A Welsh man enjoyed spending time in a secluded location in North Wales. Many times he would hear unexplained sounds‚ thinking the area was haunted. That was until he listened to Bigfoot sound recordings.I received the following account:“I live in Great Britain and used to spend much of my time in North Wales. I'll keep the exact location anonymous for personal reasons. Anyway this area was heavily wooded for miles and deep in the valleys‚ it had a spot where a natural waterfall was. I used to come to this spot to enjoy the peace and quiet and camp out overnight. This area was off limits to the public due to dangerous rock falls I was led to believe. I also heard that in the past people used to come down there to be married in some nearby caves and sure enough there was a stone altar carved into the natural rock in one of the caves. Apparently‚ though this custom had stopped about a hundred years back due to the unsafe nature of geology and the fact a woman had died after falling down a ravine‚ and indeed the area was rumoured to be haunted.I would from time to time‚ although alone‚ feel like I was being watched. This never bothered me during the daylight hours but at night this feeling was so intense I felt compelled to keep the fire lit all night. Other instances there included tree knocking which at first I took to be chopping noises. This happened often during the day although I could never find any sign of any woodman no matter how hard I searched‚ it strangely happened twice one night also. Another night I heard what I thought was somebody making owl noises at me. It sounded like a human was making the sound and not quite like a real owl would sound.The last night I ever spent in the area I was camped down by the steam and heard what I at first took to be a woman's scream. Still‚ it sounded off somehow and I knew nobody could have been there other than myself. It almost bellowed through me this sound‚ sure it could have been an animal but certainly nothing I'd ever encountered before‚ before that night was out I had a huge rock thrown in my direction‚ and again that ear-splitting scream.I never went back there after these experiences and probably never will. What I felt and heard haunted me for years‚ I rationalised the sounds to perhaps be ghosts and worried that I was a victim of some sort of haunting. But after hearing the similarities between what I experienced and what others experience due to possible Bigfoot encounters perhaps such creatures live in remote areas of the UK also?" DJUFOs and The White House: What Did Our Presidents Know and When Did They Know It?When Monsters Come Ashore: Stories of the Loch Ness Monster on LandThe Alien Handbook: A Guide to ExtraterrestrialsA Magical World: Superstition and Science from the Renaissance to the EnlightenmentThe World of Lore: Monstrous CreaturesTime Slips: Real Stories of Time TravelUltraterrestrial Contact: A Paranormal Investigator's Explorations into the Hidden Abduction EpidemicDead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass IncidentRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAccess Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----Hey‚ folks. How would you like to design artwork for Phantoms &; Monsters‚ Phantoms &; Monsters Radio‚ or Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research?If your art is approved by me I will promote it with your name and link. It must be original‚ print-ready‚ and sized for clothing &; merchandise. You can choose your favorite cryptid or paranormal subject to include in your artwork. I will select up to 5 different designs‚ and each will be fully promoted on the blog‚ the Phantoms &; Monsters online shop‚ YouTube‚ social media‚ etc.Please contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - Thanks. Lon-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----TODAY'S TOP LINKS'It's getting closer and closer for sure.' 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LonContact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Also available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

Our Top 10 Electric Light Orchestra Songs reviews the music of one of the most exciting bands in classic rock history. Electric Light Orchestra has always been a band that has been hard to define according to genre. At times‚ they were astonishingly progressive‚ yet they always seemed to be aiming for hit singles in the same manner as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In other words‚ they were a band of substance‚ originality‚ and integrity that celebrated the pop song’s art. Electric Light Orchestra released their first album in 1971 entitled Electric Light Orchestra. The band’s follow-up album was The post Top 10 Electric Light Orchestra Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Steam Next Fest is back with more demos from all corners of gaming. From February 5th-12th players can download demos of the most anticipated releases and try them out. It can get a bit overwhelming with so many choices‚ and that’s why we’re going to show you the top 10 best Steam Next Fest demos you need to download. Our list is in no specific order and aims to capture games across all different genres. Furthermore‚ we’ll cover what the demo entails‚ as well as the overarching aspects of the game. Let’s get started with our first game on the list. #1 — Pacific Drive Image: Ironwood Studios The first game on the list is coincidentally‚ the first game I tried out when viewing all the new demos. Pacific Drive‚ from developer Ironwood Studios‚ is an action survival game that was originally revealed at the Sony State of Play back in September of 2022. Since then‚ it has become a game to look out for‚ and we finally get a taste of what to expect. Th...

Carl Reiner‚ considered one of the most creative minds in television‚ was an actor‚ comedian‚ director‚ screenwriter‚ and publisher with a legendary career that spanned seven decades. Reiner’s credits include some of the most iconic works in entertainment history and he won award after award for his artistic contributions. From his early days in the military to his creation of The Dick Van Dyke... Source

Some things in life are just so unbelievable that it’s easier to write them off as myths. The world is full of strange coincidences‚ mix-ups‚ and downright strange occurrences that happen more often than many people might think. These bizarre instances are sprinkled throughout history‚ and although many of them have been exaggerated over time‚ a basic truth lies at their core. Source

For most of us‚ colonial America is a time period vaguely remembered from history lessons in school as children. Important figures such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin stand out‚ as well as major events such as the midnight ride of Paul Revere and the American Revolution. However‚ many of the stories and facts we were taught to be believe were only just a small piece of the truth or... Source

One of the more interesting‚ but less reported‚ aspects of the Supreme Court’s decision in the landmark affirmative action case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard was its criticism of universities’ racial categories in admissions policies. That critique opens a new way to challenge racial discrimination in court. Lawyers and litigants who care about racial equality should take full advantage of it. The high court’s perspective on racial categories arose out of what is known among lawyers as “the diversity rationale‚” which comes from a 1978 opinion by Justice Lewis Powell. Subsequently adopted by a majority of the court‚ it holds that colleges had some latitude to discriminate on the basis of race to achieve “genuine diversity” on campus. Genuine diversity means diversity of thought‚ culture‚ experience‚ religion‚ philosophy‚ and so on. The Supreme Court and colleges such as Harvard University and the University of North Carolina assumed that racial diversity was a good proxy for genuine diversity.   The thinking went something like this: Most people of a particular race share the same or similar experiences‚ thoughts‚ religions‚ and philosophies‚ so if colleges racially balance their student bodies‚ they’ll guarantee genuine diversity in their student bodies.   For about 45 years‚ the assumption that race was a good proxy for diversity was considered gospel among college administrators and judges. In fact‚ to hear proponents of racial preferences talk about diversity‚ it often sounds like race is diversity. Yet few judges and fewer college administrators stopped to ask if that claim was true. That changed in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The Supreme Court asked: What‚ exactly‚ is the relationship between the racial categories we think we’re familiar with (which are defined by the federal government) and diversity? The high court found there was no relationship at all‚ ruling that the categories are “imprecise‚” “opaque‚” “overbroad‚” “arbitrary‚” “underinclusive‚” and without a “meaningful connection between the means they employ and the goals they pursue.” Consider who is included in each category. “White” includes people from Italy‚ Norway‚ Algeria‚ Israel‚ Iran‚ and Afghanistan. “Asian” includes 60% of the world’s population and groups together those from Pakistan‚ Indian‚ China‚ Japan‚ Korea‚ and Indonesia. “Hispanic” includes anyone who comes from a country once colonized by Spain (but not Portugal). And “black” includes dark-skinned people from Africa but not from other places‚ such as Australia and Melanesia. Under these categories‚ an Israeli Jew provides the same contribution to diversity as an Iranian Muslim and a Swedish Christian. A Chinese farmer provides the same diversity as an Indian computer scientist. A Spanish monarchist provides the same diversity as a Venezuelan socialist. And a wealthy African immigrant provides the same diversity as a poor black person from Harlem. An aboriginal Australian fits in no category‚ and so provides no diversity at all. Each of those claims is patently absurd‚ of course‚ but if race is diversity‚ those are the conclusions that follow. It seems astonishing to think that 2023 was the first time a majority of the Supreme Court recognized the arbitrariness of America’s racial categories. Informed observers‚ notably former slave-turned-author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass‚ have been criticizing our categories since at least 1867. But now that the Supreme Court finally has gotten around to recognizing the obvious‚ it has opened a new way of attacking racial discrimination in all sorts of contexts. This is so because what the court recognized in the context of diversity is not limited to that context. Put simply‚ if America’s racial categories are bad proxies for diversity‚ they may be bad proxies for other things too. And now‚ courts must consider that question. Consider a common sort of case‚ one that challenges preferences for certain racial groups in government contracting. The logic behind them goes like this: The government has discriminated against people from certain racial groups in the past‚ so it must now give people from those groups a remedial preference. In one such case that went to the Supreme Court‚ the city of Richmond‚ Virginia‚ gave a preference‚ among other minority groups‚ to black and Aleutian contractors. The preference purported to remedy historical discrimination against black contractors‚ but the court struck it down because there was no evidence of such discrimination against black contractors. As for Aleutians‚ the court was at a total loss as to why a hypothetical black victim of discrimination should have to “share this ‘remedial relief’ with an Aleut citizen who moves to Richmond tomorrow.” The court found the preference unlawful because it purported to give a remedy to a group who hadn’t suffered any harm. This logic applies equally on two levels—the individual as well as the group. Thus‚ if some of the black contractors in Richmond today are also recent arrivals who never suffered discrimination‚ they aren’t entitled to the remedy even though they too are black. With a growing population of African immigrants‚ an increasingly mobile population‚ and increasing rates of interracial marriage producing multiracial children‚ the odds that our categories don’t group together those who are actually alike in relevant ways are high and rising. This arbitrariness within racial categories is‚ after Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard‚ a live issue for litigants to raise. One court already has struck down a contracting preference in part on this basis‚ and it cited Students for Fair Admissions. Make no mistake‚ however‚ in thinking that this newfound focus on the arbitrariness of racial categories marks some novel shift in the doctrine of equal protection. There is an argument (made here) that the doctrine always has required courts to consider the arbitrariness of categories; courts just haven’t been doing it because they didn’t realize how arbitrary America’s categories actually are. The upshot of all of this is that lawyers challenging racial categories have a powerful new arrow in their quiver. Powerful not only because it comes from the Supreme Court’s latest decision‚ but also because it has a well-established foundation in very old doctrine. If lawyers use it‚ then Students for Fair Admissions may mark not only the beginning of the end of racial preferences in university admissions‚ but the beginning of the end of racial preferences everywhere. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling May Be Bigger Than You Think appeared first on The Daily Signal.

As the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate stalls on funding for Israel‚ the House of Representatives is introducing new legislation to succeed where the upper chamber of Congress is failing. The Washington Stand has obtained a copy of a letter House Speaker Mike Johnson‚ R-La.‚ is preparing to send to his colleagues. It reads‚ in part‚ “Next week‚ we will take up and pass a clean‚ standalone Israel supplemental package.” The letter continues‚ “During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements‚ Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets. The Senate will no longer have excuses‚ however misguided‚ against swift passage of this critical support for our ally.” In the letter‚ Johnson declares‚ “Given the Senate’s failure to move appropriate legislation in a timely fashion‚ and the perilous circumstances currently facing Israel‚ the House will continue to lead.” Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel‚ Senate Democrats have failed to approve military funding for the embattled nation‚ while simultaneously pushing continued funding for Ukraine. Under Johnson’s leadership‚ the House approved an aid package for Israel months ago‚ but the Democrat-controlled Senate has yet to approve it. Johnson had required funding for Ukraine and Israel to be passed in two separate votes‚ as a means of ensuring financial accountability and at least some degree of accountability for U.S. taxpayer dollars. Johnson’s initial proposal would have freed up funding for Israel and Ukraine by slashing the IRS’ budget‚ to the tune of billions of dollars. “There was a time when standing with Israel was bipartisan. Not any longer‚” said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins in comments to The Washington Stand. “Among the first acts Speaker Johnson led the House in passing was critical funding for our key ally Israel. That measure has languished in the Senate for over three months with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer refusing to hold a hearing.” Perkins added‚ “Now‚ President [Joe] Biden is imposing sanctions on so-called Jewish settlers living in the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria. I applaud the House for taking the lead in supporting Israel.” On Thursday‚ Biden issued an executive order imposing economic sanctions and visa bans against four Israeli individuals in the West Bank‚ labeling them “settlers” and accusing them of torching cars and buildings and attacking Palestinians and even Israeli peace activists. According to U.S. officials‚ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the sanctions‚ reasserting Israel’s right to self-defense. Originally published by The Washington Stand Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Speaker Johnson to Introduce ‘Clean’ Israel Aid Package appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The United States must take more precautions to protect its military bases from spying by the Chinese Communist Party‚ two House chairmen told The Daily Signal on Monday.  “The CCP continues to surveil and probe American defenses even here on U.S. soil‚” Rep. Mike Gallagher‚ R-Wis.‚ chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party‚ told The Daily Signal in a written statement.  “That’s why we need to take commonsense precautions like preventing CCP-linked entities from purchasing land near our military bases or other national security-related infrastructure‚” Gallagher said. The Daily Signal first reported Friday on documents‚ obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Committee‚ that reveal over a dozen reported incidents of Chinese nationals who sent drones over Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam to take photos and video of points of entry at the Hawaii base. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)  “We cannot allow the CCP to collect valuable intelligence here at home that they might leverage in the event of a crisis‚” Gallagher said of the Chinese Communist Party. In October‚ the House Oversight and Accountability Committee launched an investigation of Chinese espionage at U.S. military installations‚ Chairman James Comer‚ R-Ky.‚ said.   “Reports of Chinese espionage on U.S. soil are deeply concerning‚” Comer told The Daily Signal on Monday‚ adding: “The committee has met with department stakeholders [and] visited U.S. bases‚ and our investigation is ongoing. It is critical that we ensure the security of our most sensitive military installations and protect the service members operating within them.” Also in October‚ Comer joined Rep. Glenn Grothman‚ R-Wis.‚ chairman of House Oversight’s subcommittee on national security‚ the border‚ and foreign affairs‚ in sending a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Chinese nationals‚ sometimes posing as tourists‚ have repeatedly accessed‚ or attempted to access‚ U.S. military bases and other sensitive government facilities as often as one hundred times in recent years‚” the two lawmakers wrote Austin and Wray. Documents obtained by the Oversight Project from law enforcement at the Pearl Harbor military base include cases of Chinese nationals taking photos and video images of the base while claiming to be visitors.  For instance‚ when two Chinese nationals were stopped Oct. 29‚ “the subjects stated they are visiting Hawaii for two days and have no hotel room‚” according to a Navy record obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.  In September‚ Gallagher led a letter to Austin and Wray from Republican members of his select committee‚ requesting a briefing on China’s acting inside the United States to gain access to military‚ economic‚ and technological information. The select committee’s letter noted that potential Chinese agents “infiltrated a U.S. Army test range‚ accessed numerous missile sites‚ and used drone technology to surveil the grounds.”  The letter also said scuba divers believed to be from China were found near “a launch site for U.S. spy satellites and other sensitive military equipment.” Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Gallagher‚ Comer Sound Alarm on China’s Spying on Military Bases appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced‚ in an exclusive interview Monday with The Daily Signal‚ the launch of a public portal online for parents in the state’s public schools to submit and monitor content of concern to them.  “This is a tool to empower parents in their dealings with their own school system so they can better raise their kids‚ which is their job and not the schools’‚” Rokita‚ a Republican‚ said of the online portal. The past several years have seen national concern about public school systems hiding discriminatory and sexually or racially inappropriate content and policies from parents. Indiana is no exception.  Dozens of Indiana schools have incorporated critical race theory and gender transition plans without the consent of‚ much less the awareness of many Hoosier parents. Accuracy in Media last year released undercover videos in which several administrators at five Indiana public schools admitted to teaching critical race theory despite telling parents otherwise. At least two of those administrators since have stepped down or been placed on leave. A previous report by The Daily Signal exposed one Indiana school system’s hidden gender support plan‚ which required teachers to omit information about a student’s “gender transition” in conversations with his or her parents. The school system fired that whistleblower‚ a school counselor‚ for revealing the information; she is currently suing the district. As attorney general‚ Rokita outlined these “constituent concerns” as the rationale behind his office’s new “Eyes on Education” online portal‚ which would allow parents to submit policies‚ lesson plans‚ and other concerning matters to be reviewed by the Attorney General’s office and placed on a public database for other parents to see. The vision for the portal began to take shape around the end of 2021‚ Rokita told The Daily Signal: Parents were sending me lesson plans. This is around the time that we were calling out critical race theory and this social [and] emotional learning that was being taught to teachers and then teachers to the students‚ and it was corrupting the whole educational experience. Many teachers and administrators claimed that critical race theory and radical gender ideology were not being taught in public schools. But‚ using social media‚ many parents posted concerning videos‚ screenshots‚ lessons‚ and policies that showed otherwise. “So either these parents are part of a huge conspiracy and making all this stuff up‚ as the teachers and principals and school board members would have you believe‚” Rokita said‚ “or there’s really something going on—even in good ol’ Indiana. So we’ve been collecting these different submissions for about the last year and a half.” I asked Rokita what plans were in place to verify materials sent to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office—citing a situation in which many Hoosier parents were fooled by a hoax about litter boxes at a high school in Kokomo‚ Indiana. Rokita responded that “rumor mill” submissions would result in a call to the individual who submitted the material‚ followed up by a second look by his office’s investigators.  “We deal with very complex‚ complicated professional licensing issues‚ so to speak‚ and ten of thousands of other cases per year‚” Rokita responded. “We can get to the root of a liar‚ of a fake‚ pretty easy. But really it’s also for self-policing.” The attorney general said he thinks this is a job for the state superintendent of schools. But just like the Parents Bill of Rights document that Rokita launched in June 2021‚ he said‚ he took on this project because “no one’s picking up the mantle.” The theme of the entire project is transparency‚ Rokita said. If a school system disagrees with what has been posted by his office‚ the attorney general said‚ the “denial” also will be posted. “I’m not going to go and start investigating schools‚” Rokita said. “Number one‚ I don’t have the statutory authority to go in there. But this is going to be a portal‚ a transparent portal where we can cut through the rumor mill.” To cut through this “rumor mill‚” Rokita said‚ his office would post only primary documents and verified material‚ letters‚ and policies from the schools. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post EXCLUSIVE: Indiana AG Launches Portal for Parents to Monitor Public Schools’ Discriminatory Policies‚ Content appeared first on The Daily Signal.