Author: Alex Vogel

Gable Film Update: Authorities Investigating

A couple of weeks ago we ran a weeklong analysis of some mysterious pieces of 8mm footage that have come to be collectively known as “The Gable Films,” which shows what appears to be an unknown animal attacking and killing a human being.  
Some have gone as far as to speculate the fragile filmstrip shows the only known footage of a creature called “The Michigan Dogman” — a werewolf-like creature said to prowl the dense backwoods of the north.
If you are unfamiliar with the story behind the Gable Film, I recommend taking the time to read our investigation into it, 
it is a very intriguing and chilling mystery. Below I’ve posted links to each entry for you to review:

July 19:  Mystery of The Gable Film
July 20:  Gable Film Mystery, Part 2
July 21:  Gable Film Mystery, Part 3
July 24:  The Gable Film: Steve Cook Responds
July 25:  Gable Film 2 Analysis: More Clues… And More Questions
July 26:  Mysterious Email Regarding the Gable Film 2
July 26:  Links to “The Legend” Lyrics
July 27:  The Gable Films: The Final Clue?

Now, according to Steve Cook’s website, michigan-dogman.com, there’s been a new development. 
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Steve Cook:
“Without going into detail, it seems that GF2 has gotten the attention of authorities, which led them back to us. I was asked to temporarily halt the download of The Gable Film from the website, and turn over the original 8mm film so it could ‘be looked into’ I explained that very little is left of the original film, much of it having disintegrated in the digitizing projector, but they still wanted the remains.”
“What this all means I can’t be sure. It may be an official investigation, or simply a check to satisfy someone’s curiosity. Either way, I hope it leads to something conclusive.”
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So it appears we may be getting close to solving this mystery now that the authorities have gotten involved 
(I certainly hope so). We will keep you posted.
On a side note, I recently purchased and watched Steve Cook’s excellent little documentary called The Legend of Michigan’s Dogman, and I must say it is fascinating. Prior to watching it, I had little interest in “the dogman,” believing the cryptid to more likely inhabit the realm of fiction. After viewing the documentary and seeing the evidence, I must say I am very intrigued. While I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a “believer,” there is definitely something going on in the woods of Northern Michigan… something I wouldn’t want to encounter by myself in the dark of night.
I highly recommend watching The Legend of Michigan’s Dogman, which can be purchased on Mr. Cook’s website (here’s a direct link):

http://www.michigan-dogman.com/00_order_cd.html
I would like to add that proceeds from the sale of the DVD go to several charities for domestic animal rescue groups, so your money is going to a good cause as well. 

******************************************************************Feb 25, 2010: UPDATE!!!!
After I posted this last bit of news concerning the Gable Film, all was quiet for several months, until…
Click here for the startling new developments!The mystery deepens…

An off-duty policeman has videotaped a strange black animal walking along a railroad track in England.  “Looking back at the video I don’t think there’s any doubt that it’s a big cat,” says the officer, Pc Chris Swallow, a dog handler for the British Ministry of Defense. 
The problem is, big cats are not supposed to live in the British Isles. However, that hasn’t stopped people from reporting seeing them. 
This new video may prove the sightings were correct.
While assisting a friend with their garden in Helensburgh, Argyll, the officer first noticed the animal, which he compared to the size of a large dog.  “My friend’s house is next to the West Highland Line and at one point I looked down and saw what I first thought was a black Labrador on the tracks.”
“There were trains coming and going throughout the day and I was a bit concerned, but when I looked again I saw that the animal wasn’t moving the way I expected a dog to.” 
“It was then I realized that what I was seeing was a big cat and I shouted on my friend to come and have a look. We were stunned.”
Swallow immediately grabbed his cell phone camera and shot the following few minutes of footage. Keep in mind, the width of the railroad tracks has been verified to be exactly 4 feet 8.5 inches from rail to rail.  That would put the size of this feline in excess of 4 feet long… not your average pussy cat.
click to watch video of big cat
Source: BBC

Hot on the heels of our reporting of a UFO trailing a British military plane comes this report from the BBC today.  Apparently an unidentified flying object zoomed past a live webcam yesterday at 9:05 am during the morning broadcast of “Look North.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owcq_xuRbyA

A retired school teacher and amateur photographer in Wiltshire, England has photographed what he believes to be a “silver orb” tracking one of the Royal Air Force’s Hercules military aircraft as it came in for a landing.
The incident was captured by Westbury resident John Powell, 56, at approximately 3:45 pm on July 22 as he was tending to his garden at his home, not far from the RAF Lyneham military base where the plane landed.

“I don’t believe in things from outer space but that thing was definitely tracking the plane,” shares Powell. 

“My neighbour was in the garden at the time and I wanted to shout to them, but I didn’t want to say ‘there’s a flying saucer in the sky’ so I didn’t say anything in the end.” 
Source: The Telegraph, Photo: swns.comAttachments area

Today marks the departure of a new expedition in search of the fabled Mongolian death worm, a creature believed to be so deadly that anyone who comes into contact with the creature doesn’t live to tell about it.  
Two researchers from New Zealand, journalist David Farrier and cameraman Christie Douglas, embark today on a two-week-long journey into the Gobi Desert on a quest to prove the reality of a creature which many doubt even exists. After all, the descriptions of these worms and the harm they are rumored to be capable of tends to defy any logical explanation: seven-foot long burrowing monsters, blood red in color, with the ability to leap out of the sand and kill an unsuspecting passerby in the blink of an eye.  It is said to kill by spitting concentrated acid from its mouth and shooting lighting from its rectum (kind of like the time I ate several habanero chili peppers and chased them with a few shots of tequila).
Joining the duo on their expedition will be some local Mongolian assistance: a cook, a translator, and a guide. Farrier and Douglas will be filming the hunt for a planned documentary they’re producing about the elusive creature.
Farrier, the leader of the team, is unfazed by skeptics who dismiss the beast as nothing but pure mythology, or the fact that four previous expeditions for the worm came up empty handed, the last two being in 2003 and 2005.
The difference between those failed attempts and this one? Explosives.
That’s right, the team plans to rouse the subterranean creatures to the surface by using explosives, since the organisms are said to be attracted to vibrations in the ground (why is this sounding more and more like the plot to the next “Tremors” movie?).
Farrier believes he has between a 5% and 15% chance of actually finding the death worm. “They are high for a ridiculous creature like the death worm,” he points out when asked about the odds, “but the area I am going to is a very specific place in the southern Gobi where all the sightings have been.”
“I have no intention of grabbing it, capturing it, stuffing it, or anything like that. I just want to prove its existence and if I can get it on film, that’s all I need to do.”  
Famous last words.

 Vermont man has been arrested and charged with felony removal of human remains after he allegedly dug up the grave site of his own father and took home the remains… apparently because he missed his dear old dad.  
Vershire native Dominik A. Bailey Jr., 43, was taken into custody Saturday after a tip from the man’s own mother, and wife of the deceased, alerted the Thetford police. According to Bailey’s mother, she suspected her son had gone and dug up her late husband’s grave, and told police she was going to the cemetery to find out. Sure enough, when she got there all she found was a hole in the ground and the tombstone removed.  
Apparently Bailey had confided in an aunt that he had plans to remove his father’s remains for months, but she never thought he would actually go through with it. On Friday, she received a strange message on her answering machine saying Bailey was “going to get his father” and they “didn’t need to leave flowers there anymore.” Later that day, the man called her again and told her “he’s here with me now.”  
When police searched the disturbed man’s home, he was not there but they did find  the father’s cremated remains and headstone in the living room.  Bailey was later picked up in Thetford and taken into custody, where he is being held on charges of felony removal of human remains. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 15 years behind bars and can be fined up to $10,000.

Possibly the greatest mystery of the 20th Century may ultimately be solved… through the use of advanced DNA analysis. Amelia Earhart, the greatest pioneer in female aviation, vanished in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean in the midst of a much publicized round-the-world journey. For decades there had been much speculation surrounding her disappearance and possible whereabouts, but to no avail.  Now, new archaeological evidence discovered by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), my finally bring the long-puzzling case to a close.  Video.

The Museum of the Weird is expanding, both the brick-and-mortar location and our new online presence. That being said, we have a couple of announcements, of which you can read the full details below:

1. We are offering a paid position in our physical store (which today marks our four year anniversary, by the way!). 
2. Also, museumoftheweird.com is seeking story submissions from writers, as well as artists to provide illustrations (note, until the website becomes semi-profitable, submissions would be for exposure only, and is non-paid).

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WANTED: ASSISTANT MANAGER
If you live in the Austin, Texas area and would like a job that’s somewhat out of the ordinary (but pretty cool), then this might be the place for you. The Museum of the Weird and it’s gift shop, Lucky Lizard Curios & Gifts, is looking for a full-time assistant manager. Experience in retail and/or sales is mandatory. Job responsibilities include overseeing and delegating tasks to other employees, as well as basic day-to-day operation of the store and museum, including checking out customers, restocking inventory, and keeping the place clean. 
Benefits kick in after you’ve been with us for a year, and include Health (PPO), Dental, Prescription, and 401K. Base pay starts at $12/hr but is commensurate with experience.
Please send a resume and cover letter to:
steve@museumoftheweird.com
Again, if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, we look forward to hearing from you!
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WANTED: WRITERS AND ARTISTS
Since our newly revamped website museumoftheweird.com became a daily news site for weird and unusual stories, I’ve been overwhelmed with trying to write all the stories for the “Weekly Weird News” column, as well as continuing to run the business end of things both online and in the store. To help ease some of that burden on my shoulders, we are now accepting submissions from aspiring artists and writers who would like to contribute to the site. Whether you consider yourself a professional or not, if you think you’ve got what it takes to tell a great story in words or pictures, we’d love to see what you’ve got!  Here are some examples of what we’d be looking for:

• Current events – While we are primarily interested in short news bytes running 5 or 6 paragraphs long, we would also be interested in publishing some multi-part investigative journalism pieces (if you read our recent week long investigation into the Gable Film, this is a good example of what I mean).

• Historical research – Interested in investigating that UFO crash in Aurora, Texas in 1897? Or maybe covering the history of voodoo in New Orleans? How about relating the legends of werewolves and vampires in European culture? Here’s your opportunity to share your research with an eager audience.

• Plug your product – Wrote a book about your expedition in search of the Yeti? Tell us about it!  Just finished your Nessie documentary and need a place to tell the public about it? Write about it here!  Sponsoring a ghost hunt? Let us know!  You get the picture. And it beats advertising, because it won’t cost you a dime!  Just make sure you provide it to us in a finished article, and we’ll post it.

• Personal experiences – preferably ones that can be verified with documented evidence (eg: Bigfoot encounters, alien abductions, sightings of cryptids, personal ghost stories, etc.). This is your chance to tell your story to the world!  (however, we will do our best to verify any and all claims you make… we’re not looking for fictional stories, if you know what I mean.)

• Original artwork – whether your forte is photography, painting, pen-and-ink, or digital multimedia, museumoftheweird.com is interested in the rights to publish your original artwork to go along with current or future stories. You will get to keep your copyright and get 100% credit for the artwork, as well as a link to your website if you have one. Illustrations we would need: Bigfoot and other cryptids, ghosts and haunted houses, aliens and UFOs, myths and legends… the possibilities are endless.

Keep in mind just because you submit something does not guarantee it will be posted. If we decide to pass on your story or artwork, you will not be contacted, so please don’t email us back with questions or asking if we liked it  (sorry, but I’m already strapped for time as it is, that’s why we’re accepting submissions). However, if we do like what we see, we will most definitely get in touch with you, so please leave up-to-date contact information. Also if we do decide to accept your work for publication, please realize it is still subject to editing for grammar, style or content. 
If you are alright with all that, then please send a sample of your original piece, be it a story or illustration, to: steve@museumoftheweird.com.  Good luck, I look forward to seeing what you’ve got!

Hundreds of applicants lined up in Wookey Hole, England to get a chance to apply for the role of the Wookey Hole Cave Witch. The position pays £50,000 (about $82,000 in American dollars), not bad for a cackling old hag.
According to legend, in the Dark Ages the Wookey Hole Caves were home to a witch who was blamed for pestilence and disease plaguing the surrounding countryside. Finally an abbot sprayed her with holy water, causing the witch to turn to a stone pillar which, if you ask the locals, can still be seen in the caves to this day.
Today the caves have become a tourist attraction run by Wookey Hole, Ltd., the entertainment company that put out the casting call. In the end the job went to Ms. Carla Calamity, a Somerset estate agent, and a rather attractive woman for a witch I might add. Of course, she may have just put a spell on me…

Embed:<script src=”http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&vid=/video/living/2009/07/29/siraj.uk.which.witch.itn” type=”text/javascript”></script><noscript>Embedded video from <a href=”http://www.cnn.com/video“>CNN Video</a></noscript>

If you didn’t just catch the latest MonsterQuest, you missed a good one. Surprisingly, they just concluded they had the remains of an unknown creature that defied scientific identification, including DNA analysis. Above is a photo of the creature (supposedly when it was alive), which could fit in the palm of your hand. While alive, it was apparently very aggressive toward its captors.
My initial reaction was it was a small skinned monkey, which was also the first reaction by the researchers; however they ruled that out since the scientists determined the creature did in fact have a thin layer of flesh. So the question remains: what exactly was it???