Journal of the Bizarre

Many of us may remember the classic episode of The Twilight Zone from 1960, "A Most Unusual Camera", in which three bumbling crooks get hold of a magical camera which takes pictures of the future.  Recently, in Wichita, a boy named Addison Logan purchased an old camera at a yard sale which may be a real-life "magical" camera- or at least a camera worthy of mention in the Journal of the Bizarre.

According to a story which appeared on May 25 of the Wichita Eagle, Addison Logan, 13, had decided to accompany his grandmother, who was driving around Wichita in search of yard sales.  Although Addison admits to liking yard sales, he probably would not have accompanied his grandmother if not for the fact that he had recently broken his arm in a dirt bike accident.

After stopping at three yard sales, the 13-year old boy spotted an item which had caught his attention, and for one dollar Addison bought himself an old Polaroid camera.

Once at his grandmother's house, Addis…

Three centuries before P.T. Barnum attracted flocks of crowds with his mummified Fiji Mermaid (which turned out to be a papier-mâché creation featuring a monkey's head and a fish's body), sailors around the world had already began manufacturing "mermaids".  Known as Jenny Hanivers, these creations were often sold to tourists and provided sailors with an additional source of income.  These mummified creatures were produced by drying, carving, and then varnishing the carcasses of fish belonging to the order rajiformes- a group of flattened cartilaginous fish related to the shark which includes stingrays and skates.  These preserved carcasses can be made to resemble mermaids, dragons, angels, demons, and other mythical creatures.


Jenny Hanivers became popular in the mid-16th century, when sailors around the Antwerp docks began selling the novelties to tourists.  This practice was so common  in the Belgian city that it may have influenced the name; it is widely believed …

Lyn Hiner wasn't a lair, but that still couldn't prevent her pants from catching fire.  The California mother is recovering from second and third degree burns which were the result of a bizarre incident which took place on a beach not far from Camp Pendleton Marine base last week.  Authorities believe that rocks are the culprit.

Hiner and her daughters were walking along southern California's San Onofre State Beach when one of he girls collected a few green and orange rocks.  Ms. Hiner placed the rocks in her pocket and wasn't expecting what happened a few hours later- her shorts burst into flames.  "There were actual flames coming off of her cargo shorts," explained Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone, in an interview with ABC News. "The husband was outside with a garden hose, actually trying to cool her leg down."

The Hiners were later taken to the Grossman Burn Center where Lyn recieved skin grafts as a result of the blaze, which burned…

JOTB's investigative team would like to thank Coast to Coast AM, Cryptoreports.com, Stan Gordon (www.stangordon.info), and others who have expressed an interest in the mysterious cave creature which was found in Pennsylvania in late 2011.  Last week our photo of the creature was featured on the Coast to Coast AM website, and as a result we have received dozens of emails which may bring us one step closer to solving this mystery.  More importantly, our research into this animal may also bring us one step closer to solving the mystery of cattle mutilation.

In Episode 20 of the Earthfiles show (Sunday July 15, 2007), host Linda Moulton Howe interviewed a former marine named John Click, who is now a Baptist minister in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Around fifteen years ago John Click was employed as a truck driver, and while delivering a load of cargo on Highway 4 between Upland and Campbell (Nebraska), Mr. Click witnessed a strange creature on the back of a cow.  He described this creature…

Less than a year after the discovery of a new species of giant crayfish in Tennessee, Barbicambarus simmonsi, a discovery was made inside of an ice cave in central Pennsylvania which promises to shed new light on the evolution of fish, crustaceans, and amphibians.  A local outdoorsman, Nicholas Bianco, made the discovery while exploring a small cave located in the remote area of central Pennsylvania known as "Saint Anthony's Wilderness", an expanse of 14,000 acres nestled between Peters Mountain and Blue Mountain, a few miles north of Harrisburg.  Also known as Stoney Valley, it is the second largest roadless area in the state, and includes Swatara State Park, Weiser State Forest, and State Game Lands #80 and #210 within its boundaries.

Bianco, who had recently purchased a metal detector, was exploring in the vicinity of Rausch Creek in November of last year, looking for relics from a 19th century mining town which was located in the area, when he decided to look for th…

According to a recent Reuter's poll, nearly 15% of people believe that the world will end within their lifetime.  The poll also revealed that roughly 10% of people believe that the world will end on December 21, 2012, coinciding with the end of the Mayan calendar. 

While millions of people around the world believe in the 2012 Doomsday, there are many misconceptions about the Apocalypse and the Mayan calendar.  JOTB would like to clear up some of these myths and misconceptions.  So before you cash out your 401k and build a bomb shelter, here are 5 reasons why the world won't end in 2012:

Myth #1: The Mayans predicted the end of the world on December 21, 2012

The Truth: The Mayans Never Predicted the World Will End in 2012

If the Mayans never made this prediction, then where did the 12/21/12 "doomsdate" come from?  This date marks the end of a time measurement used by the Mayans known as the "Long Count".  Anthony Aveni, an expert on Mayan culture and archaeo…