes, and blue lips. Locals were convinced, of course, that this was the thing that had been terrorizing them for the past few years. The sudden absence of screams and howls from the woods seemed to confirm this, but there are several people who believe that there are more of this creature roaming the wilds of Maine. One man stated that the creature reminded him of something that one of his friends had shot while hunting. The animal that his friend shot had been dark-furred and seemed mostly canine, but neither of them had been able to identify it, much like the dead animal in the road. DNA testing was done to see if the creature could be identified through science. It was confirmed that it was indeed half dog, as the mother’s DNA was clearly canine, but the father’s DNA could not be identified. Most assume that he was also of the canis family, either a coyote or a wolf. It could not be determined what kind of dog the mother was, either. Whatever breed she is, it can be assumed that there are probably more hideous dog-mystery hybrids roaming the wilderness of Maine. At least for the townspeople of that area, the nightmare is over.

Big Foot Has Been Sighted in YOUR Neighborhood! This was a completely fresh and engaging novel! There are very few books about cryptids out there (Savage's Lemons, Smith's Cryptid Hunters and Aldredge and DuBois-Shaw' s Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things are the only ones I can think of), but the idea that since cryptid hunting isn't lucrative, the family has turned to inventing cryptid sightings was brilliant. I loved how the author just set out all of this information and expected me to believe that the MacNeil clan was involved in the Loch Ness sightings in Scotland, hunted cryptids for years, and that the boys' father, when things became tight financially, decided to stage sightings! The family log book, the years' worth of antique equipment, and the habit of mayors of towns wanting to hire the family to ramp up tourism were all details that made me nod my head and say "Huh. That could work." Grayson MacNeil would really like to be able to pay attention in school, get his application essay for a private school written, and get a scholarship so he can pursue a career in photography, but his family is holding him back. His father and grandfather are cryptid hunters and hoax masters who travel the globe fabricating Big Foot and sea creature sightings. Grayson and his brother Curtis often have to accompany them, and when the family gets a big contract to pull off four sea creature sightings in a short amount of time, they end up pulling a successful hoax themselves. This comes at a price-- Grayson is told that if he misses one more day of school, his scholarship application is in jeopardy. Since family finances are tight and his mother has passed away, Grayson feels like he needs to put his own needs on hold. This includes socializing with the fun and friendly Clare from his class. When he finally agrees to meet her at a bonfire party (and even buys the name brand marshmallows for s'mores), things are going great... until he hears a recording of a monster that he himself did! The teens panic and run away, but Curtis and Grayson end up in jail. The people behind the hoax? The only other big hoax masters, the Gerhard family from Germany. Clive and Axel are angry that their family didn't get the big contract, so they have decided to pull out all the stops to sabotage the MacNeils. Not only have they detained the father in Scotland and sent the grandfather off on a wild goose chase to save him, but they break into the MacNeil's property and steal all of the newest and best hoax equipment. With the adults out of the picture, it falls to the boys to pull off the one last hoax in Vermont, with less than optimal equipment. It will be a tough task, but help comes from an unlikely source. Will they be able to pull off this scam, or will the Gerhard family finally win? Grayson was a great character, with his passion for learning and doing well in school. Curtis, whose love of the family business makes his less than enthusiastic about attending classes, is a great foil for him. The fact that the boys do okay on their own, cooking meals, successfully setting up sea monsters, and even getting out of jail by themselves, will appeal to young readers. I would have preferred that their mother were off setting up a hoax to get her out of the way, but the grandfather is such an appealing character that I am glad that he is there, trying to fill the mom sized hole with a tornado of his own energy! I wasn't sure how I felt about the Gerhards, but I was surprised when they showed up. They are quite evil, and aren't fooling around in their attempts to take down the MacNeils. This took the novel in a direction I wasn't quite expecting, which I loved! This is the sort of book that I can always use-- it's funny, a little dark, and has plenty of unexpected adventure. Hand this to any middle grade reader who isn't quite sure what they want, other than a fantastic read!

The Chateau des Noyers du Tourneur had the typical hauntings associated it such as a white lady that walks the grounds, and a werewolf that stalked the peasants in the vicinity, however between October 1875 and January 1876 the terror that made itself known during those months had no parallel. Modern-day Sasquatch lore paints this cryptid as being very wary of man, and watching him only from afar, however Native American tribes for centuries have painted a different picture of Bigfoot. They describe how given the chance they would snatch up women or children and take them away never to be seen again. There is an area between Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan and south to Benton Harbor that has its history of mysterious disappearances comparable to the Bermuda Triangle. On January 20, 1910 a horrifying murder was discovered that was compared to those committed in London a few years before, one of the headlines in the local papers was "Chicago Fiend Second White Chapel Ripper". Little did the police or the public know that this grisly crime was only the beginning. On an autumn day in 1910, a family of five set out on the Pigeon River in a canoe. The father was intent on fishing, and the rest of the family to enjoy a day on the water. In this peculiar story they found anything but what they sought. Built in 1876, an arched, stone tunnel was built under the Grand Trunk railroad tracks in Niagara Falls. So how did something built as a drainage passage become known as the "Screaming Tunnel" or the "Blue Ghost Tunnel"? At 4:10 a.m. on April 29, 1903 the inhabitants of a small bootlegging and mining community named Frank heard a distant roar. It was located in a place known as Crowsnest Pass and sat at the base of the Turtle Mountain in Canada. Little did they know that within less than two minutes, a landslide brought down over 80 million tons of debris that obliterated the eastern end of the town, including many inhabitants that have remained entombed until this day. Little wonder that the area has ghosts that haunt the area. Dating back a thousand years, the Ancient Ram Inn is considered one of Britain's most haunted establishments, with plenty of dark history to justify its reputation. Lord Combermere died in 1891 and a photograph taken during the time he was being buried, became renown for establishing proof of life after death. Barbados' Christ Church Cemetery has been in existence for well over 200 years, but besides the obvious, which is that all its occupants are deceased, there was one family crypt that for many years suffered from unexplained events that even brought the governor of the island to the cemetery to get to the bottom of the mystery. Why do you think modern buildings are more likely to be graffitied versus older construction? Because people do not like them. Over 40 years ago Karen Klaas was raped and then strangled with a pantyhose. Despite the attention the case received since she had been married to Bill Medley from the Righteous Brothers, eventually the case went cold, and stayed that way until 2017. She is mostly known as La Llorona, which is Spanish for the weeping woman. Depending on the source her story can vary, but she is commonly described as being a mother who either drowned her children, or they drowned in an accident and she perpetually searching for them, usually in the vicinity of bodies of water. She is to be feared because she will drag an unsuspecting child and drown them thinking it is one of her own. It was the spring of 1943, and World War II raged throughout Europe, when four English teenagers were hunting for birds' nests in a private estate near Birmingham named Hagley Woods. Bob Farmer climbed up an old wych elm tree and made a gruesome discovery that continues to mystify police for the next seventy years. Bloody Mary has been invoked by many names, Mary Worth, Hell Mary, Mary White or Mary Jane, however the fate of all those who call upon her have always been terrible indeed. Always identified as an evil spirit, her tale emerged from British folklore in the 1700s, and took on a new vengeful twist with the advent of the Internet in the 1990s. The year was 1911, the time of Downton Abbey and only a year later the Titanic would make her first and last voyage. One of the most fashionable pieces of clothing was the shirtwaist, a tailored garment with design detail copied from men's shirts. In the Asch Building's top floors over 500 women toiled in unsafe conditions, setting the stage for one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history. The ability to map a person's DNA is popular to verify your ancestors, but what if the actual roots that can be traced is not to the African continent as circulated for many years but somewhere totally different? One hundred and fifty years ago a sarcophagus was shipped to the University of Sydney. Sometime during those years, the records reflected that it was empty, however when researchers opened it, guess what they found? On December 3rd, 1994, Christine Pascale, a troubled 26-year-old hired a pilot to take her out in a small Cessna for what she claimed was a trip to take aerial photographs. It turned out to be a trip into oblivion. Marlene at Miami Ghost Chronicles is a freelance writer and paranormal researcher. Interesting stories about what is happening in the mysterious world of the paranormal. True stories, folklore, urban myths and interesting news stories that are a delight to the weird folk that enjoys the supernatural world. 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Movie Meltdown: It’s the Pumpkin Spice of Horror As the daylight starts to slip away… we gather together for a grand discussion on all things horror… and sort-of horror… and Halloween and of course – pumpkin-spiced. And as we kick off the season by seeing how many Smarties we can eat, we also bring up… the slow retail shuffle, A Quiet Place, Hereditary, folk horror, The Mummy, Runaway, monster in the woods, mariachi band of the undead, Brazil, the last great epic Francis Ford Coppola movie, a cornucopia of underwear, a 70s light show in his dungeon, There’s a Ghost in my Bathroom, the dime store version of Johnny Depp, Mindhorn, yellow #5 vs yellow #2, The VVitch, Mother!, Digital Underground, The Rockford Files, you know… I’ve gotta say… it’s just action-packed gore and… stupid, Bad Ronald, Nothing but Trouble, and by good she means it’s so awful it’s funny, the horror of William Shatner’s mustache, squirrel funerals, Gary Oldman, patience is a virtue… when you’re a murderer, Clue, Beyond the Black Rainbow, unleashed from the sarcophagus, Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe, Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Dynasty, 80s martial artist sci-fi crossovers, waist-to-pant ratio, Columbo, our march toward Halloween, Keanu Reeves, The Holy Mountain, people complaining about being old… in space, the Universal monster movies, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, reading the tea leaves of technology, Housebound, a crafty cryptid, the original Friday the 13th vs. Saw, Splitting Up Together, Tom Cruise vs. Brendan Fraser, The Blair Witch Project on crack, the dialogue wasn’t stupid – it was just moronic, commerce zombies, The Bashful Bladder, The Love Boat, The Innkeepers, watching Blue Velvet as a child, Jack Ryan, The Quiet Earth, limited edition everything, you just need to stock up on red shirts, polyester pumpkin, Santa Sangre, a failed Fruit of the Loom character, Hardcore Henry, I just wanna watch things blow up, everything revolves around Bourbon and vanilla unicorn chalk. “…it definitely has a mood. But ultimately the movie makes no sense to me whatsoever and is very anticlimactic.”

While the world has always loved a good old fashioned monster story, creature sightings saw a particularly dramatic spike from the 1940’s through the 1960’s, with everything from Kenneth Arnold’s UFO sighting, to the simply bizarre Loveland Frog in 1955. There were so many sightings that were strange yet interesting because it wasn’t the grays or Sasquatches we’ve come to know in the modern era. The cryptids ranged from the giant giant amphibians to robot aliens that attempted to abduct people. The encounters were usually brief, but some were prolonged and terrifying like the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter, an all night siege against two families perpetrated by goblins from outer space. I’m inclined to believe that they were inter-dimensional travelers or aliens that might have been observing us for some time. I seriously think that if we could have interacted, or possibly captured some of these creatures we could have gathered some interesting information on the possibilities of time or inter-dimensional travel. The question is, why, exactly, were stories of monsters, be they creatures from space, from the sea, or even the local forest, so prevalent during that 20 year period? From the 40’s through the 60’s, the world was in a bit of a tough spot. World War II and then the Cold War were on the forefront of every citizen’s mind. During WWII we were told to keep an eye out for spies and traitors to the American Way, and indeed, everyone spent their days cautiously peering over their shoulders at their neighbors. We had the audacity to imprison Japanese immigrants, rightful American citizens, simply because Japan was at war with us, and we were scared. Our men were at war, and our women, long relegated to “motherly” duties around the nuclear home, had to stand up and take care of the things that for too long had been exclusively the roles of men in our factories and businesses. We progressed technologically, scientificly, and sociologically. We were able to make people stand up and do things they never thought about doing before. But even before Kenneth Arnolds’ sighting above Mount Rainier, we had many cryptid sightings and stranger things like dogfights with the “foo fighters”. But during these times, the American population was constantly looking and watching for the hidden dangers, and some of these sightings could be explained as misidentifications, hallucinations, and fears of Communists. The McCarthy Era made Americans terrified that people they had known for years, even decades could be Communist sympathizers or spies for the Kremlin. This would make people be on edge if you were told that anyone could be the enemy, similar to how we are now. Now, as the fears of the Cold War waned, in the mid to late 60’s we began to see a small spike in sightings like the Mothman in Point Pleasant, and countless UFO visitations and extraterrestrial encounters that were just as bizarre. Near the late 60’s the sightings were at an all time high, but they waned as the 70’s approached. Why could that be? Well, for one, the public had been through the McCarthy era, and since that particular fiasco was over our fears lessened as we realized that we weren’t going to be bombed in our sleep by the Russians. That ease of our worries of the hidden enemy next door seemed to calm the reports of “alien invasions” that at one point were coming in so consistently. As a small note, the cryptid encounters and alien contact reports seemed to switch from strange abductions or attacks to peaceful and insightful meetings. The age of scary encounters seemed to be over after the nearly overwhelming encounters with monsters and freaks. We Americans detonated numerous atomic bombs in the desert, on islands, and in the ocean… enough to make the Toxic Crusader blush. But as we tested the bombs potential for destruction, we were setting off radiation into the atmosphere, and into space. Could those powerful detonations have been detected by alien races? One would have to guess that such a powerful display of deadly force might be enough to garner some attention from beyond. Perhaps if the explosions travelled through dimensions, we could have gained the interest of these cryptids. But it wasn’t just the use of nuclear bombs that might have turned some non-human heads- our technology spiked rapidly and was widespread. We discovered how to start creating computers that were able to start thinking for us, and we eventually found our way to the moon. We advanced ourselves quickly. Even though that growth was fueled by battle and the fear of a worldwide nuclear war, we advanced. This is important because not since the Industrial Revolution had we grown so quickly and so far. This alone could have perked the interest in life either from alternate dimensions or planets. In the period of thirty years we went the equivalent of horse and carriage to jet engines and stealth aircraft in what would be described as seconds in the grand scheme of time. That kind of leap only occurs occasionally and there is an instigator to such changes. For a modern example, look towards the coming singularity where man and machine will eventually meld together and come something other than human. Some say it will be fifty years. I personally see it happening in ten to twenty. If these beings, these “monsters”, came here to research us, chances are they would try to coerce use into going with them so they could fully examine us. Hell, they might even just abduct us against our will. During WWII, there were many reports of witches and warlocks doing spells to help not just the Allies, but the Axis also. There was a gathering of witches in England to protect the land from invasion and attack. This is also when Aliester Crowley claims to have made contact with LAM, and there is some evidence that he did have contact with something. Some current occult researchers are saying that he might have contacted the gray race of alien. My own opinion is that he encountered an entity that he couldn’t fully explain or comprehend. Now, if Crowley or other magic practitioners had used high magics to protect and defend England, the sudden and forceful vibrations in the magical realm could have easily been enough to entice some entities into finding out what was going on. If Crowley or others had opened doorways or portals, they could have remained open until others shut them down. If these cryptids came through these openings, they would have been interested in knowing who had ripped open or invited them to our dimension, spilling through en masse. For example, have a look at Crowley’s infamous experiment at the Boleskine House.. a ritual that he readily admitted was a failure that resulted in a rift that many believe is responsible for the appearance of the Loch Ness Monster. While sightings waned after the 60’s, we can see the “contactee” movement picking up speed, and with it, a message of love and peace. People who had experienced the height of the Cold War ended up realizing that they survived and needed a message of hope. Now, in modern times, we mostly get serious reports of crypids in the vein of Kentucky Cave Goblins , the ever-elusive Sasquatch, and giant insects or reptiles. Mothman still stills up from time to time, and our sightings of the classic ghost have climbed to an all time high, which is interesting in and of itself. Consider this: we have gone from being worried about the enemy next door in the Cold War, an enemy we knew and understood, to an outside enemy that we can’t seem to catch, an enemy that disappears into the night only to return when we least expect it – the terrorists. Phantoms. The cryptids that are reported seem to be of invaders, unwanted enemies of the body and, if the growing popularity of demons is any indicator, sometimes the invaders of our soul. The Sasquatch sightings do seem to be mostly benign, but there is always an undercurrent of nature prevailing in the encounters with them, the prophetic idea that we need to preserve nature and our natural habitats without destroying ourselves. The Greys could simply represent our fears of the unknown invader taken onto a physical tulpa or representation of our fears. The next time you read about, or even experience, some kind of close encounter with a creature not of this world, ask yourself what that experience says about our time. Was it a horrifying encounter with a creature hellbent on causing terror? Or was it a warm, welcoming invitation to a peaceful meeting? Was it a reflection of our collective fears, or was it physical reaction to those fears by a genuine non-human entity? The message just might be in the monster. Do you believe that our sightings of mysterious creatures are shaped by our surroundings? Have you ever had a strange encounter yourself? We want to know! Join the conversation on our official Facebook page, tweet us @WeirdHQ, or share your thoughts in the comments!

I guarantee that if you bring up the words “Monsters” and “Puerto Rico” in the same sentence, it will instantly provoke thoughts of the Chupacabra. The beast is, after all, Puerto Rico’s most famous, legendary cryptid. But, it’s far from being alone. It’s a little known fact that the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is said to be the home of other creatures of a monstrous nature, too. And they are an extremely diverse bunch. I’ve been to Puerto Rico on many occasions, always in pursuit of the Chupacabra. However, it’s notable that on every occasion I’ve been there, I’ve found myself looking into other things, too. Very weird things. When I traveled to the island in 2004 (to film a show, Proof Positive, for the SyFy Channel), one of the things that surfaced from a couple of the Puerto Rico-based crew was a bizarre story of an alleged village of vampires. No, I’m not kidding. The story was that somewhere on the Canovanas River there existed a small population of people who only surfaced at night, who looked sickly and pale, and who may have been responsible for the killing of farm animals that had been attributed to the Chupacabra. No-one should be surprised that I was unable to confirm the story – at all. But, it was certainly a story that more than a few people knew of and believed in. One year later I was back on Puerto Rico – with Red Star Films of Canada. Our guide was a man named Orlando Pla. He had heard of a few sightings of large reptiles on Puerto Rico. They reportedly looked like velociraptors, those savage beasts that roamed around in the latter part of the Cretaceous period of 75 million years ago. More correctly, the creatures sounded like the raptors as they were specifically portrayed in Jurassic Park. The reality is that the real velociraptors were much smaller than in the movies and they sported feathers. It’s a testament to the movie’s success, however, that the public’s image of the velociraptor is that created by Hollywood, rather than by nature. Far more like the raptors of the movies was Deinonychus, an 11-foot-long, clawed, killing-machine that lived around 110 million years ago – but not on Puerto Rico, I should stress. Also in 2005, and on the same expedition, we interviewed a man named Pucho, a resident of a small village that was home to a cool-looking church, one which rather reminded me of an old English castle. He had an encounter in early 2005 with…well…something. It clearly wasn’t your average Chupacabra. The month, Pucho thought, was February, and the time was definitely late evening. He was walking past the old church when an ear-splitting roar filled the air. It came from an area dominated by tall, thick trees and barely fifty feet away. Frozen rigid in his tracks, he stared intently at the woods. Suddenly, something terrifying happened: a huge, feathery beast burst through the trees and took to the skies. Whatever the creature was, it was no ordinary bird. The incredible size of it, somewhere in the region of a man, made that abundantly clear. In December 2008, I investigated sightings of a large “black panther” seen creeping around the Rio Piedras area of San Juan, exclusively at night. Around four feet long and muscular, it was believed to have killed and eaten at least fifteen pet cats in the area, and savaged a goat or several. And, apparently, it terrified a handful of people who crossed paths with it in the backstreets of Rio Piedras, late on one particular Saturday night. One of the interesting rumors I heard while I was there in 2008 was that the marauding beast was the “pet” of a Puerto Rican drug-baron; a pet that had escaped and which was responsible for the mayhem in and around Rio Piedras. Of course, it’s important to note that sightings of so-called “Alien Big Cats” can be found all across the planet. It’s also important to note that the “escapee” theory is one that surfaces regularly when it comes to trying to resolve the puzzle surrounding certain cryptids. Maybe the drug-baron story was merely a Puerto Rican equivalent of unproved claims of big cats escaping from private menageries in the UK. Who knows? And, in 2013, while again on Puerto Rico with the world of TV, I spent a fascinating couple of hours chatting with a guy who had collected a number of reports of Bigfoot-type creatures on the island. And let’s not forget, too, the Moca Vampire, which plagued the people of Moca, Puerto Rico in 1975. Then there is the account of Frank Drake, of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) fame. When Drake decided to make it his life’s work to search for alien intelligences, he went down a road that eventually led him to the Arecibo Radio Telescope, which is located on the island of Puerto Rico, and where he, Drake, eventually rose to the position of Director. As Drake noted in his 1994 book, Is Anyone Out There?, it was at some point early in his tenure as Director – in the mid 1960s – that a guard at the observatory claimed to have seen a sinister-looking figure dressed in a black cloak “walking the narrow trail around the perimeter of the bowl.” The guard was of the opinion that the dark figure was nothing less than a blood draining – and blood drinking – vampire. Despite his skepticism, Drake politely accepted the guard’s report and agreed to at least take a look at it. Forty eight hours later, said Drake, “I really was forced to look into it…because a cow was found dead on a nearby farm, with all the blood drained from its body. The vampire rumor spread had already spread through the observatory staff, and now the cow incident whipped the fears of many people into a frenzy.” And you thought the Chupacabra was the weirdest thing about Puerto Rico?

Author: Rachel Vincent Series: Menagerie #3 Genre: Urban Fantasy Release Date: October 30, 2018 Rating: 4/5 stars The Overview: 1986: Rebecca Essig leaves a slumber party early but comes home to a massacre—committed by her own parents. Only one of her siblings has survived. But as the tragic event unfolds, she begins to realize that other than a small army of six-year-olds, she is among very few survivors of a nationwide slaughter. The Reaping has begun. Present day: Pregnant and on the run with a small band of compatriots, Delilah Marlow is determined to bring her baby into the world safely and secretly. But she isn’t used to sitting back while others suffer, and she’s desperate to reunite Zyanya, the cheetah shifter, with her brother and children. To find a way for Lenore the siren to see her husband. To find Rommily’s missing Oracle sisters. To unify this adopted family of fellow cryptids she came to love and rely on in captivity. But Delilah is about to discover that her role in the human versus cryptid war is destined to be much larger—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined. -Goodreads The Menagerie Trilogy has been a highlight of my reading year. It’s so different from anything I’ve ever read. Rachel Vincent’s writing always pulls me in (her Shifters series is particularly engrossing), and if anything, she’s only gotten stronger. While Fury had some of my favorite scenes from the whole trilogy (some truly 5-star moments), it didn’t quite deliver the completely satisfying conclusion I’d been hoping for. My thoughts on Fury are kind of segmented along with the plot. There’s a dual storyline going on – one in the present (following our main characters), and one in the past. Each thread had a different impact on my overall impression of the book. I’ll talk about the past one first: Omg – so good! The series has been teasing about what happened with the surrogates in the 80s, and this perspective provided a lot of the answers I’d been looking for, doing so with a riveting narrative that had me glued to the pages. These sections were well spaced between the main story, and the pacing within each one was absolutely perfect! As much as I enjoy reading about Delilah and her crew, I found myself eager to get back to these passages to see what would happen next. It was easily my favorite component to this book (and maybe my favorite of the series), earning a solid 5 stars for execution and that amazing can’t-put-it-down factor. Then we bounce back to the current timeline POV, and my feelings are a little mixed. I think there was awesome advancement with the emotional states of the characters, and a few moments that will shred your heart… but overall I think the story was just okay. Not a lot happened at first, and when the action finally got going, it was a little underdeveloped and abrupt. I would’ve preferred at least another 10 pages at the end to really flush out the ultimate climax of the trilogy because I think it needed more of a moment (especially since the past timeline set such a precedence with perfect pacing and immersion). In addition, I still have a few burning questions that I don’t feel were answered to my satisfaction (I’m trying to deal, but it bugs me that I may never know some of the things). Just enough info was given for me to infer some answers, which was probably the intended point, but I wish I knew emphatically. This section is a solid 3-stars (I liked it) rating because characters were interesting (as always), and the things that did happen were good continuations to the story (and I’m not mad at the ending, I just wanted a bit more). Overall, despite my desire for a little more clarity and expansion, I still count this as one of the more interesting books I’ve read this year. Don’t take my criticisms too much to heart because the parts of this story that really worked for me, I loved with an unparalleled ferocity. Recommendations: the Menagerie Trilogy stands out as one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it to readers in the mood for something immersive and unique. It’s not without flaws, but the awesome bits more than compensate. I would like to thank Harlequin – Mira, Rachel Vincent, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of Fury! Other books you might like:

Chris’s brash chortle of a laugh formed the backdrop of the tense, otherwise silent few seconds as every cape present tried to figure out what the fuck we were supposed to do. “This isn’t a joke,” Luis said. The way he stood, the light didn’t catch his eyes, so the sockets were cast into shadow. “I know. I just can’t- your sheer cojones,” Chris said. Yosef and the woman I was assuming was his wife looked at their translator, then at Luis. Both clasped hands together, Luis in front of him, Yosef behind him, and shrugged. Weird, the things that ended up so similar, in societies so distinct. “Balls,” Chris clarified, with a roll of his eyes. “You’re not helping,” Amy said. “You’re implying I should be.” I looked at Miss Militia, and she raised her eyebrows. Her scarf was pulled down, as she’d removed it when we’d all removed our masks, and her lips were pressed into a firm line. She wasn’t speaking up. I turned to look at my team. Sveta looked faintly angry, and I wasn’t sure how much of that was Amy, and how much was this being a slap in the face to someone who’d tried to realize their humanity, only to be defined by how human she wasn’t. Tristan held a pose almost like Ashley’s usual one, a little arrogant, like someone who was standing a little extra taller because they expected to be knocked down a peg at any moment. Ashley was unmoving, her eyes dark in how white they were. Kenzie smiled, hands fidgeting. But for the movement of my head to look over at the others, I was still, only my eyes moving. Kenzie’s head was constantly turning, looking to her older teammates for reassurance or guidance. In the midst of her looking at each member of Breakthrough, she looked for and turned her attention to Chris. I heard a faint sigh from her. And Rain, as odd as it was, seemed most at peace with this. Most focused, and most himself in this alien place. “We’ll cooperate,” I said, while my head was turned to my team, not the others. Nobody flinched, nobody bucked or rebelled. They knew. We had to. “I assume Natalie isn’t included in this,” I added. “She isn’t,” Luis said. He didn’t even have to look at the other groups for input. Because we were being arrested purely because of who and what we were. Parahumans. Ones they couldn’t trust or pretend to control. The younger Wardens exchanged a couple of words. Vista, Golem. “Okay,” Vista told Miss Militia. “We’ll cooperate,” Miss Militia echoed my phrasing. Scribe-boys scribbled. The room seemed to accept the answer with what I might have called a quiet kind of smugness, not smirking, not gloating or lording over us, but… maybe self-satisfied was the word. And then there was Amy. Staring at me. How many times had she been at the periphery when things went to shit? Fuck it. I’d made my decisions. She didn’t warrant more thoughts until it came to figuring out what to do, and when it came to that, it would be the Wardens who had the power to make the decision, and I would make my biased argument, citing my warning to Jessica about Amy. Past that, I had other things to concern myself with. The translators finished. A few words were exchanged in foreign tongue. Miss Militia seemed to relax slightly, though calling her relaxed would have been a lie. She’d put the power into our hands because her decreeing it meant something different than us agreeing on our own behalf. Luis stepped forward, toward the center of the room, and talked in his foreign tongue, addressing the other groups. One of the men in the conservative muumuu-style outfits stepped forward. It was our turn to be outsiders, needing the translation. Miss Militia supplied it, telling us, “They have different types of prison for different types of criminal, they’re deciding where to put us. Rehabilitative, holding, reconstruction, castigation, devastation. I’m-” “Devastation?” Rain asked. “I was about to say I’m butchering the translation.” “Please tell me there’s a really frontloaded curve that favors rehabilitation,” Sveta said. “No,” Miss Militia said. “Kind of. They don’t punish for minor crimes the way we do. They don’t have traffic laws or drug laws in the same way. But they punish harshly for wrongdoing or even accidents. Luis is arguing for holding. Aian is arguing for us to be held in a reconstruction facility.” Aian was the guy in the muumuu, though the outfit wasn’t bright and hung heavier than a normal muumuu. His beard was thick and dark, his eyes narrow. His hair was long but tied back straight against the scalp. When speaking, he repeatedly held up or held out a hand, bent back so the wrist stuck forward, fingers and thumb curled in to rest against the flat palm. “Reconstruction sounds scarier than castigation,” Sveta said, “assuming it means what I think it means.” Rain guessed, “Break someone down, build them up the way you want, instead of just… breaking them?” “Yes,” Miss Militia said. “And I agree, Sveta. But I’m not sure if they plan to actually punish us or take action. It would be the quality of the facilities given. Food, the amount of sleep we’re allowed, outside communication.” “You don’t sound certain they’re not going to punish us or do something more serious.” “This is symbolic,” Miss Militia said. “They want to stress they have power. If they do want to punish us I’ll argue to take on the punishment on behalf of my subordinates. There’s precedent.” “Punishment like… lashes?” Rain asked. “Flogging was mentioned,” Miss Militia said, stoic, doing double duty in explaining and listening. “They’ve argued down to bloodless lashes.” “Beating?” Rain asked. “I understand it to be water,” Miss Militia said. “I won’t say more out of concern for Lookout, here.” “If you’re afraid of scaring me, don’t worry. I hang out with Heartbroken. I don’t scare easy. I’d rather know. I like knowing stuff.” “She would,” Ashley said. “Water buckets. They tie you in place and splash you, hot enough to almost burn or ice water, no rhyme, reason, or timing.” “You’d faint,” Tristan said. “We’ve looked into stuff relating to cold water because Byron. With hot water and sudden temperature changes, you’re talking syncope -fainting-, arrythmia, low blood pressure?” “They may give drugs to keep us from fainting. I suspect they’d rather we faint, they wake us up or wait until we wake naturally, then resume the process. There’s a very real motivation here to see us brought low and repeated faintings would qualify, I think.” “If I could swap out to Byron that’d work,” Tristan said. “If it comes down to bloodless lashings for Byron, Tristan, then it’ll be your entire team, Vista, Golem, and myself,” Miss Militia said. “I’m kind of regretting agreeing to cooperate,” Tristan said. “I’m not,” I said, keeping my voice low. “No, this is… fuck this, especially if they’re going after a kid like Kenzie-” “They’d relish the chance,” Miss Militia interrupted. “Yay,” Kenzie said, her voice small. “Sorry. You said you wanted to know.” “I do. Thank you, you’re super nice, but I’m a tiny bit scared now. Plus I think I’d have to disconnect and that’d make me more scared.” “Disconnect from?” Miss Militia asked. “My team’s headquarters.” “Kid Win was similar,” Vista said. “My old teammate. Couldn’t take him away from his workshop too long or he’d get antsy.” “Haha, yeah,” Kenzie said. Then, as if renewing her efforts, she launched into quiet chatter with a different tone, “At least we’re somewhere pretty. Every building, all the clothes, the language-” “Something nice to say about anyone, even the guys who are jailing us?” Tristan asked. “I’m sure they have good reasons.” I repeated myself, “I don’t think this is right, I don’t think this is okay, especially if it involves Kenzie or people who are only here for functional purposes, like Vista or Golem. But I’d rather stay and go through their charade if it means securing supplies for people back on Gimel.” “Yeah,” Kenzie said. “I’ve been hurt before. I just don’t want to be hurt and alone.” She wasn’t talking about her computers or tech. She was linked in to Darlene and possibly the others. “I won’t let it happen,” Ashley said. Kenzie made a nervous sound, halfway to a laugh. “I hope so. Just a bit nervous now. Not that I don’t believe in you.” Ashley put a hand on Kenzie’s head. “Be brave, look confident.” “Their motivation isn’t the pain,” Miss Militia said. “It’s about posture and position. They’re playing a game of chicken, knowing we could threaten them, but they hold supplies hostage. Even if we went to war, which we absolutely won’t and can’t do, we wouldn’t have their cooperation or supplies in the meantime, and that would cost us too much.” “Please tell me Luis is arguing for something milder and winning that argument,” Sveta said. “He’s arguing,” Miss Militia said. Answering only part of the statement. As if her words had been a mechanism, Luis fell silent, his argument ended. Aian said something in response. I could see Miss Militia’s posture change. I could see Aian in the boxy robes punch a fist out to his left. With the way the groups were arranged, Luis’s group, the Founders, were to our left. There was a group that hadn’t spoken yet, then Yosef’s, two more groups that had been mostly silent, then Aian’s. To Aian’s left was the group with my mother, father, Marquis, Spruce, and Chris. And my sister. Aian’s fist extended to her, specifically. “It’s about making a statement about them too,” I said. “The parahumans who came to Shin. Chris, Marquis… telling them their place.” “Yes,” Miss Militia said. “They want them to handle the arrest, put us in our cells.” “Yes. And to handle any punishments. Aian just cut through several of Luis’s arguments by saying that punishments can be more pointed because Amelia Claire Lavere can be ordered to maintain our health,” Miss Militia said, her voice overlapping Luis’s rebuttal, which was quickly followed by a response from Aian. “If we refuse, if she refuses, we’re clearly lying in reassuring them, either Amy’s too dangerous, we’re too dangerous, or both.” Okay. I was on the same page as Tristan now. Didn’t expect hardball to this degree. What else could we do though? “Are they being influenced by Teacher?” Ashley asked. “This feels pointed.” “This is how they politic, I’m afraid,” Miss Militia said. “This seems normal.” I spoke, “When we investigated Teacher, it all seemed normal or excusable. Things so close to reality you could believe it happened. You had to look at the end results and the consequences to find patterns.” “Luis and his Founders are center, as far as we’re concerned, joined by the group to his right. Normally the Coalition balances it out, and with my voice or another Gimel voice we can strike a healthy compromise. The Coalition being absent could be Teacher.” With them gone, the guys in the ‘center’ were our best advocates. And our best advocates, Luis’s faction- he was stepping down and back, no longer one of the people speaking. Ceding the floor to Aian. Ceding a victory to Aian. Aian talked, his voice low, and he did all of the talking, with only a periodic one or two word comment or agreement from other groups. Luis was entirely silent. Fuck me. Gary had stirred shit up to score a political victory at home, and caused an inter-earth incident in the process, painting their parahuman saviors and neighbors in the worst light possible. We went to handle that, just so we could go after Teacher without worrying about what’s happening in the background, and we faced imprisonment, torture, public humiliation… And worse than imprisonment and torture. We faced my sister. My sister who was ‘not well’, according to my mother. Who was spiraling out, doing her best to mitigate that spiral by moving slowly. I wasn’t sure her best was very good. I was even less sure it would be good if she was forced to cooperate in our torture and humiliation. My torture and humiliation. The feeling, now, was of something institutional and wholly unfair, something biased against us, that was now dragging us inch by inch toward something ugly. To my sister being made to lay hands on us, on me, all while being in the worst fucking state possible to handle her shit. And she hadn’t been handling it. Aian squared his shoulders, moved his arm, and faced us. Yosef’s wife approached to stand beside and one step behind him. When he spoke to address us, his voice was faintly nasal and insistent. His translator’s voice was normal, but the opening of each statement overlapped with the end of Aian’s. “All but Militia will stay in a reconstruction facility, where you will join the rounds. Miss Militia will return to Gimel and explain the situation.” The ’rounds’ – I only had to look at Miss Militia’s expression to know how things had gone. I didn’t miss her glancing at Kenzie. “If I may-” Miss Militia started. “You may not.” “If I may!” Miss Militia raised her voice. There were murmurs, there was chatter. Aian ceded, his hand moving to motion her to come closer. “A general can take the punishment for their men.” “Are you a general? You dress as one but you insisted you were something else.” “I am not someone who leads battles against humankind. I am someone who leads battle against monsters and fights to make humanity shine brighter. These people have fought under or alongside me.” Aian answered. The translator translated, “Your Wardens, yes. Breakdown-” Luis coughed a word. The translator corrected himself. “-Breakthrough is not yours.” “They are my responsibility. I will stay and I will take any punishment you see fit, as much as I disagree.” “You will go,” the translator translated for Aian. “Because we want someone we can trust going between us and Gimel.” “I will not see people, many of them not quite adults in the eyes of our government, punished for the crimes of adults.” “Punishments with kind intent and purpose.” Ashley put her hands on Kenzie’s collarbone, pulling her back into Ashley’s front in a protective hug. “Unacceptable,” Miss Militia said. “Our memory is long when it comes to this sort of thing. You will hurt relations far more than you realize. I told you from the beginning, they’ve earned goodwill.” “Then imprisonment until the trade deal is signed and new protections agreed to. We are insistent on having our presence and security affirmed. And if these parahumans cause trouble, they will bleed for it. The so-called Red Queen will ensure they don’t bleed too much.” “That should be fine,” Miss Militia said. “It won’t come to that.” “Do you say that because you know they’ll cause trouble and you’re at peace with the politics of it, or because you’re lying to yourself?” “Being parahuman doesn’t mean trouble is inevitable. Have I caused you trouble?” “You have the gall to ask that after raising your voice in here, threatening us?” “I made no threat.” “You are a threat. You have the power, I’ve been told, to kill all of us here. Our soldiers might shoot you, but these others you’ve brought with you could kill them, for all we know.” The ‘walk softly and carry a big stick’ might have been something they prized, but the moment we didn’t speak softly… Aian spoke, giving the order. His translator voiced it in English. “Take them.” My eye fell on Amy. The fear that ran through me had a grip to it, paralyzing. They were putting me in her charge, and I’d just told her off. I’d just been harsh with her. Did that impact her willingness to obey? I had a fundamental understanding of her yet I had zero idea what she might do. If pushed, did she refuse, try to prove herself to me by refusing to take action against me? Did she go the other way? Which was worse? Did she internalize all of this and slip further? All it had taken for Hunter might have been a similar hair color and appearance, a bit of exhaustion, and Amy had slipped, had made a critical error. If we said no, fought, ran, or brought war to their doorstep, then they rescinded aid. We would take the blame, and they would claim a victory in that, having brought us low and reminded us of our place. “Us too?” my mother asked. “You’re the custody of the Red Queen,” the translator said. “Her responsibility is yours. Your dereliction is hers.” This is why they need help escaping. They were roped in with Amy. If they left, it was deemed Amy’s failure. Prisoners in the loosest sense. We’d had to make our decision. The Shin parahumans now had to make theirs. Marquis had no reason to be fond of us but in a weird way I could trust him most. My dad. My mom. Spruce. Chris. Amy. As I got to the last name on that list, the amount of trust I had in the individual dwindled. I nodded, mostly to myself, and that seemed to be the signal that gave permission to the Shin parahuman group. Not as organic as Miss Militia leaving Breakthrough to make a call without any input from her, but… whatever. “What do I do?” Natalie asked. “Go with them. You’ll be the back and forth for them and Gimel,” Miss Militia told her. “Come back here, report to me. They should treat you well.” “Damn. Okay,” Natalie said. “All of you do your best, avoid responding to any taunts or tricks,” Miss Militia said, her voice quiet enough for just our group. She turned to Vista. “And if it comes down to it and it seems they intend to castigate you or anything like that, escape.” I spoke, “That would mean-” “Escape,” she interrupted me, turning to me. “Any of you, if it comes to it, escape. If it gets that bad, if they’re willing to go that far, trade may not be possible, the situation wouldn’t be salvageable. At least like this, it was superficially a charade, a heavy-handed moving of segments of the political machine. We can recover from it. But we can’t sacrifice people to that machine.” “Got it,” Vista said. “For the love of God, be good,” Miss Militia said. She said it to Vista and Golem, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t intended for them. It would have been crass to say it to us, and she wasn’t crass. “What are you guys going to do in the meantime?” I asked. I shifted my footing, signaling I was asking about Teacher. “Just focus on yourselves. We’ll work something out. This should only be a few days at most before we work it out. In the meantime, I think they want you to give them an excuse, they can punish you, and use the film of act and punishment for their political enrollments or even televising it for the public.” “Political enroll- nevermind,” Tristan said, changing his tune as Marquis and the others drew closer. He looked at Vista, who had her chin set. She didn’t look anywhere near happy about this. “This is screwed up.” “It’s theater. We’re capes, theater is part of it,” Ashley said. “Well said,” Miss Militia told her. Behind Chris, Spruce, and Marquis, I could see my parents and Amy. Amy hesitated, then approached until she stood beside Marquis. A diplomat from Aian’s contingent accompanied them. No doubt to show them where the hell they were going. “Would it be tactless for us to use weapons?” Marquis asked. “It might be best,” Miss Militia said. “Would it, now?” “You’re effectively their parahumans. Your weapons and clout are theirs. Show off a bit if you must.” Marquis made a hand motion like he was snapping a finger in reverse, and the snap produced a rapier-thin blade from his middle finger. He waved it in the air before settling on Tristan, Golem, and Rain, bidding them to move. Spruce joined him. “Come on,” Chris said. He pushed Ashley’s shoulderblade hard enough she had to take a step and as part of that, had to manage Kenzie, who was standing just in front of her. “Let’s go. I want to get back to my own stuff.” When she didn’t move fast enough, he gave her another push. She shot him a look over her shoulder, her neck and jaw tense enough that lines and muscles stood out. “It’s only going to get worse when you’re in there. Suck it up.” “Theatrics,” my mother said, as she walked into the midst of our group. She smiled at Natalie. “Earning your pay, hm?” Natalie’s responding smile was weak. “I’ll make it up to you,” my mother said. “I believe you.” My mother produced a coruscating spike in her hand. I knew the energy she made could be diffused or left ‘sharp’, and I imagined she’d picked something that would burn at worst, if someone were to walk fast enough into it. I’d wanted her to guide me. But she didn’t, instead putting a hand on Sveta’s shoulder. Because she didn’t think – there was a dwindling number of people to manage us. “Regretting sending mom here?” I asked, approaching my dad, because the alternative was that he wouldn’t think either, and I’d be left with Amy guiding me. I didn’t walk a straight line to my dad, either. I took the path that kept him between Amy and myself. She had a look in her eyes that was somewhere between wounded and hopeful, constantly changing, and my little maneuver pushed things into the ‘wounded’ for the time being. Though he held his arm straight out in front of him, the hand he put on my shoulder wasn’t one that gripped me hard. It was almost reassuring. “It saved her life,” he said. Right. Of course. “Sorry.” “I’m sorry this is happening this way.” I shook my head. Besides the fact that Amy was behind me and I had no idea what she was doing, besides the fact that she’d tried to grab me from behind once already, and had chased after me more than once in the time since Gold Morning… No, I’d rather bite the bullet and keep the peace. How did it go? Rule of law, then right and wrong, and if neither of those worked, reach out for counsel? If none of that was possible, do what I could do without regrets? This was the law here. It was ridiculous and unjust, pure farce for political points and to apply pressure on another government. “Fuck me with a salted log, do not fucking touch me,” Vista said. I turned to look. Amy, with about a foot of distance between a reaching or motioning hand and Vista. “I don’t want to fall behind,” Amy said. “This is hard enough.” “Give me a second.” “You’re going to make them suspicious.” Vista didn’t budge, staring Amy down. In the meantime, my dad and I were stopped, while the others left the room. Miss Militia remained where she was, a short distance from Vista and Amy. “Be good,” Miss Militia told Vista. This time, the words really did seem meant for Vista. “I am. But if it comes down to it, I’m not going to have a squad of soldiers who I don’t know or trust at my back without taking steps.” Miss Militia looked around. “You undid it?” “Just finished,” Vista said. She walked, Amy following, guards following Amy. Vista didn’t hurry, and the result was to create a good fifteen or twenty foot gap between myself and Amy. Natalie hurried to catch up to my dad and I. “You coping?” I asked. “I should be asking you that.” “Life as a cape. Before I even had powers, I made myself stay up until I heard my parents come back in. My dad taught me some first aid from pretty early on.” “I didn’t know you stayed up,” my dad said. I ignored that, addressing Natalie, “Are you managing though? You’ll be going home, maybe report to people or tell them what Miss Militia’s more or less going to say so she can focus on other things. Then, I imagine, a… stiff drink?” “I can’t drink when anxious,” she said. “I have a… guy. Kind of but not really a boyfriend. Does that sound awful?” “No,” I said. “A guy sounds really nice.” “We’re in a fuzzy territory. It doesn’t matter, you have bigger things to worry about. I’ve got someone to give me a hug when I need it, that’s what matters. I’ll call him once I’m in range for cellular service.” “Good,” I said. “I don’t want to sound rude, but… I didn’t expect family to be such a factor. Carol’s… very different.” “She’s recovering,” my dad said. “Yeah. I get that.” A glass-covered, glass-walled tunnel with snowbanks on either side separated buildings. “I’ve talked to Vista a few times,” Natalie said. Her voice was quieter. “She sounded really unlike herself just now, talking to Amy. Scared.” “Amy’s not that scary. She’s a good person who’s been through a lot, like most parahumans,” my dad said. “Vista’s been through a lot. She’s level-headed, she’s smart, she’s experienced- fuck, she’s more experienced than me, I’m pretty sure. And she’s scared. I’m scared.” “Singular bad experiences, traumas or histories of trauma, and our mental issues can screw up the tools we use to determine if we should fight, fly, or freeze.” It hurt, hearing that. “So can love,” I said. I looked at my mom’s back. “And guilt, shame.” It wasn’t a short walk to the prison. We pulled hoods up and helmets on as we left the warmth of building interiors, the young politician that was showing us the way passing us on to a guy in a guard’s uniform. We walked past groups of people, all dressed more like Luis than any of the other delegates. Our destination was a building that looked to be a stout castle, split in two and separated, with an office building growing out of the divide, concrete and tinted windows covered in bars. Wrought iron fences with whole sections wrought to be bent to right angles, spikes rising up from the face of it in echoes of the multitude of medieval-style towers that leaned out and then up from buildings around us. Just a few days. No alternative, we did this, we let the Wardens handle shit and work out an alternative, and we went back. If we couldn’t, we’d break out. We had the means. The cold was biting enough that I was glad to be indoors. I was less glad that the lobby before the internal prison gates was as small as it was. I was very aware of Amy entering the space, of her proximity to me, and to everyone else. Vista avoided being within arm’s reach, and on Amy’s opposite side, guards did the same. It made everything else more squashed with the sudden influx being what it was. My dad went to her side, creating a buffer of space where others could move closer without being in immediate proximity. I’d complained the greenhouse patio was claustrophobic. This was worse. From alien political pressure to cold to claustrophobia. There wasn’t any time or place since I’d entered this damn world that I’d felt capable of breathing. Vista had talked about how the little things went underappreciated. That the public would never know about the monsters being slain, the nascent S-class threats that never grew beyond a certain point or figured out how to use their full potential, because the PRT or the Wardens had stepped in. With orders and directions given in a language we didn’t understand, we were all filed off together into an adjacent area. The Western of the two half-castles. Co-ed shower, with only a dividing wall up to my shoulder. We had to. As much as I could briefly entertain the notion that we might eventually have to say ‘fuck it’ and stop caring as much about what civilians thought, in practice, if aid for millions was on the line, I’d eat the shit, I’d endure. I’d fucking endure my sister being here, of all things. I just had to hope our more temperamental and unreliable allies could keep it toned down. That we could manage this for the one or two days it was necessary. We handed over gear, piece by piece, slowly, with multiple guards keeping weapons trained on us. Because we’d cooperated this far, but when asked to hand over phones, keys, pens, loose change, that was when we’d pull out guns and open fire, right? Fuck me. Fuck this. “Amy doesn’t need to be here,” I said, as I finished removing the stuff in my pockets and started removing ornamentation, like the decoration at my hood and shoulders. She looked at my mom, as if for confirmation, then said, “I kind of do but-” “Think,” I said. “Find two rational thoughts, put them together, and think about it, please.” “I am. I’m aware this is awkward. But they want this. They want us to watch you and I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go.” I could have choked on the anger I felt. “Come keep an eye on me,” Tristan said. “Give Victoria her space.” Amy was just short enough that only the top of her head, still covered by her hood, was visible over the top of the divider. I pulled off the outer layers of my costume, my mom and two guards looking, a third guard looking over my red letter – my paperwork from the portal. They checked me over, one guard examining me, another going over my clothes inch by inch, while I stood on the clammy floor, still with beads of moisture and droplets from when prisoners had used the space. They let me change back into the tank top and costume leggings I’d been wearing, and they gave me simple shoes and socks to wear. I kept the socks in my pocket, slipping wet feet into the shoes. Wet socks would be worse and would get the shoes wet anyway. I wanted more. The protection of the heavy coat, a barrier between me and everything else. After they finished Sveta, I settled into position, still in the stall, my arms resting on the divide between Sveta’s stall and my own, my chin resting on my arms. My position let me keep an eye on the others while keeping Amy in my peripheral vision. “You have scars,” Amy cut into my thoughts. From a vantage point on the boy’s side -she’d moved to higher ground to be able to see faces above the shoulder-high divider- she could see my head and the arm that rested on top. I dropped my arm and covered the topmost scar with my hand. Notches where the acid centipedes had raked me. I pulled the hand away, anger and hate and bitter feelings boiling up. I could have used my aura or power, if it wouldn’t have been so costly. Fuck me. “Don’t follow through with that thought,” Vista said, so I didn’t have to. I saw Amy look momentarily frustrated and lost. She looked to my mom, who didn’t respond. She looked to my dad. “Hostility doesn’t help any of us,” my dad said. “Technically speaking,” Chris said. “Oh my god, please shut up, Chris,” Vista said. The guard barked a word at her in a foreign tongue. He was checking her hair. “I think he said to be quiet,” Marquis said. “Hostile execution of a certain world-conquering tyrant got me my current position. A kind of diplomatic immunity,” Chris said. “Hostility is great, if you have good timing.” “There are more than a few hostile things I could say to you,” Ashley said. “The mildest of them is that you’re tiresome.” The guards moved on from Vista to Ashley, taking the dress from where she’d already hung it over the same divider that made it so I could only see her head, and made it impossible to see Kenzie at the far end of the row. “Tiresome, says the wannabe villainess who can’t drop the same old act. Nobody’s impressed, Ash.” “Hey,” Kenzie said. “Leave her alone.” “I almost had a morsel of respect for you, tidbit,” Chris told her, his voice echoing just a bit more in the room with its open area and hard surfaces. “Leaving this trainwreck was a good idea.” “I didn’t want to leave.” “Okay, then I’ve changed my mind about the morsel of respect. You could be so great, so powerful. And what are you doing? You’re obsessing over making friends, the one thing you’re worst at.” “Like you’re any better?” Tristan asked. “Don’t say it like that,” Sveta said. “She does have friends.” The guards were looking a little anxious about the chatter and debate, all in a language they didn’t understand. Marquis stepped forward, to put a hand on Chris’s shoulder. He leaned in close to say something, but Chris didn’t really stop, shrugging it off. I made a short, small whistle, and when they looked my way, I had my hand at the side of my head, at my left ear, fingers in my hair. Our signal, meant for me to calm down. My team, at least, chilled out, with emphasis on the bitterest sense of chill. Some turned their backs. Kenzie had hopped up onto the bench in her stall, and peered over the wall at Chris. She’d removed her headband and pin. “So you have friends,” Chris said. “Tell me when you keep them for more than a month without fucking it up.” Fuck me, I thought for a second Marquis might have said or done something. He certainly tried to get Chris to quietly leave. The rest of my team, myself included, held their tongues while simultaneously wanting to backhand Chris. Kenzie smiled at him, “It’s been a little while, actually. Um. I’m sure I’m wearing on them-” “Imagine that,” Chris said. I still had to talk to her. There hadn’t been a great chance. Too many red flags had popped up. I wanted to do it while out of Teacher’s sight, and with this circumstance, I couldn’t. “Um! Hm. But I kind of really love them, like, crazy friend-crushing on some of them and crush-crushing on Chicken Little. My first ever crush-crush.” “Imagine that,” Chris said. “You in love. That’s like saying a trash fire is hot. That poor Chicken is going to get burned.” “I don’t know. I’m not sure. They get me in ways nobody else has. I think there’s a way forward, even if I am a trash fire.” “You aren’t,” Sveta said. “Okay, thank you. Anyway, it’s neat. That’s your catch-me-up on the happenings of Kenzie.” “The inherent humor in seeing you get thrown in the clink is the only thing holding my interest right now.” “And Ashley- what?” The guard was turning Kenzie around. Her turn. Out of sight, Kenzie pitched her voice higher to be heard. “Ashley’s actually really neat to be around in whole new ways nowadays. She’s grown and she’s warmer sometimes, and she’s still super cool.” “A compliment from you is like herpes from a hooker, Kenz. It’s a given.” “I think you’d be surprised. She’s changing and she’s trying to change, and even if I only get breakfasts-” The guard barked at her. “He’s saying to stop talking,” Marquis supplied. “How do you say ‘that won’t happen’?” Tristan asked. “She’s a talker.” Marquis paused, smiled, and said a single word. The guard heaved out a sigh. “I think that was ‘can’t’,” Marquis said. “Thanks,” Tristan said. “Anyway! She’s trying, she’s cool, and even if sometimes all I get to see her is breakfasts and sometimes-hangouts I love being a part of it.” “I miss you too,” Ashley said. “Gag me,” Chris said. “And um, Chris? Cryptid? Lab Rat? Whatever you want to be called?” His expression changed. He hadn’t known we knew. “Um. I get it. I know how frustrating it is to be unable to change, no matter how hard you try. And I know it’s scary too, and lonely.” “You never got that,” Chris said. “That I don’t get lonely.” “You do, though. Because ever since we showed up all you’ve done is be angry and push and prod, like you’re trying to prove something. The world’s moved on and you’re stuck being whatever you are and it doesn’t matter how much you change on the outside because on the inside? You’re still a miserable little fucknugget.” It was, in any other circumstance, the kind of line that would have seen Chris guffaw, laugh, say something. “Um. Haha, my heart’s beating so fast, because I’m angry, and I’m angry because you missed out, you know. Because even now? Even if I might get tortured, I’ll be happier than you are Chris. You missed out and you deserve to. There were glimmers of good in you like when you helped Rain, but you didn’t stick to that and you didn’t try. You were super cool when you stopped trying to be uncool, and I kind of loved you and now I kind of don’t. You’re being shitty by pushing us away and making something hard even harder and suckier because you’re scared and resentful and whatever. I know whatever happens next for you is going to be ten times as hard and sucky as what I have to deal with. You’re going to be just as alone and even more frustrated because you’re never going to be able to take a drug that changes you deep down inside and makes you any less of a pathetic miserable fucknugget.” This from the girl who always found something nice to say about anyone. He didn’t immediately respond. When he did, it was a simple, “Say what you really think.” “Okay,” she said. “There’s nothing sadder than someone who’s unwilling to change for the better.” I looked across the room at Amy. I saw her look, saw her expression change, as she looked away. More different real emotions that weren’t her being wounded or blindly hopeful crossed her face in a few seconds than I’d seen since she arrived in the conference building. “There’s something sadder,” Amy said. “When the rest of the world won’t let you change.” There we go, I thought to myself. One shot and you missed it. It was Amy who stormed out, giving Chris the excuse to follow. They went to the lobby, and the rest of us, once the guards had picked through Ashley and Kenzie’s stuff, with Kenzie’s small pack having a change of clothes they provided, were let through another set of doors and a series of gates. Each of us had a wristband with a series of symbols. Natalie saw us off. When the door shut, it separated us from her. The prison was a series of hallways, with few rooms beyond an atrium area with a glass ceiling, where it looked like food was provided at other times of the day. The hallways were lined with thin mattresses, and it seemed to be first come, first serve. Co-ed, anarchy. Going by what Miss Militia said, the principle of there being little to no traffic laws and high personal responsibility with severe punishments seemed to hold within the prison grounds themselves. There were places where guards patrolled on raised platforms or on the other side of windows, guns in plain few. I could see two cases of them breaking up prisoners – one case where a man and woman were sitting too close together, suggesting that co-ed didn’t mean open season, and another case where things were getting loud- two parents with kids a few years younger than Kenzie were arguing about a game in their natural tongue. Our priority was to find the quiet, to powwow, figure out where we stood. We just had to get through a couple of days. Ashley’s natural intimidation worked in our favor. When we found a place with only a few people, a little damp where moisture dripped down through a crack in the glass above, they saw Ashley and got out of dodge. “No cameras?” I asked. “Guards but no cameras, not here,” Kenzie said. “I can tell.” “You’re an asset,” Tristan said. “And you’re a champ.” She nodded, no longer smiling, all seriousness. “How are you for tech, Kenz?” I asked. She reached up to tap the side of her head. The sound was artificial, a clink. “Hairclip. Projection. Only a few hours of battery. I’m gonna turn it off and hide it.” “Um. Oxygen tank and mask. That’s a good one.” “They didn’t find it?” “It was hidden with projection. I hung it on the shower lever while talking to Chris. Um. Oh, I’ve got these…” She reached up and she scraped a fingernail along the surface of her eye. Ashley moved closer, to block the guards’ view. Golem had the biggest body, and he blocked off the view to the side. He beckoned for Rain to come sit beside him. “Oh,” Kenzie said, letting go of her eye. “Vista.” “Can you uh, not do your thing, like, at all? At least while I’m working on the eyes? Because your thing borks up my thing and hoo boy. It would be like pulling a pinecone out of a grape.” “Not doing my thing,” Vista said. The action drew a prisoner’s attention. A woman, broad with bad skin, raised her voice, asking what might have been a question, but which lacked the inflection at the end. Sveta turned, and with one finger, drew a line from lower eyelid to chin, then pointed to Kenz. The woman made a face, sympathetic. Kenzie pulled out the apparatus that had been phased into her eye, six inches long and bristling with antennae and prongs. She partially removed the one from her other eye, then pushed it back in. “Not removing it?” “It lets Darlene, Candy, and Chicken look in,” Kenzie said. “And I’d feel lonely if they couldn’t. Besides, it lets me see the cameras, and I want to figure out where they all are before I run out of battery. If I have time and if I can make tools, maybe a few minor things, I’ll turn this oxygen can into a battery pack.” The projection setup for the smoking eyelashes was buried in Ashley’s eye as well. Kenzie removed those, handing them to Rain. “Can you make something?” I asked. “What do I need to make?” she asked. “I’m worried Teacher might try something. We’re cooped up and we’re easy targets. Do you think you could give us a way to track what happens?” “You think they’ll come after us?” Tristan asked. “I think they might. Or they’ll try to frame us. Or stage a breakout attempt. Our job is to stay in, at least for a little while, keep the peace.” I shifted my footing. And if the Wardens need us they can get us. If not, then the scheduled attack on Teacher happens and we’re stuck on the sidelines because we’re losing this game of political chess. I saw a few of the others nodding to themselves. “Should I give Darlene and the others a message?” Kenzie asked. “Call anyone? Even for dumb stuff? I think they’re worried.” The others named names. Rain wanted a message given to Erin. Tristan asked for his parents, and mentioned the subject of Byron, who was still in armor. A complicated subject to navigate – he hadn’t felt comfortable changing with an anti-parahuman holding him at gunpoint. Ashley had nobody, and Sveta requested a message to go to Armstrong, just to tell him not to worry. Half of the people I knew and cared about were here. “Citrine,” I decided. “We’re going to need some help from above.”

With pursuits in science, nature, and the paranormal, cryptid explores fringe matters from a novel and generally controversial perspective. The 17% of Individuals on Medicare aren’t upset at Obamacare. The approximately 23% of People on, or eligible to be on, Medicaid should not indignant at Obamacare either (though the 1% eligible for the Medicaid expansion in states that chose to not broaden it, is likely to be offended with their Governors). A number of the 50% or so, who’re getting health insurance by means of their employer, and used to get fairly flimsy insurance prior to now, may be somewhat disgruntled as a result of the Obamacare imposition of essential benefits” brought about their share of premiums and deductibles to rise, and their capability to decide on their docs to plummet. That is the secondary problem we are supposedly trying to solve. The Republican Occasion is now aiming in earnest to take a good portion of presidency cash off the health care table. After seven years of planning, plotting, squirming and howling, the conservative wing of the GOP lastly got its fingers on the chips’ rake, and so they intend to make use of it. This could not come as a surprise to anyone, but the Obamacare repeal and substitute theater will be very instructive in ways in which have little to do with a succession of wacky payments that can by no means turn out to be law. Read more about fun articles on technology here. For starters, it’s worth noting how beautifully the present commotion validates that Paul Ryan and his fiscally responsible buddies are, and at all times have been, lower than involved with the notorious forty seven% of Individuals who would by no means vote for Mitt Romney (however in some way voted in droves for Donald Trump). The researchers took 40 faculties who they felt can be consultant of the country. Al had been early adopters of PLL so the examine was taking a look at oracy and literacy, and the potential issues going through them as they labored towards the 4 year entitlement. On the whole, employees were discovered to be optimistic and dedicated but acknowledged considerations. Have you tried a Webquest yet? explains, A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format during which most or all the data that learners work with comes from the online.” is a site that has a bunch of WebQuests, excellent for exploring and studying extra! I’ve to confess, this is pretty new to me. Once I write an article like this, I am at all times looking to learn new issues too, and while most of these ideas are off the highest of my head primarily based on things I’m already conscious of, this was a brand new one! Can’t wait to offer it a shot. The 3D printer is an exciting gadget that creates three dimensional objects. The printer builds an object by depositing a printing medium in layers. As a substitute of using ink as a medium, many shopper degree 3D printers use melted plastic that solidifies nearly immediately after it is launched from the printing nozzle. Different printing media can be found, nevertheless, including a brand new one—powdered or liquid meals material. Sugar, liquid chocolate and puréed meals have all been used to create new food objects with attention-grabbing and complex shapes and designs. In some cases, utilizing a 3D printer to produce an merchandise made of meals is less complicated than producing the item by hand.

Cryptozoology is the search for or the study of animals/creatures that do not have enough evidence for the scientific community to acknowledge their existence. Examples include the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and Black Panther in North America. Eye witness accounts are often numerous, but without a carcass, DNA sample, video, photographs, skeleton, or other hard evidence as required by they simply do not acknowledge the existence of such a creature. “In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, both pseudoscience, a cryptid is an animal or plant whose existence has been suggested but has not been discovered or documented by the scientific community. Cryptids often appear in folklore and mythology, leading to stories and unfounded belief about their existence.” – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptid

In celebration of Pride Month, Team Leader Saskia Wrycroft aka SaskiasSassyStore has curated her first Gift Guide, showcasing a few of the many talented makers in our beautifully diverse Etsy Team. EtsyMCR is proud to have many LGBTQ+ Members. We’d like to wish you a very happy Pride! This month, Lars from Norseman Furniture chooses some of his favourite Father’s Day gifts made by the EtsyMCR team! Hi my name is Lars, I am a father of two and I am currently in my second year of business with Norseman Furniture where I make bespoke industrial style furniture and homeware. I have been asked to put together a Father’s Day gift guide, with some unique ideas from our talented EtsyMCR teammates. So, what do you get for a Dad other than socks? As a father myself, I have tried to look at this based on gifts that would make me smile. So, let’s get started. This month, EtsyMCR teamie Sophiemay shares her top Easter picks Hi everyone! I’m Sophiemay of Sophiemayde (get it?), I do a bunch of things from embroideries, to portrait stitches, to illustrations, to lettering. I love being able to be creative in pretty much any medium I can! I’ve been given the opportunity to put together a list of all the excellent Easter Treats my fellow Etsy Manchester teamies have to offer. Easter for me is all about chocolate, bunnies and lovely colourful flowers, so I’ve put together all things Easter but it’s also heavy on these particular aspects of what I associate Easter with! What better way to kick this off than an edible Bunny cake topper by MariesBakehouse? How perfect would this look on a delicious carrot cake? If you happen to love brooches and pins as much as me, then you’ll love this Wooden Hare Brooch by stephaniecoleDESIGN. The perfect combination of bunnies and flowers in one adorable package. How can you go wrong with combining fudge and mini eggs? You can’t. You can get your very own Easter Fudge by SugarChicFudgeToffee and have an amazing post-Easter dinner sweet snack. Tulips are one of my favourite flowers, and this print by HelenaLeeStudios is just stunning! Wreaths are the perfect all year round decoration, and this Knitted Easter one from ClairTdesigns is the perfect Easter decoration. Having people over for Easter dinner? Want to get adorable and personalised treats? TailoredChocolates has got you covered with these Easter Peekaboo tins. Looking for a cute, but still Easter-related tag to add to your Easter gifts? JanewayLasers has the perfect Wooden Carrot Labels, and you can choose to have them blank, personalised with names or with “Happy Easter” for that extra finishing touch. Enjoy a good pun? Who doesn’t! Doodlesworth has you covered for Easter cards with this Good Egg Card. Looking for a cute, yet functional gift to give this Easter? TasherellaKitty has the cutest Handmade Zip Pouch, complete with adorable duckling and floral pattern. For the those that like hot cross buns, and adorable food based jewellery, MarysJewelleryBakery has you covered with these Kawaii Polymer Clay Hot Cross Bun earrings (and for those without pierced ears, there’s hot cross bun necklaces too!). The perfect addition to an Easter dinner outfit. Our thanks to Sophiemay for her fab picks! If you’re looking for more gift ideas, why not take a peek at some of our other EtsyMCR Gift Guides? Our makers have been working hard to make beautiful gifts for every type of Mum. EtsyMCR Team Leader Rachel, aka The Magpie’s Daughter, has picked some of her faves. Gifts for Animal-Loving Mums Your mum can wear her love of cats on her sleeve (or jacket) with an adorable illustrated Ginger Cat pin by Aimee Mac Illustration. Treat your ma to a decorative Fox Pillar Candle from Simply Imperfected, which will look fab on the mantelpiece if she can’t bring herself to light it! Foxytiles’ Paw Print Tile can be used simply as a decoration, added to a tiled wall or perhaps as a coaster for your mum’s fave mug. Keep your cat-loving mum comfy and cosy with an adorable Cat Portrait Cushion by Kat Pearson Designs. When Your Mum is Your Bestie The “I Blame my Weird on You” Card is perfect for a mum with a sense of humour. (You can also ask maker Becky Bygone to customise the text if you have a Mam or Mom.) Why not get your lovely mum a Clay Heart Keepsake Card from Clay on Words – and maybe treat yourself to a matching one too? Make your bestie smile every time she sees her plant babies in one of these hand-glazed Funny Face Planters by Black Dog Pottery. Make your mum feel extra special by telling her she’s the Only Pretty Woman with this Illustrated Card by Cranfields Creations. Mums Who Love to Garden Like its artist Helena Lee, your mum can look at this ivy-strewn window and imagine the world on the other side of the glass in this Fine Art Print. Bee-loving mums will fall head over heels for a delicate Silver Bee Necklace by The Magpie’s Daughter, featuring a tiny lemon jade bead (also in gold). Your mum will love deciding what to keep in Nicola Briggs Ceramics’ beautiful set of three Sky Blue Porcelain Bowls, with their gorgeous inlaid feather design. Laura Charley Design has the perfect message for mamas who love flowers. Her “Thanks for Helping Me Bloom” card is one to frame and admire for years to come. Mums Who Love Home Comforts The perfect gift for a mum who loves her tea from a proper teapot – a Hand-Knitted Tea Cosy with bee decoration (choose from a regular bee or a Pride Rainbow bee!) from Bracken and Moss Design. Your mom can snuggle up on the sofa to watch her favourite TV programme with this Pompom-Embellished Heart Cushion from Yellowfred Creative. Lydia Meiying’s Woodland Design is available on mugs or coasters, but if you can’t choose which one to get your mum, why not get her the Matching Mug and Coaster Set? Mum’ll love a little treat to go with her cuppa tea, and these almost-too-pretty-to-eat Hand-Iced Biscuits from Marie’s Bakehouse will be perfect. Check out these romantic cards and gifts for your Valentine (or Galentine!) from the EtsyMCR Team Top Ten Picks by Team Leader Sally, aka The Lobe Wardrobe 1. Perfectly capture a moment or memory with a customisable card this Valentine’s Day! Simply send your chosen photo to the maker, ALittleMoonBeam, via Etsy conversations and they’ll illustrate it to create a wonderfully personalised card. And don’t be shy about getting creative with it – you could choose photos of your pets, places or objects – whatever means something special to you or the recipient! 2. Go down the traditional route with a classy box of chocolates this Valentine’s… but make sure you choose something extra special, such as the luxury Valentine Chocolate Box by EponineChocolate! These beautiful works of chocolatey art are skilfully handmade with dark chocolate and filled with salted caramel and hazelnut gianduja. You can choose a box size of 4 to 36 chocolates… depending on how much you love the recipient, of course! 😉 3. Sometimes we love each other so darn much that it’s just impossible to express ourselves verbally… so let’s share our innermost feelings via the unusual medium of embroidery! You can choose your own personalised message, so long as it’s short and sweet, and Sophiemayde will stitch your words by hand onto these little hoops for you to pass on to your partner, your Mum, or maybe your Dentist, if you think they’re really great. 4. Do you hate dating? But do you like your friends? If you answer yes to both these questions, then stop wasting time and immediately purchase these cards for each of your besties. Screw Valentine’s, it’s all about Palentine’s – which I personally think we should celebrate all year round! The vibrant design has been hand-painted by LauraCharleyDesign, before being printed to create A6 cards, which are left blank inside – ideal for you to fill with more rambling complaints about all the bad dates you endured in 2018. 5. OK… now back to items for people who DO like dating… we have these delicate little heart dishes made by BlueButterflyCrafts! Available in your choice of purple or red, these dainty ceramic hearts are perfect for holding tealight candles, as a place to store rings or other small trinkets, or simply to add a pop of colour to your mantelpiece or bookcase. Did you know that pottery is the traditional gift for the 9th wedding anniversary? 6. Inspired by The Great Gatsby, OMGoshShop offers these smart and sophisticated wooden monogram cufflinks, which are personalised with your chosen initials. You can even opt for 2 different initial pairs, one for each cufflink, AND you can choose Solid Oak, Walnut or Cherry as your choice of wood! 7. Clearly we think that personalisation is the way to go for Valentine’s Day 2019… because here we have another fabulously customisable option for you! sevenPMstitches will add your chosen names to this adorable cross-stitch pattern (PDF download format), which is ideal for beginners or intermediate level cross-stitchers. Go on – give it go – handmade gifts are always a fabulous way of saying “I love you”! 8. Say “je t’aime” with this beautiful print by emmycphotography! This 8” x 6” print features a view of the Eiffel Tower from Pont Alexandre, Paris, which is probably the most amorous location on Earth. The gorgeous, vintage-esque colours and dreamy architecture will effortlessly add a touch of romance to any home! 9. We’re a loving bunch here at EtsyMCR and would never condone you exterminating your significant other (or anyone, for that matter). However, we are very supportive of you affectionate-ing them, and recommend you do so by purchasing this adorable card by Doodlesworth! This card is A6 size, left blank in the middle for you to write your own message, and printed on environmentally friendly FSC approved card. 10. And now for those of you planning to make this Valentine’s Day extra special… we have this stunning proposal bear by AndSoItBiggins. Decorated with approximately 250 handcrafted roses and made to order in the colour of your choice, these bears are the perfect way to pop that all important question, and will be a lovely keepsake for you and your partner to remember the moment forever. EtsyMCR wishes you a spooktacular Hallowe’en! Witch ones will be your grave-ourites? Picks by Sally Hayward aka The Lobe Wardrobe Miniature Pumpkin Necklaces by GizzysGifts Looking for some not-so-scary accessories to complete your Hallowe’en costume this year? Every pumpkin charm on these necklaces is lovingly handmade using polymer clay, and each delicate detail is carefully sculpted and carved, to make them look like real, miniature pumpkins! We still can’t get over how realistic these little pumpkin necklaces are! Hallowe’en Paper Garland by SophieHeywood No Halloween party would be complete without this Hallowe’en themed paper garland – each one has a creepy (well, actually adorable!) array of illustrated characters, including black cats, ghosts, skulls, pumpkins, and candy corn! Each character is printed onto recycled paper, before being individually cut out by hand and threaded onto orange cord. Giant Vampire Yeti Plush by TheCryptidZoo This giant yeti is all set for Hallowe’en, having decided to dress as Count Dracula this year! All of the monsters by The Cryptid Zoo are knitted by hand, and this yeti has been made using a red textured yarn, complete with a black vampire cape. Although he makes no guarantees, this yeti promises he’ll try his best to protect you from the real monsters this Hallowe’en! Poison Bottle Patch by BirdHousePress Any outfit would look venom-enal with these embroidered patches! Measuring four inches high, you can sew or iron these patches onto your child’s school backpack, or perhaps your own work bag or jacket. Or you could order a few of them, and decorate your whole Hallowe’en costume! And why not order the matching enamel badge on BirdHousePress’s Etsy shop, too?! Sugar Skull Slate by SimplyImperfected This expertly decorated slate will add a touch of Mexican macabre to your Hallowe’en décor. Hand finished using decoupage, it includes a stand so you can easily display it anywhere in your home – it would make a fabulously scary party decoration! Arriba! Baby’s First Hallowe’en (Iron-on Transfer) by Madewithloveshop Celebrate your baby’s first Hallowe’en this year with one of these vinyl transfers; simply iron them onto your chosen clothing (perhaps a plain onesie, top, or even a bib). You can personalise them with your baby’s name, and you can even choose your preferred size and colour scheme! Pumpkin House Accessories by PaperTreeCottage One of our most loved Hallowe’en traditions is pumpkin carving – it’s a wonderful, creative activity to do with children this time of year. Take your pumpkin carving to the next level with these whimsical, handmade pumpkin house accessories by Paper Tree Cottage – you will receive a door and a window for your pumpkin, so when you put a candle inside, it looks like someone’s home! Skeleton Hand Pin/Badge by Mickeypip Make no bones about it – this enamel pin badge will make a handy addition to any Hallowe’en ensemble. Add badges to your jacket or bag for an every-day look, or incorporate them into your costume this year! EtsyMCR teamie Sophie Heywood Illustration shares some of her favourite summery Etsy picks Hey everyone! My name’s Sophie Heywood and I am a freelance illustrator making lots of colourful prints, greeting cards, badges and more. I’ve had the pleasure of selecting a few items that have caught my attention from fellow team members. After this summer’s fantastic heat wave, I have gone with a theme of sea, sun and all things summer! Whether that’s with colour, subject matter or function. Let’s have a gander at some wonderful makes! We all need a good notebook in our lives, right? I’m always writing lists; I’d forget everything if I didn’t. This one by Lydia Meiying serves up tropical realness with this fabulous flamingo pattern. Who doesn’t love a good pun? Nicole Julia perfects them with her super cute illustrations. This card is simply mer-mazing! Perfect if you have a wedding anniversary this summer. Let’s just talk about how amazingly detailed this embroidered wall art from Beth of Yellow Fred is. This really reflects how much work this teamie puts into her pieces! Plus you’ll never be without the sun with this hanging in your home. It can be hard to keep our poor little plants alive in this heat. (I struggle enough as it is…) But fear not! Kim of Northern Sun Art Prints has this plant print that you can keep alive forever and ever. Plus those colours just scream summer vibes! Speaking of plants, how amazing is this copper plant hanger made by Alex of Plank and Pipe? Perfect for any home or garden this summer and indeed, all year round. The copper finish will go with any décor style and is perfect for any season! This photo from Eyeshoot Photography reminds me of family holidays as a kid! You’ll never be without the seaside with this high quality photography print. I can almost smell the sea air! It’s available in a different range of sizes too. Summer florals and cats? What’s not to love! This vegan suede cushion is sold by Wraptious and has been designed by Kat Baxter. This would make the perfect gift for the animal lovers in our lives. Nothing says summer like sunflowers! I can just imagine being sat in the garden with a bit of shade, a cold drink to my side and this embroidery kit from Natalie Gaynor Designs for the ultimate relaxing day. I’m sure this print by Adam of Paper Sheriff is a lot of people’s summer mantra! This colourful typographical print is also available as a digital download so you can deliver printed goodness to your home printer! And last but not least, we have this intricately designed wood placemat from Simon of Denvers Designs. Inspired by the spiral patterns found in sunflowers and cacti, this would be a perfect addition to any home. Our top 10 picks for our top 10 Dads! Our newest Team Leader, Sally – aka The Lobe Wardrobe – has picked some of her favourite Father’s Day cards and gifts made by the EtsyMCR Team. 1) First up, something for Dads who just never seem to grow up… introducing the Big Kid Dad! Treat both your little monkey and your big monkey (!) this Father’s Day to these matching t-shirts by DadsAndKids – they are hand pressed in Cheshire, and are available in several sizes and colours. 2) Next we have a gift for any New or Soon-to-be Dads; these beautifully simple card packs by IsabellaandUs would make a lovely gift to Dad from Mum, baby or the bump! The pack includes 20 “Daddy” cards, each have messages to remind and reassure new Dads that they’re doing a brilliant job. 3) Now we have something for perhaps the most prolific Dad of all… Pun-loving Dad! Using sustainably sourced materials, KatherineCoryDesign offers a variety of pun-tastic greetings cards such as this eggs on toast design – you might find they’re toastally perfect for your Dad this Father’s Day (hmm… maybe the puns should be left to Katherine!) 4) If you’re looking for something extra special for your Sophisticated Dad, we think these fine wool and silk blend scarves might just do the trick! BronwenSimpson offers a variety of styles in their shop, but this burgundy ponte fabric scarf in particular would make a stunning gift for Father’s Day. 5) If you have a Sweet Tooth Dad (also known as Always Hungry Dad, or Third Helpings Dad), we reckon you can’t go wrong with these personalised sweetie hampers! HarlieLoves offers two hamper sizes to best suit your Dad’s appetite, and you can add a personalised message to the gift box and individual sweetie labels. 6) These illustrated cards by sophieheywood would be adored by just about any Dad out there, but particularly loved by any Nature Loving Dads! Blank on the inside, with the beautiful image of a baby fox cuddling into their parent on the front, we think these cards would be perfect for any child to give to their Dad this Father’s Day. 7) Spoil your Sports Mad Dad this Father’s Day with a “King of The Road” cycling themed mug! In addition to mugs, TailoredChocolates offer several other cycling themed gifts, and various other sports themes, including rugby and golf. The mugs hold a generous 11oz (ideal to quench the thirst of any particularly dehydrated Sports Mad Dads!) and are dishwasher safe. 8) Though very similar to Pun-loving Dad, may I introduce a new variety of jokester… Crude-loving Dad! This type of Dad will particularly enjoy these humorous (and sometimes a little bit naughty!) cards by HelenDodsworthDesign – with so many cheeky designs to choose from, you’re guaranteed to find one that will make your Dad chuckle on Father’s Day. 9) The penultimate Dad on our list is Outdoorsy Dad! SimplyImperfected has used the tricky decoupage method to expertly decorate this piece of slate, and we think the campervan theme would make an ideal gift for any Outdoorsy Dads for Father’s Day. The slate comes with two stands, so your Dad can display this lovely slate piece pride of place on his window sill, or even in his actual campervan! 10) And last but certainly not least, an adorable gift for any Family Man Dads… a set of three hand painted penguin pebbles by TheRaspberryCat – perfect for indoor or outdoor decoration in a family home. We think these would make a lovely little gift from any child to their Dad this Father’s Day!

For thousands of years, people all across the world (and possibly beyond) have experienced things they believe to be beyond the conventional boundaries of knowledge, facts, reality and comprehension and placed all these miscellaneous unknown things under one umbrella term: the paranormal. I have been a huge follower of paranormal things for 30 years and on, even for the stuff I don’t believe in, and besides having this site be the online foundation for my first paranormal project – the Phantoms Fill The Southern Skies published book – I also want to have my own hub of paranormal information and resources for people like me who just really like ghosts, aliens, magic and more. Most things I will share come from other places and reposted with permission or otherwise understood to be ok to reshare, along with stock ghost pictures for visual presentation found on Google images or sites that I understand to be free and ok to share. Material that is not created by me will be blatantly stated and credited to the appropriate owners and parties. I do not have monetized material or advertising on this site and if that changes, I will update appropriately. My reward goal for the effort of this website and project is to become a known provider for paranormal interests like The Shadowlands and Castle of Spirits well before me. If I’m lucky, I might get some book or music sales out of it, but that is designed to be an indirect parallel function of this website and paranormal section. I do not plan to make money from other people’s material. Here are the video categories – click on these to see blog posts pertaining only to these subjects: - Ghost Documentaries - Alien & UFO Documentaries - Monster Documentaries - Cryptid Documentaries - Psychic and Magic Documentaries - Misc. Weird/Paranormal Documentaries Here are the article/blog categories – click on these to see blog posts pertaining only to these subjects: - Ghost Folklore - Alien & UFO Folklore - Monster Folklore - Cryptid Folklore - Native American Folklore - Paranormal Investigations - Misc. Weird/Paranormal Articles And other dark mood/paranormal related stuff can be found here: - Horror Music - Dark Downtempo/Ambient Music - Public Domain Horror Movies Thank you and enjoy! This page was last updated 11-17-18.

Eagle River Nature Center ideal for spring wildlife viewing in Alaska Trails at the Eagle River Nature Center are drying out, with clear paths now open at the center at the end of Eagle River Road. The center will transition to its summer hours starting May 1. Through April the center is open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trails at the center range from the easy Rodak Nature Trail — a 0.7 mile loop that features wide, gently sloping trails, interpretive signs and over-water viewing platforms — up to the Crow Pass Trail, a 23-mile trek from the Nature Center to Girdwood. There’s also plenty of hiking options in between, including the 3-mile Albert Loop Trail and the 6-mile Dew Mound Trail. The trails are a great place to view wildlife ranging from waterfowl like ducks and swans to fish to large mammals such as moose and bears. Beginning in May the center will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center’s trails are always open and free to access, though there is a $5 parking fee. This weekend’s events include “Cryptozoology: In Search of Bigfoot,” a presntation by artist and cryptid enthusiast Rob Roy Menzies on Saturday, April 13. On Sunday, April 14, nature writer and author Bill Sherwonit will present “Living with Bears,” a discussion about how humans can coexisat with bruins at 2 p.m. For more information, visit ernc.org.

Arts & Culture Is RuPaul Jewish or What? From Jewish bling to Yiddishisms, what’s the deal? Read More Is it season 10 yet? Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is a wrap (Go, Sasha!), but there’s still one mystery left: What’s with RuPaul and the Jewishness? RuPaul Charles certainly wasn’t born or raised Jewish, and when he speaks about faith it tends to be in vague, new-age spiritual type of terms. But even if he’s not out there making a minyan, he seems to be really tuned into Jewish culture. For example, on multiple occasions, he has worn Jewish star necklaces (yes, plural, he seems to own at least two different ones). Has anyone seen him wear jewelry representing other faiths? Excuse the cryptid-like quality of Exhibit A: And then there are little yiddishisms he uses here and there. Well, who doesn’t? But he’s capable of using more than “schlep” and “oy”— for example, he neatly used the word “bashert” in a late night TV interview, nailing both the pronunciation and usage: Of course, RuPaul has lived all over the country, particularly in large cities, especially New York, that melting pot of cultures. On Drag Race, he’s a master of code-switching, dipping into different vernaculars, mannerisms, genders (of course), and accents. He can interact comfortably with the urban latinx girls in a familiar way just as black contestants from rural backgrounds. Their cultures have all intersected with queerness at some point, and RuPaul seems really adept at picking up their nuances, and using them respectfully. But is that all there is to the Jewish love? Is his husband, Georges LeBar, Jewish? Not as far as we were able to find out, but it’s possible. (His best friend/sidekick, Michelle Visage, is, so that might explain some of the access.) Jewcy reached out to RuPaul for comment, but still haven’t received one. So if anyone knows if RuPaul is a Member of the Tribe, or just likes us (he really likes us!), drop us a line. Images via Wikimedia and Facebook.

Australia is a land of mystery that certainly has its fair share of strange animals and unidentified, enigmatic beasts. Yet hidden out on the fringes of such phenomena are often odd encounters and sightings of things that are perhaps not as well known in the typical literature of such things, and which are particularly bizarre. From the wilds of the land down under come various accounts of the truly weird, some of which we will look at here. One very bizarre sighting of an unidentified creature allegedly occurred a the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Base Scherger, located around 16 miles (26 km) east of the town of Weipa on the western side of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. In late July and early August of 2005, military personnel at the base were engaged in a series of exercises and drills code named Northern Awakening and Kakadu, and it was during this time that a band of four Air Force members came across something rather strange and beyond their understanding out in the wilderness. The four Air Force personnel, identified as Mathew Cash, Cy Holland, Chris Hey, and one other unidentified individual, were allegedly out with a tracking dog doing maneuvers to intercept a mock special forces team as part of the exercises on a bright night during a full moon. As they crept along a creek line, a bizarre, quadrupedal creature standing about waist high, with spotted fur, a small head, and reported as moving “like a cat,” ambled out of the brush as they entered a clearing, startling the dog in the process. Airman Cash would say of what happened next: We came across the quarry and pulled up, looked around and this creature was sniffing on the ground, following exactly where we’d come through. It pulled up on a mound [about 50m away] and just sat there. We had our night weapon sight and our [night vision] on, watching it, and [the creature] was just sitting there sniffing and watching us. The two front legs were bigger than the two back legs, [with] big shoulder blades. I would have said it was a hyena, but obviously we don’t have hyenas here. It was weird looking – it was something that we’d all never seen before. In the wake of the strange sighting, the airmen claimed that they had actually managed to find an odd looking paw print pressed into the mud of the quarry when they searched for signs of it. The creature was then spotted again two nights later, when it purportedly came to within 10 meters of an observation post and lurked about for a time before melting away into the night. A night vision image was allegedly taken of the creature, but it is hard to say just what kind of animal it could possibly be, as it looks so decidedly bizarre, almost demonic in nature. Military personnel speculated that the creature seen could have been a pig or dingo, but neither of these matches the description, and the airmen who saw it are convinced it wasn’t any of these. Another idea is that the creature could have been some type of anomalous cat or presumably extinct marsupial predator, which might not be surprising consider other similar cryptids said to roam the Australian wilderness. One such cat-like cryptid of Australia is what is typically referred to as the “Queensland Tiger,” or sometimes the “Marsupial Lion,” which is supposedly a striped, carnivorous cat-like beast about the size of a large dog, that has long been reported by both Aborigines, who call it the Yarri, and European explorers alike in the rainforests of Northeastern Queensland since before colonization of Australia began. These creatures are said to be larger, stockier, and more formidable looking than the thylacine, more lion-like, and indeed even 16th century early maps of Australia featured images of what were labelled “native lions.” A modern sighting of the Queensland Tiger was made by the naturalist George Sharpe along the Tully River in the early 20th century. Sharpe claimed that it was larger, more powerfully built, darker in color, and more cat-like than a Tasmanian tiger, and that it had bolder stripes all down its back rather than just the hindquarters. At around the same time a rancher claimed to have shot and wounded one of the creatures after it attacked his goats. He then tracked it into the wilderness, where he found its carcass, which had been mostly eaten away by other wildlife. The rancher claimed that the creature was around 5 feet long and looked like some sort of striped big cat. In 1926 the creature was even named as a “striped marsupial cat” by a curator of mammals in the Australian Museum named Ellis Troughton, in the book Furred Mammals of Australia. Sightings dropped off for a while until the Queensland Tiger came back into the public consciousness in the 1940s and 50s with a spate of sightings of tiger-like creatures in the forests of Queensland, and there were even expeditions that went out hunting for specimens without success. Ranchers also complained that striped beasts similar to tigers would come out of the night to kill their livestock at the time. In 1961 there was a sighting made by a witness named Craig Black, who said he spotted a female carrying her young in a pouch through Ben Lomond National Park. In 1964 there was even a photo purportedly taken of one of the beasts, when a Rilla Martin claimed to have captured it on film running near a dirt road while on vacation near Goroke, western Victoria, Australia. Called the “Ozenkadnook tiger photo,” the image has its fair share of criticism and debate, with some saying it is genuine and others saying it is merely a hoax. The 1970s saw numerous sightings of the Queensland Tiger, with naturalist Janeice Plunkett collecting over 100 such reports throughout the decade. In the 1990s, residents of the Buderim area of Queensland experienced a wave of sightings of the tiger stalking about at Buderim Forest Park and along the banks of Martins Creek, where it was called “The Beast of Buderim.” As to what these creatures in such reports could be, it has been suggested that they are everything from modern day sightings of the supposedly extinct Tasmanian tiger, to escaped exotic big cats, to the possibility that they are surviving specimens of Thylacoleo carnifex, which was a marsupial carnivore similar to a tiger in appearance that is believed to have been extinct for around 40,000 years and which was perhaps the largest marsupial predator to have ever lived. Could this fierce predator have possibly survived up into the modern era to account for such reports? Perhaps connected to these sorts of sightings, or perhaps not, are other weird sightings of similar mystery creatures in Australia, and there have been numerous reports of anomalous big cats or cat-like beasts from around the country. In 1903, a rabbit hunter was out in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales when he saw what he described as a “tiger” lounging about near a fallen tree. The man said that the large cat had been staring at him, and so he had decided to get out of there in a hurry. At around the same time was a report from a schoolteacher who claimed that as he had been traveling through the area on horseback he had been confronted with what he said was a creature just like a tiger, saying, “The tiger, which must have been crouching behind a bush, came bounding at me with gaping mouth, and eyes which glared like bull’s-eye lanterns.” The unidentified beast would come to be known as the “Marulan Tiger,” and would pop up in later reports as well, such as a possible account of the animal in the same area written of in the June, 27, 1931 edition of the The Northern Miner, which said: Two days ago three men were cutting wood on the Johnstone property, when a strange animal, half pig and half dog, came out of a nearby creek; and ran towards the woodmen. Grabbing an axe, one of the party swung at the animal and struck it on the head, killing it. The queer creature had a head resembling a pig, short, fat legs, and a heavy coat of soft, silver-grey fur, but no tail. It was about the size of a collie dog, though not as tall. When the pelt was shown to a local familiar with Australian fauna, he expressed the belief that it was a huge wombat, but others could not identify it. Mr. Johnstone thinks it to be the mysterious animal reported in various parts of the district in recent years. It is unknown if this creature had anything to do with the Marulan Tiger or other reports, but it would be a curious account even if it wasn’t. There is also a creature said to have looked like a cross between a fox and a wolfhound seen in the area of Kadina in the early 1940s, which was said to kill sheep and harass or terrorize people. What became known as the “Kadina Wehrwolf” was supposedly killed when a farmer decided to set up a stakeout to wait out the beast and shoot it. The June 19, 1943 edition of The World’s News, titled “There Are Queer Creatures in This Australia,” explains how the animal was apparently caught thus: For three weeks, one of the local farmers lay in wait by a watering hole, ready to shoot the marauder when it came to drink, but the “wehrwolf” quenched its thirst elsewhere. Packs of staghounds and greyhounds were employed in the hunt, but they refused to attack the marauder. Finally, it was caught by one foot in a trap. It was so wild that when its captor went near it, it leapt at him. When it made a second plunge, he shot it in the mouth. This monster weighed 70 pounds and was 4 feet 6 inches from nose to tail. It had a powerful chest and neck, with brindled hair and coarse lines of wavy black and tan on its rump and forelegs. Its tail was short and bushy. A litter of queer-looking pups, which had been found a year before, drowned by flood waters, were believed to be the “wehrwolf’s” offspring. One wonders what it was or what happened to this supposed carcass or the pups that were apparently found. At around the same time was the account of what was called the “Yengarie Lion,” which was apparently also eventually killed. The creature in this case terrorized the Yengarie district in the early 1940s, and was described as a lion-like animal that slaughtered livestock and marauded about the wilds. A team of around 50 hunters supposedly eventually tracked the monster down to kill it, with an article in the July 23, 1946 edition of The Sydney Morning Herald saying of the hunt: The mysterious ‘Yengarie lion,’ which caused havoc amongst calves in the Yengarie district, has fallen to a farmer’s rifle, after evading armed hunting parties for weeks. The ‘lion’ proved to be a strange crossbreed animal, 6 feet 6 inches long, 3 feet 11 inches high, and weighing 170 pounds. Farmers who inspected the skin said that they had never seen such an animal. They described it as a cross between a dingo, a collie dog, and a fox. It had a fox’s tail 2 feet long, shaggy shoulders, the bushy neck and colouring of a collie dog and some characteristics of a dingo, with huge claws and heavy footpads six inches across. When the animal was opened up it was found to have inside it half a poddy calf, 14 fowls’ legs, portions of other birds, and chewed rope and leather. What was this bizarre creature, and more importantly where did its corpse go? Why is it that these exciting reports of mystery monsters being killed tend to end with nothing to show for it? Who knows? Besides mystery big cats and other cat-like predators there are what seem to be giant predatory reptiles roaming the bush of Australia. One such creature has for millennia been part of the lore of the native Aborigines, who knew it as the Burrunjor. This was said to be a large, bipedal reptile of some sort that can reach sizes of up to 25 feet high and seems very much like the common image of a tyrannosaurus rex today, with stout, powerful hind legs and small arms, and which is said to inhabit various parts of Australia such as Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, as well as parts of northern Queensland. There are numerous rather dramatic reports of coming across these bipedal, dinosaur-like beasts in the wilderness of the region, as well as of finding their large, three-toed footprints. One notable sighting was made in 1957 near the McArthur River, when around 50 cattle began to panic for no discernible reason. The attending ranchers couldn’t figure out what was going on, and right about at that point another rancher reportedly went running and screaming by in the distance towards a nearby river. At that moment there was reported a booming, loud grunting noise, and there was reported the sight of a tall shadow stalking off into the distance. After this incident there were found to be several dead, mutilated cattle, their corpses brutally mauled and half-eaten as if by a large crocodile. In 1978 , a bushman and explorer named Bryan Clark was in the Northern Territory tending cattle in the remote area of Urupunji, in Arnhem Land. When they camped out for the night, two of the Aborigine guides woke up in a panic and Clark noticed that the ground seemed to be slightly shaking. They all got their things together and headed out, and a policeman who investigated the report would later claim to have heard an ominous huffing sound from the brush, as if from a large animal. The police would then cryptically warn Clark not to go into the region again because it was not considered safe. In 1980 there was another rather incredible report, when ranchers in the area of the Gulf Coast began to complain of something carrying off their cattle. The ranchers at first suspected crocodiles, but then one of them would report seeing a 20-foot tall bipedal, reptilian beast pick up a whole cow and carry it off in its jaws. The eyewitness said that he had hidden behind some brush as the monster bounded off with its prey, and when a search party went out looking for the missing cow they found some large strange tracks and the dogs apparently became noticeably frightened. The horses also apparently would go no further and the whole expedition gave up and headed home. There was another report in 1985 by the Askey family who reported seeing a pair of 20-foot tall reptilian beasts lurking in the wilderness near the Roper River Mission. Another reptile anomaly is a beast known as the Megalania, also known as the Giant Goanna or Giant Monitor Lizard. The creature known as Megalania prisca, which actually did exist in Australia around 40,000 years ago, and was a sort of monitor lizard measuring approximately 25 feet long, is perhaps the largest lizard to have ever lived. Although long thought to be extinct, there are some sightings that seem to show otherwise. In the 1950s there was a sighting made by a surveyor who was returning to his truck when he saw a giant lizard measuring an estimated 15 feet in length scamper off into the brush. In the 1960s there were numerous such reports, and in 1979 there was an encounter made by the herpetologist Frank Gordon, who was doing research in the Wattagan Mountains in New South Wales. As he returned to his vehicle and was preparing to leave, he claims that he saw what he suspected to be a 30-foot long log suddenly get up and scurry off into the wilderness. Is the Megalania still alive or is this just some sort of misidentification? In addition to the remote wilderness of Australia, the waterways have their own peculiar mysteries as well. The Hawkesbury River of New South Wales has long been said to be the haunt of a mysterious giant aquatic lizard which has apparently been spotted since ancient times by the Aborigines of the area, who called it the moolyewonk or mirreeular, and occasionally created rock paintings of it. The Hawkesbury River Monster is typically described as being anywhere from 7 to 24 meters long (23 to 80 feet) long, with a head similar to that of a snake and powerful flippers on its body. European explorers first reported the creature in the 1800s, but it has allegedly been frequently spotted roaming the depths here all the way into present day, even sometimes being blamed for attacks on humans or livestock. The seas of Australia have produced some weird, unidentified creatures as well, with one being perhaps the massive prehistoric shark known as the Megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon). Measuring up to an estimated 18 meters (59 ft) in length and possessing formidable teeth around 7 inches (18 cm) long, the Megalodon is considered to be the largest, most powerful predatory fish to have ever lived, and although it is thought to have gone extinct around 2.6 million years ago, there have been sightings well into modern times, suggesting a surviving relic population, and of which I have written of here at Mysterious Universe before , on more than one occasion. In 1918 there was one such sighting near Port Stephens, New South Wales, which was said to be a truly monstrous shark measuring over 100 feet in length, and the incident was described in the report thus: In the year 1918 I recorded the sensation that had been caused among the “outside” crayfish men at Port Stephens, when, for several days, they refused to go to sea to their regular fishing grounds in the vicinity of Broughton Island. The men had been at work on the fishing grounds—which lie in deep water—when an immense shark of almost unbelievable proportions put in an appearance, lifting pot after pot containing many crayfishes, and taking, as the men said, “pots, mooring lines and all”. These crayfish pots, it should be mentioned, were about 3 feet 6 inches [1.06 m] in diameter and frequently contained from two to three dozen good-sized crayfish each weighing several pounds. The men were all unanimous that this shark was something the like of which they had never dreamed of. In company with the local Fisheries Inspector I questioned many of the men very closely and they all agreed as to the gigantic stature of the beast. But the lengths they gave were, on the whole, absurd. I mention them, however, as a indication of the state of mind which this unusual giant had thrown them into. And bear in mind that these were men who were used to the sea and all sorts of weather, and all sorts of sharks as well. One of the crew said the shark was “three hundred feet [90 m] long at least”! Others said it was as long as the wharf on which we stood—about 115 feet [35 m]! They affirmed that the water “boiled” over a large space when the fish swam past. They were all familiar with whales, which they had often seen passing at sea, but this was a vast shark. They had seen its terrible head which was “at least as long as the roof on the wharf shed at Nelson Bay.” Impossible, of course! But these were prosaic and rather stolid men, not given to ‘fish stories’ nor even to talking about their catches. Further, they knew that the person they were talking to (myself) had heard all the fish stories years before! One of the things that impressed me was that they all agreed as to the ghostly whitish color of the vast fish. The local Fisheries Inspector of the time, Mr Paton, agreed with me that it must have been something really gigantic to put these experienced men into such a state of fear and panic. Was this report a hoax, an exaggeration, or an actual surviving Megalodon? Considering the extreme sizes reported it seems like this beast would be far larger than even the largest Megalodon, so it is hard to tell just what these men could have seen. Considering that such reports at the time were often peppered with elements of exaggeration and downright fiction, it is nearly impossible to say, and this account will likely remain just a historical anomaly. All that is certain is that if it was real it was a damn big shark. What are we to make of such strange accounts as we have looked at here? It seems clear that Australia is a wild land with plenty of mysteries left to explore. Source: Mysterious Universe

For most people, dinosaur love is a phase they outgrow in childhood. They may spend a couple of years playing with stegosaurus figures and drawing rampaging T-rexes, but they’ll soon cast them aside for superheroes, Pokemon, or Jedi. Peter Kulikowski isn’t most people. And the name of his one-man-band project, Dinosaur Love, says it all. He wears a huge green T-rex head when he takes the stage, singing songs about meteor strikes, dinosaurs in love, and why Jurassic Park really sucks. It’s the sort of gimmick that you might dismiss as a novelty act, but you’d be wrong to do so — Dinosaur Love is no joke. Kulikowski has evolved into becoming one of Phoenix’s most prolific and versatile songwriters. In addition to playing all the instruments on his albums, he also self-produces his work. Combining guitars with garage rock organ sounds and the influence of The Beach Boys, Dinosaur Love produces songs that can sound as huge as the extinct muses that inspired them. On Friday, April 28, Dinosaur Love will release an album of “conspiracy theory rock” called The Gospel. They’ll be delivering the good word at The Trunk Space, performing a release show with Andy Warpigs, Nocturnal North, and Drunk & Horny. Come on out to hear songs about the Illuminati, reptilian shapeshifters, and dinosaur messiahs. Full of '60s garage rock organ sounds, rollicking guitar licks, and lyrics about Illuminati conspiracy theories and messianic dinosaurs, it's sure to be one of the most unusual and inventive albums to come out of the Valley of the Sun in 2017. New Times talked with Kulikowski about his love for dinosaurs, his interest in psych rock, and whether or not he thinks these majestic beasts still roam the earth. New Times: If you died and your soul got shot back in time to be reincarnated in the body of any dinosaur, which dinosaur species would you want to be and why? Peter Kulikowski: That’s a tough one! My favorite dinosaur is Ankylosaurus because he’s a badass and he’s got a club on his tail. But if I were to be any dinosaur, I think it would have to be a Protoceratops. It’s a small dinosaur that’s the size of a pig — it just kinda eats plants and hangs around. Whereas Ankylosaurus would always be getting into battles and I’m just not cut out for battles. What would you say your biggest musical influences are for your new album? My biggest musical influence for The Gospel was T-Rex. I was listening to a lot of T-Rex and Dinosaur Jr. A lot of '60s psych stuff. In terms of '60s psych influences, was it more of the harder rocking stuff like Jefferson Airplane, or was it more in the vein of orchestral psych rock like Love and The Beach Boys? The Beach Boys are a really recent love of mine — some of the stuff that I’m recording now is heavily influenced by them. But for The Gospel I was really into The Monks. Super garage-y, real nasty organ sounds. Tell me about the Illuminati and their role in The Gospel." The Illuminati could mean a whole lot of things … It’s evolved into this crazy weird thing where it’s no longer just a secret society of philosophers trying to keep the Church out of things. Now, it’s more like, "We wanna take over the world." And of course, they’re led by reptilian shapeshifters. Would the reptilian shapeshifters have been survivors from the dinosaur era? Like they were the highly evolved descendants of dinosaurs? What happened was that these reptilian shapeshifters came to Earth while the dinosaurs were on Pangaea. They helped the dinosaurs build these gigantic societies with pyramids, the Cretaceous island heads … so what happened is that the reptilian shapeshifters began breeding experiments with the dinosaurs. They were pretty close, being reptilians and all. So they started these experiments to make reptilian dinosaur hybrids, but there were a group of dinosaurs led by Jesusaurus Rex who saw through this evil that was happening. Jesusaurus Rex said that another spaceship would come down and take them away and kill everyone that wasn’t a brother of Jesusaurus. That ended up happening, but the reptilians didn’t go away. They ended up focusing on mammals after the dinosaurs died, and so they ended up creating human beings. Right now, it’s really difficult to tell the difference between reptilian shapeshifters and human beings. That sounds like a combination of Scientology and Dinotopia. Yeah, that’s pretty close. Has your songwriting and production process changed since you completed your Single Of The Week project? Having to deal with the pressure of putting a song together every single week for a year — did that make you slow down your process since then, because you don’t have to fire something out all the time? Or have you found that the experience of doing that project made you work faster and become more prolific in the studio? I initially did Single Of The Week as a recording project to figure out how I wanted The Gospel to sound. So the experience was less of me trying to become a better songwriter, and more of trying to learn how to be a better producer. It wasn’t difficult for me to bang out songs. It’s not because I’m this amazing songwriter and blah-blah-blah … the opposite effect happened with Single Of The Week. Instead of feeling pressure, it was more like "this is a thing I’m going to do every week, and whether or not it’s good or bad I’m just gonna put it up." It really pushed me to not give a shit if my songs were bad. Which was good — there were a lot of songs from that project that I loved. And it also acts as sort of a musical diary from that time, because there are songs I can listen to and remember exactly what I was doing when I wrote that song. Was the new album a full-on solo effort, or did anyone else play on the record? All the instruments are played by me, and I also did all the voices. I recorded it with Josue Rodriguez, who owns Casa Butthole. Do you have any idea what musical direction Dinosaur Love will take next? Right now, I’m working on some stuff that is heavily influenced by The Beach Boys. The name of that project is “Dinosaurs Have Feelings Too.” Whereas The Gospel is all insane conspiracy theorist psych music, “Dinosaurs Have Feelings Too” is super heartfelt love songs that kinda mention dinosaurs. I bought a ukulele recently, so I’ve been playing a lot of ukulele on these songs. If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters. SHOW ME HOW You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in! What are your thoughts on the legends and reports of cryptid dinosaurs surviving in modern times? Like the tribes in the Congo that have reported seeing living sauropods in the deep jungle? I’m really into cryptozoology. I think it’s very possible that something may have existed at some point in that tradition. When you think about those tribes in the Congo, they’ve got thousands and thousands of years of oral tradition. It’s possible that when those stories were first being told, there actually was that thing out there. I don’t think there is now. It’s possible some dinosaurs may have survived … I feel that way about the Loch Ness Monster too. Have you seen that photo of the cowboys holding up the pterodactyl? No! What photo? There’s this picture of cowboys who shot down a pterodactyl. I don’t know how real it is, but it’s probably really real. Yet another reason why the Wild West sucked. Dinosaur Love will be playing with Andy Warpigs, Nocturnal North, and Drunk & Horny on Friday, April 28, at The Trunk Space in downtown Phoenix.

With Halloween quickly approaching, even folks typically uninterested in the macabre are looking for a bit of spooky fun. For fans of the cryptid world, the fall season is prime time to revel in ghost stories and spend some time in real haunted houses. The good news is, regardless of where you might fall on the spectrum, there’s a little bit for everyone. We’re sharing our 2015 list of the ten most haunted places in America to have a sleepover. The haunts we’ve selected are easily accessible lodging, so you don’t have to worry about breaking into abandoned buildings but are certain to provide a hair-raising experience no matter when you check in. 1. The Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA Time Magazine called the Queen Mary one of the top haunts in the country. Even though this old boat’s been converted into a hotel, it lives up to the hype. While sailing the high seas, many passengers and crew died unexpected deaths aboard the vessel. For example, a group of children tragically drowned in the ship’s pool. Many visitors and paranormal experts studying the Queen Mary continuously experience spirit activity while on board. In fact, paranormal encounters are so common that ghost tours are offered, and it is possible to stay the night. 2. Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO If you’re a horror fan, then it’s a virtual certainty you’ve heard of the Stanley Hotel. After all, it was the inspiration for Stephen King’s novel, made into a movie, “The Shining.” According to the hotel’s staff, paranormal activity has been observed on the grounds and documented since 1909. Apparently not a deterrent, visitors request to stay the night in the most haunted rooms. However, if you’d rather face the paranormal during the light of day, you can sign up for one of the hotel’s daily ghosts and history tours. 3. Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, LA The history of Myrtles Plantation is long and occasionally bloody. One of the most enduring legends regarding this paranormal hot spot is the story of Chloe, a slave murdered after she accidently poisoned the children and wife of the plantation’s former owner. Be sure to have your camera ready because it’s common for people to snap pics of floating objects on the property and Chloe’s face has been reported to appear inside one of the mirrors. While most folks time their visits to Myrtles Plantation during the daytime, it’s now a bed and breakfast with 16 rooms. If you’re brave enough to stay overnight, you can ‘choose your poison’ when it comes to room availability – no pun intended. 4. Manresa Castle, Port Townsend, WA Manresa Castle, finished in 1892, was originally a 30 room private residence. Over the years, the castle’s reportedly attracted two ghosts. One of them has a tragic backstory (don’t they all): a young woman was staying at the castle when her lover betrayed her. Devastated and heartbroken, she leaped to her death, her spirit haunting the grounds ever since. Even though the elegantly designed Manresa Castle is now a high-class hotel, the ghosts don’t seem to mind. They haunt the halls just the same. 5. The Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, MO The Lemp family came to America in 1838. John Lemp found so much success with his lager beer that he opened a brewery in 1840. Unfortunately, the wealth his enterprise brought the family didn’t keep them from disaster. In 1901, a child in the Lemp family died under mysterious circumstances, and the father shot himself inside the mansion three years later. A chain of events was set in motion that would unravel the family’s business and place within high society. Since that time, numerous ghosts, likely the members of the Lemp family, have been spotted in the mansion and brewery. You can find out for yourself by booking a room or going on a ghost tour. 6. The Hawthorne Hotel, Salem, MA The Salem Witch Trials were one of the lowest points in American history. Terrified townspeople, giving into hysteria, executed almost two-dozen unfortunate souls suspected of witchcraft. Thought to be witches, the victims were blamed for the town’s perceived woes. It’s no wonder many areas in Salem are considered haunted, including the Hawthorne Hotel. Guests often report feeling uneasy during their stay and witnessing odd happenings in the hallways and stairwells. 7. The Buxton Inn, Granville, OH Orrin Granger built the Buxton Inn in 1812, and it’s operated as a tavern and hotel ever since. Starting in the 1920s, staff members and guests have reported spotting the ghost of Granger wandering the halls. Room 9 is believed to be the most haunted area on the entire property, thought to be haunted by a former innkeeper. There have been numerous other reports of paranormal activity in and around the hotel. You can check it out for yourself by booking one of the suites. 8. Gettysburg Hotel, Gettysburg, PA The entire town of Gettysburg is a ghost enthusiast’s dream come true. After all, you can visit the famously haunted Gettysburg battlefield and follow that up by spending the night at the Gettysburg Hotel. Make sure you check out the ballroom, though, many ghosts have been spotted dancing the night away. Union Soldier James Culbertson is also believed to have taken up permanent residence in the hotel, and is often be spotted walking through the halls. Explore multiple haunted areas in and around the Gettysburg Hotel by signing up for the Ghostly Encounter tour. 9. Battery Carriage House Inn, Charleston, SC After you visit the Northern ghoul in Gettysburg, travel to Charleston in search of the decapitated torso belonging to a Confederate soldier. This ghostly body frequently haunts the Battery Carriage House Inn as does a few other spirits that have apparently made the hotel their home. Room 10 has the most intriguing history of ghost sightings, If available, you might want to book this room and increase your odds of seeing a real ghost. 10. Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, CA This beautiful San Diego resort has welcomed visitors for more than 125 years. At a first glance, it doesn’t appear the type of place a ghost would set up residence. However, the ghost of Kate Morgan, a former resident who passed away while spending the night, haunts Room 3327. Guests staying in this room have reported experiencing creepy feelings and seeing objects physically thrown by someone’s (or something’s) hand. With this in mind, 3327 might just be a room best visited without a lot of luggage. These ten hotspots are all worth staying at but are far from the only haunted hotels in America. Some other intriguing places to consider include the Queen Anne Hotel in San Francisco, CA, and the Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX. No matter where you end up staying, make sure your camera’s ready, so you don’t miss that once in a lifetime shot.