Spaniard kidnapped in Congo 'had body hair shaved for magic spells'

Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo have kidnapped a Spanish doctor and shaved off all his body hair in the hope it will give them magic powers in battle, according to a Congolese government minister.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed that Mario Zarza Manresa, a doctor who was travelling through the vast Central African nation, had been kidnapped. Mr Zarza Manresa was seized on April 1 while travelling down the Congo River on a boat that was overrun by rebels.

Congolese Information Minister said that Mr Zarza Manresa had been "shaved completely by Ibrahim (a rebel leader) who believes in magical fetishes made with hair and body hair of whites".

Gunmen from Congo's plethora of rebel and pro-government armed groups often adorn themselves with trinkets or traditional garments before heading into battle, in the belief that they will protect them from the bullets of the enemy.

Some believe wearing fetishes will turn bullets into water.

The Spanish government could not confirm the reports of Mr Zarza Manresa's shaving, but Felix Costales, the country's ambassador in Congo, told Spanish television that fishermen in the area had seen the hostage and he was well.

Mr Zarza Manresa was in Congo as a tourist and not for work.

The Enyele, the ethnic group that the rebels come from, has not previously had any confrontations with Europeans, Mr Costales said.

The incident took place 30 miles north of Mbandaka, the provincial capital which was attacked last weekend.

Government troops backed by United Nations peacekeepers eventually repelled the rebels but the clash marked the fighters apparently expanding their rebellion and underscores Congo's simmering violence, four years after post-war elections.

Original story can be found here.

California photography student 'grows tired' of frequent UFO traffic

A California photography student reports UFO activity is so high that "I am growing tired of filming them," according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database.

The student submitted sample photos from sightings on April 6, 2010.

"I have been woken up to horn like tones coming from two different directions, lasting for hours, and filmed them moving, then stopping, and then moving again," the witness stated. "I have also filmed them dropping lights out the bottom and spinning around the sides."

Apparently, the student has seen many UFOs.

"I have seen so many of these that I am growing tired of filming them. Please feel free to look through my footage, there is a lot of it, and I do not have the time to look through it all. Each one has a gem of weird actions in it. They will be out tonight."

The rest of the story, including the MUFON report can be found here.

If you click on that link you see two photos that were taken by the photographer who claims they are UFO's. I've been studying photography for several years now and it's my personal opinion that the photographer used a long shutter speed (I'd guess at least a second) and was holding it by hand. This would account for the "movement" of the object in the second photograph on the page. As for the first photograph,it looks like lens flare from the streetlights and from the shutter being open for a long time.

Like I said, these are my personal opinions. Take it for what you will.

Is Fresno's Pinedale area haunted?

Not many people may know this, but the north Fresno area of Pinedale has a long and interesting history in regards to the rest of Fresno. In March of 1942, the Federal government officially acquired the land which was eight miles north of downtown Fresno. At the time there were 21 warehouses and 11 other buildings.

From 7 May 7 to 23 July 1942, the Pinedale Assembly Center housed a total of 4,823 evacuees, with a maximum of 4,792 at a time. The evacuees were from Sacramento and El Dorado counties, and Oregon and Washington. Ten barracks blocks, each with 26 buildings, were constructed for the evacuees, and a separate block was built for the military police and administration.

But these was a temporary "assembly" center used until permanent ones could be built in remote locations. In August 1, 1942, on the site of the Pinedale Assembly Center became Camp Pinedale began receiving soldiers selected for training as Army Air Forces signal technicians in December of that year. The proposed use was for the Air Service Command to store clothing, parachutes, equipment, office supplies, and salvage material. In July of 1944 Camp Pinedale became the home of the 840th Army Air Forces Specialized Depot.

By war's end, the post had trained 25,000 soldiers as electronic specialists and for allied army assignments, clerks, truck drivers, chemical warfare specialists, camouflage specialists, ordnance technicians, and cooks. The camp was deactivated in February 1947, when the Corps of Engineers assumed custody of the sprawling base and began preparations for the disposal of the post's building and other installations.

During the period June to December, 1946, Camp Pinedale's operations were rapidly drawing to a close. Effective 3 December 1946, approximately 380 acres of the installation were declared surplus. The remaining 190 acres occupied by the 840th AAF Specialized Depot were declared surplus effective 1 March 1947. On October, 1947, the property reverted to its owner, the Pinedale Compress and Warehouse Company (formerly Valley Compress). Four years later it was sold to the California Cotton Cooperative Association Ltd (Calcot).

For the next few decades several companies occupied the land and buildings that were part of Camp Pinedale. It was only when the Vendo Company took hold of one building, that reports of paranormal activity begin to surface.

In the Mezzanine area, people would report being grabbed by some unseen force. Near the plant's entrance, several people saw a Japanese woman with half of her face rotted off, sitting on a green bench. People have heard sounds of choking and whispering, but never were able to find the source. And in one of the restrooms upstairs, a former employee hung himself and people would still see his ghost up there seven years later and after a while people refused to use the restroom due to seeing his spirit all the time.

There are rumors that a lot of Japanese Americans died at Camp Pinedale and there bodies are buried on the grounds and this would explain the number of incidents reported. To be honest, I'm not sure if this is true or not. But given the state of mind these poor people were in while they were being held here, it wouldn't surprise me that if some had died, that they still linger here. Not knowing that it's ok to move on. Still this is a sad part of Fresno's history that many people do not know about.

For a more detailed history of the area, you can go here.

These pictures I took back in August of 2005. They were all that was left of the buildings that were part of Camp Pinedale. These were off of Ingram, but if you go there now the only thing left is the water tower. Everything else has been replaced with new office buildings.

Mayor sends in troops after alien April Fool panic

A local newspaper's April Fool chronicling a late-night visit by 10ft aliens sparked panic in a town in Jordan.

The Al Ghad newspaper published a front-page article claiming a UFO landing near the desert town of Jafr.

The report said the aliens lit up the whole town, interrupted communications and sent fearful residents streaming into the streets.

Jafr's mayor, Mohammed Mleihan, was fooled by the paper's prank and sent security authorities in search of the aliens.

"Students didn't go to school, their parents were frightened and I almost evacuated the town's 13,000 residents," he said. "People were scared that aliens would attack them."

A Jordanian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss security issues, said an emergency plan was almost enacted in Jafr.

Mleihan said he may sue the daily for its "big lie," but added that the paper had called to apologise for the inconvenience caused by the joke.

Al Ghad's managing editor, Moussa Barhoumeh, tried to defuse the situation, saying the report has been "blown out of proportion."

"We meant to entertain, not scare people," he said.

The prank was reminiscent of the 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds which provoked panic in America.

Original story can be found here.

Strange hairless creature discovered in China

A bizarre creature, dubbed the “oriental yeti”, has baffled scientists after emerging from ancient woodlands in remote central China.

The hairless beast was trapped by hunters in Sichuan province after locals reported spotting what they thought was a bear.

One hunter, Lu Chin, said: “It looks a bit like a bear but it doesn’t have any fur and it has a tail like a kangaroo.

“It also does not sound like a bear — it has a voice like a cat and it is calling all the time — perhaps it is looking for the rest of its kind or maybe it's the last one.

"There are local legends of a bear that used to be a man and some people think that’s what we caught," he added.

Now stumped local animal experts have shipped the mystery beast to scientists in Beijing for DNA tests.

Original story can be found here.

Farmers claim aliens attacking livestock

A series of bizarre incidents involving sheep in Shropshire have led to farmers’ claims that aliens are attacking their livestock.

Farmers near Shrewsbury claim to have witnessed sheep being “lasered” by unidentified light from UFOs.

They have linked the unexplained incidents, where sheep’s brains and eyes were removed, to the mysterious orange lights in the sky.

They have found sheep with “neat holes” while their brains and other internal organs were removed. Other animals have lost eyes or had their flesh “carefully stripped away”, usually on the left side.

Phil Hoyle, 53, who has spent almost a decade investigating how the livestock have died, said the UFOs were found to have roamed a 50-mile "corridor" between Shrewsbury and Powys.

Mr Hoyle and 15 members of the Animal Pathology Field Unit, claimed they witnessed UFOs at work last month while working during the night at a Welsh hill farm near Radnor Forest.

“The technology involved in these attacks is frightening,” he told The Sun.

“These lights and spheres are clearly not ours.

“They are built by technology and intelligence that's not from here.”

He added: “For a short while it looked more like a Star Wars battle.”

Next day he interviewed farmers and "all but one had some type of unusual disappearance of animals or deaths with strange injuries", he told the paper.

Original story can be found here.

Island of Dolls, the creepiest place in the world?

I don't know the entire history of this island, just that it lies near Mexico City. The man seen in the video strung up dolls to protect himself from the spirit of a girl that reportedly drowned there years ago. According to rumors the dolls began to take on the girl's spirit. Visitors to the island reported hearing the dolls whispering to them and some felt drawn to come to them.

After this video was shot, the owner of the island was found dead by his nephew in the same canal that the girl reportedly drowned in. Now the nephew takes care of the island, continuing the practices that his uncle started.

Real video of a ghost, most conclusive evidence ever.

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April Fools!