FlashNews Closes Its Doors

After 30 years in the weird news business, FlashNews is closing its doors. Founder, Patrick Glynn, said the decline of the business began in the late 1990s with the advent of the Web. Add to that a depressed economy, a decline in radio listeners and opportunities, slashed advertising budgets, and a decline in newspaper subscriptions, and FlashNews can simply no longer afford to do business.

Glynn started the agency in 1980. FlashNews peaked in the early 1990s, providing weird, offbeat news to all of the major late-night talkshows, many morning radio shows, and nearly 1000 media outlets worldwide. Sometimes, the news was "massaged" into being weird, but it was always fun.

FlashNews closed today, 13 days before its 30^th anniversary.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

South Dakota Hailstone Hailed as Largest in US History

Leslie Scott picked up the "cantaloupe-sized" hailstone outside his South Dakota home, "because it had a whole bunch of fingers sticking out of it... they were wicked."  He placed the hailstone in his freezer and showed it to some neighbors.  By the time an expert arrived, Scott says the hailstone had melted slightly due to power-outages and showing it off to the neighbors.  Yet the South Dakota hailstone still became the largest on-record in the history of the United States.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the 1.94-lb. hailstone as the largest on record, beating the previous record-holder -- a 1.67-lb. hailstone that fell in Kansas in 1970.

Experts say the original hailstone will be sent for testing, while two casts will be made: One for preservation, and the other for Mr. Scott.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Chupacabra in Tecumseh?

A group of Oklahoma teens saw something strange in the woods behind Tecumseh Highschool and got a picture of it on one of the boys' cellphones.  They believe it is a chupacabra.

The picture clearly shows a creature with shorter forelegs than back, crossing the road.  The unknown creature seems to have short hair, a long tail, and walks on two legs.  The head resembles that of a dog or maybe a horse.

Experts say the chupacabra is an urban legend.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Amnesiac Found in Middle of Scottish Road

Found with £12, a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes, the man was discovered in the middle of an Edinburgh, Scotland road in the middle of a rainstorm. He appears to be of Middle-Eastern descent and speaks with a Scottish accent, but police say he seems genuinely concerned about his loss of memory and identity. They do not think he is faking his amnesia, and believe he may have been the victim of a robbery in which he received the konk on the head which gave him amnesia.

The man is 5'3 and has a tattoo of three dragonheads in a circular pattern on his right arm. The Mirror has a picture of the amnesiac. If anyone has any idea as to whom he is, please contact the police.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Chupacabra Filmed by Texas Cop?

The first two weeks of July brought as many reports of chupacabra from Texas, including film of an unidentified creature recorded by a policeman's dashboard camera.  25-year-old David Hewitt killed what he said, "looked like a hairless chihuahua, only much bigger."  Hewitt went on to explain how the claws and skinny, pointed tail were completely different from those he has seen on coyotes and wild dogs in the area.

The following video [removed - ed.] shows footage of what some believe to be a chupacabra.  Interesting to note is the gait of the creature: It moves as though the forearms are shorter than the back legs -- which matches the description of the chupacabra. 

It also has hair.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

UPDATE: This is an actual photograph of the Chupacabra, also found in Texas.  I received it in 2003. - 2018

Russian Fishermen Fear 'Nesski,' Blame Lake Monster for 19 Deaths

Russian fishermen are demanding an investigation into "Nesski," a lake monster in the Siberian Lake Chany, which they claim has attacked and killed 19 fishermen in the last three years. Reports suggest Nesski looks similar to the plesiosaur; it got its name because it looks similar to the classic, long-necked beast of Loch Ness (Nessie) and Lake Champlain. However, those lake monsters are not known to attack people -- in fact, they are known to avoid humans.

The 19 men who died are said to have drowned, but their remains have almost never been found. Locals claim Nesski is responsible for their deaths, and that corpses which have washed ashore show teeth marks where some large creature(s) has chewed on them. They also say the number is far higher than 19. Whatever the case, locals all agree that there is something in Lake Chany and they want someone to find out what it is.

Rumors of a monster in Lake Chany first surfaced publicly in the Soviet era.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

White Baby Born to Black Parents

When Nmachi Ihegboro was born, her 44-year-old father, Ben, asked the doctors if they were sure he was her father. That's because he, his wife Angela, and the Ihegboro's other two children, are black; Nmachi Ihegboro is white -- with blue eyes, and full head of blonde curls! Even more astonishing, doctors have ruled-out albinoism. "She's my kid," Ben said, "I just don't know why she's blonde!" 35-year-old Angela called Nmachi "a miracle baby."

Ben and Angela Ihegboro are from Nigeria, but both now live in South London, where Nmachi was born. Nigeria's population has very little racial mixing, and the only way a baby like Nmachi would ever be born is if both parents had "some white ancestry," according to Professor Bryan Sykes, Britain's leading genetics expert. Neither has a mixed-race family history. Even if Angela had cheated on Ben with a white man, the child would not look like little Nmachi.

Professor Sykes called the birth "extraordinary" and noted that "Even many blonde children don't have blonde hair like this at birth." Five years ago, Kylie Hodgson of Nottingham gave birth to twin daughters, one of which was black, the other, white. Even though Kylie and her partner, Remi Horder, were a mixed couple, the odds of that happening were estimated at a million to one.

"Nmachi" means "Beauty of God."

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Divers Discover 18th-Century Champagne

Divers working on a shipwreck near the Aland Islands discovered several bottles of what they was wine. They brought the bottles to the surface, hoping their dating would tell them more about the shipwreck. They were astonished to learn the bottle contained champagne. And they were impressed by its taste, which one described as "fantastic!"

The champagne is thought to have been bottled in the late 18^th Century, making it the oldest drinkable champagne known. The oldest, verified, drinkable champagne is from 1825. The shipwreck is thought to have been Russian and carried cargo. It was found at a depth of approximately 200'. The conditions are excellent for storing alcohol: dark and cold.

The diving instructor who discovered the wreck, Christian Ekstrom, said he is confident of the bottle's age and authenticity, but samples have been sent to French labs for validation. Ekstrom described the champagne as "Very sweet... with a tobacco taste and oak."

If the champagne is authenticated, one expert said each bottle could fetch upwards of $100,000.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Coincidence or Fate?: Cold-Hearted EMT Killed Outside Nightclub

EMT (emergency medical technician -- the ones who operate the ambulances), Jason Green, and his partner, Melisa Jackson, were under investigation for negligence for refusing to help a 25-year-old woman who collapsed in their presence and later died.  According to witnesses, the EMTs refused to help the woman; they told onlookers to call 911 and left.  The woman, and her prematurely born baby, died.

Last night, Jason Green was shot in the face outside of a nightclub and died from his injuries.  Police say the incidents are unrelated.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Sex & the City 3: Forced to Shop

After a YouTube video showing a Hong Kong tour guide abusing three elderly women from the Chinese mainland went viral, China's National Tourism Administration (NTA) issued a travel advisory. The video captured a tour guide "abusing" three tourists and forcing them to shop.

Tour agencies often have arrangements with local shopkeeps who give the tour guides a kickback; this is common practice throughout China. The NTA has vowed to investigate the Chinese tourism trade and enact laws to protect travelers and consumers.

In May, a 65-year-old tourist died of a heart attack following a heated argument with a shopkeep who was forcing him to shop.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Toughest Baby EVAR Poops Nails

Doctors say a baby named Ting Ting may be suffering from pica, a disorder which makes her "hungry" for non-food items, such as.... nails. Though Ting Ting's mother swears she does not know where the child would have gotten them, Ting Ting has a tendency to shit nails.

In the past few weeks, Ting Ting has pooped 21 nails and one safety pin, and X-rays show she still has one nail and another safety pin to pass! Pica is often related to zinc deficiency. While sufferers will eat many non-food items, it is common or them to eat dirt, cigarette butts, and similar things. Doctors say swallowing nails is messed-up though, even for a pica sufferer.

No one knows where the baby got the nails. Her mother said the child's grandfather is the only one who has any and, to their knowledge, none are missing. When asked where she got the nails, doctors say Ting-Ting gave them The Thousand-Yard Stare and said, "Get off my plane."

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Martians Give Drunk Man Ride to Strip Club

A 50-year-old man arrested outside of a Wisconsin strip club after crashing his SUV into its entrance told police he had gotten a ride from "Martians." Police say the man was asked to leave the establishment after he vomited in the VIP room. Once outside, the man promptly put his SUV in reverse and slammed into the club's entrance. The report does not indicate the wreck was purposeful; when asked how he was doing, he replied, "Not good. [But I] seen some nice strippers."

Ufologists know what this means. Party in Wisconsin!

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

30-Year-Old Nanny Dies from Sexual Excitement

Medical experts agree that a 30-year-old woman who worked as a nanny apparently died from over-stimulation of a sexual nature. The woman's half-naked body (undressed from the waist down) was found in her bed at home in October of last year. Pornography was playing on her computer and a sex toy was discovered nearby. Experts say she died from sudden arrhythmia brought upon by her state of arousal.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Coincidence or Fate?: Bus Driver Kills Wife, Driving Other Bus

Seventy-two-year-old Lynady was fatally injured when the bus she was driving collided into another bus, driven by her husband.  Mr. Lynady was hospitalized with non-fatal wounds.  The coroner reported that the late Mrs. Lynady was thrown from the bus upon impact.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Porn Film Shot on Location at London Hospital

A 'big budget' porn film was shot on-location at a London hospital prior to 2002, according to the heads of the Primary Care Trust (PCT). Speaking to the House of Commons during a meeting involving more transparency in government accounting, Ms Mordaunt, Portsmouth North MP, said the film -- a "big budget affair" -- "generated substantial income for the hospital."

A big-budget porn film generally consists of $15, an 8-ball, and the promise of a ride home.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Analysis Proves Poltergeist Knocks Different from 'Real' Knocks

Dr. Barrie Colvin B.Sc., Ph.D. writes, in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) that poltergeist "raps" (reports, or knocks), a phenomenon almost solely associated with poltergeist hauntings (poltergeist literally means "noisy ghost") are actually different from those made by humans. Dr. Colvin's research involved poltergeist knocks from as far back as 1960 and as recent as 2000, and appear to show significantly different acoustic patterns than those of normal knocks.

Dr. Colvin analyzed 10 different poltergeist knocks recorded on as many different devices, and found the same pattern in each. So far, attempts to replicate the pattern by normal means have failed. Dr. Colvin decided to research the phenomena after witnessing a poltergeist event in Andover, Hampshire, in which he said, "...it was absolutely clear that no normal explanation could account for the observed phenomena."

The research seems to show that the noise generated by poltergeist rapping does not begin as loudly as that of a normal knock; poltergeist knocks seem to grow in sound before reaching their maximum noise, then declining as normal. A normal knock is loudest at the very beginning of the strike.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Sans Fava Beans, Chianti

A French inmate who killed his cellmate then ate part of his lung raw before cooking the rest was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder. Nicolas Cocaign, 37, requested psychiatric treatment in 1998 and to be placed in isolation in 2006. His lawyer said Cocaign is aware of his impulses and noted the "failure of the psychiatric, penitentiary, and social system" in his court argument.

Cocaign was quoted as saying, "What I did, I liked doing."

Nicolas Cocaign and cellmate, Thierry Baudry argued in January of 2007 when Baudry refused to wash his hands after using the restroom. Cocaign strangled him, then split open his chest with a razor blade and ripped out a chunk of the dead man's lung, thinking it his heart. He ate the piece raw, then cooked the rest.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

The Titanic Fun Ride

A 40' Titanic bouncy castle slide into inflatable icebergs on display at a toy fair in Switzerland has been condemned by fair attendees. Perhaps strangest of all, organizers of the fair can't seem to figure out why: "The tragic Titanic accident happened years ago and those emotions have been dealt with long ago. Now people are having fun... and enjoying themselves." 

Visitors, however, disagreed, calling it "insensitive" and "sick."

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

IRL Intrusion

Sorry guys, this has been a very busy week! Things should settle back down starting tomorrow, partly due to the holiday, but also because my schedule evens-out and I can get back to my regular hectic schedule. So enjoy the archives and I'll be back to posting tomorrow (or tonight) and likely throughout the weekend.

Also have a happy 4^th!

© C Harris Lynn, 2010