Page 43 - 200901 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - January 2009

Strange But True Stories 43 Strange But True Stories 43 Woman Defends Gothic When under stress the body releases the since the weekend. There are "several volcanic earthquakes Cat Piercing hormone cortisol which is produced in greater occurring every hour," the Observatory said. quantities after consuming caffeine, possibly leading to hallucinations. Surgical Spirit' Spooks A woman from Pennsylvania who Dr Charles Fernyhough, the co-author of 'Surgical Spirit' Spooks marketed "gothic kittens" with ear, neck and the study, pointed out that the research only Hospital Hospital tail-piercings on the internet has defended her showed an association between caffeine intake actions. and hallucination proneness, not a causal link. Holly Crawford was charged with "One interpretation may be that those Staff at a state-of-the-art hospital have animal cruelty after her home was raided students who were more prone to hallucinations called in a chaplain after being spooked by a following a tip off from animal rights group used caffeine to help cope with their 'ghost' - but have denied there are any plans to Peta. experiences," he said. carry out an exorcism. "When I did it, it wasn't with any cruel Workers at Derby's new Royal Hospital Baby Calls Cops On Dad's intentions," she said. "They were definitely Baby Calls Cops On Dad's have reported seeing a black-clad figure in a loved, well-fed, no fleas, clipped nails, and very Drug Op cloak stalking wards and corridors. Drug Op happy." The £334m hospital is built on the site of Police also charged a man who helped the old Derby City Hospital - the same site her take calls about the kittens, which were Police in Canada were given a lucky where a Roman road used to run. being sold online for hundreds of dollars. break when they stumbled upon a marijuana- A hospital spokesman has confirmed to The cats were given 14-gauge piercings growing operation after the culprit’s baby made Sky News that a number of hospital workers through their ears, submission rings in their a 911 call. had been "spooked" by a sighting. necks and one kitten's tail was docked. The 11-month-old boy, who was playing And she said a chaplain would be Ms Crawford said she did not see any with the phone, inadvertently called police to meeting staff next week to help allay their difference between piercing a cat and piercing a his father’s house on Ottawa by pressing concerns. human being. random numbers. Word of a planned exorcism spread after She says she used sterile needles to The Royal Canadian Mounted Police an email to staff was leaked to the media. pierce the animals and made sure they healed believed they were responding to a 911 Senior manager Debbie Butler wrote: "I'm not properly. emergency call, in which the caller hung up sure how many of you are aware that some The vice-president of Peta, Daphna without saying a word. members of staff have reported seeing a ghost. Nachminovitch, described Ms Crawford's The officers entered the house after their "I'm taking it seriously as the last thing I actions as 'barbaric'. knocks on the door went unanswered, much to want is staff feeling uneasy at work. "There's no excuse for inflicting such the surprise of the tot's dad. "I've spoken to the Trust's chaplain and pain on an animal that's the size of your palm," "The father was very surprised to see us she is going to arrange for someone from the she said. and insisted he hadn't called police," Constable cathedral to exorcise the department." Ms Crawford says her dog grooming Janelle Canning said. But a hospital spokesman said: "There is business is now in serious trouble and she has "The officers then observed his 11- absolutely no truth in what has been reported in received dozens of abusive phone calls. month-old child playing with a cordless phone, the media today that an exorcism has been "My name's ruined, my reputation's pressing buttons randomly." arranged. ruined and my business is ruined," she said. Some 500 marijuana plants were "We will be talking to staff in the discovered in two locked rooms by officers who department to listen to their concerns. Caffeine Linked To carried out a routine search of the house. "We respect our staff and always listen Caffeine Linked To The toddler's 29-year-old father was Seeing Ghosts arrested and faces charges of production of a to their views to help put minds at ease." Seeing Ghosts Experts said the surgical spirit could be controlled substance and mischief. He is to the ghost of a Roman soldier killed on the spot appear in court in April. A daily caffeine fix may help you The baby boy was removed from the where the hospital was first built in the 1920s. through the afternoon slump - but it may also home by the Ministry of Children and Family, Developers apparently ignored local cause you to see ghosts. and was later released into his mother's custody. protests about the construction and covered over Research suggests people who drink part of a Roman route.[] more than seven cups of instant coffee a day 'Volcano Could Blow Any have an increased tendency to hallucinate. High caffeine users may even think they Minute' sense non-existent people, according to researchers from the University of Durham. They studied 200 students who were Geologists in the US are on red alert, asked about their typical intake of caffeine expecting a volcano in Alaska to erupt at any products. moment. Those who had a high caffeine intake Mount Redoubt, which is 100 miles were three times more likely to have the heard south west of Anchorage, Alaska, has begun to voice of someone non-existent than "low" users rumble. who consumed less than one cup of instant Experts are watching the 3,108-metre coffee or its equivalent. (10,197-foot) peak round the clock, fearing it is Seeing things that were not there, about to start shooting out ash and lava. hearing voices and sensing the presence of dead It last erupted in December 1989, people were among the experiences reported. disrupting international flightpaths and Besides coffee, caffeine can be obtained covering the area in volcanic ash. from sources such as tea, chocolate, "pep" pills Explosive eruptions can shoot ash and energy drinks. containing jagged pieces of rock eight miles (13 However, the hallucinations are not kilometres) into the air. necessarily a sign of mental illness. Around 3% People living in Anchorage, the state's of people regularly hear voices, the research largest city, have been offered tips on what to said. do, which include staying indoors and wearing The ability of caffeine to exacerbate the a mask and goggles outside. effects of stress may be behind the study's Scientists from the Alaska Volcano findings, scientists believe. Observatory have been monitoring the situation