Dragon-sized lizard eluded science, until now

by Charles Q. Choi

Spectacularly colored new species of monitor lizard found in the Philippines.


Picture is (C) copyright to Reuters

A giant, spectacularly colored new species of monitor lizard has just been revealed to scientists in the Philippines.

The reptile, which is roughly 6 feet long (1.8 meters), is kin to Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizards. Named Varanus bitatawa, this newly discovered species, decorated in stripes of gold flecks and armed with huge, curved claws for climbing trees, is one of only three fruit-eating monitor species in the world.

As humans continue to explore the last uncharted regions of the planet, discoveries of previously unknown species of large vertebrates have become rare. It remains doubly surprising this reptile managed to escape the attention of the many biologists that work on the heavily populated island of Luzon.

"I am most impressed that such a large, conspicuous, brightly colored species of monitor lizard escaped the notice of biologists for the past 150 years," said researcher Rafe Brown, a field herpetologist at the University of Kansas.

Still, remarkably few surveys have explored the reptile diversity of the island's northern forests. The reptile also seems highly secretive and dislikes traversing open areas.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>

Grieving relatives discover 'dead' man's heart still beating

by Sina

CHENGDU: Medics at a hospital in Neijiang, Sichuan province, have come under fire after declaring the victim of a traffic accident dead and sending the man's body to a funeral home when his heart was still beating.

However, Zhang Houming, a construction worker, died about an hour after relatives discovered the error at the funeral home last Friday. He was 46.

Zhang was pronounced dead the first time after his motorcycle collided with a bus as he returned home with his 23-year-old son Zhang Haibo, at about 2:30 pm that day. The son, who worked with his father at the same construction site in Lingjia town, was knocked unconscious in the collision.

An ambulance arrived at the scene about two hours later, and its driver blamed traffic for the delay.

Zhang's colleague surnamed You said it took him less than an hour to get to the work site from his house, which is located in the city center, and using his electric bike.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>

Feng Shui Tomb

by Spooky Corner

Author’s Note : I got this story from this TV talk show program shown in Taiwan called “Unbelievable World” (direct translation) which features people from all walks of life to discuss about their experiences with this mysterious world. Here’s one story about a Feng Shui Master

Feng Shui Master’s mum recently passed away. At that time, Feng Shui Master was still at his early days of his career going through a rough patch. Because he was always too busy to arrange for his mother’s funeral, he requested his student, to pick the most auspicious date and location to bury his mother’s remains. It is said to believe that an ancestor’s burial spot is most important because it would affect the future generations.

Feng Shui Student was eager to please his teacher so he took a lot of care in choosing the auspicious date and location. After a few weeks of calculation and analysis, Feng Shui Student presented to his teacher his chosen preference. The student explained to his teacher that if indeed the day he had chosen is auspicious, then his teacher would see two signs, one, a green man riding a horse and two, a green turtle. All this seemed a little too unbelievable but the Feng Shui master decided to have a little faith in his student and proceeded with the chosen date and location.

You see, the date the Feng Shui student had chosen was pretty unconventional because apart of the auspicious date, the most suitable time for the burial to start was during the night time. Usually, people in this line of business do not bury people during the night for fear that unexpected and unfavorable events might appear. The master had a tough time convincing people to carry his mother’s coffin and even had to pay double to get them to do the task but when that fateful day arrived, yet, only half the people turned up. Fortunately, the Feng Shui master had a lot of relatives and most of them were willing enough to help out.

Upon reaching the location, the place was quiet and filled with fog. In the midst of driving up the slope in a heavy fog, the master suddenly saw a ray of light coming from the opposite direction. Slowly, the master could finally see where the light was coming from as the fog slowly shifted away. The image slowly appeared and what the Feng Shui master saw was a man wearing a green color t-shirt was riding a motorcycle.

Enough said, his student immediately pointed out that this was the “green man” that they had been waiting for. The student told his teacher that the man in the green t-shirt riding a motorcycle was indeed our modern version of a man riding horse (motorcycle in Chinese is also know as a metal horse). Cautious, the Feng Shui master told his student not to get too excited as there was still a green turtle yet to be seen.

After the burial ceremony, the master proceeded back home. As soon as everyone was in the car, the Feng Shui master turned on his engine and shifted gears. Suddenly, his uncle shouted at him to halt. Surprised, the master asked his uncle what had happened. The uncle explained to him that he had seen a very nice green turtle by the roadside and wanted to get down the car and carry it home with him as a pet. True enough, the Feng Shui master saw a green turtle by the roadside.

After that day, the Feng Shui master had windfalls after windfalls in his business, reputation and wealth.

Read more >>

Man threatens to down Qantas jet with mind power

by ABC news

Singapore police are questioning a man who threatened to bring down a Qantas flight from Sydney to Singapore.

The man was restrained by flight stewards after he made threats to disrupt QF31 using mind power.

According to ABC reporter Nick Luchinelli, who was onboard the flight, it seemed the middle-aged man was either under the influence of drugs or alcohol or both.

He was suffering some sort of delusion and people sitting close to him said he was threatening to use the power of his mind to bring the flight down.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>

Medivial Torture (Part 4) - Guillotine

By Yona Williams

Responsible for decapitating a victim, the guillotine was a tall, upright frame that had a blade attached to a rope. The blade is raised up by the rope and then let go, so that the head became separated from the body.

Despite the origin of its name, the concept of the guillotine is much older than the common belief that it was an invention of the French people. In fact, the Scots were the first to use a smaller guillotine as a means of executing their nobles.

When the French learned of its existence, they felt it would become a suitable way to not only punish their nobles, but anyone else that required discipline. As for its introduction into French culture, it was a medical professor by the name of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin that gets the credit.

When the device first arrived in the country, the French used dead bodies from the hospital as a way to test it out. In Paris, it debuted on April 4, 1792, and on the 25th day of that month, the first official execution took place. Between 1792 and 1794, the guillotine was used quite often – taking the heads off of royalty in clean strokes. On January 21, 1793, Louis XVI lost his head, which gave way to the name of "Le Louison" until in 1800, the term "guillotine" was born.

The Role of the French Revolution

The people were growing unhappy with the breaking wheel and as a result, Louis XVI banned its use. In 1791, the French Revolution encouraged the National Assembly to research a new method of execution that could be used on all people in the country without discriminating against class. They were starting to shift from the thought that capital punishment should simply end life and not inflict pain on the condemned. A committee was organized, which included Joseph-Ignace Guillotin. The guillotine was actually fashioned after other earlier devices, such as the Scottish Maiden and the Halifax Gibbet.

The Last Guillotine Execution

The guillotine quickly found a place as an effective means of execution in The Papal States, France, Scotland, and throughout the rest of Europe. The last time the guillotine was used in France was in 1977 and by 1981, it was no longer the official method of execution when the country abolished the death penalty under Mitterrand.

Throughout time, some of the most notable people to have died by the guillotine include:

Nicolas-Jacques Pelletier (1792) – officially the first executed by guillotine

Marie Antoinette (1793) – a queen

George Danton (1794) – revolutionary leader

Maximilian Robespierre (1794) – revolutionary leader

Eugene Weidmann (1939) – murdered six people

Read more >>

Filipinos whipped and nailed to crosses in terrifyingly realistic re-enactment of the Crucifixion

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE

Devout Filipinos have been nailed to crosses and whipped in an annual ritual to mark Good Friday.

Dozens of people were crucified in villages across the Roman Catholic country, in one of the world's most bizarre practices to mark the day when Christians believe Jesus Christ was put to death.

The event drew more than 10,000 Filipino and foreign spectators.

Among the devotees was Ruben Enaje, a 49-year-old sign painter who was nailed to a cross for the 24th time as his way of thanking God for his survival after falling from a building.

Mary Jane Mamangon, a 34-year-old rice cake vendor, was the lone female devotee to be nailed to a cross this year in San Juan village. It was her 14th time.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>

Medivial Torture (Part 3) - Instruments

By Yona Williams

The Wheel

The wheel was a device comprised of a large piece of circular wood with spokes attached. Limbs were tied to the spokes and the wheel was slowly turned. Openings between the spokes allowed a torturer to hit the victim with an iron hammer to break bones. With broken bones, the victim was left to die on the wheel. If a victim was sentenced to die an extremely painful death, they were placed on a tall pole so that birds could finish off the body.

For small offenses, the victim was able to survive their torture, and would live to describe what they believed was the most painful torture device ever conceived. It was a torture method of choice to punish traitors, those against religion, homosexuals and spies.

Sometimes the wheel was used in conjunction with horses pulling the victim, which was pretty common. With feet tied with a rope, they were connected to a wild horse in a cage. Sometimes, the hands would be fastened to a wall. In some cases, using nails to imitate Jesus Christ created a religious meaning behind the torture. When the torturer was ready to begin, the horse would be ordered to ride at full speed. The victim's bones would eventually break. If the victim was a large sized man or very strong, it was not uncommon to see two or three horses used during the torture.

It's hard to believe, but the human body and skin could be very resistant to breakage. When the horses were ordered to run, they would move with all of their might and a victim could have their arms separated from the rest of their body.

Other victims were stretched on the wheel, as a torturer would turn a handle that caused their body to be increasingly pulled. In some cases, fire and nails attached to the floor were added to the torture equation.

The Rack

During medieval times in Britain, the rack was used between 1154 and 1485. It was a torture device that was rectangular in shape and usually comprised of a wooden frame, a roller, and a fixed bar. A victim had their legs fastened to the bar and their hands were tied to the movable bar. A torturer turned the handle, which caused the ropes to pull at the arms of the victim. In time, the victim's bones became dislocated with a loud crack, which caused the cartilage, ligaments, and bones to snap. If the contraption was turned even more, the limbs were completely ripped off in the end.

This form of torture was used to get confessions out of a person. If a victim refused to confess, the torturer would continue to stretch out the body. It was also a way to strike fear into the hearts of other victims, as they made them watch someone else going through the process. A group of people known in history to undergo this form of torture was many of the knights belonging to the Knights Templar – whose mission was to protect Pilgrims.

The Thumbscrew

During the Middle Ages, the Inquisition was notorious in torturing people using the thumbscrew method. It was their way of getting the intimate details out of an individual that they deemed important. A victim's hands were placed in a device and the torturer would slowly crush their fingers, which weren’t the only parts of the body subjected to pain. The device was also placed on toes and crushed in the same manner. Larger devices were also created to crush arms, knees, and even heads.

The Iron Maiden

Resembling a sarcophagus, the Iron Maiden was outfitted with tips inside the front door. When people were placed into the device, they died because the door was shut slowly to allow the tips to crush the person to death. A tube at the bottom enhanced the cruelty of the device as victims actually saw their own blood depart their body. You'd think that death would have come quickly, but in fact – it could take more than two days for them to succumb to the torture. With a history linked to Germany, it was thought that the device was strictly related to the Middle Ages, but it actually was invented a couple of centuries beforehand.

The Stocks

One of the most recognized methods of punishment (or torture) is the stocks – typically pictured in history books and seen in movies depicting the Middle Ages. The stocks were usually situated in a part of a town where the public easily had access to the sufferer. It was used as a humiliation tactic, where it was not uncommon for townsfolk to throw objects at an individual, such as rotten produce or rocks.

Victims placed their hands and feet into the open device, which is then closed onto the body. The number of days that a victim stayed in the stocks was determined by the severity of their crime. This could be days to weeks. The device was also used as a form of the death penalty, where a victim was left in the stocks until the sun and animals contributed to their end. The punishment was a sight to see and if anyone wanted to help the accused, they were also tortured by the same method.

Victims also had to deal with the people in town, who could be very cruel. A mild offense usually saw sentenced people endure hits to the face or urine being tossed at them. A more severe case led to harsher ridicule and bodily harm. Stoning was very common, which led to the death of some, while others were left with severe injuries. Cutting was another approach. Some villagers would take off body parts, such as a hand, in the most severe cases.

Read more >>

Killer icicles terrorise Russians

by Telegraph UK

"Every day, I go out into the street as if I was entering a war zone," complained resident Boris Ilinsky, 28.

"I've got to keep my eyes on the ground to avoid slipping and I'm also looking up to avoid falling lumps of ice," he added.

The high toll has prompted residents and relatives of victims to demand action against those responsible for what they believe to be careless clearing of ice from rooftops.

Milana Kashtanova, 21, is the latest victim, and has been in a coma since February, when she was hit by the ice which was being cleared from a rooftop.

"Milana was just walking past a building in the city centre... There was no warning tape, nothing to alert people that people were working on the roof," said Miss Kashtanova's boyfriend, Irinei Kalachev.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>

Medivial Torture (Part 2) - Stoning & More

By Yona Williams

Stoning

Used as a form of punishment and death penalty, stoning involved more than just throwing rocks at a criminal. For instance, women were subjected to stoning mainly as humiliation. If a female was accused of being a whore or involved in witchery, she was tied to the end of a horse and groped.

If the community hated the victim, stones and other sharp (and sometimes hot) materials were placed on the floor so that the woman would suffer extra pain as they were paraded around town. If she were sentenced to the death penalty, death would come within more than an hour as villagers were allowed to scream at and yell insults at the accused. Some grabbed stones to throw at the woman, which often painfully sped up the time it took for her to die.

The Keep Torture

Blending pain and embarrassment, the Keep Torture (also known as 'the Keep') involved being placed into a cage with iron nails and enclosed until they suffered a painful, slow death. Small openings in the cage allowed birds to feed off of the victim, who was unable to fight away predators as their arms were tied with rope.

This form of torture was fit for anyone – it didn’t matter if you were a peasant or a noble. The Keep also humiliated anyone who was placed inside, as the cage was positioned on the main square or even on a church. The entire town could witness the punishment of the victim. After many days of pain and agony, the victim would finally pass out, but it was not uncommon to be awakened by the townsfolk who would throw stones and other objects at the cage.

The torture process of the Keep had varying levels of punishments. In the worst cases, the victim was let down and after a week or so had passed – they were placed in it again. Sometimes, the punishment could last three or four rounds until they were sent to endure another form of torture or they had finally succumbed to the heat of the sun or from being picked at by birds.

The Pear of Anguish

During medieval times, the Pear of Anguish was indeed shaped like a pear, which was used to torture witches, homosexuals, and females accused of inducing a miscarriage. With the turn of a handle, lobes in the shape of spoons would open, causing a victim to endure a great deal of pain.

While the Pear was mostly used to inflict oral pain, it was used in other areas of the body. For instance, women had the device attached to their vagina. If used in the mouth, the victim suffered a destruction of their teeth, which caused blood to pour out of the mouth and in many cases. This part of the torture would lead to their death. When used in genital areas, the Pear caused infection, as it was rarely washed. If infection was not the cause of death, then diseases brought on by severe damage of the intestines caused fatal ruin.

Read more >>

Medivial Torture (Part 1) - Methods

by Yona Williams

From Roman Emperor Hadrian to the ancient Greeks, heat played an important role in their methods of torture. In this article, you will not only learn about Heat Torture, but you'll also learn of two other ways that people in the past would punish their criminals and suspects.

Exposure

When it comes to slow and painful deaths of the past, exposure is certainly at the top of the list. A popular form of torture during early medieval times, heretics and witches were fastened to the ground with iron nails. Their clothes were removed so that they remained naked while their legs and arms were spread out.

The sun would then beat down on their body, causing strong sunburns on the skin. However, this was not the only component of the torture, as wild animals also played a role. They would eat the victim while they were still alive, which caused varying levels of pain. A large animal meant that their death was quicker, while smaller animals only made the torture last longer.

Breast Ripper

In the past, women who were caught sleeping with another man could face the 'Breast Ripper,' which was designed to rip open the breasts, which often caused infections and eventually death within a couple of months. Women who were lucky to survive the torture were never quite the same. Popular during the Dark Ages, this form of torture was mainly used in the Inquisition.

Heat Torture

In what is now known as Greece, people living in ancient Turkey were subjected to a highly painful (as well as humiliating) form of punishment called Heat Torture – sometimes referred to as the Brazen Bull. Once an individual was convicted of a crime (and many times they were innocent), he or she was locked inside of a brass coffin, yet the feet were still fixed to the ground. At times, they were held in place with ropes, while other times, nails were used.

If you think this is the only part of the torture – it gets worse. The coffin was then placed vertically on top of a fire where it was left for hours until the brass became red with hotness.

This form of torture was most popular during ancient Greece, and was mentioned in writings of historians such as Herodotus. As time passed, Heat Torture became increasingly painful and started to be seen as amusement for onlookers. Torturers even outfitted the coffin with tubes to create different sounds from the screams of the victim. One of the sounds resembled that of an angry ox. The Brazen Bull became a favorite for certain rulers, including the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who would burn entire families using the device.

Impaling

Vlad the Impaler is responsible for impaling thousands of people. Since Vlad was known as a hero and decent ruler, the intensity of his punishments created an infamous persona that all feared. For instance, if a thief was accused of stealing bread – he was impaled even if the crime seemed simple. To strike fear into his opponents, he would impale thousands of soldiers that had been captured – just to make a point.

Impaling involved a stick that was positioned into the ground. With hands tied to prevent escape, the victim was placed upon the stick without their feet being able to touch the ground. Hours would pass and in some cases, days, before the strength and weight of the victim would cause the stick to pierce a major organ.

This method of torture was considered one of the worst and was quite common during the Dark Ages. Most commonly, impalement involved the anus, but many other variations were employed. Vlad preferred using the chest, legs, arms, and the skulls. He was known to take pleasure in the decorative qualities of impalement by choosing different body parts.

To add insult to injury, Vlad imposed extremely cruel ways of punishing his victims. For instance, he impaled children in front of their mothers and forced them to eat their remains. Sometimes, he would enjoy his own feast while watching victims being impaled as entertainment. Impalement certainly added to the practice of calling Vlad – Dracula – a bloodthirsty man.

Whippings

In the majority of ancient cultures, the whip was a torture device feared for many centuries – used by the likes of Egyptians to the French. A lot of civilizations have used the whip to strike fear into the hearts of slaves, but in some countries, such as the Netherlands – they used it on different specific groups. In their case, it was children who received this kind of punishment. It was said that the practice would create better executioners in the future. This is one form of punishment that has survived over the years and can still be seen used in foreign countries to this day.

Dunk Stool

You'll never look at a stool the same after hearing about the dunk stool method of torture. When the fear of witches began to spread, people needed to find new and inventive ways to make the accused confess their heresy and evil ways. The dunk stool was a simple chair that was tied to a tree or a stick. On and off, the victim was submerged in a pond or river. In the beginning of the punishment, they would stay under the water for less than a minute. However, if they had nothing to reveal or kept denying their charges, they were meant to stay in the water for longer periods of time – up to two minutes or more. Eventually, the victim would drown.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>

Mystery beast caught in Sichuan

by Go Cheng Doo

Villagers in Suining, Sichuan, have caught two creatures that the People's Daily has labeled "the Chinese Chupacabra."

"In all my 90 years, I've never seen such a creature. I have no idea what it is," Liu Chang said, shaking his head, as he peered unflichingly into a cage housing the small animal. "Badgers, bobcats, I've seen them all, but I've never seen this."


Picture is (C) copyright to SNXW

On March 24, villagers in Suining's Jinyuan Town, Daying County flocked to Ke Suying's residence to see what the fuss was about: this never-before-seen creature was the talk of the town.

At around 3 a.m. on March 23, Ke Suying was awakened by the calling of a rooster. She listened carefully: The sound was coming from her own chicken coop, leading her to believe a thief had entered her property. She immediately woke up her daughter-in-law, and, flashlight in hand, they went down to the coop.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>

Tourists flock to 'Jesus's tomb' in Kashmir

By Sam Miller

A belief that Jesus survived the crucifixion and spent his remaining years in Kashmir has led to a run-down shrine in Srinagar making it firmly onto the must-visit-in India tourist trail.

Jesus is reputed to be buried in this run-down shrine in the Kashmir capital
In the backstreets of downtown Srinagar is an old building known as the Rozabal shrine.
It's in a part of the city where the Indian security forces are on regular patrol, or peering out from behind check-posts made of sandbags.

There are still occasional clashes with militants or stone-throwing children, but the security situation has improved in recent times and the tourists are returning.
When I first searched for Rozabal two years ago, the taxi circled around a minor Muslim tomb in a city of many mosques and mausoleums, the driver asking directions several times before we found it.

[Click here to read full article]

Read more >>