December, 2007
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December 3, 2007 Today's
Deadly Yet Truly Morbid Fact! In the early morning hours of December 7, 1946 a fire at Downtown Atlanta’s Winecoff Hotel left 119 people dead and 90 people injured. This fire is still the deadliest hotel fire in the history of the United States. At the time of the fire, the Hotel Winecoff had only one exit stairway available for occupants to escape the upper floors of the 15 story building. The doors to this stairway were not fire-rated and many of the doors were left open. Once the fire started on the third floor, the stairway effectively became a chimney — allowing the smoke and fire to spread quickly up this stair and throughout the upper floors. Many of the hotel guests died in their sleep. Because the stairway was inaccessible, other occupants chose to jump to their deaths. Others died by trying to escape the building while climbing down a makeshift escape line made out of bed sheets. Additional contributing factors to the number of deaths and injuries included combustible interior finishes, a delay in calling the fire department, and the lack of a fire alarm and automatic fire suppression system. Included in the death toll were 30 teenagers who were part a Youth Assembly at the Georgia State Capitol. The teenagers were visiting from cities and towns all across the State of Georgia and were taking part in a “mock” legislative session. As a result of this fire, many building and fire codes were enhanced to make buildings including hotels safer from fire. Some of the enhancements in the building and fire codes included provisions for improved exiting systems, safer interior finishes, and the installation of fire alarm and automatic fire suppression systems. Culled
from: Famous Hotels ********************************************************************** The
other day I seconded a recommendation of the film Men Behind the Sun
which details ghastly medical "experiments" that the Japanese
military performed on Chinese civilians during the 1930's. Fawn reminded
me that I neglected to mention that those of us who are sensitive to
animal rights issues should be warned that there is a horrendous scene
involving a live cat being thrown into a pit of starved rats, which
is completely real, and all done for the sake of "entertainment".
I personally closed my eyes during the scene and had my girlfriend tell
me when it was over because I can't stand scenes of animal suffering.
You might want to do the same... or avoid the film entirely. ******* Morbid Link Du Jour! Here's a fun blog that contains a list of 12 Hilarious Tombstones. You may have seen most of them before, but they are still well worth a view. Thanks
to Steve O' for the link. ******* Tidings Of Discomfort And Gloom! Holiday help for when you're stumped trying to find the perfectly dismal gift for that morbid someone in your life! Here's one of my favorite online shops. There's something here for everyone - even the non-morbid that we must live amongst. ******* New MFDJ Shirts! I'm proud to announce a new line of Morbid Fact Du Jour shirts available from Etsy.Com with the extremely invaluable assistance of Jen from Juror2.Net: Killer Quotes! A line of t-shirts featuring some of the most charming and enigmatic quotes from everyone's favorite fiends and freaks! Currently, a couple of designs are available, but some of my favorites are lurking around the corner. Have a look at the first couple of designs (by Jen): And don't forget the existing MFDJ products, which are also quite ghastly: |
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December 6, 2007 Today's
Glorious Yet Truly Morbid Fact! The 1908 Japanese army criminal code contained the following provision: "A commander who allows his unit to surrender to the enemy without fighting to the last man or who concedes a strategic area to the enemy shall be punishable by death." The field service code contained an additional injunction: "Do not be taken prisoner alive." To drive the point home, the army helpfully told the story of a Major Kuga, who was captured by the Chinese. Major Kuga had been wounded and was captured while he was unconscious. When he was released, he committed suicide. The commentary instructed the reader, "This act typifies the glorious spirit of the Imperial Army". Culled
from: Flyboys ********************************************************************** Hmmmmm... I think I tend to agree with General Patton's philosophy a bit more: "No one ever won a war by dying for their country. They won by making the other son-of-a-bitch die for his." ******* Morbid Link Du Jour! Of course, to many of us, this is an oldie but moldie - but for those of you who haven't investigated Adipocere's Mausoleum Problems website, there's a world of disgust to discover! Thanks to Tracy for the link. ******* Tidings Of Discomfort And Gloom! Holiday help for when you're stumped trying to find the perfectly dismal gift for that morbid someone in your life! Here's another of my favorite online shops - some of the loveliest smelling (and most macabre) candles you will ever have the fortune of coming across. Highly recommended! ******* New MFDJ Shirts! I'm proud to announce a new line of Morbid Fact Du Jour shirts available from Etsy.Com with the extremely invaluable assistance of Jen from Juror2.Net: Killer Quotes! A line of t-shirts featuring some of the most charming and enigmatic quotes from everyone's favorite fiends and freaks! Currently, a couple of designs are available, but some of my favorites are lurking around the corner. Have a look at the first couple of designs (by Jen): And don't forget the existing MFDJ products, which are also quite ghastly:
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December 7, 2007 Today's
Leaning Yet Truly Morbid Fact! Authorities said a Pensacola man died after opening a car door to spit. Miguel Rogelio was a passenger in a car when he decided he needed to spit. The 37-year-old opened his door and leaned out. He then fell and hit his head on the pavement. No charges have been filed and no further information has been released. The driver, Desiree Jamar, told police she was traveling about 45 miles an hour at the time. Culled
from: The Associated Press ********************************************************************** Has he never heard of windows? ******* Morbid Trinket Du Jour! As they say, it's the most wonderful time of the year: time for the newest edition of the Cofanifunebri coffin calendar! The girls are looking bleakly seductive as usual! http://www.cofanifunebri.com/2008-calendar.htm Thanks to Skye for the link. ******* Morbid Link Du Jour! Now, HERE'S a useful website! Antiquus Morbus is a glossary of archaic causes of death, which is especially useful when reading old death certificates or newspaper articles. So, if you've ever wondered what exactly they mean by "Sinking Chills" - now you know! "The congestive form of intermittent fever; called pernicious fever or congestive fever. It was known in the west as sinking chills." Essential! http://www.antiquusmorbus.com/ Thanks to Magnoire for the link. |
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December 8, 2007 Today's Disfigured Yet Truly Morbid Fact! Armed men cut off the ears and nose of a Pakistani man who married one of their tribe for love after he and his family refused to hand over his wife. The attackers also chopped the ears off the man’s brother and severed his mother’s hand in the latest “honor” crime to hit Pakistan’s conservative rural areas. Such crimes, including killings, are common in areas where marriages without the consent of girls’ families are still taboo under centuries-old tribal and feudal traditions. Mohammad Iqbal’s wife, Shehnaz, was not at home when about 15 armed members of her clan attacked in the central city of Multan on Tuesday, January 2, 2007, demanding she be turned over. “The assailants, who were armed with small arms, daggers and axes, tortured Iqbal and cut off his ears and nose when he refused to produce Shenhaz,” Naeem-ul-Hassan, a deputy superintendent of police, told Reuters. “They dragged us on the floor and thrashed us before cutting our limbs,” Mohammad Yasin, Iqbal’s brother told Reuters from Nishtar hospital, where he was being treated along with his brother and mother. Shehnaz married Iqbal out of choice last year and the couple left Multan along with Iqbal’s family apparently for fear of reprisals from Shehnaz’s relatives. The family returned to Multan recently to celebrate the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, marked on Monday. Police have arrested five suspects. Human rights groups say about 1,000 people are killed in honor-related crimes every year in Pakistan. In some cases, women who marry against their families’ will and their in-laws are disfigured as punishment. Culled
from: Reuters ********************************************************************** So, if any of you happened to catch 20/20 last night, you might have seen The Asylum Eclectica smeared in the mud in the debate over whether websites have the right to post accident pictures online. I was contacted by 20/20 and asked to do an interview, but I refused because I knew that they would try to equate those of us who have an interest in tragedy and the macabre with the kind of hateful vermin who would send explicit accident photographs to the family of the victims. In the end, I sent them a statement explaining my position on the issue but would not do an interview - despite weeks of cajoling by the producer. I missed the show but apparently my website was flashed on the screen as an example of the "mean people" who are tormenting the family by viewing the accident pictures online. Based on that few seconds of flashing my URL, I've been getting hate mail and death threats all morning. Imagine how it would have been if I'd agreed to do the interview??? There'd be a mob outside The Castle DeSpair waving pitchforks and torches as I type! I'm so glad my distrust of the media prevailed. One person actually told me that I was "one of the most evil people" he'd ever come across in his life. Wow, to think? A hermitic liberal vegetarian anti-death penalty pacifist is the most evil person this guy has ever come across in his life! What a lucky life he's led. Anyway, here's the complete statement that I sent to 20/20, if you're interested. They only shared a snippet of it - and not the best part either. Wanting to view photographs of tragic events is a part of human nature. It's a very rare person who doesn't rubberneck as they pass the scene of an accident, because we're all interested in a glimpse into death and misfortune. When we look upon photographs, like those of a young girl who has been violently struck down in the prime of her life by a moment's recklessness, we gaze upon our own mortality, and we think about how easily this could have been us. This is normal, and there's nothing to be ashamed of in admitting an interest in death and tragedy. If anything, viewing images like these only accentuate the empathy that I feel for the victim's misfortune. There is no disrespect intended, and there is no mention of the victim's name or any other identifying information on my website in order to preserve the anonymity of the victim. While I sympathize with the family and have no desire to perpetuate the pain of their loss, I also realize the reality of the internet. Once photographs like these leak online, they spread like a virus. Hundreds of websites have featured these photos, and you can be guaranteed that hundreds, if not thousands, more visitors of those sites have saved the photographs to their hard drives. Completely removing the photographs from the internet is impossible, for every day someone new will pass them on via e-mail, and a new webmaster will post the pictures again. That's just the interactive nature of the internet. It is designed to be a forum for sharing information. The real value of the set of images is the blunt impact that they have on the living. I have received e-mails from people who have viewed these photographs who told me that they showed the pictures to their teenagers to warn them of the dangers of drunk or reckless driving. The photos are horrifying, but their unpleasantness is their primary virtue: they are scarred into our memory, and we can’t help but think of them when we pass an accident scene or we catch ourselves driving recklessly. We can't bring this girl back, but we can use her recklessness and tragedy as a warning to others, similar to how photographs of a young woman (Jacqueline Saburido) disfigured by a fiery crash caused by a drunk driver provided the most powerful public service announcement against drunk driving ever. Ultimately, though, the question is whether one person has the right to tell another person what they should or should not be allowed to view online. What one person may find disturbing, another person may find fascinating. Where do you begin drawing that line? Do we say that a photo of an accident victim that is displayed on a medical website is acceptable, but if the same photo is displayed on a personal website, it is not acceptable? Do we say that a photograph of a dead soldier from the Civil War is "historical", but of a soldier in 2006 is "tasteless"? Do we say that photographs of the Columbine shooters as displayed in the National Enquirer are "exploitational", but photographs of Saddam Hussein's dead sons on the front cover of a newspaper are "newsworthy"? Obviously, the concept of what is acceptable is a subjective one, and there are no black and white boundaries. When you begin to draw lines as to what people should and should not be shown, you head down a very slippery slope where your rights as a thinking member of society are at risk. The greatest thing about the internet is not only that so much vital information is available, but also that it is compartmentalized so that you do not have to view or read anything that you dislike or that makes you uncomfortable. However, the option is always there for those who are interested. For those who find photographs of deceased individuals disturbing, they have the option of not visiting the sort of sites that display those images. (Most of those sites have ample warnings before anything disturbing is shown.) But the right of the rest of us to view such images should not be infringed upon. ******* Morbid Link Du Jour! The World's Most Dangerous Jobs: Defusing bombs. Police informant. Reporter in the Middle East. Flying in a newscopter? http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=da6_1185572136 http://nothingtoxic.com/media/1147606159/Out_of_Control_Chopper_Crumbles_to_Pieces Thanks to Steve O' for the links. ******* Tidings Of Discomfort And Gloom! When looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for that morbid someone in your life, why not stop by our friends at Archie McPhee? Some of my favorite items are: And, of
course, the Despair
Pennant! And so much more!!! You gotta love Archie McPhee. |
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December 9, 2007 Today's Infected Yet Truly Morbid Fact! Dr. Horst Schumann, SS-Sturmbannführer, participated in sterilization and castration experiments at Auschwitz and was particularly interested in the mass sterilization of Jews by means of X-rays. His experimental subjects - relatively healthy young men and women - were brought in one by one. Women were put between plates that pressed against abdomen and back. The x-ray machines were turned on for several minutes. Many of the women emerged with substantial burns which often became infected and would take a long time to heal, and many quickly developed symptoms of peritonitis, including fever and severe pain and vomiting. Not long after the X-rays, the women's ovaries were removed surgically, usually in two separate operations, and sent to labs to determine whether the x-rays were useful in destroying tissue. The operations consisted of a crude spinal tap and rough 10-minute surgery; the pathetic, child-like victim being carried out on a stretcher as the next one was brought in for the spinal tap. The doctors neglected to take the ordinarily obligatory step of applying a portion of the peritoneum as a flap to cover and protect the "stump" of the tube from which the ovary had been removed, and thereby contributed to later complications of bleeding and severe infection. A prisoner doctor who cared for the victims said: "They were nine months in bed. I was doing the dressing all the time - and the smell, I can't tell you." The depth of these experimental victims' sense of violation and mutilation was evident in an interview with a Greek-Jewish woman 35 years later. She described her terror as she saw in a reflection "the blood pouring out as they opened my belly" ; and then after the two operations, "pus - like a pit from an infected wound, and a high temperature... pneumonia. My body swelled up... I was paralyzed... I couldn't move." Culled
from: The
Nazi Doctors ********************************************************************** I'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who wrote me words of support following the 20/20 Hate Mail debacle. It's very encouraging to know I have such intelligent and ready troops in my midst! I find it interesting that, as we could have predicted, the 20/20 episode has encouraged more people to look for the accident pictures than ever before. The Catsouras images are spreading like wildfire around the net again. Nice work in suppressing the pictures, family! And on a related topic... ******* Ghastly! You've probably seen them already since they've been making the rounds for awhile now, but I finally got around to posting another excellent set of educational crash scene photographs. In this lesson we learn what can happen when you tailgate a semi on a motorcycle while traveling 120 mph. Ill-advised, indeed! Here's the story behind the images, as sent by Edward: Motorcyclist Killed After High-Speed Crash Overnight Tuesday April 17, 2007 Tulsa - A Broken Arrow man was killed early Tuesday morning after a motorcycle accident on Highway 169 near 81st Street. Witnesses say the cyclist was going faster than 100 miles per hour when he crashed into the back of a semi truck between 81st and 91st Street at about one o'clock Tuesday morning. Investigators say evidence shows the cyclist was going about 120 miles per hour at the time of the impact. It took the truck driver more than a quarter of a mile to come to a stop. When he did, he stepped out of his rig and found the motorcyclist dead at the back of the truck. "The truck driver was not hurt," says Captain Matt Kirkland. "He said that the impact was so strong that he thought he was hit from behind by another truck." Officers said there was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a factor in the accident. *** Oh, and unlike the family of Nikki Catsouras, who JUST DON'T GET IT, the family of this guy stated that they hoped that his death would help to educate people on the subject of motorcycle safety so that his death would not be in vain. Bravo to them. ******* Wretched Recommendations! Two of my favorite books in The Library Eclectica are Death In Yellowstone and Over The Edge: Death In Grand Canyon. Now, I can add Off the Wall: Death In Yosemite to that collection! Off
the Wall: Death in Yosemite Here's an excellent review by Fritz R. Ward from the Amazon website: "When I was last in Yosemite, April of 2007, I hiked to the top of the Yosemite Falls Trail and, after taking a quick break, decided to head for Eagle Peak. Alas it started to snow and after about 1/2 mile I turned back. A trail maintenance ranger at the bottom of the trail, who knew of my plans, asked when he saw me if I had made it. 'No,' I replied. 'I turned around.' He then mentioned that someone else, facing the same conditions that day, had not made the same choice. On the broad shoulder of Half Dome, with snow flying, this person had decided to go for the top, even in the bad conditions and even though the cables were not properly strung. He slipped and fell. I never found out if he lived, but the description offered by the ranger fits a pattern found repeatedly in this fabulous book. Young men taking foolish chances end up hurt and/or killed. "This book is a sequel to the immensely popular Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon and like the first volume it is somewhat morbid. The authors, one of whom was a Search and Rescue (SAR) ranger in Yosemite for many years, catalogue all the ways one could conceivably die in Yosemite and then devote a chapter to each. Murder, suicide, and motor vehicle deaths are all covered, but so too is a variety of deadly accidents experienced by climbers high on cliffs, hikers lost or off route from established trails, drowning victims, people falling over the edge of waterfalls, and even people who jump off cliffs hoping to parachute safely to the valley floor (BASE jumping). Although the authors admit they probably have not found every single death in the park's history (records for the early years in the 19th century are incomplete) they are reasonably convinced they have found 95% of all deaths, many of which are discussed in considerable detail within the pages of this book. Readers will also learn a lot of park history and folklore, including the story of the downed plane loaded with high grade marijuana. The Sylvester Stallone movie Cliffhanger was loosely based on this incident. "What in general do the authors conclude from all this? Mostly that young men, the predominant victims in the Park, seem to feel that they are invulnerable. They will leave the trail for a "shorter" route even if the trail they are on is the highly dangerous ledge trail (closed years ago, but still popular with some thrill seekers). This same population ignores signs about rushing currents above waterfalls, or climbs too far, too fast, without taking sufficient safety precautions. They might even unhook from their lines while on precarious ledges. Of course, there are a few daring (foolish?) women who join their ranks. Jan M. Davis, a Hollywood stunt specialist, died on a BASE jump. Ironically, she was protesting the park's policy banning such jumps. But for every story like hers, there are dozens of young men who make similar mistakes. Indeed, the main thing I got from this book was a sense of relief that I am now middle aged. "In all, this is an excellent, fascinating read. It is well worth the price and if you want to experience parklands anywhere; the advice these authors give may save your life. Be forewarned, however, that this book is very graphic. Full of gory detail, it is definitely not for the squeamish." Oooh, I can't wait!! Having read the other two books, I can vouch for their morbid-worthiness! Over
the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon Death
in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park |
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December 10, 2007 Today's Profoundly Warped Yet Truly Morbid Fact! For a little more than a year, between 1976 and 1977, a gun-wielding madman prowled the streets of New York City at night. His weapon was a .44 revolver - and at first the tabloids tagged him the ".44-Caliber Killer". The terror began on July 29, 1976, when two young women were shot in a parked car in the Bronx. Young people in cars - often dating couples - would continue to be the killer's targets of choice. On one occasion, however, he gunned down a pair of young women sitting on a stoop. On another, he shot a woman as she walked home from school. Frantically she tried protecting her face with a book - but to no avail. The killer simply raised the muzzle of his weapon to the makeshift shield and blaster her in the head. Before his rampage was over, a total of 6 young New Yorkers were dead, and 7 more severely wounded. At the scene of one double murder, police found a long,ranting note from the killer. "I am the 'Son of Sam'. I am a little brat," he wrote. From that point on, the killer would be known by his bizarre new nickname. The police finally got a break on July 31, 1977, when a couple was shot along the Brooklyn shore and a witness noticed someone driving away from the scene in a car that had just been ticketed. This led the police to David Berkowitz, a pudgy-faced postal worker living in Yonkers. Under arrest, Berkowitz explained the meaning of his bizarre moniker. "Sam" turned out to be the name of a neighbor, Sam Carr, who - in Berkowitz's profoundly warped mind - was actually a "high demon" who transmitted his orders to kill through his pet dog, a black Labrador retriever. Insane as this story was, Berkowitz was found mentally fit to stand trial and was sentenced to 300 years in the pen. Culled
from: The
A to Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers ********************************************************************** One of my favorite Berkowitz quotes is the sweet and thoughtful: "I didn't want to hurt them. I only wanted to kill them." Jen at Juror2.Net has newly designed a shirt with this enigmatic and touching phrase as part of the new Killer Quotes Morbid Fact Du Jour t-shirt line. Be the first in your neighborhood to appall the masses!
The Son
Of Sam shirt is available at the Morbid
Fact Du Jour Etsy.Com shop. I'll be
featuring the stories behind the other Killer Quotes shirts in the upcoming
days. Stay tuned! ******* Morbid Trinket Du Jour! Now, *here's* a book I'd love to have in The Library Eclectica!!! Alas some private collector won the auction at £5,400 ($10,950.66), which is ever-so-slightly out of my price range. http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=77276&in_page_id=34 Thanks to John for the link. ******* Morbid Coming Attractions! Patrick sent me the link to the previous for an upcoming Japanese movie called Machine Girl, which looks like a combination of Kill Bill and Grindhouse. In other words, if you love your movies liberally splashed with over-the-top, cartoonish violence, put this one on your must-see list! http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/10/machine-girl-trailer.html Thanks to Patric for the link. |
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December 11, 2007 Here's a repeat of one of my favorite Morbid Facts, and an inspiration for a new t-shirt design! Today's Embittered Yet Truly Morbid Fact! In the early years of the 19th century, an embittered German widow named Anna Zwanziger, who bore a striking resemblance to an oversized toad, hired herself out as a housekeeper and cook to a succession of middle-aged judges. Apparently, Zwanziger hoped that one of these worthies would become so dependent on her domestic skills that he would end up proposing. Of course, there was one small problem with Anna's plan - namely, the inconvenient fact that each of the men was already married or engaged to another woman. Anna hit on an ingenious solution: she poisoned two of the women with arsenic. For good measure, she also poisoned one of the judges, several servants, and a baby (who died after eating a biscuit soaked in arsenic-spiked milk). Just before her execution in July 1811, Anna told her jailers, "It is perhaps better for the community that I should die, as it would be impossible for me to stop poisoning people." Culled
from: The
A to Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers ********************************************************************** Isn't toadlike Anna a brilliant character? I thought her quote was good enough to turn into a t-shirt - I hope you agree!
The Anna
Zwanziger shirt is available at the Morbid
Fact Du Jour Etsy.Com shop. ******* Morbid Trinket Du Jour! A few days ago I featured the Cofanifunebri coffin girls calendar. Now, here's a calendar for those of you who prefer the male physique: The Men Of Mortuaries Calendar. http://www.menofmortuaries.com/ Thanks
to Bonni for the link. ******* Morbid Mirth Du Jour! Here's a handy website that calculates the worth of your cadaver. Who would have guessed that a creaking old Comtesse would be worth $3,965.00? http://www.justsayhi.com/bb/cadaver Thanks to Cathy for the link. |
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December 12, 2007 Here's a repeat of another classic Morbid Fact, and an inspiration for another new t-shirt design! Today's Infamous Yet Truly Morbid Fact! The Manson Family Tate-LaBianca murders occurred on August 9-10, 1969. This infamous episode in history occurred when three young women led by Charles Watson and under the direction of Charles Manson entered the Hollywood house of actress Sharon Tate and brutally murdered her and four guests. One victim, writer Voytek Frykowsky, was shot twice, bludgeoned about the head a dozen times, and stabbed over 50 times. Tate, eight months pregnant at the time, also received multiple stab wounds, including a thrust squarely in the womb. The following night the Manson squad attacked the Los Angeles home of Mr. and Mrs. Leno LaBianca and similarly executed them. Culled
from: The People's Almanac #2 ********************************************************************** And here's the latest morbid t-shirt inspired by wacky ol' Charlie:
The Charles
Manson shirt is available at the Morbid
Fact Du Jour Etsy.Com shop. ******* Ghastly! And I thought the poison oak rashes I used to get as a kid were bad. They got NOTHING on the Poison Ivy Rash Hall Of Fame! http://www.poison-ivy.org/rash/index.htm Thanks
to Magnoire for the link. ******* Tidings Of Discomfort And Gloom! Another of my favorite shopping sites is the ever-magnificent Madame Talbot's Victorian Lowbrow. The art is truly a joy to behold! Check out her new Sweeney Todd poster! With the Tim Burton movie on the horizon, it's topical too! |
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December 13, 2007 Here's a repeat of another classic Morbid Fact, and an inspiration for another new t-shirt design! Today's Unearthly Yet Truly Morbid Fact! "Tracy Edwards was 'The One That Got Away' - the man who nearly became Jeffrey Dahmer's 18th victim. Edwards had met Dahmer in a shopping mall and Dahmer had invited Tracy and his friends to an impromptu party at his apartment. However, unbeknownst to Edwards, Dahmer gave them the wrong address so he could get Edwards alone. While sitting in Dahmer's apartment sipping beer, Dahmer put his arms around Edwards and propositioned him. Edwards, a straight man, was instantly awake and said he was going home. At that point, Dahmer placed handcuffs on his arm and led him by knifepoint into the stench ridden bedroom. On the wall of the bedroom were photographs of Dahmer's butchered victims. Edwards realized the stench was coming from a barrel beside the window - and he could imagine what it contained (three male torsos, as a matter of fact). Dahmer told Edwards if he didn't cooperate he would cut his heart out and Edwards swung his right fist in a punch that knocked Dahmer sideways, then kicked him in the stomach and ran for the door. When he had made his escape, he led police to the apartment of horror. When police entered the apartment, they found Dahmer lying on the floor, handcuffed. Then one of the policemen opened the door of a refrigerator and gasped, 'Oh my God! There's a goddamn head in here!' That was the moment Dahmer began to scream - a horrible, unearthly scream like an animal." Culled
from: Crimes And Punishment: The Illustrated Crime Encyclopedia, Vol.
XI ********************************************************************** And here's the latest morbid t-shirt inspired by everyone's favorite Milwaukee Cannibal!
The Jeffrey
Dahmer shirt is available at the Morbid
Fact Du Jour Etsy.Com shop. ******* Morbid Lyric Du Jour! So today I was listening to "The Curse Of Milhaven" by Nick Cave and a bolt of lightning descending from the sky and it struck me: how is it possible that I've never shared these brilliant lyrics with you? I personally am madly in love with Lottie. Read these lyrics and tell me, can you possibly resist her??? The Curse Of Milhaven by Nick Cave I live
in a town called Millhaven My name
is Loretta but I prefer Lottie You must
have heard about The Curse Of Millhaven Then Professor
O'Rye from Millhaven High Our little
town fell into a state of shock Then, in
a cruel twist of fate, old Mrs Colgate Yes, it
is I, Lottie. The Curse Of Millhaven Since I
was no bigger than a weavil they've been saying I Yeah, I
drowned the Blakey kid, stabbed Mrs. Colgate, I admit There were
all the others, all our sisters and brothers And the
fire of '91 that razed the Bella Vista slum Well I
confessed to all these crimes and they put me on Now I got
shrinks that will not rest with their endless La la la
la La la la lie Singing
La la la la La la la lie ******* Tidings Of Discomfort And Gloom! Blue Lips is another excellent online shop where you can find all sorts of splendid morbid trinkets. And their logo is brilliant as well. |
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December 16, 2007 Today's Sensational Yet Truly Morbid Fact! Nevada-tan is the name commonly used to describe the 11-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who was charged with murdering her classmate Satomi Mitarai. The murder occurred on June 1, 2004 at an elementary school in Sasebo, Nagasaki, and involved the slitting of Mitarai's throat and arms with a box cutter. It has come to be known as the "Sasebo Slashing". The un-named killer has since become an Internet meme cartoon character. The cartoon began to appear on the Internet shortly after images of the suspected murderer were published showing her wearing a pullover hooded sweatshirt with the word "NEVADA" emblazoned across the chest (the "-tan" suffix is a variation on "-chan", a children's honorific, while the sweatshirt is commonly worn by fans of the University of Nevada and its sports teams). Her real name has not been released to the press, as per Japanese legal procedures prohibiting the identification of juvenile offenders, and she is officially referred to as "Girl A" in Japanese legal documentation. However, members of Japanese internet community 2channel made her real name public on June 18, 2004 based on analysis of a picture broadcast on Japanese television; the broadcaster, Fuji Television, may have inadvertently done this as well. The 11-year-old schoolgirl murdered her 12-year-old classmate, Satomi Mitarai, in an empty classroom during the lunch hour at Okubo Elementary School in Sasebo. "Girl A" left Mitarai's body at the murder scene and returned to her own classroom, her clothes covered in blood. The girls' teacher, who had noticed that both were missing, found the body and called the police. After being taken into custody, "Girl A" was reported as confessing to the crime, saying "I have done a bad thing" and "I am sorry, I am sorry" to police, though she initially gave no motive for the killing. Shortly afterward, "Girl A" confessed to police that she and Mitarai had fallen out as a result of messages left on the Internet. On September 15, 2004, a Japanese Family Court ruled to institutionalize "Girl A", putting aside her young age because of the severity of the crime. "Girl A" was sent to a reformatory in Tochigi prefecture. Culled
from: Wikipedia ********************************************************************** John also sent me a website dedicated to Nevada-Tan, including photos and some interesting/bizarre/frightening fan art. I can't believe I missed out on this phenomenon before! The Japanese certainly love their murderers. In some strange way, I can definitely see the appeal... I suddenly have an inexplicable urge to wear a Nevada sweatshirt! http://nevada.natural20.net/nevada.html ******* Morbid Link Du Jour! Cathy sent me the link to a tasteless Live Journal community that may appeal to some of you sickos. In fact, they actually have one of the Nikki Catsouras photos prominently displayed. Gee, I can't imagine why that old shot is so topical??? http://community.livejournal.com/omg_too_soon/ ******* Morbid Trinket Du Jour! Another brilliant Autopsy Zombie Staple Baby is up for auction on Ebay. This one is quite gorgeous, don't you think? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140190912578 |
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December 20, 2007 Today's Suspicious Yet Truly Morbid Fact! In the duchy of Lorraine in Germany between 1580 to 1630, local customs combined with economic changes triggered a witchcraze. A particular concern about the sabbat and sexual crimes fueled the Lorraine trials, most of which took place in local secular courts under semi-literate judges who showed no mercy; the conviction rate was nearly 90 percent. The chief judge, Nicolas Remy, who boasted that he sent eight or nine hundred to their deaths and tortured as many more, sentenced the children of convicted witches to be beaten with rods as they watched their parents being burned alive (and then wondered if he had been too lenient) and stressed women's sexual crimes such as abortions, infanticde, castration, and attempts to murder their husbands. About women, Remy believed that mothers passed the power of sorcery to their children, that women changed themselves into rabid dogs or wolves and killed babies before or after birth to make magic powders. He was especially suspicious of old women and female healers. Remy concluded that witches were usually female "because the rabble of witches is chiefly composed of that sex which, owing to its feebleness of understanding, is least able to resist and withstand the wiles of the Devil." Culled
from: Witchcraze:
A New History of the European Witch Hunts ********************************************************************** I apologize
for not getting the facts out regularly lately - just too busy. But
one of my New Years Resolutions will be to be more diligent about my
duties as a Comtesse. Fingers crossed! A Wretched Review I just finished reading the book that the above fact was culled from - Witchcraze by Anne Llewellyn Barstow. Although there are more than a few excellent facts that will be forthcoming from the book, on the whole I found it to be a disappointing read. I guess I was expecting more historical detail of the morbid variety, but instead the book read in parts like a feminist theory thesis paper. That's all good and well, of course, but it doesn't make for a gripping morbid read... and there were many times when I found myself doubting the validity of her research. I think I'd have to give this one 2 skulls out of 5. Witchcraze:
A New History of the European Witch Hunts More wretched
reads are available at The
Library Eclectica! ******* Morbid Link Du Jour! Okay, so it isn't the most amazing website in existence, but the Real Time Death Counter kinda puts it all into perspective in a statistical way. Thanks
to John for the link. ******* Morbid Trinket Du Jour! Here's
the perfect Christmas ornament for right-to-lifers! "Protect our troops - from the womb to the war. What if the fetus you were going to abort would grow up to be a soldier bringing democracy to a godless dictatorship?" Brings it all into razor sharp focus, doesn't it? http://www.misspoppy.com/catalog/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16346 (Thanks to Krista for the link.) Which reminds me... oh Fetus Tree, oh Fetus Tree! |
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December 30, 2007 Today's Shocking Yet Truly Morbid Fact! Children watched in horror as a Santa Claus collapsed and died as he handed out presents at a Christmas party in December, 2006. Andrew Robertson was taken ill as the excited youngsters received their gifts. The 82-year-old was taken to a side room and attempts made to revive him, but he was pronounced dead when medics arrived. Mr Robertson, from Dundee, had played Santa at the city's Broughty Castle bowling club Christmas party, held for the grandchildren of members, for several years. "Andy was a father figure in the club who never had a bad word to say about anyone," Ian Smart, the bowling club's secretary, said. "If you asked him to do anything for you, he would always say 'no problem'. "One wee kid said 'how are we going to get our presents next week if Father Christmas is ill?' - they didn't understand what had happened." Mr Smart said Mr Robertson, who had played an active role in the club, was "well liked and will be sorely missed". Mr Robertson's brother, Alister, said he had complained about feeling hot shortly before collapsing. "The kids saw him getting taken away," he told the Courier newspaper. "They knew something was wrong with Santa Claus as he went away with the two guys, but they didn't see anything further. "It has been quite a shock for everybody, but my view is that he was there thoroughly enjoying himself when he was struck down." Culled
from: The Guardian ********************************************************************** I meant
to send this one out on Christmas. You know, the best laid plans of
Comtesse's... and all that. But my New Year's Resolution will be to
be faithful to the 'Du Jour' part of the name. Fingers crossed! A Wretched Review I just finished reading a book entitled Disaster Great Lakes by Megan Long. As the title implies, it is a catalogue of a variety of tragedies that occurred in, or in the vicinity of, the Great Lakes. I bought it in the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble... and it pretty much reads like a book you'd find in the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble. Each tragedy is presented in a short matter-of-fact manner that leaves you with more questions that it answers. On several occasions I found myself turning a page expecting to read more information on the tragedy only to find that it has abruptly ended. In many situations, I found myself wondering why the author left so many of the most interesting facts (that I am aware of from reading other sources) out of the narratives. In the end, the primary value of the book is that it made me aware of a few tragedies that I can use for future morbid facts, but I'll have to find other sources on the subjects to glean any detail about them. An underwhelming 2 skulls out of 5. Disaster
Great Lakes More wretched
reads are available at The
Library Eclectica! ******* Morbid Sightseeing! The Quiet One pointed me towards a page at Roadside America dedicated to 19th century cannibal Alferd Packer. The next time you're in Colorado, keep these sites in mind! |
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