Te Manawa is spooky today

A ghostly figure flitting past the wall, a giant ouija board made from skulls, a psychic experiment to test teenage girls.

When Wellington artist and curator Pippa Sanderson asked 13 artists to create works on spiritualism, only telepathy could have helped her predict the results.

The Blue Room, a series of New Zealand artists' interpretations of the supernatural and occult, opens at Te Manawa today.

It is only the second time the exhibition has been on display since opening in a secluded basement gallery in Dunedin last year.

Sanderson put the show together after stumbling across a tattered old copy of The Blue Room in a secondhand bookstore.

Written by renowned spiritualist Clive Chapman, the book documents a series of seances and psychic experiments undertaken during the 1920s at "the blue room", a house in Dunedin.

Sanderson already had a historical interest in the supernatural her mother's side of the family were all spiritualists. "They had seances in the living room," she said.

"It's something that's always been there I've never seen a ghost, but I've kind of heard ghosts or spirits, giving messages I suppose you'd say."

She was interested to think what kind of spiritual ideas other artists would have, and with a resurgence of public interest in the supernatural on television, internet sites and other media the time seemed right.

Artists were asked for their response to The Blue Room, and the answers were "surprising and intriguing", she said. "Some people in the show have seen ghosts, and others are complete sceptics."

Artist Audrea du Chatenier spent hours on the internet trawling for spells, incorporated into Wishland a giant ouija board, made from wool, sheep and goat skulls.

Visitors can take home spells for finding love, breaking up love triangles, getting rid of lovers or making people happy.

Artists and high-school friends Saskia Leek and Violet Faigan explored the relationships between teenage girls, asking if a close friendship is because of familiarity or something more spiritual.

In their respective homes in Auckland and Christchurch, each kept an art diary documenting their attempts to send messages by telepathy.

The results are interesting, and a little spooky.

But if you think the exhibition will solve any mysteries, think again. "It doesn't answer any questions how can you?" Sanderson said.

The exhibition runs until October 11, with an artist's talk on July 11 at 2pm.

Conspiracy Theorist Convinces Neil Armstrong Moon Landing Was Faked

LEBANON, OHIO—Apollo 11 mission commander and famed astronaut Neil Armstrong shocked reporters at a press conference Monday, announcing he had been convinced that his historic first step on the moon was part of an elaborate hoax orchestrated by the United States government.

According to Armstrong, he was forced to reconsider every single detail of the monumental journey after watching a few persuasive YouTube videos, and reading several blog posts on conspiracy theorist Ralph Coleman's website, OmissionControl.org.

"It only took a few hastily written paragraphs published by this passionate denier of mankind's so-called 'greatest technological achievement' for me to realize I had been living a lie, " said a visibly emotional Armstrong, addressing reporters at his home. "It has become painfully clear to me that on July 20, 1969, the Lunar Module under the control of my crew did not in fact travel 250,000 miles over eight days, touch down on the moon, and perform various experiments, ushering in a new era for humanity. Instead, the entire thing was filmed on a soundstage, most likely in New Mexico."

"This is the only logical interpretation of the numerous inconsistencies in the grainy, 40-year-old footage," Armstrong added.

Although Armstrong said he "could have sworn" he felt the effects of zero gravity while soaring out of the Earth's atmosphere and through space, he now believed his memory must be flawed. He also admitted feeling "ashamed" that he had failed to notice the rippling of the American flag he and Buzz Aldrin planted on the surface, blaming his lack of awareness on the bulkiness of the spacesuit and his excitement about traveling to the "moon."

"That rippling is not possible in the vacuum of space," Armstrong said. "It must have been the wind from an air-conditioning duct that I didn't recognize because you can't hear a damn thing inside those helmets."

"This is all just common sense, people," he added. "It's the moon. You can't land on the moon."

In a symbolic display of his newfound skepticism, Armstrong then grabbed a collection of moon rocks he had kept as souvenirs and dramatically dumped them into a trash can.

One of the main arguments posited on Coleman's website—that America could not, in 1969, have realistically possessed the technological capabilities needed to put a man on the moon—was reportedly one of the first things to cause the legendary astronaut a pang of doubt. Despite having spent thousands of hours training for the historic mission under the guidance of the world's top scientists, technicians, and pilots, Armstrong said he knew the conspiracy theories were true after learning that website author Coleman was "quite the engineering buff."

"Yes, at the time I thought those thousands of NASA employees were working round the clock for the same incredible goal, but if anyone would know what was really going on, it would be Ralph Coleman," Armstrong said of the 31-year-old part-time librarian's assistant. "He knows a lot more about faked moon landings than I ever could. He's been researching the subject on the Internet for years."

"Literally years," he added.

Addressing another inconsistency brought to light by OmissionControl, Armstrong explained he was probably so focused on piloting the lunar module that he failed to notice that one of the moon rocks visible in footage of the landing appears to have the letter 'C' stamped on it. An emotional Armstrong said that the only possible explanation for this detail was that the rock actually came from NASA's prop department.

"They forgot to turn it over," Armstrong said, removing his eyeglasses to wipe away tears. "Those lying bastards at NASA went through all the trouble to fake the moon landing, but they forgot to turn over one little prop rock. And now the whole damn thing's blowing up in their faces."

Although Armstrong initially questioned why the U.S. would attempt such an elaborate cover-up, he cited one overarching explanation provided by Coleman: that it was a ploy to defeat the Soviet Union and fulfill the Illuminati's plan to unify the world's banks and control the dissemination of information.

"Just ask Ralph Coleman," Armstrong said. "He'll answer any questions you have."

To conclude the press conference, Armstrong showed reporters footage of his first steps on the moon to demonstrate that the most daming evidence was "right under our noses." Speeding up the tape and replaying the graceful moonwalk several times in a row, Armstrong explained that the iconic images of humanity's triumphant dance with the cosmos was actually just a film of him walking backwards, slowed down, and played in reverse.

"What other explanation could there be?" Armstrong asked. "It's all right here. Everything is all right here if you'd just open your damn eyes and see!"

Added Armstrong, "I suppose it really was one small step for man, one giant lie for mankind."

PARANORMAL SEARCHERS NOTE: Giving you the sad state of News Media today, several newspapers are reporting this as real. So much for investigative reporting..

Return of Mongolian Death Worm Expedition

There may not actually be solid evidence of an acid-spitting, lightning-throwing Mongolian deathworm living in the Gobi Desert but Motueka cameraman Christie Douglas is a believer and there will definitely be a documentary about it.

Douglas and journalist David Farrier have recently returned from Mongolia, where they spent about two weeks trying to verify the deathworm's existence.

Some Mongolians say the Allghoi Khorkhoi, or "intestine worm", resembles a 1.5 metre-long creature that jumps out of the sand and kills people by spitting concentrated acid or shooting lightning from its rectum over long distances.

Mr Douglas said the trip was a "real adventure". They were travelling with three Mongolians, and got to know locals who were keen to share their stories of the deathworm.

Mr Farrier would not say if the pair discovered evidence of the fantastical creature because he did not want to reveal too much about the documentary.

"As far as telling the story about the deathworm, I'd say we were pretty successful in what we came back with and we have definitely got a doco on our hands."

The pair recorded about 30 hours of footage, and Mr Farrier is hoping to produce a 90 minute documentary by the middle of next year. He aims to show it at at film festivals and in Mongolia, where the locals are keen to see the results of the filming.

"The story of the creature hasn't been told yet in any kind of factual way. It's always been crazy people out with flashlights on their heads looking for it no one has got any facts down about it and that's what this is going to do."

Mr Farrier said many alleged sightings of the deathworm peaked during the 1950s and a lot of the witnesses were no longer around. "I felt pretty lucky to get to some of them before they are actually dead."

In the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator no-one had heard of the deathworm, he said.

However, as they headed south towards the Gobi Desert more and more locals were aware of it.

Mr Farrier said the whole expedition was a fantastic experience, despite experiencing increasingly unpleasant conditions in the Gobi Desert. They didn't wash for two weeks, and at one stage it was so dry that when they blew their noses blood would come out.

Mr Farrier said he believed the deathworm existed and another trip to Mongolia wasn't out of the question. "There are more leads that can be chased up as far as the deathworm goes, and there is also the Almas, which is their version of the Yeti, which comes down from Russia occasionally, and other creatures are calling from Mongolia."

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North Devon Explorers Begin Hunt For Sumatran 'Yeti'

A group of British explorers and scientists from the North-Devon based Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ), the world's largest mystery animal research organisation, is about to embark on an expedition in search of a yeti-like creature in Indonesia.

The four-man team will search the jungles of Sumatra for what locals call the "orang-pendek.". The powerfully built, upright-walking beast may be related to both the orang-utan and the much larger yeti of mainland Asia.
In the same island chain remains of the tiny hominid known as Homo floresiensis were unearthed in 2003.

The Kubu people - an ancient race who were the first inhabitants of Sumatra - will aid the team. The tribe and their chief have seen the creature in their poorly explored jungle homelands.

Westerners have sighted the orang-pendek too, including Englishwoman Debbie Martyr, now head of the Indonesian tiger conservation group, and wildlife photographer Jeremy Holden.

Also reported in the same jungles are huge horned snakes said to be ten metres long, and a savage, golden cat with a stubby tail and large canine fangs.

The expedition's zoologist, Richard Freeman, Zoological Director of the CFZ, said: "The orang-pendek is especially interesting as it is an ape that walks upright rather than on all fours. It may show us how our own ancestors first began bipedal locomotion.

"The cigau may be a surviving form of Homotherium or scimitar cat, which is a beast related to the better known sabre-toothed cats. Fossils of this animal have been found in Indonesia that are only 10,000 years old. In evolutionary or geological terms that is yesterday.

"The giant snakes, known as 'nagas' by the Kubu, may be a new species. There are horned snakes such as the rhinoceros viper and the horned viper, but these are small. The nagas of the Kubu are said to be ten metres long! The 'horns' are probably modified scales.

"New species are turning up in Indonesia all the time; it is the real life lost world.

Team leader Adam Davis, together with Dr Chris Clark and Dave Archer, will join Mr Freeman.

You can follow the group's adventures on line at the CFZ website on www.cfz.org.uk

Paranormal Searchers: Haunting Investigation

Paranormal Searchers will be investgating a 19th century building up in Ruidoso, NM. At least 3 people have died there. One in a bowie knife fight when the building was a saloon. Will have further details and a live twitter on location through Sat Night.

Politics: Is the GOP a cult?

Gene Lyons
With deep connections to "The Family" and other "End Time" Christian Sects

"Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one." -- Charles MacKay, "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds," 1841

Is there anybody who's forgotten exactly what President George W. Bush was doing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001? He was in a Florida classroom, reading to schoolchildren. Because it was televised, almost everybody witnessed Bush's stunned reaction to the al-Qaida terrorist atrocity. It would be years before we learned that one reason for the president's deer-in-the-headlights look was: OMG, what if anybody finds out I blew off that CIA briefing?

But that's not the point. Bush had received a minority of the votes in the 2000 election. He was made president by a Supreme Court decision many regarded as farcical. Yet nobody seriously protested his reading to schoolchildren. Urging kids to stay in school and improve their prospects in life is one of those ceremonial presidential tasks like pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey or greeting the World Series champions.

Making a stink about it would be as petty and ridiculous, as Florida (yes, Florida) Republican Chairman Jim Greer's hissy fit about President Obama's alleged attempt to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda" by urging them to do their homework and earn their diplomas.

On cue, the GOP's influential Henny Penny faction took up the cry. During a slow week, cable news networks featured pundits bickering about Obama's speech. (They'd call tapioca "controversial" if some wingnut did.) On Fox News, one commentator denounced the president's sinister motives. "They do this type of thing in North Korea and the former Soviet Union."

As Josh Marshall pointed out, Obama had to be the first black man since Bill Cosby was a pup criticized for urging kids to study. Even so, school boards in such benighted precincts as Fayetteville, Ark. -- a university town, for heaven's sake -- caved to the pressure. No mandatory exposure to the Antichrist's glowing, hypnotic eyes: "Forsake your families, children, and follow ME!"

So has the GOP actually degenerated into a cult? Well, it's impolite to say so. Also, not every prominent Republican endorsed the latest crackpot enthusiasm. Former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough wondered aloud, "Where are all the GOP leaders speaking out against this kind of hysteria?" On CNN, Laura Bush praised Obama's message and added that she thinks "it's also really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States."

Even Newt Gingrich said something relatively sensible. So you know the Henny Penny bunch went too far. More symptomatic was a Survey USA poll taken in the Missouri heartland showing that 70 percent of parents would urge their children to pay close attention to Obama's address, versus 21 percent who'd prefer to keep their kids home from school -- foolish, but definitely their right.

A poll in Fayetteville, near the Missouri border, would likely show similar results. In Arkansas generally, the fundamentalist right traditionally makes all the noise but loses most elections to moderate Democrats. So why did school boards cower? Maybe because they know that while Obama supporters might grumble, they won't show up with guns.

A more significant mystery is why Democrats nationally don't make better use of the GOP's periodic episodes of paranoia. While it's impossible to anticipate the exact content of its delusions -- comparing Obama to Hitler and Korean strongman Kim Jong Il, "Birthers" denying his citizenship, "death panels," White House "czars," etc. -- their appearance should come as no surprise.

After all, millions of Americans are attracted to "End Times" narratives as theology and popular entertainment. Not for nothing did Tim LaHaye's ponderously bad "Left Behind" sell millions of copies. How thrilling to imagine that one's humdrum existence has cosmic meaning. Of course, it's questionable how deeply people investing in life insurance policies and 30-year mortgages actually believe that stuff.

It's much the same with the far right's political delusions. How many seriously believe that Democrats favor euthanasia? Relatively few.

But you can't beat something with nothing. Which is why the Democrats' collective failure to develop a strong counter-narrative remains so bewildering. Are they waiting for what Eric Alterman calls the So Called Liberal Media to step up?

That's never going to happen. To cable TV, in particular, politics is a carnival sideshow; they're peddling tickets. Countering one falsehood at a time keeps Democrats constantly on the defensive. People need to be told a competing story: Who's deceiving them, and why. Take "death panels." Who first concocted the lie? Who pays her? Where does the money come from?

Describing the machinations of the right-wing noise machine shouldn't simply be left to Internet media critics. It should be an out-front political issue at a national and local level.

Sure, they'll call it "class warfare." They already do.

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Back From Dragon Con!

Kevin Bingham of Paranormal Searchers has returned Dragon Con, the world's largest Science Fiction Convention. Dragon Con (also Dragon*Con) is a North America multigenre convention, held annually in Atlanta, Georgia. We may have to put him in therapy, he has been babbling nonstop about upcoming movies, Paranormal activites. Luckily, Chris put him down with a trank dart and Kevin is recovering nicely. :)

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We have a ton of videos we are editing from interviews at Dragon Con! Should start posting them next Week!

Oxygen: A 3d Animation Short

Backyard Bigfoot: gorilla-like creature photographed in Kentucky garden

The large, hairy beast can be seen in a blurry picture taken on an automatic camera set up by an amateur hunter.

While flicking through images of rabbits and deer, Kenny Mahoney noticed a dark, humanoid creature that does not look like any of the southern US state's known native species.

The mystery animal's head appears too small for it to be a bear, leaving Mr Mahoney wondering whether he had accidentally captured one of the clearest ever photos of Bigfoot.

"It looked like it had the outline of a head, and like gorilla type shoulders, and then the arms crossed is what it looks like to me," he told local news station WAVE-TV .

"One of the explanations my brother-in-law said it may be a garbage bag blowed up in there, but all the smashed over vegetation in there-I really don't know. I have no idea what it is."

Mr Mahoney, or Jefferson County, said he is very doubtful that the creature in the photo is Bigfoot. His wife Margaret has sent the image to a wildlife expert in the hope of getting it identified.

The mythical ape-like creature Bigfoot is most regularly sighted in the forests in the northwestern states and provinces of North America, although last month a teenage girl in Poland reported seeing a similar beast.

Last year two men in the US state of Georgia claimed to have discovered a body of Bigfoot but subsequently confessed that photos they produced as "proof" of their find actually showed a rubber ape costume.

Steampunk: The Book Trailer for Scott Westerfeld's "Leviathan"

Unknown Creature Found By Russian Soldiers

This creature was found by Russian soldiers on Sakhalin shoreline. Sakhalin area is situated near to Japan, it’s the most eastern part of Russia, almost 5000 miles to East from Moscow (Russia is huge). People don’t know who is it. According to the bones and teeth – it is not a fish. According to its skeleton – it’s not a crocodile or alligator. It has a skin with hair or fur. It has been said that it was taken by Russian special services for in-depth studies, and we are lucky that people who encountered it first made those photos before it was brought away.


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Jennifer Connelly convinced Brooklyn home was haunted

Actress Jennifer Connelly has revealed that she is convinced her home in Brooklyn, New York, was haunted. The 38-year-old star was forced to move from the house in Brooklyn that she shared with her actor husband Paul Bettany, 38, because she thinks it has ghosts. The pair, who are bringing up their six-year-old son Stellan and Connelly’s 12-year-old son Kai from a previous relationship, thought the home was spooked. After the kids started to think the same, the couple packed up and moved...

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Computer algorithm to decipher ancient texts

Researchers in Israel say they have developed a computer program that can decipher previously unreadable ancient texts and possibly lead the way to a Google-like search engine for historical documents.

The program uses a pattern recognition algorithm similar to those law enforcement agencies have adopted to identify and compare fingerprints.

But in this case, the program identifies letters, words and even handwriting styles, saving historians and liturgists hours of sitting and studying each manuscript.

By recognizing such patterns, the computer can recreate with high accuracy portions of texts that faded over time or even those written over by later scribes, said Itay Bar-Yosef, one of the researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

"The more texts the program analyses, the smarter and more accurate it gets," Bar-Yosef said.

The computer works with digital copies of the texts, assigning number values to each pixel of writing depending on how dark it is. It separates the writing from the background and then identifies individual lines, letters and words.

It also analyses the handwriting and writing style, so it can "fill in the blanks" of smeared or faded characters that are otherwise indiscernible, Bar-Yosef said.

The team has focused their work on ancient Hebrew texts, but they say it can be used with other languages, as well.

The team published its work, which is being further developed, most recently in the academic journal Pattern Recognition due out in December but already available online.

A program for all academics could be ready in two years, Bar-Yosef said.

And as libraries across the world move to digitize their collections, they say the program can drive an engine to search instantaneously any digital database of handwritten documents.

Uri Ehrlich, an expert in ancient prayer texts who works with Bar-Yosef's team of computer scientists, said that with the help of the program, years of research could be done within a matter of minutes.

"When enough texts have been digitized, it will manage to combine fragments of books that have been scattered all over the world," Ehrlich said.