Odd Acting Vehicles in Stockton, Northeast England (OT)

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Phantoms and Monsters The Exorcists: Battling Evil or Folklore? Posted: 20 May 2009 07:00 AM PDTSeemoy Attong holds Fr Leo's crucifixIf you ever saw the entire Exorcist movie-unlikely since we all squeezed our eyes shut in fear most of the time-you would have seen elements of a very real ritual performed by priests of the world's most powerful religion-Roman Catholicism.Much of the horror we felt, of course, was the inexplicable things the girl-or the evil that possessed her-could do with her body and voice, and the power of the demon to command others.But it was all illogical, the rational mind tried to make us believe. For to accept this as real, was to accept all the things we grew up being delightfully scared of-from the ghosts and goblins, to lagahoo and La Diablesse.However, the holy men of the Roman Catholic Church accept the spiritual realm as fact.And there are at least three Roman Catholic priests in Trinidad, schooled in the ancient teachings of The Roman Ritual, and prepared for the epic God vs Satan battle to remove from the body of a believer, the evil which may dwell within.American priest Fr Clifford Graham is one of the exorcists. He is based at a church presbytery in rural Coryal Village, near Sangre Grande. Graham has written extensively about The Roman Ritual.Exorcists too are Frs Neil Rodriguez, Vincent Compton, and Reginald Hezekiah. They have always declined to describe a personal experience with the possessed.Former Catholic bishop John Mendes, who died recently, was the famed priest known to have performed several exorcisms locally. He took his secrets to the grave.Mendes succeeded Dom Leo van Leuween, who passed on in 1983.But it is through a devotee and confidante, businesswoman Seemoy Attong, details of one of his exorcisms have emerged.So momentous was the day, that Attong remembers it with clarity.The demon, she said, had possessed the body of a 15-year-old girl from Arouca.The evil was the work of an Obeahman who had done the deed on behalf of a family jealous that the girl, a college pupil, was doing better in school that their child.Attong remembers "the parents found that their child was not the child they knew. She was doing all kinds of wrong things and there were sweeping pains over her body. So they carried her to Fr Leo."Said Attong "they didn't tell the girl where they were going. Along the way, the person inside the girl was telling the driver, 'I am fed up being in this child. This child is not worth the while. Carry me where I can be free'."The exorcism, said Attong, was carried out at the Catholic church in Mon Repos, San Fernando.Attong said, "I heard Fr Leo talking to the spirit and the spirit telling him that they had put him in the child. The thing did disappear because it wanted to go to rest. When I got there, the child appeared pale and like a dead person. But when she got up, she was okay. Fr Leo, when he came out of the room, was exhausted, wet with perspiration from head to foot, from his fight with the devil".Fr Leo, born in Holland, died at the San Fernando General Hospital at the age of 69.Attong said he asked her to sprinkle his bottle of holy water on his body before he died, much like he would have done during the exorcism of the girl, as he held the crucifix and made his incantations in Latin. Attong has kept as her guard Fr Leo's crucifix.______________________Trinidad & Tobago Folklore(La Diablesse)DouensDouens (Dwens) are the souls of children who have died before they were baptized. They are doomed to roam the earth forever. They are seen playing in forests and near rivers and the odd thing about them is that they have no faces and their feet are turned backwards. They may approach children and lead them astray in the forest until they are lost, or they may come near people's houses at night, crying and whimpering.Old people talk: To prevent the Douens from calling your children into the forest at dusk, never shout their names in open places, as the Duennes will take their names, call them and lure them away.DuppiesDuppies are ghosts that roam the earth at night. It is said that to keep duppies out of your house you must either sprinkle salt or rice grains all around the house; as the duppy must first count each individual grain before entering. By which time the sun will have arisen and they must then return to the spirit world.Gang Gang SaraGang Gang Sara (Tobago Folklore by Alice & Gerard Besson) - The legend of Gang Gang Sara, the African witch of Golden Lane, has its origins in the latter half of the 18th century. On a stormy night she was blown from her home in Africa across the sea to Tobago and landed quite safely at the village of Les Coteaux. From there she journeyed to Golden Lane in search of her family who had long ago been transported there. She lived to a great age and is remembered for her wisdom and kindness. She became the loving wife of Tom, whom legend says she had known as a child in her native Africa. She lived to a great age and is remembered for her wisdom. After her Tom had died, wishing to return to her native land, she climbed a great silk cotton tree and tried to fly, not knowing that she had lost the art of flight as a result of having eaten salt. To this day the names of Tom and Sara can be seen inscribed upon the head stones of their graves where they have lain side by side for close upon two hundred years.JacakalantanThe Jacakalantan is said to be a mysterious light that appears and attracts people, misleading the unwary into desolate areas far away from their intended destinations. And then vanishes.JumbiesJumbies are mischievous or malevolent spirit or creature.La DiablesseLa Diablesse (Lajables), the Devil Woman, roames at night. She has eyes like burning coals and a face resembling that of a corpse, but hides it under a beautiful wide-brimmed hat and a veil over her face. She is dressed exquisitely in a blouse with puffy sleeves and long, petticoated, skirts. She has one cloven foot, which she tries to hide under her long skirts. She turns up at village dances, where she is immediately disliked by the women present, but she utterly charms the men and then asks one of them to take her home. He follows her, totally under her spell. She leads him deep into the woods and then suddenly she disappears. Unable to find his way home, the poor fellow stumbles around in the dark wood until he either falls into a ravine or a river to his death or gets attacked by wild hogs.Old people talk: If you feel you may encounter a La Diablesse on your way home, take off all your clothes, turn them inside out and put them on again, and this will surely protect you from a La Diablesse.LugarhooA Lugarhoo (Lagahoo or Loup Garou) is a person who can change themselves into a half animal from the torso down; and can also alter its size from tiny to very large in an instant. This is done at night as it rattles and drags chains and carries in its hand a whip-like bunch of dried sticks and reeds.Old people talk: If you want to see a lugarhoo and not be seen by it, take some yampee from the corner of a dog's eye, put it in your eye and peep out of a key hole at 12 midnight.Mama Glow or Mama Dlo or Mama Dglo"Mama Glow" or "Mama Dlo" or "Mama Dglo" whose name is derived from the French "maman de l' eau" which means "mother of the water" is one of the lesser known personalities of Trinidad and Tobago folklore. A half woman, half snake with long flowing hairwhich she combs constantly. Her upper torso is a naked, beautiful woman, the lower part coils into a large form of an anaconda snake that is hidden beneath the water. She is sometimes thought to be the lover of Papa Bois, and old hunters tell stories of coming upon them in the 'High Woods'. They also tell of hearing a loud, cracking sound which is said to be the sound made by her tail as she snaps it on the surface of a mountain pool or a still lagoon. Mortal men who commit crimes against the forest, like burning down trees or indiscriminately putting animals to death or fouling the rivers could find themselves married to her for life, both this one and the one to follow. Sometimes she takes the form of a beautiful woman 'singing silent songs on still afternoons, sitting at the water's edge in the sunlight, lingering for a golden moment, a flash of green - gone. Nothing but a big Morte Bleu, rising in the sun beams.Old people talk: "Did you see a fish jump?Yes, but it did not go back in again!" If you were to meet Mama Dlo in the forest and wish to escape her, take off your left shoe, turn it upside down and immediately leave the scene, walking backwards until you reach home.Mermaids and FairymaidsMermaids and Fairymaids (Tobago Folklore) - There be mermaids here and Leviathan, great denizens of the deep. Amongst the swirling currents and white capped blue-green waters, just where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, close by St. Giles and near to Misty Marble Island, past Anse Gouleme and Anse Brisant, towards the Bird of Paradise Island and down the coast past Speyside to Fat Hog Bay, it is remembered from long ago that this was where the mermaids came to play.Tobago mermaids are male and live in the deep, deep sea. They mate with the fairy maids of the rivers and the secret mountain pools. Riding upon the crest of waves, they are handsome men like kings of old or warriors of long ago, beplumed and richly garbed. They may grant a wish, transform mediocrity into genius and confer wealth and power. Sometimes the water people seek relationships with mortals. Some men are particularly attractive to the fairy maids, especially men with smooth skin.Fairymaids are said to be beautiful with long lush hair and one tiny foot in the shape of a deer's hoof, she may use her power to "turn" a man's head. She may steal his shadow and leave him quite demented. In which case, accompanied by friends and family and with the help of a "workman", he must go to the river and address the water pleading for the restoration of his lost shadow. This done, he must leave the water's edge and not look back. Fairymaids may be found in caves behind waterfalls or beneath certain bridges where the river runs deep and swift. In days gone by, they were seen near certain water wheels. To discontinue a relationship with a fairy queen, offerings of two pairs of shoes must be made. The first must be burnt on the beach, the fairymaid will then rise out of the water and ask if she is to be paid for past services. The answer must be "nothing but this pair of shoes". The second must then be thrown into the waves.Papa BoisPapa Bois, also called Maître Bois, lives in the forest and he is the father or protector of the animals that live there. He is often seen by hunters and other people who live near the forest. He gets animals out of snares and treats sick animals at his dwelling. He is an old man who is very hairy, like an animal and usually is only dressed in a pair of ragged trousers with a bamboo horn hanging from his belt. He can turn himself into the form of a large stag or any other animal as well to be able to observe the hunters unnoticed. He is usually very kind, but can be dangerous when crossed. He might even cast a spell on a bad hunter and turn him into a wild hog.Silk Cotton TreesSilk Cotton trees are regarded with a kind of awed reverance and fear. These are huge trees. It is reported to be very difficult to be able to find someone who will cut down a silk cotton tree as they are said to be the home of spirits and duppies. To cut it down is to free them to roam the earth.SoucouyantThe Soucouyant (Sukuya), also called Old Hag, is a supernatural being who has made a pact with the devil to be able to change herself into all kinds of different forms. At night she sheds her human skin and changes into a ball of fire or any kind of animal and casts spells on people to turn them into animals also, but she has to slip back into that skin before dawn breaks and the cock crows, otherwise she will not be able to get back into it. So it may happen, that, when people suspect that an old woman neighbour of theirs is, in fact, a soucouyant, they may trick her by going to her house at night and destroying the skin she left behind by putting salt on it so that it will shrink and she will not be able to get back into it and thus die. In Trinidad, if somebody walks around with a "hicky" (soukie) on his neck, he may get remarks from his friends like: " Eh, Eh, Soucoyant suck yuh or wha ? "Old people talk: If you wish to discover who the Soucouyant in your village is empty 100 lbs of rice at the village crossroads where she will be compelled to pick them up, one grain at a time - that is how you'll know the Soucouyant.WitchdoctorsWitchdoctors, or as they are known in Trinidad, Obeah men, are said to abound. It is said that you can visit one to have any manner of spell performed to grant your desires. It is thought that curses are powerful and can be cast by anyone. Even your neighbour may put the evil eye or MalYeux(Maljo) on you. Any discomfort, hardship or illness may be attributed to this. It can supposedly be warded off by placing blue bottles around your property and by wearing bracelets or anklets made of Jumbie beads.(a little black and red bead found growing on certain bushes.)Source: http://www.tntisland.com/Several News Sources Claim Major UFO Event Over Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posted: 20 May 2009 06:01 AM PDTA massive UFO event has occurred in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. Numerous residents claim to have seen a UFO on May 15 at around 6pm. The UFO was seen for around half an hour before disappearing. Witnesses included foreign Journalists and Directors of local corporations. The incident has been widely reported in both Uzbeki and Russian media outlets.The UFO, which was clearly observable, consisted of two luminous silver spheres: one above the other. The lower sphere was larger and brighter than the higher one.Russian language UFO forums are buzzing as researchers and UFO buffs argue as to whether what was seen was a UFO or possibly just a meteorological probe.Igor Bronikov, a director of a well-known local IT company saw the object with his family and believes they witnessed an alien craft. A journalist from the Russian language newspaper 'Regnum' who was in Tashkent at the time saw the object as well and also thinks it was UFO of possible alien origin. He noted that the lower sphere disappeared and re-appeared from time to time. The object eventually traveled away from the city in a south-east direction.Other witnesses also stressed the extra-ordinary nature of the object although a number of sceptics who did not see the object noted that the description seems to fit a meteorological device.No pictures have surfaced yet, although it is believed the object was filmed.NOTE: there are currently 5 news services reporting the incident, though none have translation tools and are in cyrillic only. If any updates or images surface, I'll post it here...LonInvestigating Korner's Folly, the 'Strangest House in the World' Posted: 20 May 2009 05:39 AM PDTA Triad-area landmark known as the strangest house in the world is getting some attention from paranormal experts.Officials from the Southern Paranormal and Anomaly Research Society plan to conduct an investigation to see if the creaks and moans of the more than 100-year-old Korners Folly home are those of age – or something more.Officials say the home has always been surrounded by an air of mystery.“People say, well, it was vacant for 30 years, people over time have remembered it when it was boarded up. They've heard strange sounds, maybe when they went by,” Bruce Frankel, executive director of the Korners Folly Foundation, said. "People have interesting minds in how they look at something and because it's not a traditional-type house, I think even more so."But SPARS hopes to settle the many active imaginations. The society plans to investigate the house in the next week.“SPARS comes into a property under the assumption that it is not haunted, and what we try to do is prove or disprove a haunting. We try to figure out natural explanations of any supposed paranormal phenomena,” Deonna Kelli Sayed, an investigator-in-training from SPARS, said.And she says they use science to figure it out.“We'll have a thermal imaging camera, which gives us heat signatures and cold signatures.” Sayed said. “We will use digital audio to hear if there are any noises or disembodied voices that we can't hear with our human ears.”Paranormal experts say one of the things that makes this house so unique is that 90 percent of it is filled with original furniture, something that's important during their investigation.“There are some theories in the paranormal community that whatever is there, whether it's spirits or entities or energies, may attach themselves to objects,” Sayed said.And whether it's really a ghost or a tricky mind, Sayed said by the end of the investigation, they hope to have definitive answers.“We are just trying to find ways to understand things that perhaps we don't yet understand,” she said.SPARS is affiliated with The Atlantic Paranormal Society, made famous by the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters.____________________History of Korner's FollyKorner's Folly, dubbed "The Strangest House in the World," has long amused visitors who gape at its fanciful Victorian rooms and showy furniture. Starting next month, the historic home in Kernersville hosts a year-long set of activities to celebrate its 125th anniversary. Festivities include a community party with barbecue and masquerade costume ball on April 2, and an ice cream social on June 25.The eccentric Victorian structure was born when a dapper interior designer named Jule Korner broke ground on what he intended to be a showplace home. His unconventional design rose in the sky at a snail's pace, and reportedly caused a local to remark, "That will surely be Korner's folly." Jule overheard the crack and delightedly named his house thus, even setting an ornate nameplate out front. When Korner's Folly was "finished" in 1880, Jule continued to vigorously revamp it.The house's original design featured three floors, but because Jule placed steps, up or down, at most doorways, the house has seven staggered levels. Ceiling heights for the Folly's 22 rooms range from six on up to 25 feet.Jule's ad hoc approach included transforming stables into a sewing room/library and turning the drive-through carriageway into a dining room. Shortly before his marriage to Polly Alice Masten, he renovated rooms for family life, converting storage spaces into children's playrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows visible from rooms below.On the front porch, the words "Witches Corner" are playfully inscribed into the tile, arranged to appear as throw rugs. Inside, intricately carved moldings frame the ceilings, with other decorative flourishes in abundance such as silk damask panels, maiden statues and painted frescoes. Jule was afraid of fire and only permitted cigars in a tiled "smoker" room.One window there is about three feet high,while the other extends upward and is shared by a room upstairs. Neither window opens. The master bedroom includes grand furniture Jule designed, such as his S-shaped conversation chair. It's a three seater, with room for a chaperone. Many of Jule's inventive pieces were so massive they could not fit through doors and were constructed in the room. Jule also included whimsical "courting corners" where guests could sneak smooches behind silk curtains.In keeping with its experimental spirit, Korner's Folly boasts the first little private theater in the United States, located in soaring attic space. Like Jule, his well-traveled wife (who went by "Alice") loved the arts. The Folly's theater got its start when a local girl came back from Boston hoping to give an elocution recital, only to be denied use of all community meeting places. In that time, play-acting was considered sinful. Alice decided to present her at the Folly.Korner died feeling that his work-in-progress was unfinished. Later, the house fell into neglect and eventually Preservation North Carolina oversaw the establishment of Korner's Folly Foundation, which owns it now. "There are no two rooms alike:' says Connie Martin, the foundation's executive director. "People are amazed at its insight and ingenuity." Today, the plays live on at the Folly every fall, staged by the Kernersville Little Theatre, along with family puppet shows per formed every fourth Saturday. And just like its original owner, the house still causes talk."There are no two rooms alike. People are amazed at its insight and ingenuity. " -Connie Martin, Executive Director Preservation North CarolinaSearching For Answers at Austin's Paramount Theater Posted: 20 May 2009 05:27 AM PDTMany people consider the Historic Paramount Theater in Austin to be haunted.The question is, is it really?We set out to try and answer the question along with a group of professional ghost hunters.Scott Anderson manages the historic Paramount Theater in Austin and says he thinks the theater is haunted.One of his most compelling pieces of evidence is a picture taken by a couple of tourists.A picture that shows the stage, the ceiling above it, and something that shouldn't be there. "One of them took a picture with their digital camera and said my God there's a picture of the moon. I looked over at the viewfinder and sure enough there's a perfect circle. And it looks just like the moon, well it's not... actually there. I said well, the ghost made it happen,” says Anderson."The Paramount was opened in 1929,” says Nick Larson.Several weeks ago, The Investigative Paranormal Society of Minnesota, aka TIPSMN, decided to take a look for itself.Along for the hunt, nearly a dozen students from Austin Community Education who were learning how to ghost hunt.Armed with devices that register electro-magnetic fields, electronic voice phenomenon and digital cameras, everyone including myself began to eagerly explore every corner of the theater.It wasn't long before some of the students began to capture what may have been ghost orbs on their cameras from the main floor.But most of the unexplained experiences took place in the balcony. Things like cold spots.“It was up to 72 and then I pointed it this way and then it went all the way down to 65," says Gary Shaw. And dead batteries…“Normally my camera would be able to go through the whole investigation with no problem but it's died three times and I can't get it to turn back on,” says Larson.Strange to be sure, but ghostly?That decision would have to wait until all the evidence could be reviewed. Just a few days ago TIPSMN regrouped at the Paramount to go over what they had found.The first piece of evidence is what they call electronic voice phenomenon, a disembodied female voice captured on audio."This one we believe is saying a name and saying Jenny,” says Larson.The second piece of evidence involves digital photos, both of them containing."A giant white orb... pretty much in the middle of the stage area,” Larson says."We thought it might be dust. Normally with orb photos that could be dust there's a lot of orbs or what they call an orb party. But in this case we didn't have that, we only had one singular orb,” says Larson.So, does this make the Paramount haunted?The ghost hunters say sadly, the answer is no."We don't have enough evidence to support that it is haunted. So right now we'd have to say it's not," says Larson.Even so, those two photos are strikingly similar to the one Scott Anderson has.Coincidence?Maybe so, but then again, maybe not.The Paranormal Investigative Society of Minnesota, along with Austin Community Education, has more ghost hunts coming up throughout the area.Odd Acting Vehicles in Stockton, Northeast England Posted: 20 May 2009 05:13 AM PDTThe truth is out there! Or at least a group of baffled drivers hope it is following a morning of motoring mystery in Stockton.Residents on Leam Lane, Bishopsgarth, woke last Wednesday to find their cars’ electrical systems behaving oddly.And confused driver Daniel Joyce contacted the Gazette in the hope we would get to the bottom of the problem. “It was early in the morning and a lot of people were having problems starting their cars,” said Daniel, 21, who drives a Citroen Saxo.“The central locking wouldn’t work on mine so I opened it manually but then the engine wouldn’t start.“I ended up pushing it around the corner and as soon as I got it away from the street it would work.”The puzzling problem is believed to have been caused by some form of radio, electric or satellite signal interfering or blocking the signal that some car keys send to the engine. Each key emits different frequencies, explaining why cars on the street were affected in different ways.Daniel added: “It’s a bit of a strange one but it’s cost people money for tow trucks and if it’s going to happen regularly it could be a problem.”Other drivers on the street were also affected, including Bernard Dambrosil, whose Land Rover alarm began wailing at about 6am.He said: “I opened the car door and the alarm went off. Then I couldn’t start the car so I had to call a tow van. It’s been checked over but there’s nothing wrong with it.”Neighbor Geoff Saysell says his Hyundai Accent was also affected by the puzzling problem.The 53-year-old said: “The central locking on my car wouldn’t work so I had to open the door manually. The alarm went off so I had to get under the bonnet and physically disconnect it. I work at Wilton and when I got there the locking worked fine.”And it wasn’t just cars which were affected. Val Nixon had problems when she tried to open up her newsagent’s. Val told the Gazette: “The remote wouldn’t work for my shutters - they wouldn’t go up or down.“I had to call out an engineer and I’m expecting a bill of up to about £300. I didn’t know about the car problems until two days later.”Some believe the problem could be connected to a change in satellites at the University Hospital of North Tees. But NHS Trust spokeswoman Claire Young denied they were the cause.She said: “It sounds like a mystery. Obviously we need to be careful with these things ourselves because we have a lot of sensitive equipment.”********************Are you interested in the paranormal, cryptozoology, UFOs and conspiracies? Go to Phantoms and Monsters Wiki and become a member of this unique network. Start a page on a subject or add your input to an existing page or thread. Phantoms and Monsters updates are posted daily at Twitter. 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