photo credit: Thomas Hawk

I’ve heard of workers striking for better wages and better hours, but never workers striking for a demon free workplace. Indian and Sri Lankan factory workers in Jordan have done just that. Claiming that the Jordanian industrial factories they work in are haunted by evil spirits, they have taken to the streets refusing to work until the factories are exorcised.

This new device may put ghostbusters and exorcists everywhere out of business. Our friends at randi.org have posted an article about a Thai company’s claim that they have invented an in-house “Ghost Repeller”. The Trisaksri Ghost Repellent Machine looks kind of like an old school toaster. The inventor claims that it recognizes and repels evil ghosts and spirits using a video camera that is specially designed for low magnetic fields or natural phenomena:

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photo credit: Aaron Escobar™

Can an island really move like the island(s) on Lost? Short answer yes. Maybe not through a donkey wheel in the bottom of a well, but an island can definitely move around.

The not so technical term is a “floating island” or tussocks, floatons, or sudds. They form when vegetation grows out from shore and eventually becomes buoyant and the roots can’t grab hold of the ground. A heavy wind can shear it off and set it adrift. They’re actually fairly common in lakes. Some are as large as a football field (or more) and can have trees and animal life.

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Gary Goodyear, Canada’s Minister for Science and Technology, has caused quite a stir in the last few days by refusing to answer questions about whether or not he believes in evolution. Bloggers are up in arms condemning the former chiropractor for couching the question in religious terms, and we can’t disagree with them. But here at weirdthings.com we like to keep things in perspective. This guy isn’t the first politician to have a wacky world view. He isn’t even the first Canadian one. We decided it might be a good idea to remind people that most (if not all) politicians are strange by doing a little review of weird world leader beliefs.
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The latest news from cryptozoology.com links to an article from a local Trinidad newspaper. Apparently a one horned beast washed ashore on the island of Cedros and excited locals claimed that it was anything from a Narwhal to a Unicorn. The local Government Counselor’s explanation for what the creature was is far less exciting.

Link to the article.

“EXCELLENT! Finally, my plan to bring joy to the children of the world using gumdrop guided missiles can come to fruition!”

This photo makes us happier than a despot in a candy store. Pictured above is North Korea’s fearless leader Kim Jong-Il inspecting a candy factory, and reminding us that even an evil dictator can have a sweet tooth. According to Kim Jong Il’s former head chef, he has a discriminating pallet and an affinity for Japanese rice cakes. Shady authoritarian rulers and sweet, delicious candy might seem a bit incongruous, but hey, Adolf Hitler was a serious chocoholic and adored chocolate cake. We’re glad that the quality of North Korean candy is enough of a concern for Kim that he took time out of his busy schedule to inspect it and pose for a few pictures while looking fly in his sporting white lab coat.

No, it’s not Casper the friendly ghostfish. The Barreleye fish is an elusive deep sea creature. Until recently scientists didn’t know that it had a bizarre translucent head, then the beast was observed alive and caught on camera.

Time for a little weird physics. What makes supersolids weird? Well according to sciencedaily.com “a supersolid, is an exotic state of matter that behaves simultaneously as a solid and a friction-free superfluid.” This means that supersolids are “defined by two seemingly contradictory properties. The atoms inside it are arranged in a crystalline, regular pattern, like any solid, but at the same time, the atoms are able to flow through the supersolid in an unrestricted way.” Meaning we might be able to use them to create all sorts of insane quantum materials previously unknown to mankind. The implications are mind boggling. Scientist Ludwig Mathey invites us to imagine a friction-free supersolid washing machine:

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Something is amiss on Mars once again. The people over at paranormalnews.com spotted what appears to be shoddy airbrushing in a NASA photo taken of Hale’s Crater, and they’re shouting conspiracy. The nifty graphic above is supposed to expose poor photoshopping done by a NASA technician who apparently couldn’t be bothered to do a bang up job protecting government secrets from public view.

Take a look. Is it an alien landing pad cover up or is there a less sinister explanation? Maybe NASA just got so frustrated with hoaxes, like the face on mars, that they spotted a conspicuously shaped rock formation in Hale’s Crater and figured they’d spare humanity the trouble this time around.

Most of us see fairies as the most harmless of folklore. The Cottingley Fairy hoax perpetrated by Elsie Wright in 1916 comes to mind. What’s the harm? Stories to do with fairies are most often adorable tales of dainty little creatures doing pleasant things. The real life Irish fairy tale of Bridget Cleary however is a few shades darker than your average Guinness.

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You’ve heard of extraterrestrials, you’ve heard of angels, now comes….wait for it….Extraterrestrial Angels. The UFOlogists over at alienresistance.org argue the biblical evidence for aliens and explore the crossover between alien encounters and angelic visitations.

For example, aliens abduct people and according to the site:

The Bible teaches that certain angelic beings routinely abducted human women during the days of Noah, both before the great flood “…and also afterward…” (Genesis 6:1-4).

Coincidence? You decide.

According to Wikipedia” “Micronations are entities that resemble independent nations or states but which are unrecognized by world governments or major international organizations.” The Platform in the picture above is actually the Nation of Sealand. It may seem that not much goes on in Sealand judging by the photo, but this former British fort has had a rocky national history. Helicopter Invasions, massive fires, border disputes with the British Government and at one point they even issued their own passports.

Check out Sealand’s National Website.

We’re going to be bringing you a strange geographic anomaly on a weekly basis, so watch out for more Weird Geography.

We are pleased to announce that the 5th World Congress on Urotherapy is coming up in November, 2009! For those of you not in the uriknow, Urotherapy or Urine Therapy is an alternative medicine that uses human and other animal urine as treatment for a wide range of illnesses.
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Awesome evil magic duo Barry and Stuart sent me a link to this clip from the Sun. Apparently some kid caught a ghost on his camera phone…look familiar?

Look at the fun you too can have with Ghost Vision! Available here for only $15