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Weird Sea Creatures in Australia

We already know there are some unusual animals in Australia, but this month, some strange sea creatures have been surfacing leading to cries of sea monsters.

In mid February, a long serpent like animal was spotted and photographed near a boat ramp in New South Wales.  The location is on Australia's largest coastal saltwater lagoon, a 13 mile lake connected to the Tasman Sea by a short channel.

Those who saw the creature were puzzled by its appearance, noting that it resembled both an eel and a crocodile.  Robert Tyndall caught a pic of the creature that went viral on the Internet, leading some to think a monster had washed ashore down under.  The creature was actually only about 4 1/2 feet in length.

Marine biologist Dr. Julian Pepperell states that the animal is almost certainly a pike eel, a species found throughout the Indo-Pacific Ocean and sometimes reported in the coastal waters of New South Wales, eastern Australia.  Pike eels can grow up to about 6 feet in length. 

Pepperell told the Newcastle Herald:

"I think it's definitely a pike eel.  The head is very indicative of that species.  It's hard from the photo to get an idea of the scale."

Photographer Tyndall himself told the Herald, "I think everyone enjoys using their imagination.  Judging by the comments, it was growing by the minute."

Pike eels are actually know to be quite dangerous, with a powerful thrashing ability and a nasty bite.

"There are certainly people who are bitten by them in boats. Says Pepperell.  They have incredibly strong muscle and their teeth are geared towards inflicting slashing wounds."

Days later, another odd sea creature was found by fishermen.  A trawler off the coast of Victoria brought up a deep water anglerfish.  The creature, known as a "monkfish" or, "Endo's Goosefish," has dozens of needle-like teeth and a slimy appearance. 

Normally, the fish is found around the southeastern and western margins of Australia's continental shelf in waters ranging from 800-1600 feet deep.  They can grow up to about 15 inches in length and are known to use their large amount of teeth to thoroughly chew their prey.

The surfacing of the rarely seen animals is an odd replay since similar things happened in the same region in 2015.

Just last January, Australians in New South Wales pulled up a rarely seen Goblin shark, and another fisherman in the Victoria area caught a rare frilled shark, one of only two species still alive with origins that date back 80 million years.

While they aren't the mythical sea monsters that some imagine, it's unusual to see such creatures of the deep surfacing and it's a reminder that there is still much about deep ocean life that we don't know.

RIP Ed Grimsley

I learned late last night that Ufologist Ed Grimsley has passed away.

Ed was a real character to say the least and he could often be found at conferences and events, especially in his home state of California where he ran sky watch gatherings on a regular basis.  For a time, he was a host on the Scepter Radio Network where his show always received high ratings.

Ed was a pioneer in using night vision to search the skies for UFOs.  In fact, he's credited as being THE guy who started the craze.  Grimsley introduced Coast to Coast AM host George Noory to the use of night vision back in 2008.  After donning a pair of night vision goggles and watching the skies, Noory called the moment "mesmerizing."

You never knew what to expect with Ed.  He was the kind of person that you loved to be around, yet drove you crazy all at the same time.  He was constantly recounting tales, some of them seemed completely off the wall, others really made you think, but either way, they were fascinating.  UFOs, reptilians, the Kennedy assassination, Grimsley had something to say about it all.

And whenever he was around, he made himself the center of attention, whether other people wanted him to or not.

I'll never forget, speaking at the Sacramento UFO/Paranormal Summit in 2012 where Ed was on the roster.  I was sitting on a panel along with Bill Murphy and several others, discussing Bigfoot.  It was a panel that Ed was not scheduled to be a part of and it was well under way.  None of that stopped Ed who strolled down the middle aisle of the crowded auditorium, loudly walked up center stage, grabbed a metal chair and banged it down among us, pulling up at the table.  Yeah, Ed made himself part of the panel and of course, he had something to say about Bigfoot.

Ed was a frequent guest on Coast to Coast AM and the exchanges between he and George Noory were highly entertaining.

He was a cantankerous sort, but a wealth of knowledge, and many of us are all the better for having known him.  I've no doubt that Ed is up there somewhere, regaling the spirits with his stories.

RIP Ed, you will be missed.

 

 

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/grimsley-ed/7185

 

 

 

BEKs '05

Back in 2005, Fortean magazine "The Gate" ran a cover story on the black eyed kids.  The article recounted a couple of well known accounts including Brain Bethel's encounter and an encounter from Portland, Oregon involving an apartment manager.  Both accounts are covered in my book so I won't repeat them here.

The Gate article ends with a short paragraph and warning about these creepy kids:

"Who and what are the Black-Eyed Kids?  Are they vampires as many have suggested or are they ghosts?  Everyone who has encountered them said they feel if left alone with the kids, they would die.  If they aren't vampires or ghosts, then could they be another version of the Grim Reaper?

Until we find out what these beings are there are two rules to remember.  Don't let them into your house or car and don't look into their eyes."

Interestingly enough, Lon Strickler has posted an account from 2005 that has just surfaced.  The report involves a pair of "dancing" black eyed children encountered in Orlando, Florida.  The woman recounting the tale doesn't want to make eye contact with the children and mentions the fear of them looking at her.  The report was originally sent to Darkness Radio.

Check out the bizarre tale here:

http://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2016/02/black-eyed-kids-smiling-laughing-dancing.html

Tulpa Webinar

Join me for a special webinar on Jim Harold's Paranormal Plus club:

 

https://jimharold.leadpages.co/tulpas-part-one/

Arcane Radio

I was recently a guest on Arcane Radio with hosts Lon Strickler and Sean Forker.  These guys have a great show and bring a great variety each week.  We talked Skinwalkers, Dogmen, black eyed people and more.  If you missed the broadcast, check it out in their archives at the link below.

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/arcane-radio/e/42613996?autoplay=true

Haunted Roads Hotel Night 2

The historic Roads Hotel in Atlanta, Indiana has a long and interesting history.  Built by a wealthy family in 1893, it later served has a Speakeasy during prohibition and was also a brothel for a time. 

Records show that gangster John Dillinger visited the Roads during his heyday and it's likely that other notorious criminals did as well.

This location is active during all hours of the day and night.  Disembodied voices, footsteps, doors that open themselves even when locked and haunted dolls are just a part of the activity in this historic building.

After a couple of great nights with lots of guests, Dave Spinks and I had the location to ourselves for a Sunday night investigation.  We had already experienced a negative presence on Friday night, and Sunday saw it rearing its ugly energy again. 

Check out the investigation below:

Roads Hotel Night 1

Here's a special night of investigation at the historic, and very haunted, Roads Hotel in Atlanta, Indiana.

This was the Friday night investigation with a bunch of special guests. 

Dave Spinks and I found this location to be extremely active from the time we arrived.  Things continued to ramp up all weekend and Saturday was a special charity event with a chance for people to come in and investigate the location with us.

The last segment with Dave and I investigating upstairs was pretty intense and Dave received a severe hit from a negative presence at the hotel.

Feb 2016 BEK Update

A lot of paranormal manifestations experience waves or cycles of increased activity.

Such seems the be the case recently with reports of black eyed beings.  Perhaps it's the growing attention on the topic or maybe there's something more sinister going on.

Aside from myself, other researchers have been collecting the reports for years now and while there continue to be variations, the core of these reports is usually in the same vein.

Thanks to people like Lon Strickler, Dave Schrader, Jason Offutt, Jamie L. Brian and many others, the pool of information on these creatures continues to grow.

Here are a few recent reports of interest:

Lon Strickler reports on a case received on Darkness Radio about a BEK in the Park in Texas:

http://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2016/01/bek-in-parkit-was-crazy.html

One of my own recent reports, sent to me by Jamie L. Brian is about a hunter's bizarre encounter with a black eyed girl in the forest:

http://twocrowsparanormal.blogspot.com/2016/01/hunters-bek-encounter.html

Finally, there's a post that went viral this year from Week in Weird.  It involves a witness in Vermont who says they let black eyed children inside and experienced grave results:

http://weekinweird.com/2016/01/28/witness-report-i-let-the-black-eyed-children-into-my-home-and-now-im-slowly-dying/

The Dream of Disclosure

Former President, Bill Clinton on UFOs and Area 51:

"...there are no aliens there."

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on UFOs and Area 51:

"Yes, I'm going to get to the bottom of it.....we may have been visited already."

You'd kind of think these two would be on the same page, being married and all. 

It's all part of the latest sideshow that's part of election year.  A lot of people are dreaming of government disclosure of the UFO issue, but how likely is it really?

Read more in my new article for Politics, Prophecy & the Supernatural, available from L.A. Marzulli.

 

 

http://lamarzulli.net/news_magazine.htm


 

Rochdale Poltergeist Reviewed

Steve Mera is a parapsychologist and paranormal investigator.  He publishes "Phenomena Magazine," an online journal that explores a wide range of topics in the paranormal field and he's appeared on numerous radio and television shows. 

In 1995, Mera and his team from SEP (The Scientific Establishment of Parapsychology) took on what came to be known as the "Rochdale Poltergeist" case.  But Mera's years in the field didn't prepare him for a very physical experience with something unexplained during the investigation.  In fact, he reveals that there was a moment when he questioned his very involvement in pursuing such things:

"Up to that point, I was quite happy to be interested in the paranormal because I really hadn't experienced much.  Until I did.  And then I was thinking, Oh God, do I really want to continue with this?  I don't know."

The revelation comes in the new release from Steve Mera and his co-author, Jenny Ashford, in their book, "The Rochdale Poltergeist A True Story"

The case is certainly one of the strangest in recent history.  It centers around the Gardner's, a family that includes Vera, Jim and Vera's 34 year old daughter, Jeanette.  They're fairly quiet people, living in a government home in the UK.  At least, everything is quiet until it starts to rain--in their home.

Strangely, out of nowhere, drops of water start to manifest on the ceiling and then begin to rain down.  Much of the family's furniture gets ruined over the time they deal with the odd rains. 
The Gardner's did their best to deal with the situation as an endless parade of government officials attempted to find the cause of the falling water.  On one occasion described in the book, Jim snaps open an umbrella while standing in the kitchen trying to make tea.

What really stands out about this particular case is the fact that Mera and his team walked away with some interesting physical evidence that couldn't be fully explained by a laboratory.  I won't spoil it as you really should read the whole book so it's in context.

The book is a quick read, coming in at just over a hundred pages, but it efficiently covers the case and in some ways reads as a long case file.  We get enough of a glimpse into the team's process to know that they worked hard to cover all the bases. 

If you're interested in poltergeist cases, or paranormal cases in general, I encourage you to check this one out, it's well worth a read.

Available from Amazon.com

Fish Rain in Ethiopia

Fortean strangeness is off to a good start this year in Ethiopia.  According to the Ethiopian Herald, a rain of fish fell on the town of Dire Dawa in the Eastern part of the country.

The story made the front page of the paper on Feb 2nd.  According to the report, the fish rain occurred the previous Sunday, Jan 31st, surprising the town's residents.  The unusual event was treated as a blessing from God by residents of Dire Dawa who quickly went out to gather up the fish.

Mr. Efrem Mamo, a scholar from Haromaya University's Department of Metrology, stated that the fish rain was a result of heavy winds and ocean currents combining to snap fish up out of the water and carry them over land.  He says that a similar incident occurred in Hawasa, Ethiopia ten years previously.

Other scientists frequently site "tornadoic waterspouts" that transport animals such as fish and frogs over vast distances before depositing them on land.

One of the flaws with this theory is that such falls inevitably contain one specific species.  If random winds were to snap up sections of water, logic dictates that the falls would contain a sampling of animals from the original location.

Beyond Belief TV With George Noory

I recently guest starred on an episode of Gaiman TV's Beyond Belief with George Noory.

 

Noory partnered with Gaiman at the end of 2012 to launch the show described as

"A new weekly TV show exploring the unknown, and mysteries of the universe."  Noory states "This also gives my listeners an opportunity to experience provocative films, documentaries and original interviews."

Check out my episode, exploring the mysteries of the black eyed children, at the website below.

http://www.gaia.com/show/beyond-belief

Archive of the Afterlife

Recently, while I was on the road, I spent some time in Moundsville, West Virginia.  The name should be familiar to those interested in the paranormal as the town is home to the massive Moundsville Prison, a hotbed of haunting activity.

But the next time you're in town for travel or investigation, there's another interesting spot you should check out, and it's right down the street from the infamous prison.  It's called "The Archive of the Afterlife."

Paranormal related museums are few and far between.  There are some interesting private collections of course and everyone's aware that John Zaffis has quite a collection stored in the northeast, but public displays are something I'm hoping to see more of as interest in the paranormal continues to grow each year.

Paranormal investigator and enthusiast Steve Hummel has been working hard to gather items from a wide range of locations and build a "National Museum of the Paranormal."
Right now, it's small but these things take time to build, and Steve's off to a good start.  He already has a chair full of haunted dolls, and in fact, when we visited, he had just acquired a new one.  There's also a wall of crosses that he's actively adding to and of course, there are items from Moundsville prison along with plenty of other surprises.

Steve is a gracious host and is happy to fill you in on the details about any of the items on display.  You can even investigate the museum after hours if you're so inclined.  Details are on the web page.

So, next time you're passing through Moundsville, please stop in and show your support.  For details on the museum, check out the website below, and watch the FB page for updates on new items.

http://archive-afterlife.weebly.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Archive-of-the-Afterlife-the-National-Museum-of-the-Paranormal-320669891283204/timeline

Shadow Figures & Abductees

In 2012, an eyewitness in Glenwood Springs, CO, contacted MUFON about the strange disappearance of his renter, a purported abductee.  A bizarre sequence of events led up to the incident and included weird lights and shape shifting shadow figures.

The story was also reported in fortean publication "The Gate."  According to the report:

"It was the evening of June 25, 2012, that the witness said he heard a loud thud-like noise coming from his renter's bedroom so he walked down the hallway and called out his name.  He reported seeing a bright yellow light shining from under the bottom of the door and after not getting a response, he turned to go back to his own room.  But before entering his bedroom he looked back down the hall and said the light that had been beaming out of the bottom crack of the door was now gone and everything was dark.

He went back to bed and around 3 a.m. he awoke to see a black shape outside his window.  Thinking it was a burglar he screamed for him to go away and suddenly the black figure appeared to change its shape.  The witness said he screamed again and it 'swooped away.'
He went to the window and looked outside and saw four black silhouettes, all different, from short and stocky to tall and thin standing on the other side of his fence.  The entire yard was bathed in a light blue light.  He ran to the front of his house and saw two additional creatures crouching behind his neighbor's car and two others behind his renter's van parked in the driveway.

He once again went to his renter's room to tell him what he was seeing and the man informed him that he felt that he had been abducted repeatedly since childhood.  He showed the man a bump on his leg and said he believed it was some sort of implant intended to track his movements.

The following morning he said his renter told him he was going camping to try and call upon "good energy" to take his darkness away.  When he failed to return home, a local search and rescue team were called to investigate.  They found his van parked near a forest trail but were not able to locate him or any of his belongings.  To this day he is still missing.

Mufon case report, August 2012.

2016 Year of the Monkey

Happy Chinese New Year!

Welcome to the year of the fire Monkey.

The Chinese lunar calendar marks the new year on the first new moon that falls between January 21st and February 20th.  Each year is assigned one of the twelve animals that cycle through in a set order.  The animal, along with the year's element, determines the nature of the year.

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival in China, is a big celebration and the longest public holiday in the country.  I've had the pleasure of being in China for this celebration in the past, and it's certainly something to see!

Almanacs are very popular in much of Asia and they contain forecasts for the year's strong and weak points in accordance with the astrological system.  Much of the information is derived from ancient Taoist traditions and teachings and in many ways offers a very shamanic view of the year by assigning it animal and elemental aspects.

2016, has a fire Monkey year, is noted as being fast paced but without the high level of stress that previous years have brought.  Creative energy should be at a high point and arts and inventions make headway.
Monkey is youthful and playful in nature, intelligent, hyperactive and strong minded.  According to ancient Asian astrological lore, these qualities will be expressed throughout the year as 2016 continues to unfold.  Scholars also note that Monkey is a highly active animal, hence, for many people, this Monkey year will bring travel and adventure.

Chinese will set off fireworks today to represent driving away bad luck.  Cleaning is also avoided on New Year's so if you needed an excuse to put some chores off there you go.  Another tradition is the wearing of red underwear thought to bring good fortune for the year.

While some of this may seem silly to westerners, these astrological almanacs and the traditions they chronicle stretch far, far back in Chinese history.  Such ancient systems often offer a different perspective on events and potentials so if you're not familiar with the tradition, read a little more beyond the place mat at your local Chinese restaurant, you may find yourself more intrigued than you expect.

Haunted Bellaire House Night 2

Continuing our investigation of the notoriously haunted Bellaire House in Ohio, Dave Spinks and I were joined by investigator Mike Ricksecker for this one.

Here's a couple of quotes from those who caught the show:
   

"I gotta say you guys are my favorite Paranormal Investigators , I just came across your channel a couple nights ago , and I really like how you guys get spirits on your EVP and you don't replay what you hear 20 times in a row like all other investigators do. You guys are authentic and are not fake like a lot of videos I've seen on the YT's. Keep up the excellent work :-)"  viewer--Keith Vance

 

"...totally agree Keith, great assessment man, That sum's up exactly why i rate both Dave and David, above other paranormal investigators, Both are strand up guys, that make every effort to keep paranormal investigating real, They are happy to debunk every possible thing that could interfere with , or give a false impression too, any subscriber watching, and C.R.P.T.V use some kick ass locations to investigate too . !!" viewer--Sizzling Bacon

 

 

 

The Exorcist TV Series

One of the most iconic horror movies of all time may be reborn has a television series. 

"The Exorcist" is now in the works for Fox television network.  The series will be based on the William Peter Blatty story that became a blockbuster movie in 1973.

From what little has been stated about the series, it seems to focus on the same dynamics as presented in the movie rather than the actual demonic case that inspired the story. 

According to reports, the series will be "A propulsive, serialized psychological thriller following two very different men tackling one family's case of horrifying demonic possession, and confronting the face of true evil."

Blatty's novel was based on an actual case of demonic possession that occurred in 1949 and involved a young boy.  Blatty changed the gender of the child for his novel, as well as some other key elements to obscure the origin of the story.

The bad news is that one of the writers attached to the project is Jeremy Slater.  Slater was responsible for one of the biggest box office flops in recent history, 2015's Fantastic Four.

There's no air date yet, and so far only a pilot has been ordered but Fox seems very interested in pursuing the series.  The network has just announced that director Rupert Wyatt has been hired to direct the initial offering.

For Sale: Britian's Most Haunted House?

For Sale: 

One spooky cottage in St Osyth, Essex.

Former medieval Jail

Site of witch hangings

Asking price,  £180,000

Aggressive spirits and ghost of a satanic devil goat included.

Vanessa Mitchell moved into the little cottage in Essex in 2004, she says at the time, she was not aware that the home was haunted by numerous spirits.

The building, known as "The Cage," was the site of one of England's most famous witch hunts, a hunt that culminated in the hanging of eight women.
The building was last used as a jail in 1908, after that, it became a private residence, one which changed hands constantly over the years.  Mitchell, who has owned the property for 11 years, holds the record for keeping the property the longest.

She claims that, during her time living in the cottage, she has suffered numerous attacks.  Once, while brushing her teeth, she was smacked on the bottom.  No one else was present.  Worse still, while pregnant with her son, she was knocked to the floor by some ghostly force.
Mitchell also reports that a shadow figure appeared standing over her son's bed, and claims that blood splatters appear on the floor of the home.

She reached her limit however, when CCTV cameras picked up the image of what she believes is the ghost of a "satanic goat devil" lurking inside the house.  Mitchell now believes the cottage is cursed and is filled with a sinister presence:

"There's something evil there in there, something demonic, whatever it is that's keeping the other spirits trapped inside."

"I’m selling the house now because the house is getting worse, we’re catching evidence all the time of the tortured spirits inside. I’ve had every medium, psychic and investigator in there to try and get rid of what’s in there."

Mitchell says that she's done further research on the history of the house and discovered that plague victims were once sent to the location to die.  She also says there's records of suicides at the property.

Recent reports are claiming the that house is "Britain's most haunted home," a rather bold statement considering the extent of England's haunted locations, but then, how do you really prove such a statement? 
It's interesting to note that some people are claiming that Mitchell has been conducting séances at the home for some time.  Conjuring more spirits perhaps?
So, how much ghostly evidence is there and how much is just paranormal PR in order to sell the property?  For  £180,000 you can find out for yourself.

The Exorcist Diary Reviewed

"January 15, 1949, at the home of R in Cottage City, Maryland a dripping noise was heard by R and his Grandmother in the Grandmother's bedroom.  This noise continued for a short time and then the picture of Christ on the wall thumped.  By the time the parents of R returned home there was a very definite scratching sound under the floor boards near the grandmother's bed.  From this night on, the scratching was heard every night about seven o'clock and would continue until midnight."

So begins "The Exorcist Diary," the true story of the Exorcist. 

The Exorcist is of course an iconic horror movie from 1973, based on a novel by author William Peter Blatty.  The subject of the story is a young girl possessed by demonic forces and the priests who work to drive the devils from her.

The film terrified moviegoers at the time, but the truly creepy thing about the story is that it was based on actual events.  The root of the tale is a possession suffered by a young boy in 1949. 

In 2010, The Booth Brothers, filmmakers renown for their paranormal/horror films, produced "The Haunted Boy: The Secret Diary of the Exorcist," based on the documents left by Raymond J. Bishop, S.J.
Bishop was one of the priest involved in the exorcism of the boy in St. Louis, MO in 1949.  The film is highly entertaining and deserves a review of its own.  Needless to say, I encourage you to see it if you haven't.

The movie is great, and now, Christopher Saint Booth has done us all a further service by publishing "The Exorcist Diary," The Diary is actually the notes that Father Bishop kept while working on the infamous possession case.  It gives us some interesting insights into the disturbing events that took place in 1949.  The book is an excellent document to aid in the further study of the case and of course, it's filled with details about the incidents as they unfolded.  Directly from the priest's notes we read about incidents such as this:

"The most distinct markings on the body were the picture of the devil on R's right leg and the word "HELL" imprinted on R's chest in such a way that R could look down upon his chest and read the letters plainly.  The imprint of the devil and "HELL" appeared at the repetition of the "Praecipio" demanding the evil spirit to identify himself.  His arms were held above his head and seemed to be webbed, giving the hideous appearance of a bat.  All the room observers agreed that the above two signs could not be mistaken for other designs."

If you're interested in demonic cases, or the paranormal in general, I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book while it's still available.  Find it at:

http://www.spookedproductions.blogspot.com/