Watching The Watchers

The Washington Post published a photograph of a DC police photographer taking a photograph of the newspaper's(?) photographer at the scene of Friday's self-immolation.

Self-Immolation Near National Mall

The man who used his own self-immolation to protest something has died. And, as I have been pointing out of late, he happens to have been an African-American, as seen from published photos. 

This follows a pattern of the recent "random acts of violence" highlighted by the media.

The long history of self-immolations visited D.C. again today.

If there has not been enough dramatic news in Washington D.C. recently, now comes a man setting himself on fire on Friday, October 4, 2013.

It occurred on the National Mall in Washington DC, near the White House. Witnesses at the scene report seeing a man pouring gasoline over himself from a red cannister before setting himself on fire at around 4:20 PM local time (20.20 GMT).

Nearby joggers ripped their shirts off in attempts to beat down the flames before emergency services arrived.

The man was flown by helicopter to the nearby Washington Hospital Center after receiving major burns, with firefighters saying that he was “conscious and breathing” although in a serious condition.

The man set himself on fire as a protest, although it remains unclear what exactly he was protesting against.

It is worthy of noting that Gudup, a 43-year-old Tibetan writer, self-immolated on October 4, 2012 in Biru County, Tibet (in Kham region, at Driru Dzong), in a protest to "Free Tibet."

His name is unknown, at this time. Check back here from time to time to see if this information is revealed.

Enki makes these observations: 

The time of the self-immolation, 4:20, is noteworthy. 4:20 is a time (and 4/20, a date) when many marijuana users like to "burn one." The biggest recent story out of D.C. is the partial shutdown of the federal government, and the shutdown began on the same day as the less publicized shutdown of Silk Road, a darknet site which allowed customers to purchase marijuana and other illegal drugs.
Fire resonates with the aforementioned Black Madonna, as well. The Polish Black Madonna is theorized by some to have acquired its darkness from the soot produced by a fire. Also, a ritual of burning a wheel (resonates with tires) of fire has been sometimes used to venerate the Black Madonna.
One wonders if the copycat effect is at work in the recent spate of D.C. tragedies. It is interesting that an anagram of "Miriam Carey" is "mimicry area." 

More on Miriam Carey can be found here.

Meanwhile in Texas... ...about the same time that the D.C. self-immolation was drawing national attention, most news outlets missed an eerily similar act was being attempted 1400 miles away, in Houston, Texas. Reports state that in Houston, about two hours later, another man whose name has not been released, poured a red can of gasoline over himself and tried to light himself on fire. He was unsuccessful and passersby stopped him by gaining control of the lighter he was using. He was taken to a hospital. That happened at about 5:00 PM local Houston time.

Capitol Hill Violence: Miriam, Biblical Sister of Aaron

Washington D.C. has been hit by another shooting incident that captured the media's attention. The US Navy Yard shooting left 12 dead and the gunman, Aaron Alexis.

Today something more bizarre occurred.

NBC reports:

A woman who tried to force her car through a White House security fence Thursday afternoon was shot and killed by police after a 12-block chase past the Capitol, which was locked down for a half-hour, authorities said.
The suspect — a dental hygienist with a history of mental issues, according to sources — had a 1-year-old child with her who was not hurt, police said.
One Secret Service officer was struck by the woman's car, and a Capitol Police officer was injured when he slammed into a barricade during the pursuit.
The U.S. Capitol was placed on lockdown following a car chase and shooting involving a woman who attempted to ram the White House gates.
All the shots fired came from the officers involved in the pursuit, and the woman — identified as Miriam Carey, 34, of Stamford, Conn. — did not have a gun, law-enforcement sources said.

The woman seemed to be doing the unthinkable.

The Washington Post tried to understand what had happened.

Her sister, Amy Carey, a Brooklyn nurse, was incredulous when she was reached Thursday afternoon and told what had happened outside the Capitol.
“That’s impossible. She works, she holds a job,” said Amy Carey, who confirmed that her Stamford-based sister drove a black car. She said she knew of nothing that would bring her sister to Washington. “She wouldn’t be in D.C. She was just in Connecticut two days ago, I spoke to her. . . . I don’t know what’s happening. I can’t answer any more.”

S. Hunter notes, "both Miriam and Aaron openly claimed they were being stalked by government officials."

Aaron Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004 for shooting out the tires on an individual's vehicle." Miriam Carey's tires had recently been slashed in an incident in Connecticut, shares correspondent Hunter.

What does the woman's name Miriam Carey mean?

Miriam is the original Hebrew form of Mary. It is used in the Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of Moses and Aaron. It has long been popular among Jews, and it has been used as an English Christian name since the Protestant Reformation.

Carey is from an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Ciardha meaning "descendent of Ciardha," derived from Irish ciar "black".

A black woman in a black car with a black name attacking the White House of our first black president?

For several incidents of late, as in this one, AfricanAmericans have been the foci. 

There are no coincidences.

++++

After years of workplace shootings and "random" acts of mass violence in schools, malls, and other settings being linked to "lone nut" Caucasian males, we have entered a period of intense media attention to African-American/black individuals being involved.

June 21, 2013 ~ Lakim Faust (African-American shooter)

August 19, 2013 ~ Michael Brandon Hill (Caucasian shooter) targets African-American school, formerly named after George Washington Carver, which was renamed after Ron McNair (who went to another Carver HS)

August 30, 2013 ~ Christopher Lamont Richardson Jr. (African-American) targets Carver HS, a traditional African-American HS

September 1, 2013 ~ Daquan Breland and Daquan Wright (African-American shooters) kill African-American infant

September 4, 2013 ~ Hispanics target African-Americans, kill Joshua Broussard

September 16, 2013 ~ Aaron Alexis (African-American shooter) kills 12 (see also here)

Peter Pan, Lost Boys, Bunny Men, and Goat Men

After reading "Peter Pan, Graverobbing, and Lost Boys" and "The Peter Pan/Hook Deaths," the following thoughts were shared by a correspondent:

I couldn't help wondering if there could be any connection between these
cases of children found mysteriously or suspiciously hanged from hooks, and
a couple of American "urban legends" or "campfire tales" of psychopathic or
demonic assailants who allegedly hang teen-agers from bridges in wooded
areas. One cluster of such tales concerns a railroad trestle in Fairfax
County, northern Virginia, called "Bunny Man's Bridge," and attributes the
alleged hangings to the "Bunny Man," supposedly a psychopathic killer
(either an escapee from an institution for the criminally insane, or a
one-time teen-age boy gone berserk) wearing an Easter Bunny costume. The
other cluster involves a highway overpass over Sweet Hollow Road in
Melville, eastern Long Island, and blames the alleged hangings on the
spirits of supposed escapees from a burnt-down local asylum. In neither
the "Bunny Man Bridge" nor the Sweet Hollow Road cases are there any actual police records of people actually ever been found hanged from the bridges in question nor of unsolved missing teen-ager reports from the respective local areas. Likewise, neither in the Sweet Hollow Road nor the "Bunny Man Bridge" cases is there any historical record of any burned-down or closed-down institution in the area such as those from which the alleged
perpetrators supposedly escaped. I've always wondered myself if there could
be some sort of "copycat" historical connection between the "Bunny Man
Bridge" and Sweet Hollow Road legends. ~ T. Peter Park.

The links do not end there.

I have written of the Bunny Man often in books and blogs (e.g. "Donnie Darko and Bunny Men"). As Wikipedia correctly summarizes, "Loren Coleman,...in the book Weird Virginia, which has a section on the Bunny Man, sees a direct association between the legend of Bunny Man and that of the Goatman of nearby Maryland." (For more on Goatman and the illustrations above, see here.)

Washington D.C. bound Amtrak train crosses over Colchester Road in Fairfax Station, Virginia at Colchester Overpass, also known as the "Bunnyman Bridge." Taken March 22, 2012. Credit: Kohlchester. Used by Wikipedia Creative Commons license.

Peter Pan, Graverobbing, and Lost Boys

Captain Hook. Graves. Death.

Under a flagstone at Durham Cathedral, Durham, England, earlier in September 2013, a mystery bottle containing a faded piece of paper was discovered with the names of three gravediggers, along with the message: "This grave was opened on Sunday May 11th 1913."

The Daily Mail noted, in part:

Stonemason Steve Mann unearthed the remarkably well-preserved bottle while re-laying the flagstones near the tomb of the Venerable Bede in the cathedral's 12 century Galilee Chapel on Tuesday [September 24, 2013].
The only tantalizing clue to what lay within was the words Globe Theatre, visible on the paper's letterhead....
A theatre advert - believed to be the closest piece of paper to hand when the note was made - was for a production of English dance and folk songs at the Globe Theatre, in London, Shaftesbury Avenue.
On the back were the names Mr W Wraybole, Mr W Carter, Mr G Yeoman. They were bracketed with the word Grave and what appears to be a capital D and included a stonemason mark - along with the enigmatic message.
Mr Emery said: 'The interesting thing to the advert is that it refers to the sole lessee of the Globe Theatre as Charles Frohman, the American impresario of the day. Frohman produced JM Barries' Peter Pan.'

Who were Misters Wraybole, Carter, and Yeoman?

What will be discovered about these three in the coming months? Were lost boys in the graves? Was someone looking for missing children?

The graverobbing actually links to the Globe Theatre-Charles Frohman-JM Barries-Peter Pan, and the concept of Puer aeternus. The phrase is Latin for eternal boy, used in mythology to designate a child-god who is forever young; psychologically it is an older man whose emotional life has remained at an adolescent level. The puer typically leads a provisional life, due to the fear of being caught in a situation from which it might not be possible to escape. He covets independence and freedom, chafes at boundaries and limits, and tends to find any restriction intolerable. The concept is very Jungian.

In an intriguing coincidence, one of the more significance books on Peter Pan at the end of the 20th century is Now or Neverland: Peter Pan and the Myth of Eternal Youth by Ann Yeoman (No. 82 in the series Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts).

Ann Yeoman, former Dean of Students at New College, University of Toronto, as mentioned on her academic biography, was born and raised in Devon, England, on a farm adjoining cliffs that overlooked the English Channel, a landscape which she says inspired her lifelong interest in the alternative worlds of the literary fantastic.

She decided to complete the training program in Analytical Psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. She graduated as a Jungian Analyst in 1997. Her Zurich thesis was on a theme and interest that had been prevalent throughout her life: the genesis of fantasy figures and the symbolic role they play in our everyday lives. Ann turned her thesis into a book entitled Now or Neverland: Peter Pan and the Myth of Eternal Youth, published by Inner City Books (1998), which offers a psychological perspective on that popular literary icon, Peter Pan.

Until recently, Dr. Yeoman was the Director of New College's Program in Paradigms and Archetypes, and teaches the Jungian Studies courses offered in the program. She recently moved to her homeland in South Devon, England, where she continues her private practice as an analytical psychologist (Jungian Analyst).

Now Or Neverland offers a comprehensive overview of the eternal boy syndrome from its roots in mythology to present day psychological interpretations, including a detailed study of its twentieth century depiction by J.M. Barrie in his famous play and novel. 

Peter Pan. Lost Boys. Captain Hook. Graves. Death. Graverobbing. Missing Children.

Theo Paijmans shared the following in a past comment:

As for the Peter Pan connection, study the symbolism of Peter Pan as 'the boy who wouldn't grow up' and his gang of 'lost boys' who were 'forgotten by their parents'. The hooks were these tragic children were found hanging from, a reference to Peter Pan's arch nemesis Captain Hook.
J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, lets him say this about death: "To die will be an awfully big adventure". One author, Kevin Orlin Johnson, has argued that the Pan stories are in the German-English tradition of the Totenkindergeschichte, the "tales of dead children".
And then there is Peter Pan's mythical realm Neverland, the name also given to Michael Jackson's ranch which, as some allege, is a place where one of the darkest kinds of violence against children was been performed.

As we explored before (see The Peter Pan/Hook Deaths), something strange is going on, and it has been for decades.

Kenya's Westgate Mall Terror Attack

This is the face of the "White Widow," which for many in the West became the personification of Kenya's Westgate Mall terrorist attackers.

One scenario that did take place during the unfolding drama was the now-semi-discredited identifying of some Americans as members of the gunmen involved in the attack as Americans.

One was said to be a Mainer. Allegedly. Supposedly. Reportedly. The distance from Portland, Maine to Mogadishu, Somali is 7368.6 miles.

Over 6000 Somalis have settled in Maine since 2001. Some, yes, are from Mogasdishu. Most have moved from various locations in the United States that have been less comfortable to their immigration than Maine. The majority of Somalis live in the Lewiston-Auburn area, but more and more have moved to Maine's biggest city, Portland.

Coming out of the 9/21 terrorist on the Westgate Mall in Nairboi, Kenya, were reports that several of the militants were non-Kenyans.

A Somali al-Qaeda affiliate tweeted a series of names on an account it reported used, that is before Twitter suspended the group. Al-Shabab has been creating new accounts each time they get shut down but a movement of pro-Kenyan tweeters has been tracking down the new accounts and complaining to Twitter.

“We received permission to disclose the names of our mujahideen inside #Westgate,” their Kenya mall attack account tweeted.

The following is the allegedly Al-Shabab-published list, which contained one Mainer.

Here's the list of names and where the individuals reportedly were from:

Abdishakur Sheikh Hassan, 22, from [Portland] Maine

Abdirizak Mouled 24, Ontario, Canada

Ahmed Mohamed Isse, 22, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Abdifatah Osman Keenadiid. 24, Minneapolis

Gen Mustafe Noorudiin. 27, Kansas City.

Mo Sayid Nuh, 25, Kismayu, Somalia

Sa'd Daud, 23, Damascus Syria

Shafie Die, 25, Tucson Arizona

Mohammed Bader, 25, Aleppo Syria

Ismael Guled, 23, Helsinki, Finland

Zaki Caraale Jama, 20, Hargeisa, Somalia

Shirdoon Nasir Ahmed, 24, of London

GB Qasim Said Musa, 22, Garissa, Kenya

Eliko Mamedoff, 27, Dagestan

Abdelkarem Ali Mohamed, 21, Illinois

Sources: 1, 2, 3.

All the talk of the "foreigners" at the Westgate Mall attack - as victims and as attackers - caused conflicting accounts about the appearance of the "White Widow" among the terrorists.

Whether “White Widow” Samantha Lewthwaite, a British widow of one of the 7/7 attackers who became an al-Qaeda paymaster, was involved in the attacks is still open for speculation. Is her body in the rubble of the three stories that collapsed at the mall? Did she escape and is a hunted fugitive? Was she not involved at all? Last year she was on the run in Kenya as international authorities tried to hunt her down.

Intriguing is the middle name of the identity Lewthwaite stole to use in her escape: Faye. (See more on the Fayette Factor here.)

The death toll in the terrorist attack at the Westgate Mall in Naibori, Kenya is at least 72 people, including six soldiers and five terrorists. It was a terrible event.

But clear information on the names and identities of who was killed, who were the attackers, and who is under arrest remain confusing.

Was a Mainer among them? Was the White Widow one of them? We may never know.

"My ELF Weapon"

Navy Yards shooter Aaron Alexis appears to have had an "elf" in mind when he killed a dozen people this week. But the man-without-a-middle-name was probably not talking about "little people." He carved the phrase "My ELF weapon" into his shotgun, thought people were sending vibrations into his body, and heard voices.

Was "Decatur" in his background? Aaron Alexis damaged furnishings inside a near-Decatur, Georgia, nightclub on Chamblee-Tucker Road near Interstate 285 at 1:10 a.m. on August 10, 2008, according to a disorderly conduct citation from DeKalb County police. It was probably the El Noa Noa, which is very near I-285 at 4298 Chamblee Tucker Rd, Tucker, Georgia, but it could have been El Tucanazo, at 2816 Chamblee Tucker Rd, Atlanta, Georgia.

The report says Alexis began using profanity repeatedly outside the nightspot after he was thrown out. The citation says he wouldn’t stop swearing, despite being told several times. The name of the club was not in the police report.

Mysteries are being revealed the more that is learned about Aaron Alexis. Alexis apparently carved two phrases into the stock of his shotgun before going on his shooting spree: "Better off this way" and "My ELF weapon." Officials told The Washington Post that they didn't know what either phrase meant.

But could one phrase relate to what many assassination theorists and ufologists have been talking about for years? ELF could stand for "extremely low frequency," which refers to electromagnetic fields with low frequencies, like those carried in power lines and household appliances.

It is well-documented that the U. S. Navy has used extremely low frequencies in a program with the Air Force called the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), an ionospheric research program often cited by theorists as a tool used by the government to trigger natural, unnatural, and human events.

On August 6-7, 2013, according to the Los Angeles Times, Alexis told police in Rhode Island that three people were following him and using "some sort of microwave machine" to send vibrations through the ceiling and into his body, keeping him from sleeping. He also claimed that voices were speaking to him through "the walls, floor, and ceiling."

He reportedly sought mental health treatment twice at Virginia hospitals since that incident took place. The Navy and his employer claim they had no idea that Alexis was experiencing mental health problems.

Aaron Alexis used a Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun in the Navy Yard killing spree, which he bought for $540 at a gun store in Newington, Virginia. He allegedly walked into the Navy Yard facility with the shotgun in parts and assembled it in a fourth-floor bathroom.

He tried to buy a handgun at that same store, but was denied because he had an out-of-state ID, according to the Associated Press. He also tested out an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in the store's firing range but didn't end up buying it, a lawyer for the store claimed.

Was Aaron Alexis (AA=11) focused on 9/11? What was his middle name? Was "Aaron Alexis" his invention? Following the shootings, research showed that when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004 for shooting out the tires on an individual's vehicle, he informed Seattle law enforcement officers that he was present during "the tragic events of September 11, 2001." His father told police that Alexis suffered from PTSD and that he had helped rescue people from the attack site.

NBC News confirms that Aaron Alexis was "working as a clerical worker at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, located near the World Trade Center, and that he had told multiple other people that he was suffering from what he saw during 9/11."

One does not have to be a Weatherman to know which way the elfin winds blow, my friends.

Various sources include here, here, here, here, and here.

Name Game: Aaron Alexis

Update: There are new blog mentions, plus NBC News reporting from two days after the schooling, that Aaron Alexis created a website called Mohammed Salem. It is unknown why this was done, but intelligent speculation is that he was a merely fan of the retired soccer player, the current soccer player, the photojournalist, the newsman, or the singer named "Mohammed Salem." It is probably social media racism that some would try to paint this mentally disturbed Buddhist as a Muslim.

The name Aaron is from the Hebrew name אַהֲרֹן ('Aharon) which is most likely of unknown Egyptian origin. Other theories claim a Hebrew derivation, and suggest meanings such as "high mountain" or "exalted." In the Old Testament this name is borne by the older brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Israelites. He acted as a spokesman for his brother, and carried a miraculous rod. (Please note: Aaron Alexis attended Hillcrest High School.)

The name Alexis is derived from the Greek name Αλεξις (Alexis), which meant "helper" or "defender," derived from Greek αλεξω (alexo) "to defend, to help." This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several saints.

The Washington Navy Yard shooter was identified as Aaron Alexis. Interesting that no middle name has ever been revealed.

In a combined form, Aaron Alexis would loosely mean the "exalted helper" or "defender from a high mountain." It is intriguing to read the first reports that the Washington Navy Yard shooter allegedly picked an elevated spot from which to shoot down upon several of the victims. Those accounts, however, were false. The reported shooter was said to have gone to the 4th floor of Building 197, supposedly assembled or revealed his weapon from a bag in a restroom, and then went down the halls shooting the workers randomly.

According to the New York Daily News,

Alexis worked for The Experts Inc., part of Hewlett-Packard Co., and the Navy subcontractor’s CEO, Thomas Hoshko, told Reuters that the gunman had a “secret clearance” and was scheduled, starting this month, to work out of the Navy Yard with a military-issued ID card. Hoshko said it was “not clear” if Alexis’ assignment was to start Monday.
Alexis — who attended Hillcrest High School in Queens and whose last address was in Fort Worth, Tex. — has gotten in trouble before for firing his guns.
He was arrested in Seattle in 2004 after he shot out the tires of another person’s car — an episode he would describe as a “blackout” driven by rage. He was also busted in Fort Worth in 2010 after he was accused of firing off a round from his weapon. The Navy discharged him in 2011 for “misconduct” issues, an official told The Washington Post.

Did Alexis use the same weapon as used at Newtown? There remains some confusion about that today. But at the early afternoon FBI news conference, police authorities noted that an AR-15 was not used.

The victims of the shooting include Arthur Daniels, 51, of Washington; Mary Francis Knight, 51 of Reston, Virginia; Gerald Read, 58, of Alexandria, Virginia; Martin Bodrog, 54, of Annandale, Virginia; and Richard Michael Ridgell, 52, of Westminster, Maryland.

On Monday night, officials identified: Michael Arnold, 59; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathy Gaarde, 62; John Roger Johnson, 73; Frank Kohler, 50; Vishnu Pandit, 61, and Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46.

Le Loyon: Ghostly Figure Photographed in Swiss Woods

What is Le Loyon and why are people scared?

Some call it Switzerland's answer to the Loch Ness Monster.

The creepy, sinister figure given the name Le Loyon, which has been seen in the woods of western Switzerland for a decade, has been finally photographed.

Dressed in a military uniform with a gas mask covering his face, the figure, known as 'Le Loyon', is said to have been haunting the woods for the past decade. He apparently walks the same route every day.
However, there was no evidence of his existence until local news website Le Matin published the first known photograph of the mystery man last month, and now police are trying to track him down. But is it for real?
"I came across him near the marches," an unnamed amateur photographer who tracked him down told Le Matin. "I approached him up to a dozen metres away.
"He had a military cape, boots and an army gas mark - an antique type, I think. He measured more than 1.9m. He stared at me then turned his back on me and left in silence."
Other locals have also told of their frightening encounters with the man.
"It scared my children," a woman said. "He came out of the woods with his military clothes. We saw neither his face nor his eyes behind his big dark gas mask. It was scary and I know women who are venturing alone in the forest.

Another local resident, Marianne Descloux of Maules, said she also saw him: "It was a rainy Sunday. He had on a cap, a dark cloak and gas mask. What goes on in his head? I don't know. It was unpleasant. I hope I never run into him again."
The figure was also reportedly spotted clutching what appeared to be a bunch of flowers.
"Families simply won't go into the forest any more," a farmer said.
Police want to speak to Le Loyon to ask him to be less threatening, although he's shown no signs of aggressive behaviour. Source.

The name "Loyon" may be related to the name Lyon, meaning lion, fierce warrior, and related definitions.

'Families simply won't go into the forest any more,' a farmer said, adding that Le Loyon had been seen regularly over 10 years. 'No one here finds this story funny.'

There have been a number of theories as to the figure's true identity - a mentally ill woman, a gigantic man, or someone suffering from a nasty skin condition.

Others suggest that Le Loyon has deliberately chosen a hermit's life, perhaps because he is a 'survivalist' obsessed with the apocalypse.

Despite the terror felt by many at coming face-to-face with the mysterious wanderer, he has never shown signs of aggression - but local authorities are keen to get in touch with Le Loyon to reassure their constituents' fears.

'The situation is delicate because we basically have nothing against this person,' said Guy Savary, the municipal official in charge of forests.

'But since he arouses these fears, we are going to hold meeting to see if we can find a way of locating him, and discouraging him from behaving as he does.' Source.

Coulrophobia Alert: Send In The Clowns

The Northampton Clown is not a phantom. He has been photographed.

Readers of this blog are well aware of our clown-radar being on high alert. Sometimes it has been about Jokers and Jokawilds, sometimes of Evil Clowns, and frequently concerning Phantom Clowns.

On 9/11, the clown news presented itself subtly.

As the Denver Post penned, "a U-turn, not clowning around, caused a crash involving a van full of clowns" in West York, Pennsylvania. The September 11, 2013 incident happened on that Wednesday evening, according to multiple media sources.

The van was going south on South Highland Avenue when its driver attempted a U-turn near a gate of the York Expo Center and collided with another van that was also heading south about 5:45 p.m., according to West York Police. Police said the driver, 83-year-old James Billingsley of York, also known as "Dimples the Clown," suffered a minor bump on the head. His passenger clown, 77-year-old Norman Clouser of York, was unhurt.

A photo from the scene of the clown van accident.

The van with the clowns in it was also pulling a trailer with a clown car on it.

Four clowns were in the van at the time, and one of them, the driver who goes by "Dimples the Clown," was taken to an area hospital for minor injuries.

Police say the clowns were going to the York Fair when the driver missed the entrance and attempted to turn around when the crash happened.

Police said "Dimples" was wearing clown shoes but the oversized footwear apparently didn't play a role in the crash.

West York Borough police Sgt. Brad Thomas said both vehicles had to be towed. He didn't know if the clowns ever made it to the fair.

A clown appearance much more sinister is another bit of news this week, out of the United Kingdom.

The sightings of a mystery clown may have been taking place for some time, but reports of them tied his initial appearance to Friday the 13th of September. In the British town of Northampton, the creepy clown, said The Herald & Post, was of a man with white face, red hair and sharply arched eyebrows. He appeared in two separate areas of Northampton.

(Northampton, btw, is the city of Dark Knight creator/magician/graphic novelist Alan Moore, as noted by RPJ.)

The Independent compared his appearance to that of Pennywise from Stephen King's film IT. Staring at people, he's been reported holding a clown teddybear and at other times, balloons.

One female resident of Northampton told the Inquisitr that the clown knocked on her door and offered to paint her window sills.

Have there been copycats? The Northampton Chronicle said that two "teens" dressed as clowns knocked on a resident's door and asked if they could paint her window sills—though they had no paint or brushes.

Over at Dangerous Minds, a comment maker has left this keen observation:

"655321
"I never read the novel, but reading the wiki I see that [Stephen King's] It shows up roughly every 27 years in Derry. The book was published 15 September, 1986. 27 years ago."

What's next?

Aaron Alexis Id'ed As Shooter of Dozen Dead in Washington Navy Yard Shootings

Aaron Alexis has been identified by police as the dead Washington Navy Yard shooter, NBC News reports.

Alexis, 34, originally of Fort Worth, Texas, recently began working at the Navy yard as a civilian contractor, the station reported. USA Today and CBS News also report that an unnamed source identified Alexis as the shooter, who was confirmed dead by police earlier today.
LA Times Update: The shooter has been identified as a 34-year-old man from Fort Worth, Texas.

He was killed by police during a gun battle some two hours after the initial shootings, and was a government civilian contractor new to the Washington, D.C., area.
CNN Update: At least 12 dead in Washington Navy Yard shootings, District of Columbia mayor says.

Updated from original post: Police now say two shooters, including one in fatigues, have killed four people and wounded eight others at the Washington Navy Yard. Police initially said three shooters were involved, according to the Washington Post.

Three shooters are involved in the Navy Yard shooting, a police spokeswoman said. One of the shooters is “down,” police said, but two remain in a building on the grounds. One of the shooters at large is dressed in fatigues. At least one has a long gun, police said.

One tweet has this description of one shooter who has been "neutralized": "Black male, 5'10" 170 pounds with black shirt and black hat"

Another said "six feet tall."

CBSEveningNews:
Reports of shots fired at Bolling Air Base near the Washington Navy Yard. Police responding.

+++Earlier...

On Monday, September 16, 2013, the Washington D.C. Navy Yard is the scene of an active shooter who has shot various people, including a D.C. police officer.

A law enforcement spokesman confirmed at 9:20 a.m. that the officer was shot near the room where a lone gunman has barricaded himself after allegedly shooting at least three people, perhaps four, all in critical condition, on the Navy Yard grounds in Southeast Washington.

The U.S. Navy said that three shots were fired around 8:20 a.m. at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters building, where about 3,000 people work.

S confirmed that "police closed the 11th St Bridge as well as M St SE between 2nd and 4th streets SE due to the shooting. In addition, Metro Transit Police closed the New Jersey Avenue entrance at the Navy Yard station. The Half Street entrance remains open."

Navy Seas Systems Command is the focus.

Ground stop is in effect at Reagan National Airport due to incident at the Washington Navy Yard.

Check back for further details.