Before Alan Moore’s 1987 retelling of the story, came 1979’s Czech ballad of The Swamp Thing. From what we can gather, this meme has been around for a little while but it’s new to us and hopefully a few of you guys.
Thanks to Weird Things reader @Bizmar on Twitter for throwing this our way.
A few friends go hiking in the Russian wilderness on an early February night in 1959. The Ural Mountain area is desolate, but not unmanageable for these nine veteran hikers.
On a larger scale, the Soviet Union continues to ascend in global power. Cuba is weeks away from succumbing to Communist revolution. Secrecy and corruption in all levels of government continue to run unchecked in an Iron Curtain system which it’s own citizens don’t dare question and the rest of the world fears.
Those nine hikers were found dead. Two of them had fractured skulls. Many of them were in various states of undress. One of them had her tongue ripped out of her mouth. All of their clothes had trace levels of radiation.
Their tent was ripped open. From the inside.
What were they trying to get away from? Were they running from something? Or someone? Did top secret chemical weapons testing cause them to go psychotic? Did a group of indigenous people brutally, torture and murder the friends?
Why was the subsequent investigation sealed under high level secrecy for decades?
The intervening 52 years haven’t provided hard answers, but there are plenty of theories ranging from UFOs to high-tech military testing.
The snow swept scenery is now called Dyatlov Pass in memory of Igor Dyatlov, the leader of those who died under such odd circumstances. Read about them AFTER THE JUMP… Read the rest of this entry »
Mr Pickles said he saw an animal the size of three cars speed past him on the lake and watched it for about 20 seconds.
“Its skin was like a seal’s but it’s shape was completely abnormal – it’s not like any animal I’ve ever seen before.”
Archaeologists working in Gough’s Cave in Somerset, UK have unearthed three human skulls used as cups, and at 14,700-years-old they are some of the oldest known examples in the world. Much care went into their construction:
“The cut-marks and dents show how the heads were scrupulously cleaned of any soft tissues shortly after death,” says Silvio Bello from London’s Natural History Museum. Later, the face bones and the base of the skull would have been removed, before the cranial vaults were meticulously shaped into cups by retouching broken edges. “All in all,” says Bello, “it was a very painstaking process given the tools available.”
CBS Atlanta has recently launched an investigation into whether the government is poisoning you with airplanes. I am not going to spoil the answer for you; you are going to have to watch yourself. Tough questions indeed.
A Russian military engineer, Evgeny Ubiyko, is building an $80,000 Doomsday Capsule designed to survive the 2012 apocalypse, as understood from folklore, television and movies. Ubiyko is building his capsule on an abandoned battery farm just outside Moscow.
“The capsule is hermetic, it’s got four layers of insulation. It can float, roll down hills, and land upside down – without being damaged,” Evgeny explains.
“It cannot be destroyed by tremors, or lava, or magnetic storms. This is where the shower will be, and the air purification systems. It can house up to four people for 40 days and costs $80,000.”
I want to reiterate this last point: the inventor claims that this capsule is impervious to LAVA. That is something that I would like to see in action. Hey, fun fact – if the world doesn’t actually end, Evgeny says the capsules can be used as saunas or industrial fridges. He strongly recommends that the government order several thousand immediately.
[RT]
Everybody’s working for the hideous possible furry alien found in Indonesia weekend.
Thanks to Weird Things reader Lawrence for the tip.
“Officers determined it was indeed a live, high-explosive military device. Explosives experts from Alachua County responded and identified the device as an M247 rocket with 2.3 pounds of composition B for the explosive.”
“Police also remind everyone not to approach any suspicious devices, and to call police immediately.”
Clearly, I am spending too much time indoors and need to get out and drive around this fine state more.
[WTSP]
Australian researchers claim that initial results of a “thinking cap” that promotes creativity by passing low levels of electricity through the brain has shown promising results. The thinking cap consists of two conductors fastened to the head by a rubber strap, and in tests it significantly boosted results in a simple arithmetic test. The researchers claim that three times as many people who wore the thinking cap were able to complete the test, compared to those who did not.
“The dream is that one day we may be able to stimulate the brain in a particular way to give you, just momentarily, an unfiltered view of the world,” Snyder said.
[Physorg]
The lesser known 5th horseman of the apocalypse is called Lens Flare and he rides a glowing horse.
Thanks to Weird Things reader Mark Sissions for the link.
“The massive group is believed to be made from hundreds of packs and has left animal experts baffled. Dr Valerius Geist, a wildlife behaviour expert, said the harsh Siberian winter – where temperatures plummet to minus 49C – had killed off the animal’s usual prey.
He said: ‘It is unusual for wolves to gather in such numbers of hunt large animal like horses. ‘However, the population of their usual prey, rabbits, has decreased this year due to lack of food, so wolves have had to change their habits.”
Q: What qualifications do I need to fly?
A: You must be a good swimmer, and should not feel uncomfortable having your face in the water from time to time. You should not have a fear of heights. You should be in good health and physical condition. You should have no history of any heart conditions and flying is not advised for women who are pregnant. You must also have good vision and be able to understand the instructor.
Anybody got a spare $136,000?
[Jetlev Flyer via CNN]