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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Recap of the weird in Fresno for 2009

2009 has been an interesting year here at Weird Fresno. It was hard to determine what the top then weird things were, but after a few shots of Jagermeister I was able to narrow it down.

Number 10 - The Fourth Kind.

I was really looking forward to this movie, alien abductions have always scared the hell out of me and was hoping this movie, with it's Blair Witch feel and reported real footage would scare me. But alas my hopes were dashed almost as soon as the opening credits rolled. Somehow I sat through this mess, but figured I could do better. Hence the my reenactment of the reenactment you see below.



Self promotion? Maybe, but this my blog and I can do whatever in the hell I want. But on a serious note, all the backlash that the studio received, plus the lawsuit Universal had to deal with over should teach other studios that you can't make crappy movies. Of course there is a remake of Karate Kid coming in 2010, so I'm probably wrong. The link to my review on this turd can be found here.

Number 9 - Interstate 5 Mystery Lights solved?



Last year I had reported on some strange lights being scene on Interstate 5 between Kettleman City and Coalinga. But someone sent me an e-mail with some footage they shot on the way back from San Francisco. In it you can clearly see it's an airplane, what I assume to be a crop duster. Still there are these lights which I haven't been able to explain.

Number 8 - Fresno's own Bigfoot hunter.

I was surprised that the Fresno area had it's own Bigfoot hunter, and that it was someone who had years of experience.
Dave Raygoza has been searching for Bigfoot for several years and has recently teamed up with the Sanger Paranormal Society. In May of 2009 they were able to capture something on film. Link to the original story here.

Number 7- Large black triangle shaped craft spotted in Fresno

It seems that most UFO reports these days are of black triangles, and Fresno is no stranger to this. I had found a report on the National UFO Reporting Center on an account of someone seeing such a craft over the skies of Fresno one night. It was reported in Jan 09, though seen in late December 08 and the witness reported seeing a large black triangle shaped craft floating through the night sky. About a football field in length, and a red light at each corner the witness the craft made no noise as it traveled south. Link to the original story can be found here.

Number 6 - Strange craft caught on film over Kearney Blvd.



I had just set up my own hot line when I received a call. Someone had taken some photos over Kearney Blvd and when they had the pictures developed, they noticed something strange in the last photograph. Even more interesting is when I mentioned this to a friend, they had seen something similar a few years ago while working in the area. What it is I have no idea. Link to the original story can be found here.

Number 5 - Graveyard Camping. Only in Madera.

Ok so I know I call this blog Weird Fresno, but I live in Madera. It's my hometown, and even though I make fun of it, I love the place. Though it scares me. One day a friend of mine needed to do some filming and wanted to shoot at a creepy cemetery. I mentioned the one on the outskirts of Madera where I had heard little girls. They were interested, so we headed on out.

Upon arriving there we see some guy camped out in the cemetery and as we drove past the person camping there walked out onto the road, dragging his foot like he was either a zombie or Keyzer Soze. Curious we drove back again and he supposedly waved at us. Crazy thing is, I went by there a week ago for something else and the dude is still there. Oh Madera I love you. Link to the original story can be found here.

Number 4 - UFO spotted over Fresno



Now I know what you are saying. "Three UFO posts Mike?" Well my response is "Yes, deal with it." I recieved a lot of good UFO stuff this year and I think this was the best as I have never seen anything like it before. Link to the original story can be found here.

Number 3 Fresno's Adorable Poodle Saloon considered one of the most ghostly spots on Earth.

I had stumbled on a post from a UK site listing some of the most haunted places on Earth, and an old pet grooming business, the Adorable Poodle Saloon, was on that list. Given all the other lists that Fresno usually makes (which I won't repeat here), it was nice to see something different and in a positive note. Link to the original story can be found here.

Number 2 - Zombie protest in Fresno.

I can't say it enough, I freakin love zombies. Love em. Favorite horror movie? Night of the Living Dead. So imagine the glee I felt when I got a strange e-mail saying there was going to be a group of zombies protesting for their rights on Shaw and Blackstone. Arriving there, I found both the pro-rights group, which was zombies and the anti-rights group which were regular rednecks err people. I was able to talk to both sides and get their story.

Ok this was just a publicity stunt for Fright Night Scream Park and their Halloween attraction. Still I've been wanting to organize a zombie crawl for years now and these guys did the best job I've seen so far. So props to them. Link to the original story can be found here.

Number 1 - History Channel's Monster Quest recently filmed episode in Fresno.

To me this was a big one. I was contacted by Jeff Gonzales from the Sanger Paranormal Society about how how Monster Quest had just finished filming him and Dave Raygoza (the previously mentioned Bigfoot hunter) for an upcoming episode in 2010. Jeff and Dave had taken some interesting shots up in the Sierra Nevada's and Monster Quest was interested in their story. Link to the original story can be found here.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Mutilated Farm Animals Most Likely Victims of UFO Experiments

Several waves of cattle mutilation were reported in the end of the 20th century. A mysterious “predator” opened animal carcasses cutting out their internal organs. The predator was unstoppable and dead cattle were found even in zoos.

The most mutilations occurred in 1975 – 1976, the worst of them found in the US. There were thousands of victims. In Colorado alone three cows on average were mutilated on a daily basis. Governor Richard Lamm then stated that the mutilations were "one of the greatest outrages in the history of western cattle industry." Once, buffaloes were mutilated in Cheyenne Mountain that at the time hosted a US Air Force Defense Station. The predators were not stopped by thousands of soldiers patrolling the area. Bloodless animal carcasses remained the challenge that the Americans could not stand up to.

In 2009, cattle mutilators came back. On March 8, a dead cow was found near the Purgatoire River by Mike Duran, a cattle rancher.

"She's an older cow so I thought she may have died. … I spotted her near the (Purgatoire) river bottom and went and looked at her. She was on her side and it looked a little odd. When I took a closer look I saw that her udders had been removed," Duran said. It appeared as if the utters were cut off with a laser. There was no blood on or around the carcass and the incisions were perfectly round.

Two weeks later, Jim Garren, a rancher from Walsenburg, Colorado, also found a dead cow with its udders cut off.

"We searched and searched and we could not find blood on the ground or on the cow. I just can't understand how anyone could surgically remove a part from an animal and not spill some blood," he said.

Absence of blood is one of the characteristics of an invisible forces’ attack. After opening carcasses, veterinarians find out that there is not a single drop of blood in them. It is very difficult to bleed out an animal because when arteries are cut open, veins close and hold the blood back. The blood can be removed by pumping salt solution through arteries, but it is difficult to do in a field.

Rancher Tom Miller found one of his calves dead near a feed tub where cows congregate to eat twice daily.

"It's the strangest thing I've ever seen. I cut the hide and the legs just fell off. All the bones were broken," Miller said.

This happens when a mutilated animal is thrown down from above. There were a number of cases when ranchers found carcasses in the trees, hanging off power lines, or other places where a cow cannot get on its own. Traces of animals in the snow or mud would suddenly disappear as if the animals were lifted in the air. Coyotes and vultures would not touch the carcasses.

The rest of the story can be found here.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Is the Chowchilla library haunted?


Is this library haunted by a man who died in a fire here years ago?

Several years ago, in a rural town in northern Madera County called Chowchilla, the local bowling alley caught fire and the entire structure was gutted. After investigating the cause of the fire, it was determined that the start of the fire was in the kitchen and soon spread to the rest of the building. Unfortunately the cook was caught in the fire and was unable to make it out and perished in the flames.

Soon after that, the building was remodeled and became the new home of the Chowchilla branch of the Madera County Library system. Where the kitchen was is now the check out center and there have been reports of people feeling the heat of a fire. A few witnesses have even reported seeing a man standing in the area wearing an apron and carrying a spatula. One wonders if this is some sort of replay of what happened here, the event so traumatic that it left some sort of "psychic" imprint on the location that people see from time to time. Or perhaps the cook is still here, ready to work even though the kitchen that took his life is now long gone.


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Kerman police officer wittnessed UFO in 1978


Scanned image from the 1979 Fresno Bee article about the UFO

Manuel Amparano talks about sighting an unidentified flying object at 3:32 a.m. May 13, 1978, as if it happened only days ago. Coming face-to-face with a UFO creates vivid memories.

Amparano's sighting is one of the most detailed of the many accounts of UFO sightings in the Fresno area documented over the years in The Fresno Bee and on Web sites.

The Fresno resident was working as a Kerman police officer.

"It was just a routine patrol," Amparano says of the encounter 24 years ago.

His early morning sweep took him past Kerman High School. At Del Norte and California avenues, Amparano saw "a circular-type thing, similar to a round fireball or a setting sun, about 100 to 150 feet off the ground."

He knew local teens had been setting palm trees on fire, and he thought he had caught some young vandals red-handed.

"Then I realized there were no palm trees in the area. The fire seemed to be inside of an oak or maple tree. This thing started lifting up," Amparano says.

The officer started adjusting the spotlight on his patrol car to get a better look at the object. But just before he turned on the light, there was a bright blue flash. Then the object made a sharp turn and moved away toward the southwest at a rapid speed.

Amparano had not left his car. And the windows were rolled up because it was a cold evening. He did not hear any other noise except for the engine of his car.

The Air National Guard, weather bureau and the Fresno Air Terminal told Amparano nothing unusual showed up on any of their radar screens that night. The encounter might have been dismissed as an optical illusion, if not for the burns Amparano suffered on his face and chest.

"It was like a sunburn when you fall asleep at the pool. There were white blisters on the parts of my body facing that light. I also had trouble with sunlight. It was like right after you have your eyes checked and they are sensitive to light. That lasted about a week," Amparano says.

Doctors at Fresno Community Hospital told Amparano the burns appeared to be caused by microwaves.

An immediate search of the cotton field where the sphere had been sighted revealed no evidence. But for years, nothing would grow in a round area in the field. Today the spot is part of an almond orchard.

Amparano went back to work a few days later. The only after- affect of the close encounter was calls from "a lot of women who wanted to have lunch and dinner with me." He continued to work in local law enforcement until 1992, when he was hurt while breaking up a bar fight.

He's had more than two decades to think about that glowing sphere. Amparano is certain it was a UFO.

"What I am not certain about is whether it was some kind of government project or something from out there," Amparano says.

The original report and more images can be found here as well as another article by the San Francisco Examiner can be found here.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

UFO shot on video over Fresno was double sighting

A California man was shooting video of an object that looked like an android with arms that disappears behind the roof of a house, when he noticed a triangular craft flying in the direction of the moon, according to Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) California State Section Director and Investigator Jeffrey Gonzalez.

Gonzalez said Tuesday night that he continues to investigate this July 7, 2009, case, which occurred in southeast Fresno on the same day as the lunar eclipse .

The witness video tape is included on this page. The witness claims ongoing UFO activity in his area since November 3, 2008.

The following is the unedited report filed with MUFON.


CA, June 7, 2009 - 2 ufo's paused under the moon. MUFON Case # 17948.



Last night July 7th around 9:20 pm SE of Fresno. My wife and I spotted some unusual flying objects in the sky by the moon. I was only able to capture part of the event on video cause my camera ran out of charge.

But in the first half we saw the object on the right side of the moon just siting there, for a good 3 minutes. I ran off to get my camera... Once I started to tape...the object began to move towards the moon As i was tapeing this I noticed another object coming into view, Once the first one flew past the moon my camera went out.

As it flew past the moon it lowered itself slightly under the moon on the left side, then stopped. As it was moving the other ufo that came into view from the right side of the moon also stopped. It stopped below the right corner of the moon. The objects stayed in place creating a triangle position with the moon for a good 2 minutes before disappearing.

I have contacted Mufon once before, strange as it sounds these objects we are able to see almost at will. But they are very difficult to record. But we do have some video of it.This has been on going since November 3rd 2008.

Original story can be found here.

Friday, December 4, 2009

US Air Force confirms new secret stealth plane


The USAF's newest stealth aircraft, the RQ-170 Sentinel


The secret is out.
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed the existence of the "Beast of Kandahar" UAV that was seen flying out of Afghanistan in late 2007. The jet aircraft – a tailless flying wing with sensor pods faired into the upper surface of each wing – is the RQ-170 Sentinel, developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. An Air Force official revealed to Aviation Week Friday afternoon that the service is “developing a stealthy unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to provide reconnaissance and surveillance support to forward deployed combat forces.”

The USAF statement came after discussion of the UAV emerged here on Ares.
“The fielding of the RQ-170 aligns with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates’ request for increased intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support to the Combatant Commanders and Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz’s vision for an increased USAF reliance on unmanned aircraft,” according to the statement.

The RQ-170 is flown by the 30th Reconnaissance Squadron at Tonopah Test Range, Nev. – home of the F-117 stealth fighter when the program’s existence was secret – and falls under Air Combat Command's 432d Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. In Kandahar, the Sentinel was seen operating out of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ hangar.

The 30th RS was activated as part of the 57th Operations Group on Sept. 1, 2005, and a squadron patch was approved July 17, 2007. The activation – although not the full meaning of the event was noted among those who watch for signs of activity in the classified world.


The RQ-170 in flight.

The RQ-170 designation is similar to that of the F-117 – a correct prefix, but out of sequence to avoid obvious guesses of a program’s existence. Technically, the RQ designation denotes an unarmed aircraft rather than the MQ prefix applied to the armed Predator and Reaper UAVs. The USAF phrase, “Support to forward deployed combat forces,” when combined with visible details that suggest a moderate degree of stealth (including a blunt leading edge, simple nozzle and overwing sensor pods) suggests that the Sentinel is a tactical, operations-oriented platform and not a strategic intelligence-gathering design.


Many questions remain about the aircraft’s use. If it is a high-altitude aircraft it is painted an unusual color – medium grey overall, like Predator or Reaper, rather then the dark gray or overall black that provides the best concealment at very high altitudes.

The wingspan appears to be about 65-ft., about the same as an MQ-9 Reaper. With only a few images to judge from – all taken from the left side – the impression is of a rather deep, fat centerbody blended into the outer wings.
With its low-observable design, the aircraft could be useful for flying the borders of Iran and peering into China, India and Pakistan for useful data about missile tests and telemetry, as well as gathering signals and multi-spectral
intelligence.

Original story can be found here.

Cylinder UFO hovers low near California freeway

From the San Francisco Examiner

A cylinder-shaped UFO about 3 to 5 times larger than a commercial plane hovered low over a California freeway, according to witness testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database.

The September 3, 2009, sighting was recently posted to the MUFON UFO reporting area by a witness who was driving to work along a stretch of Highway 80 between Pinole and Hercules about 5:50 a.m. that day.

As the witness came within one-quarter mile of the object, it appeared to be between 50 and 100 feet off of the highway, and between 500 and 1,000 feet off of the ground.

The silent and hovering object was described as three cylinders - "two smaller cylinders on the outside and one large cylinder in the middle that protruded past the smaller cylinders. It appeared all three cylinders were connected. There was also no markings."

Pinole is a city in Contra Costa County, California, population 19,039, and is located 20 miles northeast of San Francisco.

A similar report was made to MUFON on September 5, 2009, regarding a September 4, 2009, incident along the same stretch of I-80 between Pinole and Hercules at 8 p.m. In Mufon Case # 19077, the reporting witness described a pulsating object where the lights indicated it may have been a rectangular shape.

Following is the unedited and uninvestigated report from MUFON. Please keep in mind that most UFO reports can be explained as something natural or man made. If Northern California MUFON investigates and reports back on this case, an update will be released.

CA, September 3, 2009 - Large Hovering Cylinders off I80. MUFON Case # 20830.

At around 5:50 on sept 03, 2009. I was driving on my way to work. Sky was very clear with no clouds & still dark. As I was headed down a small hill between Pinole & Hercules on Hwy 80. I noticed two very bright lights just slightly above the tree line on my left side.

They were pointed in my direction which was roughly a mile away. It caught my attention as those lights were not normal for that area. My 1st thought was roadwork.

However the lights were too high up to be flood lights. Since I was on a hill going down the hwy. I had a clear view of anything in the far distance. I glanced around and noticed nothing other than flowing traffic. Next I thought it was a traffic helicopter or possibly there was an accident & someone was being airlifted. At that time in the morning it’s not uncommon you see accidents as people are rushing to get to work.

I focused my eyes on the light trying to determine what the source of light was. About 3/4 mile away two smaller lights started to strobe back & forth. The large bright lights still remained on. As I got closer the lights were so bright you had to squint a little. When I was roughly 1/4 mile away I noticed there was this very large dark object hovering about 500-1000 feet from the ground.

At first glance the object was dark & cylinder shaped. It didn’t appear to have wings nor windows. It was roughly 50-100ft to the left of the hwy. I slowed down to about 40mph and the car behind me stepped on his brakes & went around me. When the object was directly in front of me I rolled my driver window down & stuck my head out the window. It was 3-5 times bigger than a commercial plane. It made no sound and was just hovering like a kite.

As I drove past the object I could see there were THREE large cylinders. Two smaller cylinders on the outside and one large cylinder in the middle that protruded past the smaller cylinders. It appeared all three cylinders were connected. There was also no markings.

At the moment I had to make a quick decision if I should stop and pull over or keep driving to work. Also the junction to switch hwy’s was around 1000ft so I had to act quick. I was so dazed & confused about what I was seeing my reaction was to head to work. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen so about a ½ mile away I turned around and headed back. It took me less than a minute to get back to the spot where I saw the object but it was nowhere in sight.

I searched the local news papers to see if anyone else had reported seeing the object but I didn’t find anything. I know for a fact someone else had to have seen what I saw as it was right next to a major highway. Luckily I found this site & I'm hoping someone else saw what I saw. One last note. I thought it was strange while I was searching the internet for reports of the object. There was a UFO convention (The bay area UFO EXPO) the following week.

I told my family & friends but they didn’t believe me. Honestly I don’t care what they think. I know what I saw!


Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Fresno's Adorable Poodle Salon considered one of the oddest ghostly spots on Earth

I had posted a few months ago on The Adorable Poodle Salon, which was a dog grooming salon located somewhere on Blackstone between Gettysburg and Ashlan. It was reported that a very flirtatious ghost would interact with some of the female employees there as well as others reporting cold spots and a sense of being watched.

UK's Asylum (which appears to be a British version of Maxim or something) recently compiled a list of the most unusual haunted places in the world. Locations such as a Pizza Hut in New York and a Blockbuster in Alabama make the list. But as I scrolled down I noticed that Fresno had also made the list, with the above mentioned Adorable Poodle Saloon. Here's what they wrote:

"A series of odd activities have occurred in this dog-washing emporium, including the more usual lights-on-and-off trick, the sensation you're being watched, and cold patches. The most unusual, however, was the ghost constantly kissing one of the staff's neck, with her shooing him away and screaming. The big flirt."

Not that this list is official or anything, but it's nice to see Fresno on an international list and not be for something negative. Now if we can only work on that #55 thing...

Monday, November 30, 2009

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson had ghostly encounter.


Oscar winning director Peter Jackson claims
he saw a ghost years ago in an apartment in
Wellington, New Zealand.

Wellington film-maker Peter Jackson says he saw a real ghost once.

In London for the premiere of The Lovely Bones - a film he has directed from Alice Sebold's story in which a murdered teenage girl gives her viewpoint from heaven - Jackson said he did not know what a real soul was like.

But he told Britain's Channel 4 TV that while he could not swear the spirit in the movie was 100 percent accurate, he had seen a real ghost.

"It was genuine," said Jackson, who made a 1996 ghost movie, The Frighteners - co-written with his wife Fran Walsh - starring Michael J Fox.

His sighting was in an apartment he and his wife had in Wellington's Courtney Place opposite the St James Theatre, when they first met 20 years ago.

"I woke up one morning and there was a figure in the room, she was very scary, she had a screaming face, very accusatory, she was a lady about 50 years old," Jackson said.

"It was terrifying actually, a very scary image and she was at the end of the bed and she glided across the room and disappeared into the wall.

"I sat in bed and thought, have I really seen that?" said Jackson.

"Then Fran came in. I told her about it and the first thing she said was: 'was it the woman with the screaming face?"' he said.

"Fran had seen the same woman in the same room about two years before."

Jackson said that when the St James Theatre was being restored a few years ago, people talked about the legend of the woman who committed suicide after being booed off the stage after a bad show in vaudeville days.

"They say she manifests herself in the theatre with a screaming face. Sometimes she's seen - the same ghost. She needs to learn to smile a little."


Original story can be found here.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Is Merced's Lake Yosemite haunted?

Are these waters haunted by the ghost of a mother looking
for her lost children?

Situated five miles east of Merced, Ca and half a mile north of UC Merced, is Lake Yosemite. Created in 1888 for irrigation purposes, the lake is home to fishing and boating, and even has a sailing club of almost one hundred members.

There is a story that a few decades ago a woman had taken her two children to go swimming at the lake one summer afternoon. The two children decided they wanted to dive off the boat tower, perhaps to impress their mother, and climbed up it. Unknown to any of them, the water was shallow at this spot. As both children dove, they struck their heads on rocks in the shallow water. But for some reason, when authorities were summoned to retrieve the bodies they were not found.

For years the mother would drive out there, delusional, and look for the bodies of her children, hoping to find them. She did this for years until she finally passed away. But even in the afterlife she felt guilty over what happened. People have reported seeing headlights in the distance, never seeing or hearing a car as they approached. Others have claimed to have actually seen her walking along Old Lake Road, calling for her children, hoping that she will finally find them.

I'm not sure if this next story is related or not, but while researching the ghost of the mother I came across a story of someone who was working late one night, when they came across a little boy hiding behind a bbq pit. They asked him if he was lost, but the little boy ran and hid behind another bbq pit. As the worker approached the pit, there was no one there and there weren't any other hiding places. Walking back to where a coworker was, they mentioned what happened and the coworker said they saw the same little boy hide, but didn't see where he went.

Could this little boy be one of the children who died while swimming? The area mentioned isn't near the boat tower. Perhaps the bodies of the two children somehow ended up in this area, and that is why the mother never was able to find the bodies of her children. Or perhaps this is the ghost of another child, whose parents could never find him. Either way I think a trip up north is in order to investigate the place for myself.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

55 foot long snake reported killed in China

A photograph purporting to show a 55ft snake found in a forest in China has become an internet sensation.

Huge snake /Quirky China News

It was originally posted in a thread on the website of the People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper in China.

The thread claimed the snake was one of two enormous reticulated pythons found by workers clearing forest for a new road outside Guping city, Jiangxi province.

They apparently woke up the sleeping snakes during attempts to bulldoze a huge mound of earth.

"On the third dig, the operator found there was blood amongst the soil, and with a further dig, a dying snake appeared," said the post.

"At the same time, another gold coloured giant snake appeared with its mouth wide open. The driver was paralysed with fear, while the other workers ran for their lives.

"By the time the workers came back, the wounded snake had died, while the other one had disappeared. The bulldozer operator was so sick that he couldn't even stand up."

The post claimed that the digger driver was so traumatised that he suffered a heart attack on his way to hospital and later died.

The dead snake was 55ft (16.7m) long, weighed 300kg and was estimated to be 140 years old, according to the post.

However, local government officials in Guiping say the story and photograph are almost certainly a hoax as reticulated pythons are not native to the area.

Original story can be found here.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Universal sued over fake footage in The Fourth Kind

Apparently there is more and more backlash from the movie The Fourth Kind and it's claim of using real footage in it's movie and in it's promotion of the movie. Several on-line news articles were created by Universal mentioning characters from the movie and then claiming the information was from actual Alaskan publications. Obviously this didn't sit well with the publications mentioned, and a suit was issued. Looks like Universal's viral marketing campaign is starting to bite them in the ass as more people learn this movie is completely fictional despite their earlier claims of it being 100% real. Once again I urge people not to see this celluiod piece of shit, but instead watch my sweded version of it. It's only five minutes long, doesn't cost a penny, and honestly I feel I look damn good in a wig.


From the Fairbanks News-Miner


FAIRBANKS — Universal Pictures has reached a settlement with a handful of Alaska newspapers, including the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, for using fabricated “news archives” to promote a recently released movie.

Universal agreed to pay $20,000 to the Alaska Press Club, along with a $2,500 contribution to a scholarship fund for the Bethel-based Calista Corp. Anchorage attorney John McKay, who negotiated the settlement on behalf of the seven media organizations, said an emergency shelter in Nome also will receive an unspecified amount of money, although it wasn’t listed as a recipient in the settlement agreement.

Universal created an elaborate series of online news articles in the promotion for its movie, “The Fourth Kind.” The movie claims to be a true story about a plague of alien abductions in Nome a decade ago.

To bolster that claim, articles were posted that professed to be from real Alaska publications, but were actually created to bolster the movie’s storyline.

The articles included an obituary and news story about the death of a character in the movie, Dr. William Tyler, that supposedly were from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Neither the story nor the obituary ever appeared in the newspaper.

Fake articles were listed from other newspapers in Alaska, including The Nome Nugget, alongside authentic news stories. Part of the settlement also requires Universal to remove the fake “news articles” promoting the movie from the internet.

McKay said that attributing false stories to real publications undermines those newspapers’ credibility.

“If people can’t rely on the fact that when they look at a news article on the Web that it’s from the newspaper it appears to be, or is written by the reporter it appears to be, it erodes confidence in the world of journalism,” McKay said.

McKay said it didn’t appear that the advertising campaign was cleared by attorneys at Universal Pictures, and he praised the company for responding quickly to the complaints.

“I think they were embarrassed by it and acted very promptly,” he said.

The settlement comes as an unexpected boon for the Alaska Press Club, which is an independent journalism organization in the state. Club President Kathleen McCoy said the $20,000 received from Universal roughly doubles the organization’s annual revenues.

“We’ll spread this around and try to put this toward training for journalists around the state,” McCoy said.

The Alaska Press Club wasn’t part of the complaint against Universal, but John McKay suggested they receive settlement money as part of a compromise that would benefit Alaska journalism.

History Channel's Monster Quest recently filmed episode in Fresno

A few months ago I had posted on how Fresno had it's own Bigfoot hunter, Dave Raygoza. He and Jeff Gonzales from the Sanger Paranormal Society had recently done a Bigfoot expedition up in the Sierra Nevada mountains back in May 2009 in hopes of finding something. They had set up a few trail cameras, hoping that something would pass in front of the sensor and then set off the camera and capturing whatever it was. Mostly they caught deer and other wildlife typical to the area. Except for one picture.



What you see is directly from the site and has been both enhanced and outlined to show a human sized figured standing by a tree. Once the group saw this photo they decided to investigate the area and see if they could determine if something natural caused this photo or if it was possibly Bigfoot. They ruled out the chance that it was a bear as the slope of the hill was near 45 degrees and it would have been hard for a bear to stand up like that. They took several photos of the site for comparison, you can go here to see them for yourself.

Apparently word got out of this Bigfoot photo as they were on Coast to Coast AM a few weeks ago. Even better is that the History Channel's Monster Quest show (a show that explores sightings of different cryptids throughout the world) was doing a story on another Bigfoot hunter out of Hanford, a
Joseph Walls, and wanted to re-enact his Bigfoot sighting when they heard about Dave and Jeff's photo, they decided to interview them as well.

Jeff sent me a few photos from the interview which I am posting below. Also the episode of Monster Quest is to air some time in January 2010. When I find out the actual date I will post an update.







Saturday, November 7, 2009

My version of The Fourth Kind

As I had posted a few days ago, The Fourth Kind absolutely sucked. I mean really sucked. As I was leaving the theater with some friends, I joked that I could make a Swede that was better than the original. For those who don't know what a swede is, in the film Be Kind Rewind the characters run a VHS rental store and all the tapes are erased. So the characters go about with a camcorder to remake the movies with pretty much no budget. They are called Swedes because one of the customers asks why it takes so long to get a movie and Jack Black's character says they are from Sweden. Hence the term Swede was born.

For over a year now, Brodiemash over at the Dumbdrum has put on a Swedefest where local filmmakers submit there Sweded movies. I had already submitted my entry and the deadline had passed, but I still wanted to see if I could make a swede of The Fourth Kind. I was also curious in how quick of time I could make one. What you are about to see took me four hours to do, from the initial concept to the burning of the DVD. Obviously if you have interest in seeing the movie, don't watch my version. But come on, my review should have dissuaded you by now not to see this turd.



So that's it, my remake or Sweded version of The Fourth Kind. Do yourself a favor and watch my this one instead of spending $10 plus for that waste of celluloid that is in theaters right now.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Review of The Fourth Kind



Normally I don't do movie reviews (I leave that over to the folks over at The Dumbdrum), but I received a free pass from The Fresnan for a sneak preview of The Fourth Kind, a movie which states that is based off actual documentation of people that were reportedly abducted by aliens. The movie starts off with a disclaimer by the main actress, Milla Jovovich stating that the the movie is a re-enactment of original documentary footage and also claims to use never-before-seen archival footage that is integrated into the film. Unfortunately we never heard this as there was a problem with the audio and didn't hear this, so I will have to assume this is true.

The movie then switches to the director, Olatunde Osunsanmi, interviewing a Dr. Abigail Tyler at Chapman University. Dr. Tyler recants her story of how her husband, also a psychologist, is murdered in 2000 and explains on how she continues his sleep deprivation study in Nome, Alaska. The movie then switches to reenactment mode and shows Dr. Tyler interviewing several patients. Here is where the supposed original footage is spliced in with the reenactments, in a side by side comparison. Honestly it felt like a badly done 24 without the ass kicking that involves Jack Bauer.

For the next hour or so, you see this original footage next to the reenactments, it was almost like the director wanted the audience to make sure they were watching reenactments. My problem with this so called original footage shows confidential sessions between patients and their doctor. We are told early on that the names of all the patients have been changed to protect their identity. Yet their faces aren't blurred out in any of this original footage. So this had me questioning things. They also show some police footage they claim that is real (shown alongside it's reenactment), but I find it hard to believe that the Nome police department would release any sort of police video, especially one for a movie that is about alien abductions.

I don't want to give away much of the movie, but it had me laughing at times it was so hard to believe. The ending especially, with it's supposed big reveal had me almost on the floor laughing so much. I don't want to say anything, but I'll put it this way. I've been following the UFO field since I was ten when I first heard about the abduction theory. What is reported to have actually happened at the end of the movie would have been the greatest piece of evidence ever to actually prove both UFO's and aliens actually exist. Yet no one has heard of this before. Also, in the trailer (as well as the movie) you see a saucer shaped object fly over a house and this is supposed to be police footage. You would think this would have been common knowledge throughout the UFO community of this incident, yet I have not heard one person talk about it.

Another thing is that the movie never claims these sessions happened in Nome, that the movie is based on the sessions. But in that same instant the movie states that Nome has the highest percentage of missing persons in Alaska and tries to link that to alien abductions. Yet the FBI has investigated many of these missing person reports and came to the conclusion that the high rate of alcoholism combined with the harsh landscape surrounding Nome may account for a majority of the disappearances.

Like I said, I normally don't do reviews, so I apologize if this isn't what most people expected. Honestly it was an awful movie and I believe that none of the footage is actual and was created solely for the purpose of this film to make it seem authentic and to generate buzz so people would want to see something they thought was real. No one has ever heard of a Dr. Tyler or any member of her family, nor has anything like this happen in Nome. I'm going to try to dig around a bit and see if there is any validity to this, but as of this moment I believe this movie to be one hundred percent fiction despite the claims of the director and actor. Even as a work of fiction, this movie doesn't terrify nor does it make one think about if aliens are abducting unsuspecting citizens. Honestly it makes me think someone was trying to create the next Blair Witch, or more recently, Paranormal Activity. And in trying to do that, this movie fails miserably at that.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Some ways to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos in Fresno

From the Fresno Bee.

In the central San Joaquin Valley, there are a number of ways to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). It’s as simple as walking in a candlelit church procession or dipping bread into chocolate in front of an altar.

Dia de Los Muertos is the two-day Mexican holiday with pre-Columbian and Catholic traditions honoring the dead. It is traditionally celebrated on Nov. 1, All Saints Day, and Nov. 2, All Souls Day. The celebrations this year will be Sunday and Monday.

Events are centered on the belief that the spirits of loved ones float back to Earth to reunite with their living relatives and friends for a brief moment. Altars serve as focal points, displaying the mementos of the loved ones.

Here are some ways you can take part in Dia de Los Muertos:

View exhibits

Take time to soak in the meaning of eight altar exhibits on display at Arte Américas, 1630 Van Ness Ave.

There’s a lot of detail to each altar honoring cancer victims, this year’s theme. Many include the Mexican art papel picado (perforated paper) in bright pink, orange, turquoise and purple.

The cultural center’s executive director, Grace Solis, helped build an altar remembering her father Henry Solis, uncle Juan B. Solis and nephew John Diaz.

She included her father’s hat on the display — one that he wore while gardening and welding.

“He built the gate to the [Del Rey] cemetery, where he is buried,” she says.

The exhibit runs through Nov. 25. The center is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays, and closed Sundays and Mondays. Cost is $3 for adults, or $2 for students and children.

Details: (559) 266-2623 or arteamericas.org

Eat pan de muertos

Snack on pan de muertos, “bread of the dead,” the traditional sweet bread that is baked to honor the deceased.

Three extra tables are set up at Oaxaca Restaurant, 4773 E. Belmont Ave., to accommodate all the bread that is for sale.

Many loaves of the sweet bread are shaped like corpses — with heads that are smiling. One custom is to dip the bread into a bowl of hot chocolate flavored with cinnamon and almonds.

In the restaurant, the smell of burning copalli (incense) wafts at an altar displaying the mementos of owner Tomasa Lopez’s family.

“This time for us is really, really beautiful,” she says. “It’s family together, with our dead.”

The bread, especially shipped from Los Angeles to the restaurant, is available for $2-$10. The chocolate costs $6. Also available are popular Dia de Los Muertos foods such as mole negro ($7) and tlayuda corn tortillas ($1.25).

The restaurant is open 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Details: (559) 454-1614.

Walk in a procession

Put on your walking shoes and join one of two popular processions.

In Fresno, the annual Artes Américas procession will start at 3 p.m. Sunday, beginning at St. John’s Cathedral, 2814 Mariposa St., and ending at Arte Américas.

Everyone follows Aztec dancers. At the center, strolling musicians will provide music. Pan de muertos and chocolate drinks will be available.

In the foothill community of Hornitos, about 85 miles northeast of Fresno, a candlelit procession and Mass will start at 6 p.m. Monday, beginning in the town plaza and ending up a hill at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church and cemetery.

The church, built in the 1860s as a mission station of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Mariposa, is open only on the Feast Day of St. Catherine in late April and on the Feast of All Souls Day. Hornitos was a historic gold-mining town.

St. Joseph’s pastor, the Rev. Stephen Bulfer, leads the procession and Mass.

Details: (209) 966-2522.

Get crafty

Create your own shrine to honor the dead.

Need ideas? Check out the Web site of Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo at craftychica.com. Her products and blog can also be found at iLoveToCreate.com, a Duncan Enterprises Company.

There are lots of ideas at both Web sites for making altars and other Dia de Los Muertos-inspired crafts. You can also take a look at shrines created by some of the Crafy Chica’s readers for a “Create a Day of the Dead Shrine” contest that was held last week. Pictures of the shrines can be found at flickr.com/groups/craftychicachallenge.

Of Dia de Los Muertos, Cano-Murillo says, “It’s not a scary thing; it’s done out of respect.”

Friday, October 30, 2009

Want to go ghost hunting in Fresno this Halloween? Check these places out.

As Halloween approaches, people have been asking me if I could recomend them a good haunted place to see a ghost. So I've decided to list several haunts in the valley that are reported to be haunted for anyone out there who is interested in doing a bit of ghost hunting.

Channel Road, Sanger CA - The legend behind Channel Road, or Snake Road as it is nicknamed, is that of a woman and her two daughters were driving along the winding road and took a turn too fast and crashed into the Kings River. The woman couldn't get out of the car and died there, but her two daughters escaped but drowned downstream. At nights it is said she wanders up and down the road looking for her two daughters.

Del Rey Cemetery, Sanger CA Not to far from Channel Road, is the Del Rey Cemetery. Rumors of a strange glowing headstone, whispering voices, and shadowy figures have been reportedly seen at this small cemetery.

Bardsley Road, Exeter CA- The story of a decapitated biker riding up and down this country road has been told for decades. People have reported a single headlight moving along the road, but once it gets near them it disappears.

The Bastille, Hanford CA - The orginal prison for Kings County has had it's share or prisoners over the years and not all have left. People have been touched by an unseen presence and others have reported a feeling of being watched. The Bastille is now a restaurant/nightclub and are open with their haunted history.

New Hope Cemetery, Madera CA - The first haunted spot I ever investigated, this small cemetery in western Madera County has had a strange history. Rumors of the church being burned down by Satanist who then performed bizarre rituals in the cemetery were first told to me over a decade ago. From hearing little girls laughter to seeing strange lights in the orchards surrounding the cemetery, this place is definitely strange.

Kearney Park, Fresno CA - I had just reported on the strange going ons here, so it might be worth a look.

Springville Inn, Springville, CA -In the small town of Springville, east of Porterville, is the Springville Inn. Several ghosts haunt the place. I would imagine the hotel is doing something for Halloween given their openness to their haunted history.


So these are a few places one can go to look for ghosts. If you do though, make sure you do not go alone and let someone know where you are going. Make sure to take a flashlight with you and a camera or camcorder in case you see anything. And for the love of God, do not trespass. I mentioned a few cemeteries and a public park, these places do have hours of operations and you will be charged for trespassing if you go there afterward. Don't give actual paranormal investigators a bad name just because you are looking for a cheap thrill. Have fun this Halloween, but be smart about it at the same time.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Is Fresno's Kearney Park haunted?

Does the ghost of M. Theo Kearney haunt his former residence? - Photo courtesy of historicfresno.org


Several miles west of downtown Fresno, lies Kearney Park. The park was started in 1892 by M. Theo. Kearney and was to be part of a 225 acre agriculture complex. The current mansion was originally to be the caretakers quarters, unfortunately it and an adjacent servant's quarters were all that were built as Mr. Kearney died in 1906 and his dreams of an agricultural "Garden of Eden" were never completed.

Though Mr. Kearney died over one hundred years ago, there are rumors that he still walks his property at night, perhaps dismayed that his dream was never completed. There are also stories that a house maid, a Nora S., also wanders the darkened halls at night. Perhaps she feels she still needs to make sure the residence is kept in order for Mr. Kearney. Others have seen a man wandering around in the wooded area near the house. Others have felt as if someone from the house was watching them and once someone said they saw a female figure on the porch.

There is also an urban legend stating that a woman in white (some call her the White Witch) haunts the railroad tracks on the property and that anyone who is unfortunate enough to see her eyes, dies immediately. Personally, I find this highly unlikely as if she kills anyone who sees her, how can there be any witnesses to pass on this claim?

Still, Kearney Park is one of those Fresno treasures that most people know about, but may have never gone. The City of Fresno currently owns the Mansion and Park and you can tour the Mansion for a small fee. For further information on public tours of the Kearney Mansion, you can call 559-441-0862.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Strange craft caught on film flying over Kearney Boulevard

Over the weekend I received a voice mail from someone saying they were taking some pictures out by Kearney Boulevard a few months ago and they had forgotten about the film until last week. When they got the pictures developed, they noticed something strange in the last couple of shots. I then got an e-mail from them with some scans, one of the original photo with the object in it, the other an enlargement.

At first I was almost tempted to dismiss these as some sort of bug or other flying creature. The person had told me they had not seen anything at the time they were taking the photos, and in my opinion how could you not see this? Though they also told me they were taking these photos to finish off a roll of film, so there is the chance that they weren't really paying attention to what's in the sky but just hitting the shutter until the film had stopped advancing. But I was showing these to some friends on Sunday and one of them actually recognized the object.

They used to work out near Kearney and had seen the object in the air several times. They described it as large craft, longer than the length of a football field and made hardly any sound. The small orangish lights on the object appear to be engines, according to my friend. Though we were unable to determine what is causing the pinkish glare, though I imagine it's from the sun as it was near sunset when the picture was taken. The photographer thinks it was a glare from a porthole or something, though I'm not sure how that is possible. I've sent it to a few photograph experts I know in hopes of getting an opinion. I'm also sending these to the local MUFON investigator here in hopes that he can find out what this is. As always, anything I find out I will post here.





























Thursday, October 15, 2009

Storm Wrecks Popular Corn Maze Haunt


I had posted last week about several Halloween attractions in the Fresno area, including the haunted corn maze Raisin Hell.  Unfortunately due to a severe storm that hit the valley on Tuesday, the maze won't be open this year as most of if it was destroyed.  KMPH 26 reports on this.



MADERA - These are spine tingling scenes from last October at the "Raisin Hell Ranch" in Madera County.  But the attraction won't host any terrified guests.
In fact the only horror these cornstalks witnessed this year was the look on workers' faces when they arrived in the morning, to find their maze destroyed.

"This was just a devastating thing to have happen," Darren Schmall said.

Darren Schmall runs the "Raisin Hell Ranch" and he's been growing the corn since August.
It was all destroyed Tuesday in a day of very heavy rain.  In addition to a corn maze, the ranch was supposed to feature two separate haunts, the Chupacabra Haunt and the Demonic Scarecrows.

60 people were hired and ready to scare the bejeepers out of thrill seekers, but:
"Because we're not going to open, all those folks are out of a job," Schmall said.
The operators have 10 thousand free passes and 150 thousand coupons floating around to attract people; they're now worthless.

Darren Schmall says he considers 2009 a practice year for his team of ghouls.  "Next year we'll be back and be bigger and better than ever," he said.

The owners are also involved with Cobb ranch corn maze and pumpkin patch.
They're urging people to head out there this year for some Halloween fun.

Original story can be found here.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Win passes to the Fright Night Scream Park in Clovis

When I went to the Fright Night Scream Park last week, there were two things I was able to get come away from that place with. One was my life and the other were four pairs of passes to one of the attractions there. Since I'm such a giving person I thought I would give them away to people who post a comment on this blog post (or is it that I was able to escape by telling the zombies I would send eight people in my place? You'll never know...).

But there's a catch. You have to tell me what your favorite scary movie is and why.


Winners will be chosen randomly, but please make sure log in so I have a way to contact you that you have won. The tickets are good for any from Oct. 16- Oct 31, except Fridays and Saturdays. For days they are open and where they are located, you can click here.


Update. The contest is now over. Thank you to everyone who commentated and the winners will be recieving an e-mail from me.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Halloween attractions in the Fresno area


Someone had asked me the other night what Halloween activities were there to do in Fresno during October. Besides knowing of a few attractions, I didn't really know. I checked around but didn't find anything listed, so I decided to make one of my own. After spending some time on Google, this is what I found.




Hobbs Grove.
I'm sure everyone is familiar with Hobbs, since it's been around the longest. But for those who aren't, it's located outside of Sanger on 24 acres. There are a haunted house, haunted forest, and a haunted hayride attractions as well as a midway with live music, food and drinks, and several vendors. Hobbs is open from Oct. 9 - Oct. 31 (Closed Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20 & 26.) and the gates open at 5:30 pm. Tickets run from between $10 - $12.50 (depending on the attraction), but there is a discount if you buy combos. For more information on Hobb's and how to get there you can go here.


Fright Night Scream Park
I had recently mentioned this attraction last week. This one is located in Clovis at the Sierra Vista Mall behind Target. There are four attractions here, the Necropolis, the Psychosis 3d, the Desecration, and the Asylum. For more information and directions you can go here.


Raisin Hell Ranch
Raisin Hell Ranch is located north of Fresno in Madera County on Ave. 7, just as you pass the San Joaquin River on Highway 99. There are three attractions there, the Scarecrow's Revenge, the Fresno Monster's Blackout Maze, and the Chupacabra Feast. Raisin Hell Ranch is open from Oct. 17 to Oct. 31. Gates open at 7:00 pm and tickets are $15 for one attraction, $25 for two, and $30 for three. For more information and directions you can go here.


Haunted Fresno
Haunted Fresno is located in downtown Fresno on Fulton. It has five attractions, the Fortress of Fear, the House of Zombies, the Last Ride, the Museum of Oddities, and the Seance. It's open from Oct. 15 - Oct. 18 and Oct. 22 - Oct. 31. Hours are 7-11pm on weekdays and 7pm to 12:00 am on weekends. Museum of Oddities costs $5, the Seance costs $10, Fortress of Fear and House of Zombies is @20 and there is a combo ticket for the Fortress of Fear, House of Zombies, and the seance for $25. For more information and directions you can go here.


Corn Maze at Cobb's Ranch
The corn maze at Cobb's is open from October 10th thru Halloween and their hours are 6-9pm M-F and 11am-9pm Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices are $10 for adults (12 and up) and $8 for kids (4-11, kids 3 and under are free). Directions and more information on the maze can be found here.


Update.  
I found out about another new Halloween haunt and wanted to pass it on.  Sierra FFA presents "The Farm".  The 320 acre working Ag Farm is the background for a night you will not forget.  You will start with a hayride through the Farms Haunted Forest, on thru the Implement shed, Barn and last but not least the Feed Mill.

They are open four nights only.  Oct. 28-30, dark until 9pm and Oct 31, dark until 11 pm.  Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for 17 and under.  All proceeds will go to the Sierra Future Farmers of America.  To get there, take Hwy. 168 from Fresno to the stop sign (at the bottom of the 4 lane), continue thru on Lodge Road about a mile.  It is located at the Bert Weldon Memorial Farm (across from Sierra High School).  The address is 33326 Lodge Road, Tollhouse, CA.


I was told by the proprietors that this is an extremely scary haunt and is not recommended for younger children, people with heart conditions, or pregnant women.  Parental discretion is strongly advised.




For those who aren't interested in things jumping out at you, but still may want to get scared there are those ghost walks in the Tower District and in Old Town Clovis. Both tours are historical in nature with a focus on the paranormal. Each stop on the tour is at a location that is reported to actually be haunted. The guide discusses the history of the place as well as the paranormal activity that has occurred there. Tours are from 7:30 – 9:30 PM and start the first weekend of October and run through the middle of November. Please note that the tours are for those 18 and over. For reservations you can e-mail them at nightfalltours@yahoo.com.




These are all that I could find that are happening in Fresno area. If anyone knows of anything else, please let me know and I'll add them to the list.












Friday, October 2, 2009

The dead, killer clowns, cannibals, and the insane take over abandoned building in Clovis for Halloween.

As I had mentioned last week, something weird (even more than usual) was going on in the Fresno area. We had zombie protesters at the Shaw and Blackstone intersection. While I was there I discovered where these undead ruffians were staying while they were in the area. It turns out that they had taken over an abandoned building behind the Target in Sierra Vista Mall. Apparently even the dead are attracted to Clovis way of life.

Armed with a night vision enabled camcorder and not nearly enough alcohol in my system, I ventured to the abandoned building, which turned out to be an old movie theater. Pulling up, I noticed there was a bit of a crowd here. Rather perplexed as to why so many people, I found out that many of them were looking for missing family members and had heard that they may be here. Outside the front entrance there was a woman named Mrs. Lovett selling meat pies. Since I just had dinner I politely declined her offer.

Walking up to the doors, I noticed a young woman. I asked her if she knew what was going on and she said she could show me everything and beckoned me to follow her inside. Figuring she had already been inside looking for a family member, I followed. As usual, I was wrong.

As we walked inside, I followed her to what she called the Necropolis. "But don't worry." she said "This isn't my home." Laughing I asked her "Where is your home?" "Oh I'll show you, don't worry." said my guide. And with a sinister smile she added "And soon it will be yours too." Confused I asked her what she meant. "Oh you won't be leaving this place" she smiled sweetly "You'll be dead soon. Just like me." At this point I wanted to get the hell out of there, but a rather large (and dead) looking man prevented me from doing this and we were ushered into the Necropolis.

I was able to get some video of the Necropolis as you will see below, though it isn't much. Apparently my guide was intent on killing me and took every chance she could to push me in front of anything that would do the job. Luckily I was faster than her (the dead aren't that quick) and was able to avoid certain doom.



Finally we left the Necropolis and I could tell she was frustrated that I was still alive. She then asked me if I liked clowns. Now I am not scared of clowns, they just make me feel uneasy. I blame Stephen King's IT for this. And as usual I didn't think before I spoke and said I didn't. "Good." she replied "The ones I'm going to introduce you to will definitely kill you then." As we walked up to another portion of the building, there was a clown that greeted us. My ever sweet and innocent guide informed said clown that I hate clowns (told you she wanted me dead). The clown then opened a door and yelled "Hey guys, this one hates us clowns!" and pushed us both in. I was able to get some video, but I really don't think it shows the horror that was Psychosis 3D.



Feeling emboldened now that I had thwarted her attempts to have me killed I teased her about that she wasn't doing a good job of killing me. "That's fine, we can go to Desecration." she said "I know they are hungry for meat there." You would think I would have learned to keep my mouth shut by now, but no. Desecration was even more horrifying than the previous two as it was filled with cannibals. And they were hungry as you can see from the video I was able to shoot.



Barely escaping that we then headed to the last part, the Asylum. Having given up on killing me by now, my guide abandoned me and figured that my own stupidity would get me killed. Honestly this part had to be the most terrifying. There were some bat shit insane people in here. I was able to shoot some videos of the residents, but the deeper I got the more scared I was. So finally I just gave up and got the hell out of there.



Luckily I was able to barely escape with my life. But as I was leaving, I noticed my guide was taking several people in. Apparently she had a quota to meet or something and figured she could fill it faster with a group. I'm going to have to go back in a week or two. This time I will bring backup as a few friends of mine are interested in seeing what is going on for themselves.

Now this place isn't for the faint of heart, but if you are interested in going I heard that they are selling tickets for the different attractions. You can go here for more info. They are open from October 2 - October 31, except closed on Mondays and Tuesdays Sunday the 4th and 11th, Wednesday the 7th and 14th, and Thursday the 8th. You can buy tickets either on the website or there and I noticed that if you do several attractions, the price for each one is less. Also, I was able to "procure" several tickets (I figured I was owed something since repeated attempts on my life were made. I will be giving these out sometime next week so make sure to check back then.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Unknown object filmed over Fresno, CA

Someone sent me a link to this video that was of a UFO that was reportedly shot over Fresno sometime in August 2008. Not really sure what it is to be honest.



What I found really interesting is that the strobe pattern of the lights is similar to
this UFO which was seen on Interstate 5 back in 2007. Could this be the same craft or something similar? Only time will tell.


Saturday, September 26, 2009

Zombie protest in Fresno, CA

As I had mentioned yesterday, there was to be some sort of gathering of zombies at the intersection of Blackstone and Shaw area. Armed with my camera, my iPhone for video, and a hell of a lot of courage I headed to the area around 6:00. When I got there I was a bit surprised. There were actually two groups that were protesting. Feeling that the safer group was the one against zombie rights I headed to that one first. Not really sure if that was a a smart idea or not.


The anti-zombie rights group of people

Upon arriving at their corner, I was greeted with anti-zombie chants of how they were taking people's jobs, brains, etc. I talked to them for a few minutes and was even able to get some video asking them to share their views on why zombies should not have the same rights that us living have.



After recording that bit of video I decided to muster enough courage and head across Blackstone where the (larger) group of zombies were at. I figured if they came after me I could just run into traffic and let Fresno drivers take care of them for me. As usual I was wrong.


This is what waited for me across the street.


At this point I started to change my mind, they looked
a bit hungry.


As soon as I arrived at the zombie corner, they eyed me rather hungrily. Thankfully when I told them I was there to document their plight, they backed off. I tried asking questions but all I got was a series of moans, grunts, and cries for "Braaainnnnssss". As I read their signs I realized all they wanted was equal rights that us living have. From jobs, to fair treatment. And these zombies seemed to come from all walks of life.


Even the undead are hurt by the current
recession. If I had kids I'd hire this one to
look after them.


Feeling a bit safer now I decided to take even more photos and some video. Apparently that was a bad idea.



The only way I had escaped that was that a car had mistakenly turned into the parking lot where the zombies were at. There were a group of people in the car and thankfully the zombies turned to these new treats allowing me to get to a safe distance.


I almost pitied these poor people, but they should
have been more aware of their surroundings.



Luckily the group got away. What you don't see is
the carcass of a zombie being dragged from their
back bumper.


At this point I realized I had better get the hell out of there. I thought I would do one more video just to show the plight these poor zombies were going through as I still felt sorry for them. Once again I found out that recording video of zombies is a bad idea.



Thankfully I was able to get out of there with no zombie bites and my brain still intact (though if it was intact before I had shown up is debatable). As I was leaving I noticed several zombies (and even a few of the living) holding up signs for a Halloween attraction called Fright Night Scream Park. Apparently this is where both groups will be staying during the month of October (along with other groups of friends apparently). For more info you can go to their website here. I'm going to try to venture to there next week just to see what exactly is going on.