St. John’s Day The date June 24 is one tied to some of the weirdest happenings. Enjoy the day, and keep a watch out for the unusual to occur. What’s that behind you? Here is a rundown of some previous events on this day: Knights Templars display “Mysterious Head” at Poitiers (1308). Founding of the Order of the Garter (1348). John Cabot discovers North America (1497). Galileo released (1633). “Woman of the Wilderness” utopian community arrives in America (1694). “W of W” angelic visions (1701). Grand Lodge of Freemasons inaugurated (1717). Ambrose Bierce born (1842). Red rain, Italy (1877). Ice [...]
Panther Researcher Dies In Plane Crash
An internationally known expert on the endangered Florida and cryptid eastern panthers, David Maehr, 52, died young, doing what he loved, looking for wildlife. The University of Kentucky associate professor was killed on Friday, June 13, 2008, when the single-engine Piper Cub airplane he was riding in crashed mid-day near Placid Lakes Airport in central Florida. The pilot, citrus grove owner Mason Smoak, 33, also died. Maehr was the only passenger. Within the cryptozoological community, Maehr was known for his work exploring the existence of the eastern puma, and his research on the rediscovery of the Florida panther. Maehr was [...]
Rash of Zoo Deaths
Petal. Animals usually live longer in zoos, of course, than they do in the wild. Needless to say, zoos regularly experience animal deaths. During the last month, however, there has been a bit of a cluster of older animals dying, some of them notable enough to get media attention. Have the deaths been routine or mysterious? Here’s a roundup: Woodland Park Zoo’s zebras. Amy, 32, zebra. The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle has reported that a 32-year-old female zebra named Amy died on June 17, 2008. Zoo officials said zebras may live about 20 to 30 years in the wild. [...]
SFx Legend Stan Winston, 62, Dies
Intriguing that today, of all days, I should update a posting on a special effects genius, the late John Chambers. Now word comes in another great in the field, Stan Winston (above), 62, passed away, late Sunday, June 15, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. He died following a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma. “Stan died peacefully at home surrounded by family,” a spokeswoman said. His work is familiar to you. Winston created the title characters in Iron Man, The Terminator, Pumpkinhead, Predator, Aliens, as well as the monsters in Monster Squad, and the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. He worked on [...]
Myakka, Masks, and John Chambers
It all began with a December 22, 2000, letter signed “God Bless. I prefer to remain anonymous,” mailed to the Sarasota (Florida) Sheriff’s Department.
Death Cluster
Talk of the Mothman or Mokele-Mbembe curses aside, I find myself in the midst of some times that have me reeling and beyond my understanding. My stepsister Shelley Atkins, 57, who was diagnosed with bone cancer less than two weeks ago, died around 7:30 pm, last night, June 9, 2008, in southern California. Shelley was also within my kinship tree as a cousin. (My mother’s second husband was my mother’s first cousin’s widower husband, and thus the children who were my mother’s second cousins then became her stepchildren – and by extension, my stepsiblings.) Shelley’s death follows my mother’s sudden [...]
Seeking Searle: Nessie Hunter
Frank Searle and Lieve Peten For years I searched for Frank Searle, the Loch Ness Monster hunter. Finally, I found him, but it was too late, and instead, had to write an obituary, noting “Nessie Seeker Frank Searle (1921-2005) Dies.” Recently, repeats of a documentary The Man Who Captured Nessie, directed by Andrew Tullis and released on December 29, 2005, have been broadcast on Scottish television. While trying to relocate my obituary on Frank Searle, I have discovered it has disappeared from the Internet. So here, to revisit the legacy of this man, I republish my look at Searle, who [...]
Zoorama’s Host Dies
Bob Dale, San Diego TV legend and host of the famed animal program, “Zoorama,” died at 83, on Monday, May 26, 2008. He had been in declining health for some time, but his daughter, Linda, said he kept his wonderful spirit and wit right up to the end. People who grew up in southern California in the 1950s and 1960s, may remember Dale’s stylist bowtie and good humor. “Few people connect with an audience the way Bob did,” NBC 7/39 Vice President of News Greg Dawson said Wednesday. “As a television personality, he did it all. For those of us [...]
New Murder Theory: Killed By Owl?
Strix varia A former neighbor of a Durham, North Carolina, man convicted of his wife’s murder claims the death was not caused by a human, but rather by an aggressive owl. Larry Pollard claims his deceased neighbor Kathleen Peterson was killed by an owl attack in December 2001, not by her husband, novelist Mike Peterson, who is serving a life sentence in prison for the crime, the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer reported on May 26, 2008. Kathleen and Mike Peterson, in happier times. Pollard, who formerly worked as a lawyer, said he has spent years gathering information that indicates [...]
China’s Oldest Panda Dies
Giant pandas are one of the “classic animals of discovery” in cryptozoology. Taotao, at 36, China’s oldest captive panda and the enduring favorite of millions of visitors to Shandong Province’s Jinan Zoo, died Wednesday, May 22, 2008, following a battle against old age and illness, China News Service reported. Only a few weeks ago, it will be recalled, Tokyo’s popular giant panda, Ling-Ling, died of old age at the age of 22 years and seven months. Taotao died from brain thrombus disease and cerebral hemorrhaging at 36, far beyond the normal life expectancy of 25 years for a panda in [...]
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