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Saturday, 15 March 2014

BOOKED! Bristol 2014


I'll be attending this event and, hopefully, looking around for a publisher to take on the prose books.
 


After co-producing the SCARDIFF Horror Convention last year and the aniManga POP! show in Plymouth last month, time to add yet another COMIC EXPO style Convention and where better than Bristol to do so....


 
FANTASY EVENTS are delighted to announce the

NEW CONVENTION we are working along side
BACK COVER PROMOTIONS
BOOKED!   a book festival  ...in a day
Which is what it says, special guests, authors, publishers, panels, book launches , Q&A sessions, workshops and much more!
A multi channel showcase covering Sci Fi, Fantasy, Romance,
Children’s and
    .... beyond!
Expect Novels, Graphics and Live Music!
And where else to host the Convention than the old COMIC EXPO
stomping ground of the Ramada  Hotel in Bristol, well the nifty refurbished Double Tree by Hilton ( to use the new name! )
Saturday 29th November  is the date to Book BOOKED!
Website in now live with 1st wave of  guests, sponsor packages and
exhibitor details and the contact info!
http://bookedcon.blogspot.co.uk/

Pursuing The Strange & Weird:A Naturalists Viewpoint


Pursuing The Strange & Weird:A Naturalists Viewpoint

Terry Hooper-Scharf
A4
Paperback,
249 Pages
Price: £15.00
Ships in 3–5 business days
2013 UP DATE -From Dead Aquatic (Humanoid) Creatures, the giant squid and yet undiscovered sea creatures; submarine and ships crews encountering true leviathans. This is a fully expanded section which also refers to the so-called ‘Ningen’ sightings and video footage. Extinct animals at sea that have been re-discovered. The subject of Sasquatch and other mystery Hominids around the world is dealt with including a look at the “Sasquatch-killer”, Justin Smeja. Dr. Bryan Sykes and his DNA test results for TVs The Bigfoot Files as well as the controversial Erickson Project and Dr. Melba Ketchum’s Even more controversial Sasquatch DNA test results. Also included are two early French UFO entity cases that still baffle. Ghosts, strange creatures and the Star-Child hoax. All dealt with by the naturalist and pursuer of the strange and weird
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Tuesday, 25 February 2014

'Alien invasion' to launch in April - but 'UFOs' will be glowing drones piloted by hoaxers


Dozens of volunteers have signed up for what could be the biggest prank in history - aimed at causing an 'apocalypse' in the mediaRob Waugh – 4 hours ago



The plans have been drawn up carefully - on an April evening this year, swarms of glowing spacecraft will begin a flight through our atmosphere - and hover over locations around the world.

The goal is maximum panic - and to cause an ‘apocalypse’ in the media. But the pilots of the eerie craft are not little grey men from Alpha Centauri - but UFO fans using drone aircraft.

Dozens of volunteers around the world have signed up for what may be the biggest prank in history - using decades of knowledge of ‘UFO sightings’ to time the launch perfectly.

The ‘aliens’ will be strips of LED lights, on remote-controlled multi-rotor drone aircraft - launched at 8pm, so there are plenty of people to see the ‘invaders’, and held at a distance where it’s difficult to see what’s behind the glowing lights.

Nigel Watson, author of the Haynes UFO Investigations manual found plans to “cause a wave of UFO sightings around the world and an apocalypse-like idea in the media,” on forums frequented by drone fans.
Watson says, “‘The Big UFO Project’ was originally scheduled to run on April Fool’s Day, but they have changed it to 05 April 2014 so that it will not seem like an obvious prank.Anyone who has a multirotor drone or anything that can carry a strip of LED lights and hover is invited to join in this event.
The plan is to launch the craft at 8pm local time for maximum impact. This is when there are most people about to see anything in the night sky, and by keeping the craft at a long distance they will not be able to see what is carrying the lights.”

The 'invasion' will be a global hoax, timed carefully to cause reports of an alien attack - but the invaders will …

Discussions about how best to pull off the invasion continue on the FPV Lab forum - with one fan chiming in, “You sir, are insane. I LIKE IT.”

Watson says that craft are already scheduled to launc in the USA, UK, France, South Africa and the Netherlands but that, “More official and unofficial people are expected to join this project on the launch date.”



Watson says that LED lights mounted on aircraft such as multirotor drones can effectively fool people - as what they will see is the light.
“As it is very difficult to judge the height and speed of such objects, witnesses can think they are passing relatively close to them and they can imagine seeing windows and the body of a larger craft behind the light or lights.”

Watson says, “It is surprising how easy it is to fool people into thinking they have seen a UFO, especially if it is a light in the sky. Satellite re-entries and meteors can be very striking and cause people to think they’ve seen a fast moving UFO streak across the sky.


“For example, on the night of 30 March and early morning of 31 March 1993 numerous sightings were made throughout Britain of what was variously described as fast moving lights to a large craft resembling two Concordes flying side by side. Sceptics claim this was a combination of a Russian rocket booster re-entering the atmosphere and other mundane phenomena, but ufologists assert it was genuine UFO activity.”

Until now, though, easily controllable drones have been too expensive for hobbyists - but Watson says he suspects that hobbyists already launch drones as ‘UFOs’ once there are already reports in the news.


“Drone technology is getting cheaper and easily available to people who want to carry out hoaxes like this. Though even very cheap and simple Chinese lanterns can be used to trigger UFO sightings.This is a relatively simple and unsophisticated operation, but it could have a big media impact. When such incidents occur, people tend to look for UFOs in the sky and so it could trigger further sightings.”

The viral spread of UFO videos on YouTube could contribute to the frenzy, Watson thinks. He says, “Only recently, in September 2013, a UFO-like drone was flown over a baseball stadium in Canada to promote a newly opened planetarium. Videos of it were widely distributed on the internet before the hoax was revealed.”




For the hardcore UFO enthusiasts, though, Watson suspects that the hoax may be an irritation - a smokescreen for the real alien spacecraft circling our planet.

“Others might be annoyed that it is polluting the difference between genuine UFO sightings and misidentifications,” Watson says. “Even if the hoax is revealed, some ufologists will state that this is a cover-up for real UFO sightings and/or a project to get us used to the idea of UFO invasion in preparation for full disclosure of their reality by our world governments.”
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Monday, 24 February 2014

Bristol Crocodile

In case anyone wonders why I have not commented on this little mystery, living in Bristol as I do, it is because Bristol has a estuary and the Severn as it winds its way through the city and toward Gloucestershire, has many local currents.  Things go against the tide when caught in an eddy. And we get LOTS of wood and other debris every day.

This video clip is on a piece of wood.  Why a crocodile would be in such freezing water is anyones guess. I've not noticed the duck, swan or goose populations going down.  The cormorants are still diving and fishing.

Just a silly season story.

I blame Jeremy Wade.  :-P
A walker claims he has captured the first video footage of the elusive Bristol crocodile lurking in the murky waters of the River Avon
Sightseers have been turning out during the weekend to try to spot Bristol's crocodile in the River Avon.

Kelly Gray, a self-employed bookeeper from Bishopsworth, is convinced she saw the croc near Bedminster Bridge last week.

She posted on Facebook at lunchtime yesterday: "Just seen lots of people with their kids looking in river where I saw the croc. Hope they see him too."

Mrs Gray was driving past the entrance to St Mary Redcliffe School when she said she saw the mystery reptile which has made headlines across the world.
She said she was so stunned, she nearly crashed her car.

Police were called out last Monday to investigate claims of a sighting by a bus driver. The search was made public by Chief Constable Nick Gargan on Twitter.

VIDEO: Bristol Crocodile captured on camera - or is it an al-log-ator?

By The Bristol Post | Posted: February 11, 2014
Comments (10)

IS this the proof that Bristol is playing host to a six-foot crocodile? Tom Aditya, a Bradley Stoke town councillor, believes he has captured the elusive Bristol crocodile on video.

He made the film while walking by the River Avon near Pill.

In his amateur footage, an object -- not dissimilar to a log -- can be seen moving towards the banks of the river where birds take flight, possibly in fear.

The film, captured in October but published exclusively by the Bristol Post for the first time today, follows two sightings of a crocodile last week which have led to a police investigation and city-wide speculation.
Related articles Bristol crocodile latest: sightseers turn out to spot him in River Avon The Bristol crocodile: Exclusive interview with the reptile everyone is talking about Second sighting of Bristol crocodile: Mum genuinely worried about people's safety A crocodile COULD survive in Bristol's waterways - but it might not last long

But Mr Aditya has dismissed the idea that the object he filmed is a crocodile -- or a log -- in favour of his own theory that our reptilian friend is an alligator.

In the video, Mr Aditya focuses on a dark brown object drifting in the brown waters of the mouth of the Avon.

The camera is focused on the object for almost two and a half minutes.

Mr Aditya told the Bristol Post that when he first spotted the alleged reptile in October he "didn't think much of it".

But when he read the news that Avon and Somerset police chief constable Nick Gargan had told the public that police were searching for the beast, he was reminded of his close encounter.

He said he has now contacted the police but they declined his offer to send the video to them.

Mr Aditya, a management consultant who runs his own firm from Bristol and London, said he spotted the reptile while on one of his regular walks down the Avon to Pill.

He said: "I remember I could see its eyes there and at first I thought it could be a seal, but then it kept moving up the river slowly.

"I thought it was quite natural at first. I was a bit amazed, I thought 'why?'

"After that I didn't really think about it. I thought it might be naturally there.

"Then when I heard someone spotted a crocodile in Bristol, I went back to the video."

Sceptics have already dismissed various sightings of the Bristol crocodile as nothing more than a floating log.

Mr Aditya added that he had consulted his friend about the video who had offered his own conclusion.

He said: "I have shown it to a friend in Florida and he believes that it is a crocodile of the gharial species from the Indian subcontinent. It is a fish-eating crocodile.

"It may have reached here through any vessel that passed through the Bristol channel."

Fears that a crocodile was on the loose in Bristol were first triggered when Mr Gargan tweeted last week that a bus driver had reported a sighting from Bedminster Bridge.

Mr Gargan revealed the police had launched an investigation, but a search "found no trace" of the beast.

A second sighting of the alleged crocodile in the Avon came from 41-year-old mother-of-three Kelly Gray, of Bishopsworth, who saw the beast from Clarence Road on Wednesday.

Police said Mr Aditya's call about his video had been logged, however, they added there was no on-going investigation into the sightings. A spokesman said the police were unable to say how many calls they have received about crocodiles since last Monday's first sighting.
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Leopard on loose in Indian city triggers panic


A leopard sparked panic in a north Indian city when it strayed inside a hospital, a cinema and an apartment block while evading captors, an official said Monday.

Authorities closed schools and colleges in Meerut, 60 kilometres (37 miles) northeast of the Indian capital, after the leopard was discovered prowling the city's streets on Sunday, a senior city official said.
"Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to track the leopard down. We have launched a massive hunt for the beast," said additional district magistrate S.K. Dubey.

The cat was found inside an empty ward of an army hospital on Sunday before wildlife officers were called and managed to fire a tranquiliser dart into it, Dubey told AFP.

"But despite that he managed to break (out through) the iron grilles and escaped. He then sneaked into the premises of a cinema hall before entering an apartment block. After that we lost track of the cat," he said.
Authorities have urged the closure of markets in the city of 3.5 million until the animal, which has left six people injured, was captured, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.

Police, soldiers and wildlife officials were trying to hunt it down but their efforts were being hampered by large crowds keen to catch a glimpse of the cat, PTI said.

Photos showed the beast pushing its way through a lattice wall at the hospital as a policeman in riot helmet, stood ready to hit it with a baton.

The leopard was also pictured leaping off a building site as people scrambled out of the way.

Last week another leopard killed a five-year-old boy in the central state of Chhattisgarh, the latest in a string of incidents raising concerns about depleting habitats for big cats which is forcing them into populated areas.

Video footage from Mumbai last year showed a leopard creeping into an apartment block foyer and snatching a small dog.

A tiger on the prowl in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh since last December is believed to have killed some ten people, and wildlife officials are still trying to hunt it down.

Conservation group WWF called for better management of forests and other habitats for India's leopard population, which numbered 1,150 at a 2011 census.

"Leopards are large territorial mammals, they need space to move around. Some of their corridors are getting blocked so there is bound to be an interface," Deepankar Ghosh of WWF-India told AFP.

"We can't put all the leopards into cages. We can't remove all the people living near forested areas. We have to manage the situation the best way we can."
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Oh Dear.

About the tenth conversation I've heard this year re. Bigfoot and The Bigfoot Files. "My kids school was doing a project on mysteries and they were looking up info on Bigfoot and the yeti. Next day there was just UFO and ghost stuff on the wall.  Some parents pointed out Channel 4 had spent a huge amount on DNA proving Bigfoot and the yeti didn't exist."

I even heard kids playing and one said he used his Chewbacca action figure as a Bigfoot. The others laughed and one said loudly "They proved on TV they ain't real!"

I guess Chewbacca IS real, though?

On my Face Book I had people ask if I felt a little silly now science had proven these giant hominids did not exist?

I really must stop swearing on FB!
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Thursday, 6 February 2014

And A Giant Squid.....


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Giant Jellyfish Washes Up In Australia

 According to Sky News just under three hours ago....

A 1.5-m new species of giant jellyfish that washed up on a beach near Hobart in Tasmania, pictured on February 6, 2014

Scientists are working to classify a new species of "whopper" giant jellyfish that has been found on an Australian beach.

The 1.5-metre (4ft 11in) specimen was found by a family in the southern state of Tasmania, who then contacted a local marine biologist. 

Such a jellyfish has been seen in the past, but not one one so large and not one that became beached, said Lisa Gershwin, a scientist with the government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation  (CSIRO).

"We know about this specimen but it hasn't been classified yet, it hasn't been named," said the scientist who has been working with jellyfish for 20 years.

"It is so big it took our breath away.

"It's a whopper of an animal but it's not life-threatening, although it does sting."

The unclassified species is related to the lion's mane jellyfish, the largest known species of the marine animal in the world.

Ms Gershwin said there had been a huge jellyfish bloom in Tasmanian waters over the past month.
CSIRO scientists now have enough pictures and samples to begin a proper analysis and give the creature a name.

Despite this, much remains unknown, including how it eats and breeds, and its habitat.

"It's so big but we know nothing about it," said Ms Gershwin. "It highlights again how much we still have to learn about the ocean."

The jellyfish was found by the Lim family on a beach south of the Tasmanian capital Hobart .
Mother Josie said: "It blew our minds away.

"It's not really jellyfish territory here and all we could do was stand back and admire it."
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