The Plague Doctors Cometh: Update

In 2016, it was the Phantom Clowns and Stalking Clowns. Will 2020 be the Year of the Stalking Plague Doctors?  For the historical reference, see "Phantom Clowns: Classified," September 6, 2016.

Copper engraving of Doctor Schnabel (i.e., Dr. Beak), a plague doctor in seventeenth-century Rome, circa 1656. (The painting's use as a mocking of the horrific effect of the costume is theorized here.)

"Walpurgis Night, when the devil was abroad, when the graves were opened and the dead came forth and walked. When all evil things of earth and air and water held revel."

-- Bram Stoker, from Dracula's Guest, 1914.

Walpurgis Night, an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night from the German Sankt Walpurgisnacht, also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Francia, and is celebrated on the night of 30 April and the day of 1 May. This feast commemorates the canonization of Saint Walpurga and the movement of her relics to Eichstätt, both of which occurred on 1 May 870. (May 1st is also called Beltane.)

Saint Walpurga was hailed by the Christians of Germany for battling "pest, rabies and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft." Christians prayed to God through the intercession of Saint Walpurga in order to protect themselves from witchcraft, as Saint Walpurga was successful in converting the local populace to Christianity. 

 

Eyes Wide Shut (see also here).

2020

In the midst of the present worldwide novel coronavirus/COVID19 pandemic, will (as one anonymous commentator termed them) "steampunk goth wannabes" portraying Plague Stalkers begin appearing?

On April 29, 2020, the National Post published photos take by Jade Gosbell, 21. First reported by the Press Association, a person was seen crossing a Norwich recreational area, dressed in the full garb of the infamous doctors whose outfits became a symbol of death.

This supposed Plague Doctor was photographed in Hellesdon, a Norwich suburb, in the United Kingdom.

2016

Something wicked this way came in 2016.

A Plague Doctor, publicized widely on June 24, 2016, in a long black hooded cloak with a beaked mask, shoulder bag and white stick, was seen taunting people in historic Chester, UK. The mystery person was spotted several times by spooked residents, usually at night. YouTube footage was taken at daylight on a section of the Chester's Roman walls, by the River Dee.

In the short clip, entitled "The Chester ChronicleCreepy plague man vid" the person surveyed the river, then headed off in the opposite direction.

Chester-based social enterprise Big Heritage finally owned up to being behind the trick after the story hit the national headlines.

But after the reveal, more sightings occurred, and Big Heritage said they were not responsible. 

Who knows?

Stay tuned for the events of 2020 and beyond.

Hieronymus Bosch painted this image at the end of the 15th century.

+++

Updates:

Also, it has been observed that Dr. Anthony Fauci is, indeed, a "plague doctor" who appears to be stalking the legacy of President Trump.

In the nearly five years since Donald Trump came down the escalator to declare his candidacy, a set of iron laws has applied to those who enter his orbit.

Rick Wilson, the former GOP strategist who is now a Trump nemesis, summed up the pattern in the title of his best-selling book from last year: Everything Trump Touches Dies. The details vary, but being tempted by Trump has turned into the modern version of the Faust saga. In exchange for benefits that seem glittery and attractive, people around Trump give away much more than they could have reckoned. ~  "This Is How It Looks When You’re Not Afraid: Anthony Fauci is the rare senior government official who seems more devoted to truth than to Trump." by James Fallows, The Atlantic, April 13, 2020. 

Source.

h/t Tim Binnall & Robert Schneck

Joker Violence Predicted: 10-4

The Kubrick stare is back. 

Cryptokubrology is revealed.

But for now, let us be forewarned.

The prediction of violent incidents associated with movies like Joker has been achieved. It is reality, not fantasy.

I did it in 2012. I foresaw the violence directly linked to The Dark Knight Rises, opening on July 20, 2012. Down to the date. 

The day before, I wrote:

Will any events take place on July 20, 2012, of any import?

Dates of movie releases have had strange links.

The day of neo-Nazi Breivik's massacre in Norway (July 22, 2011) was the day of the release of the film Captain America (July 22, 2011), with the first scene taking place in Norway, to the sound of Nazis' rapid fire machine gunning. A bizarre coincidence, to say the least.

...What will happen on July 20, 2012?

The 2011 Norway attacks, referred to in Norway as 22 July or as 22/7, were two sequential lone wolf domestic terrorist attacks by Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League summer camp, in which 77 people (mostly youth) were killed, and 319 injured.

The past is a good predictor of the future.

My ability to do what I do, based on human behavior even caused Dangerous Minds to write the article on September 17, 2012 entitled: "The Copycat Effect: Meet the Man Who Predicted the Aurora Shooting."

As the Dangerous Minds author Thomas McGrath would note, "Coleman had previously written of Nolan’s films, having predicted and then documented the emergence of copycats inspired by Heath Ledger’s Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight. James Holmes, of course, would shed his gas mask, body armor, and fatigues to reveal that beneath his distinctly Bain-reminiscent exterior, he was himself a self-proclaimed Joker copycat."

(See also my other behavioral predictions.)

But 2012 is not 2019, and today, an odd bit of revisionist history is setting in. Seven years later, the media is trying to forget the reality of the copycat effect.

In the days following the massacre, Holmes was compared to the Joker character because he sported bright dyed hair and, according to a now-debunked report at the time, called himself "the Joker" as he was being arrested. [Daniel] Oates, [Aurora’s chief of police at the time,] maintains "there is no evidence" Holmes ever said that.” ~ as noted in "Aurora Shooting Victims Voice Fears Over 'Joker' in Letter to Warner Bros.

On July 20, 2012, I wrote "Eyewitnesses reported the assailant appeared to be wearing a gas mask, body armor, similar to how the film's villain Bane did too. Witnesses say the suspect was dressed all in black, with a riot helmet, goggles, and a gas mask."

 

And, "Police reported during the afternoon that Holmes did not look like Bane, after all. He first identified himself as "I am the Joker," and had his head and goatee hair painted red and did, somewhat, resemble (perhaps? under his body armor?) the Joker during attack."

James Eagan Holmes, mugshot, immediately after the Aurora arrest. Taken July 20, 2012.

James Holmes, 2012.

Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and James Holmes (2012).

Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), Heath Ledger

Many of us have warned of the potential for theater attacks in the wake of the opening of Joker (Phillips, 2019). Now media reports talk of the U.S. Military issuing warnings to troops about incel violence at Joker screenings (see here and here).

I am not certain it will happen on the opening day in 2019, because, literally, I feel people are getting the message (10-4). The weekend through October 5th and 6th could be especially dangerous.

Finally, that the awareness that the Incel Effect has significance in certain mass shootings is a hopeful preventive sign. For more insights, see: "Into The Valley of Virgin Violence: The Incel Effect." See more on the Incel Effect here and here.

Since the beginning of 2019, I have been warning readers that Joker was going to make a large violent impact. Now next week, the date will be upon us.

The date the movie opens in America is October 4. Or in police code, stated as 10-4.

10-4 is one of the so-called ten-codes, or radio signals, invented by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International. The ten-codes are credited to Illinois State Police Communications Director Charles Hopper who created them between 1937–40 for use in radio communications among cops.  

10-4 is an affirmative signal: it means quite literally “OK.” It translates, "I understand your transmission."

State Rep. Tom Sullivan (D-Aurora) shows his tattoo that memorializes his late son, Alex, one of the Aurora movie theater shooting victims.

Daniel Oates, Aurora's chief of police at the time, who retired in June after nearly 39 years in law enforcement, says he believes the timing of Joker is poor, noting three mass shootings in the past three months: at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, where three people were killed on July 28; the massacre in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed on Aug. 3; and then the following day the shootings in Dayton, Ohio, where nine people were killed.

Aurora, Colorado is not screening the new Joker.

Landmark Theaters has prohibited moviegoers from wearing Joker costumes during its run, and the Los Angeles Police Department will increase police visibility at area theaters, though it has "not received any specific threat."

The military's interventions have been active.

This email was circulated by the military:

Team,

Posts on social media have made reference to involuntary celibate (“incel”) extremists replicating the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, at screenings of the Joker movie at nationwide theaters. This presents a potential risk to DOD personnel and family members, though there are no known specific credible threats to the opening of the Joker on 4 October.

Incels are individuals who express frustration from perceived disadvantages to starting intimate relationships. Incel extremists idolize violent individuals like the Aurora movie theater shooter. They also idolize the Joker character, the violent clown from the Batman series, admiring his depiction as a man who must pretend to be happy, but eventually fights back against his bullies.

When entering theaters, identify two escape routes, remain aware of your surroundings, and remember the phrase “run, hide, fight.” Run if you can. If you’re stuck, hide (also referred to as “sheltering in place”), and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can.

** this is a condensed version of an HQ Army Materiel Command, G-3, Protection Division Security message **

This memo was also circulated:

Philip K. Dick foresaw the year 2054 in his 1956 scifi short story, "The Minority Report."

We have not exactly come to the age of "precrime," where specialized police departments apprehend criminals based on the foreknowledge provided by psychics called "precogs." But the use of behavioral analysts and the information foretelling threats of violent behavior is leading to the arrest of people with criminal intent and prevention of crimes.

We should observe closely, which way will it go over the weekend of October 4-6, 2019. Be alert.

+++

On September 29, 2019, I posted on Twitter the following "footnote" about the release of Joker in India.

Mississippi's Killer Clowns

A barber shop owner was fatally shot by four men wearing clown masks on November 25, 2018, in Jackson, Mississippi.

Police said the shooting was reported about 1 p.m. outside Cut City Barber Shop on the corner of Bullard Street and Industrial Drive.
Officers found 41-year-old Marcus Hamblin sitting inside a vehicle suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
***
According to a witness, four armed men in a dark sedan approached the victim and shots were fired. The suspects then fled the scene. Clarion Ledger.

The newspaper decided to use the Heath Ledger clown mask from The Dark Knight film.

Marcus is a masculine given name of Ancient Roman pre-Christian origin derived either from Etruscan Marce of unknown meaning(possibly from the Etruscan "mar" which means "to harvest"), or referring to the god Mars.

Hamblin is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hamblin family lived in Gloucestershire. Their name, however, is local reference of Old French derivation. This surname, of English origin, is derived from the Anglo-Norman French given name "Ham(b)lin", a double diminutive of "Hammone", itself coming from the Norman personal name "Hamo(n)", which derives from the Germanic "Haimo", a short form of the various compound name with the first element "haim" meaning "home."

Creepy Clowns Check-In

The actual Whataburger in Albuquerque, New Mexico, terrorized by a "creepy clown."

It is time to do a little roundup of recent clown stories.

Albuquerque Police say they arrested a "creepy clown" that was terrorizing customers at a local Whataburger.

On Monday night, August 6, 2018, police arrested 32-year-old Stephen Ames, who was reported to be wearing a clown mask and waving a machete at customers in the parking lot of the Whataburger at the intersection of Carlisle and Claremont.

According to a criminal complaint, the manager of the Whataburger told Ames to leave after he reportedly spent 20 minutes in the restaurant’s restroom. Once outside, the manager said Ames took out the machete from its sheath and started banging it against his knee. Fearing an attack, police say the manager then locked the doors of the restaurant.

The original Whataburgers used a "W" in their roof design.

They evolved, by 1961, to some locations with the W-less look, while still retaining the A-frame look.

Police say Ames then approached cars that were stopped at a nearby traffic signal. While wearing the clown mask, police say Ames blew kisses at passengers, then approached a car to write the words “kill you” on a window. Before the car could leave, police say Ames shouted “I will f**k you up” at the occupants.

When police arrived at the scene, they say they encountered Ames with the clown mask on, thrusting his hips in a sexual manner toward the Whataburger restaurant. Ames was taken into custody without further incident. Police say they found a filled heroin needle in Ames’ possession, along with the machete.

h/t AWG

===

Other incidents...

On July 10, 2018, a gunman involved in a robbery reportedly wearing a golden "angry clown" mask shot a Waffle House patron in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sightings of a Phantom Clown described variously with a "clown mask," and/or with "red hair and red pants," near the Hudson Falls Primary School, occurred on May 29, 2018.  The Post-Star (Glens Falls, NY) 5-31-18, pg. 3, notes, "Police looking into 'clown' sighting near Kingsbury school."

At the Little Caesars pizza shop in Holly Hill, Florida, around 11:50 pm on May 26, 2018, a "clown" attacked an employee closing up the store. The "clown" used a wooden post. The employee pulled out his concealed weapon and shot the attacker dead.

Two men wearing clown masks held up a Queens, New York, Walgreen's at gunpoint on May 22, 2018.

On April 11, 2018, there was a Beverly Hills, California incident involving a clown, kids, and a machete. NBC Los Angeles, on April 11, 2018, at 10:19 pm PDT, updated their story:  "A man in a clown mask spooked a Beverly Hills neighborhood Wednesday when he reportedly wielded a machete at children."

On April 9, 2018, WPRI in Warwick, Rhode Island, reported, "Clown-masked robber targets local Dunkin' Donuts."

Also...

See "Phantom Clowns: Classified," for the definition and differences between Phantom Clowns, Killer Clowns, and Stalking Clowns.

See also "Creepy Clowns" and the NY Post's historical article from 2016.

Thomas Hill Standpipe in Stephen King's Derry

This is a special gift given to me by my wife, Jenny.

Why is it special?

(1) Jenny handmade it for my birthday, July 12th, this year. It was a thoughtful gift.

(2) I collect souvenir buildings, and am a member of the Souvenir Building Collector Society. You might want to join.  

We tried to go to their convention this year, since they are regional and it was in New England in 2018. But as happens, tragedy struck and we had to cancel our reservations. 

Anyway, we have been trying to find a small replica of the Standpipe for awhile. All the building replicas and movie figures in the world, and no Standpipe? Why not?

Well, there is one replica I was able to track down, but since Jenny couldn't obtain it, I like hers better.

This giant replica of the Thomas Hill Standpipe is located at the 

Bangor International Airport.

Forced perspective?

The real thing.

Bangor, Maine = Stephen King's "Derry, Maine."

(3) The building, the Thomas Hill Standpipe, is an architectural marvel of Bangor, Maine, Jenny's hometown. The metal water tank is 50 feet high and 75 feet in diameter, and built in 1897. 

(4) The Standpipe is an important background "character" in the 1986 novel, Stephen King's It; Stephen King's It, the 1990 television miniseries; and Andy Muschietti's It: Chapter One, the 2017 film.

And finally...

(5) Stephen King's It has Pennywise, and you folks know how important Phantom Clowns are to me.

Thomas Hill Standpipe, which holds 1,750,000 US gallons (6,600,000 L) of water, is a riveted wrought iron tank with a wood frame jacket located on Thomas Hill in Bangor, Maine, United States. The metal tank is 50 feet (15 m) high and 75 feet (23 m) in diameter. Built in 1897, it is an architecturally distinctive city landmark, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Source.

 

Now back to watching for breaking news of the Fayette name game, Killer Clowns, Waffle House shootings, and Bunnymen!