'High demand and significant results'

'I feel insulted by her in some ways'

'I was very devastated at the time'

'You’re a disgrace'

Tennessee is getting annoyingly creative

I received the following email from an anonymous reader who describes various odd events throughout his life. I'm sure some of us could detail a litany of personal experiences though I doubt many people could recall such an array of variations:"When I was 11 years old I had a cousin Patricia, my best friend. We played together and my sister played with her younger sister Betty. Patricia got sick and went to Grady Hospital in Atlanta. One night Mom and Dad went to visit Patricia in the hospital and my sister and I stayed home. I was asleep in my bed and in a waking dream Patricia came and kissed me on my right cheek and told me she loved me but had to go. I remember wondering how she did that when my bed was up against the wall but she kissed me on my cheek with a cold kiss. When my parents came home my dad stood in the doorway of my bedroom and said “Son, wake up. I have to tell you that Patricia died tonight.” I said, “No she didn’t Daddy because she was just here and kissed me!” My dad said you were just dreaming son and turned out the light. I’m 76 now but I remember this like it was yesterday and I believe I will see her again someday!When I was walking in the woods one day in the 100-acre woods behind our house I saw a dinosaur. I was probably 10 or 12 but I was walking along the path to the creek thinking about dinosaurs as I did a lot in those days. I was a child fascinated by history and fossils and dinosaurs.I believe that my focused thinking created the dinosaur in front of me as I stopped suddenly in my tracks and saw a long-necked dinosaur eating leaves off the top of a small tree. I stood there not believing what I was looking at all the while knowing I was seeing it! I bolted back home and told my mom I had seen a dinosaur in the woods and she laughed at me. I believe today that my focused thinking created something out of time and space and put it in front of me because I was thinking about it so hard.When I was serving in Thailand during the Vietnam War I was stationed in a little town on the Thai-Laos-Cambodian border. I was living with my soon-to-be-wife in a bungalow in town when our neighbor, a Laotian girl became possessed by an evil spirit, or so I was told. She was so bad they had to call in special monks in white robes to pray over her.My girlfriend/wife wanted to go over there and see the exorcism but before she went over she told me, “Don’t come over there for any reason.” Instead, since I was on a day off I sat on my porch drinking whiskey and getting drunk as I used to do in those days, as there wasn’t much else to do. Later, a friend of hers came by and asked for her, and forgetting what I was told, I went over to the house where the exorcism was going on. As I went up the steps to the upper floor bungalow I walked up to the screen door and looked in and heard the girl, who was standing naked on her bed screaming, stop screaming, and point to something just inside the door! She said, “There it is!” In perfect English! I was standing there with my face to the screen door and suddenly I felt as if my face was stuck in a freezer and something was standing there looking at me! The hackles rose on my neck and arms and my wife who was sitting just inside the screen door screamed, “Run!” To this day I know something had left the possessed girl to come to take a look at me and I was stone-cold sober when I got back across the street. This happened in Korat, Thailand in 1969. I had a lot of strange things happen to me in the three years I was in Thailand!My wife’s second husband died on Dec. 22, 2002, and we didn’t go to the funeral because my wife was badly treated by her second husband of 15 years. His name was Carl.One night approx two nights after his death, at 3:00 am we were awakened by a horrible bloodcurdling scream that came from our bedroom door! We both sat up and switched on the lights and looked around and the dogs were looking at the door. The one dog who slept on her bed just inside the door had run downstairs and was looking back up while the other two dogs were standing up and staring at the door.We sat there on the side of the bed after looking around the house and finding nothing we both realized we were thinking the same thing. It was Carl who was faced with the realization of how he treated Phyllis and he had to feel the way he made her feel and it hit him all at once. Even though he was dead we heard him scream that night!My wife and I sold two houses and bought one big house in Douglasville, GA in 1982 and we moved into it expecting to live there the rest of our lives. It was built on the corner of the main street across from the fire station which came in handy when my wife’s mother moved in with us and needed emergency care. One night I was sitting in my rocking chair in the master bedroom watching TV and my wife was in the baby’s room rocking him to sleep. I sat there watching TV and dozed off, I woke up to see an Asian or native American woman standing between me and the TV wearing a burlap bag dress and looking at me with hate as if “I would kill you if I could” look in her eyes! I blinked once, twice and on the third blink, she faded right in front of my eyes! This is the same house where my wife and I spent all day putting up shelves and putting stuff up on the shelves in the garage and that night while watching TV we heard a huge loud crash in the garage as if everything we had put up on the shelves and the shelves themselves had fallen. We went rushing into the garage expecting to find a huge mess! Instead, there was nothing out of place at all.This house doesn’t exist today as the county condemned it, burned it to train firemen, and tore the rest of it down. I guess the ghost got her wish. Nobody lives there now!I have been finding a penny a day for years and years! I have found pennies in the strangest places and at the strangest moments. When it first started I was working at the railroad and I had gone about 45 days finding a penny every day until one day I got sick at work and had to go home with the flu. I walked in my front door thinking I hadn’t found my penny today and I knew I was going to bed because I felt awful! Because I get too dirty working at the railroad I had to take a shower before I got in bed even though I was sick, so I took off all my clothes and got in the shower all the while thinking “ I haven’t found my penny for today”! Suddenly I heard a coin drop behind me in the shower and I turned around and there in the bathtub with me was a shiny penny! My wife’s explanation was there was a penny on the bed and when I sat on the bed it stuck to my naked butt and when I got in the shower I washed it off! I told her that may be so but all I know is when I asked for my daily penny it fell into the bathtub with me! I have been finding pennies every day since and I take it as God’s notice to me that I should trust in him every day because it says on the penny “In God we Trust! The penny is God’s way of reminding me every day to trust in Him!My wife and I worked at a real estate company whose office was an old plantation house during the Civil War known as the McAdoo House. It was understood that the house was used as a hospital during the three battles that were fought around the house and that the house was haunted. I used to work there late at night on the phone or computer and I and others smelled cigar smoke numerous times. One of the agents also took a picture of the whole team and staff and there on the outskirts of the picture behind the group was a lady dressed in the 1800s dress with her back to the camera. By the way, we had constant trouble with the phones and the computers, as they didn’t seem to ever want to work!My mother lived in a trailer in Dawsonville, GA and for three months in 2008, I went and stayed with her to look after her and cook and clean. I had to sleep in one of the back bedrooms and every night after I went to sleep I was awakened by a dog barking behind the wall behind my head. Also, many times while I was on the phone someone would knock on the back door and when I went to the door to see who it was there would be nobody there. My mother’s second husband and his dog Missy haunted the place. I am sure of it." G**********PHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYPOLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!VAMPIRES! BEYOND THE LEGENDS - PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS! | LIVE CHAT | Q & A (REAL EXPERIENCER REPORTS)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonOUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubeLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive MapHey, folks. Please feel free to share your thoughts & comments on the recently uploaded video of the CHICAGO MOTHMAN. I'm interested in what you have to say. Thanks. LonEXCLUSIVE VIDEO of CHICAGO MOTHMAN RECORDED----------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio member - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS

A two-foot-tall bronze statue of the Greek goddess Diana that once adorned the fireplace mantle onboard the Titanic was found during a recent expedition. Described as like finding “a needle in a haystack,” it was one of a variety of fine art pieces that have for years been the targets of maritime archaeologists working to […] The post Long-Lost Diana of Versailles Statue Sank with the Titanic–it Was Just Found on the Ocean Floor appeared first on Good News Network.

Excerpts Fantasy Read an Excerpt From Stacy Sivinski’s The Crescent Moon Tearoom Three clairvoyant sisters face an unexpected twist of Fate at the bottom of their own delicate porcelain cups… By Stacy Sivinski | Published on September 17, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski, a cozy fantasy novel out from Atria Books on October 1st. Ever since the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamon that lie at the bottom of their customers’ cups. Their days at the teashop are filled with talk of butterflies and good fortune intertwined with the sound of cinnamon shortbread being snapped by laced fingers.That is, until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus—and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet—it seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect.With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves? The moments before the sisters opened the shop carried their own sort of magic. After the crisp linen tablecloths had been draped over the tables and the cups and saucers arranged just so next to delicate silver spoons and napkins embroidered with miniature moon phases along the edges, the house, for one second of the day, became still. Although it enjoyed rattling the windows and adding an inch or so to the countertops just in time to catch something that Violet was about to drop to the floor, the walls of the Crescent Moon couldn’t help but pause and breathe in the beauty of the parlor. That morning was no exception. As Anne slipped the last peony into a cracked teacup on a shelf near the coatrack and placed her hand on the brass lock to open their shop to the world, she waited and took in the calm anticipation of the scene alongside the house. But all moments, no matter how satisfying, must move forward into the next. Anne turned the lock, pulled open the door, and was instantly met by a flurry of elaborate feathered hats and colorful bustle skirts. “Miss Quigley, I know that I’m usually seated at the table next to the fireplace, but today I must ask to have a chair near the window.” “Miss Quigley, this might be a trifle inconvenient, but my niece has decided to join me this afternoon. Would it be possible to add a place at our table for her?” “Miss Quigley, do you have any of those rose and elderflower biscuits left from my last visit? I’ve been dreaming of how they tasted all week!” Buy the Book The Crescent Moon Tearoom Stacy Sivinski Buy Book The Crescent Moon Tearoom Stacy Sivinski Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Anne met these requests with good humor and a smile, ushering the crowd into the shop and guiding everyone to their proper places. As she continued to greet the first flush of customers, Anne spotted the bright white cotton of Peggy’s and Franny’s aprons out of the corner of her eye and knew that they were already flitting from one table to the next, greeting their guests and discussing the tea specials of the day. “It’s quite busy in here this afternoon!” a familiar voice called from behind Anne’s shoulder just as she took in a breath that carried with it the scent of frankincense and sage. “Not that I’m at all surprised, of course.” A bit of weight that Anne hadn’t realized she’d been carrying lifted when she turned and saw their mother’s oldest friend standing near the front door. Katherine McCulloch had been in the Quigley sisters’ lives long before Clara had heard the tinkling laughter of three little girls echoing from her future on one of her birthdays. And as they had grown older, their mother’s friend had become their own, so much so that she’d insisted they set the name Miss McCulloch among the other relics of their childhood and call her Katherine. Though her hair had started to whiten at the temples and her footsteps were now accompanied by the soft tap of a cane, Katherine’s smile and the way her eyes crinkled at the corners whenever she was genuinely pleased hadn’t changed an inkling since the sisters were young girls. Though Katherine’s craft was casting curses, hexes, and blessings, she radiated a sense of safety that had offered a solid foundation for the sisters to grasp onto in the weeks following their parents’ deaths. She’d been a regular guest at the Crescent Moon since the first day the sisters had turned the Open sign to face the street, though in recent months a seasonal demand for the tricks of her trade had kept her from visiting the shop. Her enchantments took some time to settle, and the witches of Chicago wanted to ensure certain requests were met well in advance of the flurry of social events that would take place toward the end of the year. “I didn’t know that you were stopping by today,” Anne said with delight as she reached forward and placed her palm on the lace-covered hand that Katherine was using to hold her cane. “You should have sent word this morning and I would have made sure that we saved your regular seat.” Katherine preferred to sit in a worn velvet chair at the very back of the room. Anyone seated there didn’t have the best view and had to place their tea on a walnut end table, which was charmingly crafted but could only fit a small porcelain pot along with a cup and saucer and absolutely nothing else. But a portrait of the sisters’ mother hung just to the right of the chair, and Katherine liked to be able to glance up at it as she took sips of the tea that reminded her the most of her friend: a strong Darjeeling blend softened by a generous dash of vanilla essence. “Think nothing of it,” Katherine said as she patted the top of Anne’s hand. “I’m going to an appointment at the other end of State Street and only wanted to pop in for a moment on my way. Though I can see you’re already preoccupied for the afternoon. Where are your sisters?” Anne glanced about the room but didn’t see Violet’s or Beatrix’sred hair among the crowd. She sighed inwardly, thinking that they must still be tucked away in the study and kitchen, so wrapped up in their pastry dough and paperwork that they’d forgotten the time. Normally, Anne didn’t mind retrieving her sisters, but for whatever reason, that afternoon the idea of having to push them back on course made her eyebrows pinch together just a fraction. Suddenly, Katherine’s hand stiffened, pressing Anne’s fingers together in an uncomfortable grip. When Anne glanced down, she saw that Katherine was staring into her face with a stricken expression. “Katherine?” Anne asked, concerned that her friend was feeling unwell. “Is something the matter?” Instead of responding, the older woman leaned an inch or two closer to Anne, staring intently into her eyes. A prickling sensation formed at the base of Anne’s skull and slowly trickled down to her toes, and she resisted the urge to shudder. She’d never experienced it herself before, but it was common knowledge that when a hex witch turned their inner eye to look upon your soul it felt like pins and needles. Then suddenly the sound of porcelain crashing to the floorboards and a flurry of apologies echoed through the shop, breaking Katherine out of her trance. She blinked exactly once and then shook her head, as if clearing away a foggy thought. “Katherine?” Anne asked again, her stomach sinking as she noticed that her friend’s skin had taken on an ashy hue. “It can’t be…,” Katherine murmured to herself as her mouth tightened into a firm line. “What can’t be?” Anne asked. “What’s happened?” Katherine gazed up at Anne, looking so unsure and hesitant that she almost seemed unrecognizable. “I need to go,” Katherine finally said. “Go?” Anne asked, desperate for the barest inkling of a hint as to what had caused Katherine to react so strongly. “But why?” “May I call on you this evening?” Katherine replied in a rush, already pulling her scarf tighter around her neck and reaching a hand toward the handle on the front door. “After the shop’s closed for the day?” “Of course,” Anne answered, more confused than ever. “But can’t you tell me what’s troubling you?” “No, dear,” Katherine said simply as she opened the door and began to step into the chilly spring afternoon. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t be for the best.” As Anne moved closer to the window and watched Katherine shuffle down the sidewalk, she couldn’t help but feel that something profound had just taken place. If only she had the faintest idea of what it was. Excerpted from The Crescent Moon Tearoom, Copyright © 2024 by Stacy Sivinski published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The post Read an Excerpt From Stacy Sivinski’s <i>The Crescent Moon Tearoom</i> appeared first on Reactor.

News Matchbox John Cena Vrooms Into Starring in a Matchbox Movie As a human or a car? Or a human who wants to BE a car? By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on September 17, 2024 Credit: HBO Max Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: HBO Max The live-action movie you never wanted about Matchbox toy cars is moving forward, with John Cena set to star. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cena (Peacemaker, pictured above) has joined the production and will presumably be playing a human character in a world where Matchbox cars rule supreme. (Or not, I made up that plot point since details on the story aren’t public yet.) The movie is is financially driven by Apple Original Films and Skydance and is revving up its way to production. Sam Hargrave is also on board as director. Hargrave—whose career started as a stunt performer in movies like Atomic Blonde and numerous Marvel films—also directed Netflix’s Extraction movies, which saw Chris Hemsworth as a mercenary who must rescue people from nefarious situations. David Coggeshall (The Family Plan) and Jonathan Tropper (The Adam Project, Shawn Levy’s upcoming Star Wars film) have penned the script. After the success of Barbie, it’s not surprising to see movies based on popular toy brands get a bit of a boost. Mattel, as this Matchbox movie confirms, is looking to create a Mattel movie universe, and we have a Masters of the Universe film heading to production as well as a slew of other toy-related projects, including one about the Magic 8 Ball, because why not. The Matchbox brand came about in 1953 and was bought by Mattel in 1997. The brand encompasses a slew of tiny toy cars that, at least at the beginning, were small enough to fit in a matchbox. No news yet on what size the cars will be in the live-action film or when you’ll see it at a theater near you. [end-mark] The post John Cena Vrooms Into Starring in a <i>Matchbox</i> Movie appeared first on Reactor.

The night of the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, pop star Taylor Swift decided to use her platform to endorse the Democratic nominee. But as some have pointed out, it did not seem to have the impact the Left thought it would. The singer, widely known for her catchy tunes about breakups and poor life decisions, wrote, “Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most.” As part of the multi-paragraph post, Swift officially announced, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election”—a decision she said she made in light of Harris being a “steady-handed, gifted leader” and Walz “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body.” And yet, as a recent YouGov poll revealed, that did not appear to sway the minds and hearts of very many. In fact, Swift encouraged her Instagram followers to do their own research and make their own choices, and it seems they are doing just that—independent of Swift’s opinion, for that matter. Reactions_to_Harris_Trump_Debate_poll_resultsDownload According to the survey, which polled 1,120 potential voters Sept. 11-12, 66% of the respondents felt Swift’s public endorsement made no difference in how they would vote. Eight percent—made up of females registered as Democrats—said it made them “somewhat” or “much more likely” to vote for Harris. But notably, 20% said Swift’s post made them “somewhat” or “much less likely” to cast a vote for the Democrat. Additionally, a plurality of those polled, 41%, said Swift should “not speak publicly about politics,” as opposed to the 38% who said she should, and 21% who were unsure. Very few felt Swift’s endorsement would have a negative effect on the Harris campaign, while the majority, 32%, believed it would have a positive impact. And this was true despite the fact that 66% of those surveyed did not consider themselves fans of the singer.  A similar story unfolded in 2018 when Swift decided to endorse Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) opponent, Phil Bredesen, the former governor of Tennessee. The performer reportedly had been “reluctant” to engage in the political arena earlier in her career, but noted that at the time, “due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now.” However, similar to her recent endorsement, it had very little impact, with only 11.7% of surveyed voters saying it “made them more likely to vote for Bredesen.” Blackburn ended up winning that Tennessee election, 54.7% to 43.9%. Experts at that time noted that “celebrities don’t really have these huge overall game-changing effects” in terms of elections, and “we shouldn’t expect them to.” But that hasn’t stopped Americans from speaking their minds. Outside of the YouGov survey and inside the world of social media, one user posted, “If you’re old enough to vote, a celebrity endorsement shouldn’t have any effect. Voters need to look at issues not multimillionaires with no world experiences.” In some cases, moms have posted videos about selling their Taylor Swift concert tickets originally intended for their daughters. And several others have hopped on the “I hate Taylor Swift” trend on X, in which users have been sharing their grievances with both the singer’s announcement and her music at large—a movement being countered by the “I love Taylor Swift” crowd. The Family Research Council’s Joseph Backholm shared with The Washington Stand not merely what Swift’s endorsement or the resulting poll data means, but what Christians specifically can take away from current events. First, he stated, “Celebrities have the same right to speak their mind as everyone else.” And given America’s First Amendment rights, “no one should feel like they aren’t free to say what they think.” And while there’s “a lot of evidence [celebrities] don’t make a meaningful difference” in elections, “it’s the most natural thing in the world to be influenced by the people around us,” he pointed out, and it’s “probably unavoidable.” It’s not our responsibility to stop celebrities from sharing their opinions, Backholm said, but “the trick is being aware of who is influencing us and the direction they’re pulling us in.” For believers, Backholm emphasized, “A key to the Christian life is knowing what voices we should listen to and what voices we [should] ignore,” because “the fact that there will be voices is just a reality of life.” As humans, “We tend to listen to the people we admire or want to be admired by,” which means “we have to make sure the people we esteem are worthy of it in a biblical sense.” “In voting,” he continued, “as in every decision in life, we should be most interested in God’s opinion” above all else. Because even though “He doesn’t formally make endorsements, He has given us instructions about how to evaluate leadership and the kinds of character traits we should value.” Ultimately, “Scripture also helps us understand what choices will bring blessing, security, and prosperity and what kind of choices will lead to pain.” “Unless we are more concerned with God’s opinion than the opinion of a celebrity or our social circle,” Backholm concluded, “we will be easily deceived and manipulated.” Originally published by The Washington Stand The post Taylor Swift’s Endorsement of Harris Has Had Minimal Effect, Poll Finds appeared first on The Daily Signal.