Experts Reveal a Simple Explanation For Things That Go Gump in the Night

There are people who swear their houses are haunted by ghosts, and there are those who make money claiming to be able to identify the supernatural beings making the noises. According to Rodney Schmaltz, a professor at Canada’s MacEwan University and the senior author of a recent study, your house isn’t haunted by ghosts — it’s haunted by old plumbing. “In an old building, there’s a good chance that infrasound is present, particularly in basements where aging pipes and ventilation systems produce low-frequency vibrations,” he explained. Infrasound is a very low-frequency sound, below 20 hertz, which humans typically can’t hear. Despite it being undetectable to the ear, our bodies respond to the nuisance, which causes higher cortisol levels, the body’s normal stress response. “Infrasound is pervasive in everyday environments, appearing near ventilation systems, traffic and industrial machinery,” Schmaltz said. So, the next time something feels inexplicably off in a basement or old building, consider that the cause might be vibrating pipes rather than restless spirits.

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Canadian Woman in Good Spirits After Unexpected Plunge

Christine Keilback of Winnipeg, Manitoba, went out to a movie on Saturday, but the real drama happened when she got home. You could say the evening went in a “hole” new direction. Keilback’s friends, Lynda and Jeff Regan, pulled up around 9 p.m. to drop her off at her house. She got out of the passenger side, took a couple of steps, and she was gone. The Regans, still inside the vehicle, thought she had tripped and fallen. When they went around the car, they were surprised to find Keilback up to her neck in the ground. “The ground had just given way very fast,” said Keilback. “I have no recollection of the fall, it just happened very quickly.” Jeff immediately ran to find something for Keilback to hang on to, returning with a broom and shovel that could span the gap and give her a brace to hook her arms around. Keilback tried to boost herself out, but every foothold immediately crumbled away. The couple finally decided to call 911, and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service arrived within 10 minutes. Keilback said she was able to keep her sense of humor through the ordeal. “If you can see the pictures, I mean, I was laughing.” She was also incredibly lucky, as firefighters removed a jagged piece of metal that was sticking out of the soil behind Keilback. Firefighters hooked some strapping under Keilback’s arms to support her before taking a few minutes to consider the best approach to getting her out. Ultimately, they decided to put up a frame and winch to lift her. Keilback was given a harness and coached on how to put it on. Getting the straps under her legs meant she had to dip her face below ground level, which was a little disconcerting, she said. It took about 40 minutes from the time she dropped into the hole until she was back on solid ground. Further investigation indicated that a catch basin was missing a manhole cover, and that allowed Keilback to slip into the hole. The area was secured and permanent repairs were scheduled to be completed as soon as possible. 

 

 

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At Oxford University, a Beloved Library Cat Comforts Distressed Students

Meet Issy, the fluffy Siberian forest cat, who is the library cat at Oxford University. Librarian Jamie Fishwick-Ford began bringing Issy to work immediately after adopting him as a kitten six years ago. The cat spends most of his time there, relaxing in his owner’s office, only leaving when people want to pet him or when he’s taken outside for some tree climbing exercise. “He’s not allowed to free roam around the library or the college,” explained Jamie, who’s been with the library for 10 years. The 43-year-old said her cat has proven to be extremely popular with the students and definitely loves the attention they give him. Jamie went on to explain that the college had a policy allowing employees to bring their dogs to work, as long as they stayed in the employee’s office. That’s when Jamie decided to bring Issy to work with her. She went on to explain that the students often seek out Issy for comfort in dealing with the stresses of being away from home for the first time. Jamie explained that several other colleges have their own pets, including dogs and tortoises, but Issy is the only library cat. “He’s already got a long list of colleges that want him to visit next term, so his diary is very booked up at the moment.”

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The Mystery of the Green Masters Jacket

The Masters “Green Jacket” is one of the most coveted prizes in all of golf. It’s awarded to the winner of the PGA Masters tournament at the end of the weekend in a special televised ceremony. So how did a Masters jacket wind up in a thrift store? The story begins in 1994, when it was found hanging among the blazers at a Toronto Goodwill. Its price tag was a mere $5. Only one Canadian has ever won the PGA Masters tournament, and that was Mike Weir in 2003. Although the Augusta National Golf Club confirmed the green jacket’s authenticity in 1994, there’s no clue as to whom it once belonged. According to Ryan Carey, whose auction house, Carey Auction House, sold the jacket for $139,000 in 2017, the name tag had been cut out of the jacket when it arrived at Goodwill. He questioned why the name tag had been removed. “Those things don’t seem to go hand-in-hand, because if someone didn’t know what it was, you wouldn’t think they would take the time to cut the name out.” While Carey said the odds favor the jacket belonging to a member, there are a few Masters champions who are missing theirs, and there are others who had several jackets made throughout their lifetime to accommodate changes in weight. Now, only the current Masters champion can wear a green jacket in public. The Augusta National members and previous winners are forbidden from taking their jackets off the club's grounds. All of the jackets of that era were tailor-made in Augusta at Cullum's men's shop, so Carey acknowledged that it's possible there could be a ledger, somewhere, that contains the exact measurement of the thrift store green jacket by which someone could identify its owner. For now, the mystery of the green jacket remains unsolved.

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