Fortean phenomena

Magical Realist

Magical Realist

Valued Senior Member
“If you had dared to suggest one hundred years ago that God and the devil were in cahoots, you would he invited to attend a barbecue in the public square, and you would be the barbecuee. But today it is apparent that the same force that answers some prayers also causes it to rain anchovies and is behind everything from sea serpents to flying saucers. It distorts our reality whimsically, perhaps out of boredom, or perhaps because it is a little crazy."---John Keel
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"A hazard unique to Venezuelan highways is a slippery goo called La Mancha Negra (the black stain), although it is more of a sludge with the consistency of chewing gum. Although the government has spent millions of dollars in research, no one knows what the goo is and where it comes from, or how to get rid of it. It first appeared in 1987 on the road from Caracas to the airport, covering 50 yards, and spread inexorably every year. By 1992 it was a major road hazard all around the capital and it was claimed 1,800 motorists had died after losing control. The problem remains to this day."---http://listverse.com/2007/07/06/top-15-b...e-stories/



 
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If I had to guess (at work, can't view the videos as a result, and having done no previous research) - it is more than likely a combination of the asphalt itself oozing petroleum product (oil and tar) mixed with dust accumulation, oil and other fluids from the cars on the road, and various organic matter (leaves, insects, etc).

Easy way to test this would be to pave a small section alongside the afflicted highway with various surfaces (concrete, cobblestone, different types of asphalt, etc) and see if this mystery substance accrues; one needs a section of this "test" area to be the same composition as the current highway to use as a control group ( only difference being no cars driving on it ).

Give it a few months and check out the results. Have the area under camera surveillance to ensure nobody is tampering with it.
 
Further info:
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/08/mysterious-black-goo-venezuela-la-mancha-negra/

It’s also noted that the seepage only occurs directly along that narrow stretch of road (making the natural seepage hypothesis less likely) and that the road was resurfaced with asphalt concrete immediately before the problem first appeared… Putting two and two together here doesn’t exactly seem like rocket surgery, but news reports with titles like “Mysterious, Deadly Goo Kills 1,800 in Venezuela” sound a lot better than “Road Crew in Venezuela Do Crappy Job on Eight Mile Stretch of Road.”
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Magical Realist said:
Every time I reawaken in the morning I am amazed beyond belief that I am conscious of reality from inside my skull-sealed brain. If you're not amazed by reality, then you're not really being aware of it.
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You see wonder and possibilities in everything. Thats a positive quality, dont lose it.
 
birch said:
You see wonder and possibilities in everything. Thats a positive quality, dont lose it.
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I would caution - there is a difference between seeing the wonder in everything, and being amazed by everything. You can be filled with wonder at something even while understanding perfectly well what it is, why it is, and how it works :)
 
Kittamaru said:
I would caution - there is a difference between seeing the wonder in everything, and being amazed by everything. You can be filled with wonder at something even while understanding perfectly well what it is, why it is, and how it works :)
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Simple Definition of wonder
  • : something or someone that is very surprising, beautiful, amazing, etc.

  • : a feeling caused by seeing something that is very surprising, beautiful, amazing, etc.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wonder
 
" One blustery night in 1917, Ester Hallio and another Finnish student, alone in a house in Helsinki, heard a clicking noise, and found two large overcoat buttons on the parquet floor. These were followed by falling coins every few minutes. Neighbours were brought in to witness further falls. These included Professor Arvi Grotenfeldt, a member of the Society of Sciences, who compiled a report of the incident. More than 10 marks was collected. Other unexplained falls of metallic objects have been reported at: Wellington, New Zealand, in March 1963 (pennies and stones bombarded a lodging house - ultimately watched by 600 people - for three days); Ramsgate, Kent, in 1968 (40 to 50 pennies in 15 minutes); and Galax, Virginia on 12 to 14 July 1978 (400 nails in three days)."---http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entert...34528.html
 
Magical Realist said:
Simple Definition of wonder
  • : something or someone that is very surprising, beautiful, amazing, etc.

  • : a feeling caused by seeing something that is very surprising, beautiful, amazing, etc.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wonder
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Ah, my mistake - I was thinking of an old skit about how the word Awesome is overused:

awe·some
ˈôsəm/
adjective
  1. extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.
    "the awesome power of the atomic bomb"
 
"In April 1997, a turkey hunter in Yellowwood State Forest, Indiana, came upon a huge sandstone boulder wedged between three branches of an oak tree about 35 feet from the ground. The arrow shaped rock was estimated to weight 500lb. Subsequently, four more large boulders were found wedged high up in trees elsewhere in the forest. All were in remote areas. None of the trees were damaged and there were no signs of heavy equipment begin used or of tornado damage and no one recalled any mishaps involving dynamite anywhere nearby."---
http://listverse.com/2007/07/06/top-15-b...e-stories/

img_3990_1.JPG
 
Magical Realist said:
A plausible explanation. Perhaps the story HAS been hyped over the years into more than it is. Sensationalist journalism and hyperbole from repeated ad lib descriptions online..
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Aye.

We had a similar situation here in Harrisburg a little while back, but caused by Mayflies:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/06/mayflies_close_bridge.html

http://abc27.com/2015/06/15/why-mayflies-swarmed-columbia-wrightsville-bridge/

Basically, so many dead mayfly bodies (which are apparently quite greasy) turned the road surface into an oil slick.

it's kind of crazy how something so simple can cause so many problems - in this case, the new lights, which are brighter than the old ones and much closer to the road surface, are the cause.
 
Good morning MR
You seem to be taking the shotgun approach today.
You seem like the man who got on his horse and rode off in all directions at once.
If you had to select one thing to have us sceptics biting what would it be.
Alex
 
Xelasnave.1947 said:
Good morning MR
You seem to be taking the shotgun approach today.
You seem like the man who got on his horse and rode off in all directions at once.
If you had to select one thing to have us sceptics biting what would it be.
Alex
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I'm not challenging anyone here. I'm just posting weird events that have no explanation. Is that a crime?
 
Magical Realist said:
I'm not challenging anyone here. I'm just posting weird events that have no explanation. Is that a crime?
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I don't think he was trying to say you were - rather, I think he meant you have a spread of various phenomenon in a single thread and was asking if there was a particular one you wanted to focus on.

Xena - please correct me if I'm mistaken of course!
 
The Naga Fireballs on the Mekong River:


"Naga fireballs (Thai: บั้งไฟพญานาค; rtgs: bang fai phaya nak), also known as Mekong lights, and "bung fai paya nak" by the locals, is a phenomenon said to be often seen on the Mekong River. Glowing balls are alleged to naturally rise from the water high into the air.[1] The balls are said to be reddish and to range in size from smaller sparkles up to the size of basketballs. They quickly rise up to a couple of hundred metres before disappearing. The number of fireballs reported varies between tens and thousands per night.[2] The phenomenon is named after the Phaya Naga, legendary serpentine creatures said to live in the Mekong."---https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_fireball
 
The Brown Mountain Lights in North Carolina:


"The Brown Mountain Lights are a series of ghost lights reported near Brown Mountain in North Carolina. The lights can be seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile posts 310 (Brown Mountain Light overlook) and 301 (Green Mountain overlook) and from the Brown Mountain Overlook on NC Highway 181 between Morganton, NC and Linville, NC. Additionally, good sightings of the Lights have been reported from the top of Table Rock, outside of Morganton, NC. One of the best vantage points, Wiseman's View, is about 4 miles from Linville Falls, NC. There is also a Brown Mountain Overlook on North Carolina Highway 181 that was recently improved with help from the city of Morganton for the purpose of attracting those who visit the area to see the lights. The best time of year to see them is reportedly September through early November."---https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Mountain_Lights
 
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