Will the Rapture occur tomorrow?

The gold seal makes it official.

If you've been following the news lately, or seen one of the numerous billboards, you would know a small Christian group is claiming that the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011. Which happens to be tomorrow.

The group is based out of Oakland, CA (where I saw several billboards last week) and is an independent church founded by a Harold Camping. According to Camping he was able to figure out the a "code" in the bible and claims it's basically a cosmic calendar of sorts and was able to pinpoint the Rapture based upon the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

Camping has a radio network and has been able to spread his message through that as well as utilizing bus bench ad space and the previously mentioned billboards. I think the billboards have to be my favorite part as they have a gold seal on them stating "The Bible guarantees it". As if having a cheesy gold seal on here makes it official.

Let me also say that I believe in God, that I'm a Catholic. But I think what this guy is claiming is ridiculous. This isn't the first time he's claimed to "know" when the Rapture is going to occur or knowing when world is going to end. This isn't the first time he's done this. Camping also claimed that Christ would return on September 6, 1994. Obviously that day came and passed with no incident. Just as May 21, 2011 will.

As I had stated in a post I did back in February, I have several friends who's birthday is on May 21. Local derby grrl Karma Kaze, wife of blogfather Mike Osegueda, Tanya, and President/Ceo of Storyland & Playland Barry Falke all celebrate their birthday tomorrow. So if the Rapture does indeed come I will be out there looting to get them each a present. But most likely I will be at home playing Call of Duty or something. I really need to get a girlfriend.

Visiting the ghosts of Alcatraz Island

I've been busy with Weird Fresno lately. First last week I traveled down south to ride the coasters at Magic Mountain and to explore some of the legends associated with the place. And then later that week I ventured to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. A place where some say it's one of the most haunted places in the United States.

The only way to get to The Rock is by ferry (though I imagine back in the day robbing a bank would get you there). After a twenty minute or so ride we docked at the island and after were briefed on safety rules by a park ranger. After that we were allowed to freely roam the park for as long as we liked.

After briefly touring the grounds I decided to head to the building that housed the cell block (the area where the prisoners were held) and where most of the activity takes place. I have to admit I had some preconceived notions about the place given what I had read and seen on TV.

I had assumed the cell block would be a large, dark and depressing place. But when I first walked in, it really wasn't that. Sure I had goosebumps that I was at Alcatraz, but as I started to look around I noticed how much light was in the building.

Obviously it still had an air of sadness to it being one of the toughest prisons ever in America, but I guess I had just hyped it up in my head to be this desolate place that time had forgot.

The shower area where it's said that you can hear the ghost of

Al Capone playing the banjo.

That being said I headed into the cell block and entered the shower room where you can pick up the audio tour devices. This location is one of the known hot spots of activity. It's said that when notorious mobster Al Capone did time in Alcatraz he received permission to practice his banjo in the shower area as he was afraid he would be attacked if he practiced in the prison rec yard. Now it's said that you can sometimes hear banjo music coming from the shower area, even though it's not part of the audio tour. Interesting side note to this. Several years ago my mother and sister went to Alcatraz on a field trip for school. They didn't ask me about any of the ghosts at that time and I didn't really think of telling them the stories I knew. As both my mother and sister were in the shower area they both heard banjo music and thought it was part of the audio tour but still heard it when the removed their headphones. It was only when they told me what happened later on that I told them about how Al Capone was said to haunt the area.

The laundry area which is next to the showers.

After exiting the shower area I entered the main cell block. From 1934 to 1963 there were 1545 inmates here (some were repeat offenders) and some of the more famous inmates were Al Capone, Robert Stroud the "Birdman of Alcatraz" and George "Machine Gun" Kelly among others. The cell block had 4 sections, blocks A, B, C and D. Blocks A, B and C were general population where Block D was used for isolation. Visitors to cell blocks A & B have claimed to hear moaning and crying coming from the area even though it wasn't part of the audio tour nor were there any visible signs of where the sounds could be coming from. At cell block C it's said that a visiting psychic came across a spirit that went by the name of "Butcher". According to prison records a Abie Maldowitz was murdered in C block and he was a mob hit man who was known as Butcher.

This isn't the only spirit that resides in cell block C. In 1946 three inmates, Bernard Coy, Marvin Hubbard and Joe Cretzer, were killed in the utility corridor in cell block C during a failed prison escape. When the island became a park night security guards have sometimes heard unexplained clanging sounds coming inside from the utility corridor. The guards would open the door to the corridor to see what was making the noise but find nothing. Upon closing the door the noises would start back up again.

The access door to the utility corridor on cell block C. This is where

three inmates died after a failed prison escape attempt.

The final area to have paranormal activity is cell block D, the isolation ward. Alcatraz was already known for housing the most difficult prisoners, ones who were trouble at other prisons. But the ones who were difficult at Alcatraz were placed in isolation. Upon entering this cell visitors have reported feeling what they could only describe as a "raw coldness" and some sort of intensity that filled the cell. Visitors weren't the only ones to feel something strange in 14D, some of the park rangers have reported about the strangeness that seems to encompass the cell. One stated that the cell always felt cold, even colder than the other three isolation cells. They went on to say that even when the cell block was warmed by the sun and temperatures would reach around 70 degrees, 14D would still be so cold that you would need a jacket in there to be warm.

The door on the right is the entrance to the infamous 14D

There's a story that sometime in the 1940's a prisoner was locked up in 14D and was heard constantly screaming throughout the entire night that there was a creature with glowing eyes in there with him and that it was trying to kill him. The next morning when the guards went to release the prisoner they found him strangled to death in the cell. But it gets even stranger. When the headcount was done the next day, the guards counted one too many prisoners. Some of the guards claimed to have seen the dead convict in the line, but would disappear after only a few seconds.

Photo taken from the interior of 14D looking towards the outside.

As I wandered Alcatraz I snapped many photos, hoping something would appear on camera. Unfortunately there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, not even the obligatory dust orbs. As for trying to do any voice recordings, I gave up on this as soon as I saw the large group I was with. That and all the reflective surfaces made any possible EVP virtually impossible. Going here I knew that an actual ghost investigation wouldn't be realistic (is looking for ghosts ever realistic?), but I had hoped for a bit more than just some picture taking. I know Alcatraz does offer a night tour, but I don't know how much less crowded that would be, if at all. Plus there's nothing to say whatever ghosts are there will come out at night as opposed to the day. But I definitely know the creep factor would be way amped up. That alone might be worth the admission.

It's hard for me to say if Alcatraz is truly haunted. I didn't go there looking for ghosts specifically, more of to experience the place and legends. Definitely was an experience though. Looking at all the cells, and realizing that men spent years in something smaller than my apartment bathroom was an eye opener. Plus I was AT Alcatraz, everyone knows about it and at least some of it's history. For all of the places I have explored in the past year, Alcatraz has to be the coolest. But if the stories are true about Alcatraz, it seems that even though it's no longer a working prison some of the prisoners still are imprisoned there.

The ghosts of Magic Mountain

Driving to and from Southern California most of us have taken the mountain pass commonly referred to as the Grapevine. As we drive on Interstate 5 we pass through the small town of Valencia and the theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain. If you have ever had the chance to visit the park you'd know that it contains some of the most thrilling rides on the West Coast. But did you know it has it's share of paranormal activity? Three rides in general seem to be haunted and coincidentally enough all three rides have had deaths reported on them.

The first ride is the giant wooden roller coaster Colossus. In 1978, a 20-year-old woman was ejected from the Colossus ride, and fell to her death. Interestingly enough it's not the woman's ghost who is seen, but that of a young child wearing a striped shirt. He is usually seen at night running underneath the support structure underneath Colossus's tracks. Also sometimes at night the lift chain that pulls the coaster up the track can be hears running even though the ride has been shut down for the night.

The next ride that has a death associated with it is the roller coaster Revolution. In 1996, a part-time employee was killed while crossing the tracks of the ride. She was struck by a train full of park visitors as it returned to the station; both passengers and those waiting in line for the ride saw the victim fly into an area beneath the coaster and she was pronounced dead at the scene from major injuries. It's rumored that on a certain part of the ride (assuming the part where the worker is killed) you can sometimes hear the woman screaming, as if her death is being replayed over and over.

The final ride to have a death associated with it is the mega coaster Goliath. In June of 2001 a 28 year old woman died of a brain aneurysm while on the ride. At night, after the park closes is when the activity is supposed to occur. The security office will get a call from the the ride. When answered there is nothing but static on the other end. A group of guards investigated once but when they got to the ride there was no one around. They did report of an uneasy feeling and quickly left.

Ghostly encounters aren't the only strange thing that is going on at Magic Magic. A UFO was seen over Santa Clarita and was reportedly seen from one of the tower rides at the park. The type of sighting is unknown as I was unable to find the actual report, just mention of the sighting.

So next time you take a trip to Magic Mountain, don't go for just the rides. Check out some of the legends this place has. After all the park has been around for over 40 years and is bound to have some secrets.

California werewolf documentary claims to have werewolf footage shot near Fresno

Over the weekend I received an e-mail from a group who had recently filmed a documentary on werewolves in California. They thought I might be interested as there is some footage shot near Fresno of an alleged werewolf sighting. In 2004 Michael Lakoma was camping and was shooting some video on his cellphone when he saw a black creature in the distance bounding toward him. In the video he says it looks like a wolf jumping but on two feet. I have to be honest, it's hard to determine what the object was given the distance and quality of the video.

Later on in the documentary shows video shot in Tehachapi, Bakersfield. What I find interesting is that all three occurrences took place in 2004. And as an associate of mine put it, why wait seven years to bring this to the masses? Why not alert the media that you found something?

I'm going to leave my opinion out of this for right now. But I have asked the creator of this documentary to put me in contact with the experts they had in it as I have a few questions of my own that I would like to ask. Though I'm curious as to what others think of this video and would encourage to leave your thoughts below as well as on their YouTube page.

Recent UFO reports for the Fresno area

It's been a while since I've reported any recent UFO sightings in the area, so when I came across these I felt it was a good time to share some again. All reports are taken from the National UFO Reporting Center and are posted as they were submitted to the site.

Occurred : 11/20/2010 23:00

Reported: 11/20/2010 11:17:54 PM 23:17

Location: Fresno, CA

Shape: Light

Duration:20 minutes

No objects seen only 5 or more lights moving in a rapid circles. Heavy clouds but lights visible. Unusual and scary.

Fresno California zip 93710 November 20, 2010 11:00 PM Weather is heavy clouds Outside my home is very light similar to what it would look like at the beginning of dusk. On my patio, I first noticed how light is it outside and quite abnormal for this time of night. I glanced up and noticed many lights above the clouds moving fast in wide circles. At first I thought it might be a spotlight on the ground but soon realized there were too many of the lights to be one spotlight circling. They move fast and in a very wide circle but not a perfect circle and the heavy clouds would prevent me seeing any beams of light but only the lights themselves. No objects outside the beams of light were present.

((name and telephone number deleted))

Original report can be found here.

Occurred : 12/26/2010 17:02

Reported: 12/27/2010 2:15:04 AM 02:15

Location: Fresno, CA

Shape: Sphere

Duration:15 seconds

Myself and three others viewed a blue orb like sphere stream across the sky.

UFO Sighting I believe at 5:02 PM Pacific Time Monday; December 27, 2010 in Northeast Fresno, California three individuals and myself viewed what appeared to be an UFO. I have no paranoia towards UFO or extraterrestrial life forms. Although I believe their existence highly possible, I believe that this fact has no effect on what I saw. All three individuals including myself acknowledged the scene that occurred. All four of us pointed and followed the bright blue object that can only be described as an orb, as it streaked across the sky at a much lower altitude of any airplane. The orb went south to northeast and was only visible for more than 15 seconds before it vanished very abruptly. As I alerted the other individuals that it could be a possible UFO, they all dismissed the orb and didn’t mention it all day. We viewed this in the northern sky in our car near the San Joaquin River. The orb seemed to be above the water and going in the direction of the river to the north. I believe I saw something that was not an airplane, and much faster than any remote light or flare. This is not a fake account.

Original report can be found here.

Occurred : 2/10/2011 16:40 (Entered as : 02/10/2011 16:40)

Reported: 2/10/2011 5:17:09 PM 17:17

Location: Fresno, CA

Shape: Light

Duration:25 seconds

10-12 lights - Swarm/Formation

I saw 10-12 lights in the sky. They seemed to by very far away and flying in a swarm around a central point. Then the lights simultaneously spread out into a specific formation. Two rows, offset by one.

At this point, I ran to grab my camera, but there were no lights when I returned.

Original report can be found here.

Occurred : 2/28/2011 09:35 (Entered as : 02-28- 11 9:35)

Reported: 2/28/2011 10:16:56 PM 22:16

Location: Fresno, CA

Shape: Oval

Duration:10 min

We were looking SouthEast when in the sky we saw around oval shape object that was changing color

I was in my bedroom when my brother called out to me to come over into the living room and into the backyard to check out this oval round object in the night sky Southeast of us changing colors,but standing very still for about 10 minutes. Then it started moving and i saw luminous colors coming from the craft ranging from yellow,red,green,white,and blue. It went towards the sierra mountains and left.

Original report can be found here.

Occurred : 3/22/2011 15:00 (Entered as : 3/22/11 15:00)

Reported: 4/3/2011 12:04:54 AM 00:04

Posted: 4/3/2011

Location: Shaver Lake, CA

Shape: Triangle

Duration:2 minutes

triangle black military craft.

Perhaps I shouldn't report this, but somehow it might help. We heard a thunderous noise and went outside to see 3 black triangle shaped aircraft. Following these were 3 more. All made very loud noise. These had to be military in origin. It was facinating as each of the 3 were in triangle formation one out front followed by 2.

We live in the forest and this was very unusual. So no UFO to report. Perhaps you might know what these craft were? They were headed from NE to SW, and there is the Lemore Naval Station 60 miles to the SW. We're about 4,500'. So these were perhaps 6-7k feet. Real close.

Original report can be found here.

As I've stated, these reports came from the National UFO Reporting Center. If you've seen anything I would suggest reporting it here, even if you aren't sure exactly what you saw. The Center compiles a database of objects that are seen in the night sky and perhaps what you saw has been seen by others and by reporting it you can verify what was seen.

Strange creatures caught on video in Yosemite

If you've read this site for a while now, you probably know one of my favorite stories is the one of the strange creatures that were captured on CCTV in Fresno. Over the two plus years that I've being doing this, it has to be the strangest video I have seen and the one that I just cannot explain. I was a bit disappointed in thinking that it was just a one time occurrence. It looks like I might have been wrong.

Over the weekend I came across a video reported to have been shot someone up in the Yosemite area. Now the video quality is bad (seriously how hard is it to get a camera with decent resolution?) but you see two figures moving from left to right across the screen and their movement is similar to the creatures from the original CCTV video.

According to the person who posted the video, "sierraparahunter", a couple that were friends of his captured this video from a security camera aimed at the driveway. Not knowing what it was, they sent it to him knowing he had an interest in the paranormal. He noticed the similarities to the stick figure video and decided to post it to YouTube.

Personally I'm not sure what to say about this. The video quality already has me thinking this isn't real, plus the movements just look so unnatural that I wonder if they are puppets. But I found a second video where "sierraparahunter" went up to where the video was taken, took some reference photos for heights, and superimposed the video over them to get a scale for the figures. If the video is accurate, then the larger figure is about 36" to 40" and the smaller figure is maybe a bit over 24".

I've contact "sierraparahunter" but have not heard back from them yet. Until then I'm going to be cautious and not say this video is legitimate. There are too things that have me questioning this.

Furniture store in Turlock rumored to be haunted.

Minerva's Furniture in downtown Turlock

Photo courtesy of Google Streetview.

Usually the stories I write about on here are local legends I either find somewhere on the internet, in a book or from someone's first hand account. Rarely do I find any news articles on anything paranormal related, and when I do it's rarely taken seriously. So while researching a legend in the town of Turlock, I came across this article of a haunted furniture store that was ran in the Turlock Journal back in October 2010.

The article talks about how when Carlos Sandoval, the owner of Minerva's Furniture moved his store into it's current location back in 2008. As he was moving he would notice apparitions moving in the back hallway and what sounded like metal pieces being banged together in the back warehouse. Apparently the back warehouse used to be a blacksmith's shop and some of the original equipment is still there.

Eventually Sandoval decided he wanted to know what was going on and invited a local paranormal group in to investigate. The investigation occurred on Aug. 14, 2010 and a photo of a black shadow was taken in the main building as well as several EVP recordings were done. Then in a January investigation another EVP was recorded in the basement, this time of a growling like noise.

Though these things were unable to be debunked, the investigation group was still not ready to determine Minerva's haunted. But Sandoval isn't so quick to agree. He says there are still mysteries in his store and there is something not normal there.

Full source: Turlock Journal

Author: Maegan Martens

Strange lights seen in Fresno skies over the weekend

It seems that there were some strange lights seen in Fresno this past weekend. It was a little before 10:00 pm on Saturday night when my phone rang and the caller ID said it was my mother calling. I didn't answer, mostly cause I was in a bar drinking and singing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" in a duet and I want my mother to think that I wasn't out causing trouble. So I let it go to voice mail and checked it a few mintues later. She said she had seen some strange lights in the northern part of Fresno County, in a triangle formation. She said they didn't didn't look normal and wondered if I had seen anything. When I had checked my voicemail I had stepped outside as the previously menitoned bar was packed. I happened to look up into the night sky (which was rather cloudy) and noticed there were several spot lights moving across the clouds. I tried calling my mother back, but didn't get ahold of her. Figuring this is what she saw, I decided to drop the matter and go back inside and finish my drink.

The next morning, as I was heading on out to help a friend, my phone rang again. Checking the caller ID, I see it's the my Google Voice number which is the number I have listed for Weird Fresno. In a hurry, I let it go to voicemail (I swear I answer my phone honestly). When I listened to it later, someone had said they had recieved several calls at 5:40 am saying there were strange lights over the east side of Fresno that were moving rather erraticly.

Now did these Sunday morning lights have anything to do with what my mother saw? I still haven't heard back from her, so it's hard to say. I really doubt they were the spotlights I saw on Saturday night as this sighting took place early Sunday morning. One thing is certain though, strange things are definitely in the Fresno night skies again.