The Whisperer and the Ghost…

Yes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, star of Ghost Whisperer, does believe in ghosts in real life. In fact, she recently had a conversation with her dead grandmother, thanks to psychic James Van Praagh. She told OK! Magazine, “She just wanted to say hello and tell me that she was looking out for me. It was really nice.” I’m sure Hewitt was an easier audience for Van Praagh than Barbara Walters.

Please, No Pictures…

The hunt for Storsjöodjuret, the infamous lake monster of Sweden, continues. But there is one slight snag for cryptozoologists: cameras have been banned by the council from being used on the shores of Lake Storsjön. Under-water surveillance has passed through local ordinance four times, but if you’re planning an impromptu jaunt with a digital, you had better think twice. Who needs evidence, anyway?

Those Bloody Lesbians…

Perth was shaken in 2006 by the slaying of a 16-year-old girl. The two assailants, Jessica Stasinowsky and her lover Valerie Parashmuti, both pleaded guilty this week to bludgeoning their roommate to death with a concrete block. Apparently, the deed turned them on and they proceeded to make out while standing over her body. Parashmuti, 19, belonged to a vampire cult which engaged in the ritualistic drinking of blood. Their motive? They thought the girl was “annoying” and believed she was flirting with the girls significant other. Thus perpetuating the belief that lesbians are tough, vicious creatures…

Was Darby O’Gill Delusional?

If you’re seeing faeries outside of the nearest gay bar, you might be suffering from Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS). British doctors estimate as many as 100,000 people in England may suffer from CBS. The disturbance causes hallucinations of people, objects, and even little winged human figures while the sufferer remains otherwise of sound mind. Scientists say it is caused by a lack of visual stimulation, not mental illness. Theories for ending CBS vary from stimulating the fingertips to holding your breath to (in extreme cases) medication. In the case of visual hallucinations of leprechauns, I might recommend looking for that pot of gold anyway…

Keep You on Your Toes…

Darlington, Victoria has a new claim to fame: it will soon be home to Australia’s first “vertical cemetery”. Bodies will be buried on biodegradable shrouds standing upright at a cost of $2000—that’s a savings of $5000 on a traditional burial. After all the plots are filled, it will become grazing and for cattle (gives a while new meaning to being put out to pasture, doesn’t it?). Critics in the mortuary business say it’s “disrespectful to the dead” but in these tough economic times, people aren’t too shook up over their rotting corpses.

Mobile Monolith…

After selling their historic manor in Abbotts Court, John and Suzy Burton planned to leave a stone circle constructed by fashion guru Thomas Burberry at the site. The developer made clear his plans to demolish the neo-pagan structure, so the couple decided to take it with them. Neighbors were caught off guard as trucks and cranes descended on the suburbs of Dorchester, setting up the the massive stones. Both practicing witches, the Burtons brought their coven to consecrate the grounds. The added positive energy to the neighborhood has been quite wel-received.

Sweet Astronomy…

Do extraterrestrials have a sweet tooth? It’s possible, since scientists recently found traces of glycoaldehyde—an organic compound related to simple sugar—some 26,000 light years from earth. The discovery, in a remote section of the central Milky Way where life was thought to be impossible, has brought up questions about other life forms existing in space. But the real, burning question is: one lump or two?

Wolf Man No More…

People suffering from “Werewolf Syndrome” may soon be able to live normal lives. Scientists at New York’s Colombia University have made advances in a possible treatment for hypertrichosis, involving testosterone injections. 50 people wordwide suffer from the disease, leading to excessive hair growth over the entire body. This is good news for patients, but bad news for razor manufacturers and circus sideshows.

But bowel movements are big business. Recently at the World Toilet Summit, heath advocates have began rallying for “flushless commodes” to curb wasted water. In Australia, there is even contemplation of a Toilet Tax to cut down on wasted water from flushing.

To mark this day celebrating a device which became a standard fixture of homes thanks to the diligent efforts of Thomas Crapper, I thought it fitting to pay homage to the bathroom ghost. While these videos might be legitimate or fake, they are entertaining nonetheless.

Adam Lee of the cheerfully named Caring Funerals has faced a rough year. In September, he was found guilty of fraud over the mix-up of two corpses. Two bodies, one to see a traditional burial and the other cremation, were erroneously swapped several years prior and bereaved families were compensated for his misdeeds.

But now, it seems Adam found himself in Sydney court again this past week. The 37-year-old unlucky mortician was charged with stalking.

It appears that in December of 2004, Adam drove his hearse in an intoxicated state. He followed Maureen Wyer through the city streets, blowing his horn and unleashing a verbal torrent of obscenities. The incident had been random, since Lee had never previously met Wyer. In court on Tuesday, his lawyer acknowledged Lee’s habit of binge drinking on weekends and “deteriorating… mental state”. Earlier this year, Adam was found guilty of driving under suspension, “driving in a menacing manner”, and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

He was found guilty Thursday of four offenses. Although he has been placed on an 18-month bond for good behavior, his license has been suspended for two years and he was fined an additional $400. A doctor’s report submitted to the court showed a history of depression and abuse of alcohol, so he was further ordered to undergo psychological treatment.

So remember: if you’ve been drinking, it might not be wise to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. But more importantly, embalming while intoxicated could catch you in just as much legal trouble.

Waratah is a word used by the Eora Aboriginal people from what is now New South Wales. It translates to “beautiful” and a native flowering shrub bares the same name. The bright crimson flower is the emblem flower for New South Wales. According to legend, the first waratah shrub sprouted from the place where a young woman died of grief over the death of her warrior lover. While the tale itself is tragic, the fate of those vessels taking on its name seemed to follow the same course.

In 1848, a ship named Waratah sank off the coast of France. Two subsequent Waratah’s were lost at sea near Sydney in 1887. Another went down in the Antartic Ocean in 1894. Still, the Blue Anchor Line built the SS Waratah in Glasgow in 1908 without thought to these other lost vessels. This mistake would prove to be their own demise.

The Waratah departed from London on April 27, 1909, on what would be her second uneventful voyage to the land down under. She left Melbourne on July 1 bound for South Africa on the return voyage. Upon reaching Durban, an engineer named Claude Sawyer left the ship and sent his wife a telegram:

He couldn’t tell his wife his true reasoning. On board the ship, he had experienced a premonition.

While arranging for another vessel, Sawyer reluctantly told the booking clerk of the strange visitor in his cabin. He described it as the corpse-like figure of death in strange clothing resembing a matador (perhaps a pirate ghost?), clutching a long sword. “He was holding the sword in his right hand and it was covered in blood.” Three separate times, the apparition entered his cabin. On each occasion, the specter made but one command: “Leave her!” The visions so terrified Sawyer and though he had sailed many times and was not prone to superstitions, he obeyed and stayed in Durban.

He would live be the sole survivor of the 212 passengers and crew schedued to embark on the final leg of this voyage.

On July 26, one day after leaving South Africa, the ship exchanged cordial greetings with the Clan Macintyre, also bound for London. Weather deteriorated soon afterward and the Waratah may have been spotted twice that evening, though the heavy seas made identification difficult. The Harlow saw what may have been the Waratah following behind her in the crashing waves, billowing with smoke. Two bright flashes came from the direction of the ship and it vanished.

The July 29 arrival date came and went. Authorities assumed engine trouble and waited longer without questioning the delay. In September, the Blue Anchor Line finally chartered a ship to search for the vessel. Though it covered over 14,000 nautical miles, the Waratah was nowhere to be found. An official enquiry was held in London in December. Among the many giving testimony as to the possible fate of the ship was Claude Sawyer. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even held a seance in hope of determining the fate of the steam ship. Word of the disaster spread around the world. The Blue Anchor line never recovered from the tragedy and was forced to sell off their fleet to the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (or “P&O Line”) in 1910.

Over the many years since the disappearance, many people have sought the wreckage of the SS Waratah. A few wrecks were discovered but were later identified as vessels which sank in the world wars. Emlyn Brown of NUMA and Clive Cussler, author of the book Raise the Titanic, were the last to search for the ship. Brown gave up his 22-year search in 2004, declaring “I’ve exhausted all the options. I now have no idea where to look.”

Not one piece of wreckage or cargo was ever found from the Waratah. Its disappearance remains one of the great maritime mysteries. Yet perhaps, like the Flying Dutchman of legend, the spirits of the doomed ship still travel the southern Atlantic on the misty decks of the ethereal Waratah, waiting for their final chance to return to London.

“…finally the USA has run out friends…. …the USA has betrayed not only itself but also those who believed in it. The USA crapped all over us after we trusted it…. …your nation is now reviled as it never has been before. You were our saviours in two world wars. We, the rest of the world, worshipped the ground on which you, America, walked. We now wish that America wasn’t around anymore. We’ll be glad when you’ve stopped embarrassing yourself and us and have left the room.

America is the old guy at the street party… who’s become incontinent, talks rubbish about past glory days and bores the crap out of us with monotonous tales of how good he used to be… …the USA was the best… …but now, just go home, old friend. Just go home and die. This is sad, very sad. So, Joe, say “goodbye” to an old mate. I loved him dearly when he was a young man. It’s a great pity that he passed away the way he did. He deserved a far better send-off.

…I really believe that the USA will become a very dangerous place to live within the next few years. Meanwhile, we here Australia will be learning Chinese as a second language.“

I’ll admit I had a good chuckle over this. I might have laughed more if I didn’t think he had a good point…

Michael O’Neill decided a change of scenery might do him a world of good. He departed on June 2nd, unannounced, from his Middlesborough residence on a vacation to Australia and didn’t bother to tell anyone about it. With his last-minute trip, notifying neighbors and friends slipped his mind.

Neighbors became restless with worry and the police were called when no signs of life came from Mr. O’Neill’s home. Upon breaking in, they found the place deserted. Friends were shocked and saddened to see in the newspaper the reports of the death of Michael O’Neill, leaving behind two brothers: Terry and Kevin.

In an interesting twist, the obituary was for another man, nearly the same age, in his town, who also had brothers with the same names as his own.

O’Neill returned home on August 11th to find his door broken in. As he headed around town, friends were approaching him, filled with shock and relief. One neighbor did receive a postcard from abroad but word hadn’t spread fast enough. Yet some people still mistake him for a ghost.

“They can’t believe it’s me and I’m still alive,” O’Neill told The Telegraph. “I’m a nervous wreck because everywhere I go people keep grabbing me!”

Participants were given a variety of tasks to perform, including finding a “lost” boy in the Outback, detecting a piece of contraband in 70 shipping containers, and uncovering the bones of famed bushranger Ned Kelly in the notorious Old Melbourne Gaol.

Finally, a winner has emerged. Last night, Charmaine Wilson won the audience’s vote.

Her autobiography, Spirit Whispers, is available in limited release by calling the number listed on her website.

Surprisingly, UFOs have been spotted many times in Australia. And some people claim to know the strange connection aliens might have with this land.

It was where they began populating the earth.

A well-known feature of the Northern Territory is Uluru, or Ayers Rock. Hidden withing the crevices are ancient Aboriginal paintings and inscriptions. One of these has ufologists talking.

“Once upon a time, in a distant past, a huge red ‘egg’ had difficulties to safely reach the ground and crashed. Out of the ‘egg’ emerged white-skinned beings, followed by their children. The adults had problems adapting to the Earth’s atmosphere and died. The children managed to survive.“

So, according to Aboriginal beliefs, something landed in the Outback a very long time ago and brought with it life as we know it. According to Bill Chalker, connections with aliens still exist in rituals and legends passed along in some tribes to this day. Early settlers even reported strange phenomena around the continent.

Then, of course, there’s the question about Uluru itself. It, along with three other nearby formations, resemble triangles. Some ufologists and enthusiasts say these do not resemble natural structures. In satellite images of the anomalies, the triangles appear to have similar characteristics and are even oriented in the same direction.

Uluru itself is believed by Aborigines to have an energy source, Tjukurpa, beneath it. There have been a few times in history the rock has changed color.

Is this proof of the past visitation of extra-terrestrials? The question is still unanswered and hotly debated. Many natural structures almost appear to be man-made. And as for the native tales passed down, there could be more symbolism than fact to the words. Looking up into the vastness of the night sky, it’s easy to imagine our early ancestors forming fantastic tales from the great unknown.

But could there be some truth to the mythology?

More importantly, does this theory mean that I can claim to be Australian through ancestral lineage?