Journal of the Bizarre

Earlier today, Ross Ulbricht, the 31-year-old pioneer who founded the bitcoin "black market" marketplace known as Silk Road, was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In addition, Ulbricht was ordered to forfeit $184 million dollars, or approximately 98% of the website's total revenue since its inception in February of 2011.

Ulbricht's troubles began early in October of 2013, when he was arrested in a San Francisco library after an FBI investigation revealed that Ulbricht was the infamous "Dread Pirate Roberts" who ran Silk Road. Ulbricht was indicted on charges of money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics. According to the FBI, roughly $1.2 billion in illegal drug transactions took place on Silk Road.

While mainstream media outlets are quick to label Silk Road as a drug marketplace, very few media outlets point out that Silk Road was not merely a place to buy illegal drugs, but an experiment in virtual currency where goo…

A few days ago an article appeared in the UK Daily Mail concerning the mysterious noises heard by people all over the world in recent years. These strange sounds, which some say sound like trumpet blasts (while others describe the noise as a scraping or rumbling), have been heard everywhere from British Columbia to Belarus, and have led many people into believing that they are the result of everything from HAARP to Project Blue Beam. Some even insist that these sounds signify the trumpet blasts of the apocalypse.

Unfortunately, most articles dealing with this phenomena are long on hyperbole and supposition and short on factual evidence and investigative journalism. If you are one of the many people who believe these strange sounds are the result of a secret government brainwashing plan, UFOs, or the wrath of God Almighty Himself, then keep reading-- because we're about to set the record straight when it comes to these unexplained sounds. Here are five things you need to know about…