WHAT STATES GOOGLE

A recent survey has looked at what subjects are googled most in each state.  Most states are shown to have more than one subject.  Amongst fortean subjects, Bigfoot is among the leaders in Iowa, but the most fortean state would seem to be Texas, whose subjects of most interest include Are Dinosaurs Real?  Are Zombies Real? Can Dogs Talk?  Boogers and Do I Have Herpes?

Alligator Wrestling is popular in Louisiana, while in Indiana they  type in I have a rash.  In Alaska a favorite is Mail order brides.
In Delaware the favorite topic seems to be Delaware.

WAS IT A COATI?

Coati

Speculation has arisen that the recently euthanized "Ratcliffe chupacabra" was, not a raccoon, but a coati.  What do you think?

SUSCON SCREAMER

The screams of the Suscon Screamer feature in the folklore of Pennsylvania.  The Susquehanna Railroad Bridge, now gone, was the focus of the legends.  These legends seem to have started around 1900.

Just who or what gave tongue to the screams is a matter of uncertainty.  A female ghost has been reported from the area and some ascribe them to her.  Another version says there is a lion out there.  There has also been a report of Bigfoots.

One of the creepiest reports concerns a creature apparently seen by a hunter.  It was a creature 6' long witha long snout and webbed feet.  The head of this creature was huge.  Although somewhat piglike, it had claws instead of trotters.

There are several versions of the legend.  There may be more than one explanation for the screams.  From other sources Bigfoot has been reported to scream.  If you continue to be curious, there is a great deal of information on the subject on the Web.

THE SHEEP WITCH

La Calchona (courtesy Austin Whittall)

You may remember, Gentle Reader, that we have done a couple of features on the Wampus Cat of U.S. folklore.  A rather similar story surfaces among the Mapuche Indians of South America.  This concerns a witch called La Calchona.  If you encounter her, she looks like a black sheep or dog.  She is not dangerous, so don't be afraid; but her story, as I say, reminds one somewhat of the Wampus Cat.

She was a witch.  She obtained certain ointments with a view to turning herself into a sheep.  She would go out in the night to do this.  Her husband realized she was making nocturnal excursions and wondered why.  He determined to follow her.

On doing so, he saw her apply the ointment and become a sheep.  This, he felt, had to stop.  He returned home and destroyed the rest of the ointment.  La calchona had to remain in animal form forever.

POLICEMAN CLAIMS ALIEN ENCOUNTER

A policeman who claims he encountered aliens in Argentina has been retired early.

now read on....

ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, May 22...

1918: The still-unidentified "Axeman of New Orleans" kills Italian grocer Joseph Maggio and wife Catherine in their sleep, inaugurating a year-long reign of terror in the Crescent City.

MARTIAN MYSTERY

A mystery has occurred on Mars.  The rover Opportunity was at the center of the puzzle.  A rock, which had not previously been there, suddenly appeared before it.  It is the size of a human fist and scientists have named it Pinnacle Island.  How did it arrive?  Are there stone throwing Martians nearby?