Comments on: The "Minutemen" ask if she weighs the same as a duck and wonder if they can build a bridge out of her.

The "Minutemen" ask if she weighs the same as a duck and wonder if they can build a bridge out of her.

orthogonality — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:22:10 -0800

So much for that 300-mile border fence.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:29:10 -0800

Now starting at seeker for the Tricolores de Quidditch...

By: Brittanie

Brittanie — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:35:27 -0800

Those wacky Mexicans!

By: Mister Cheese

Mister Cheese — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:44:12 -0800

That is totally not a weather balloon or a kite. It's motion is stable. The first thing I thought was "unmanned drone." Then I was like, "no, it's waaay too stable for that." Or for a witch for that matter. Not really organic movement. My thinking is that the video we're seeing is one of those perspective tricks. We're seeing something close to the ground in the video, and maybe the camera is moving so that it appears the "witch" is moving. But then... Please someone tell me what this thing is before I go to bed. I'm caught between, "ZOMGS, ALIENS," and "zomgs, really good hoax, how did they do that?"

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:44:33 -0800

"When it comes to the unknown, anything is possible." Unless you master your fear, fear will be your master!

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:44:51 -0800

...whatever. i need another corona

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:45:31 -0800

Please someone tell me what this thing is before I go to bed. It looks like something fixed to a zip line.

By: caddis

caddis — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:47:23 -0800

ET goes ATVing

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:48:33 -0800

It looks like something fixed to a zip line. Like this.

By: amyms

amyms — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:54:18 -0800

It does look like it's on a zip line... Just like the flying saucer episode of The Brady Bunch.

By: Mister Cheese

Mister Cheese — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:57:57 -0800

A zip line would make sense. Resolution of the clip isn't very high, but I guess it'd be difficult enough to see even in clearer video. I need to get more rest. I guess the big question is why? Why scare people? Just some pranksters, or something more sinister, or... gasp... viral marketeering? Coca Azul???

By: caddis

caddis — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:00:15 -0800

You have seen this somewhere before.

By: Mister Cheese

Mister Cheese — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:03:00 -0800

Man, I wish it were aliens for real. *kicks the ground with tennis shoe* It's never aliens for real.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:04:07 -0800

I guess the big question is why? Why scare people? Dude, Mexico is a third-world country. They're all about the magical horseshit down there. Jesus in a tortilla, Virgin Mary in your bathroom mirror, UFOs over Mexico City. The country is a target-rich environment for hucksters of all kinds.

By: champthom

champthom — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:07:28 -0800

I think it's a leprechaun.

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:08:57 -0800

The fence is fine. It just means it needs to be backed up with AAA.

By: rob511

rob511 — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:09:18 -0800

Es muy fácil — the good sisters of San Tanco are establishing a "pilot" facility in Mexico.

By: spiderskull

spiderskull — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:17:03 -0800

I like that the officer interviewed describes this personthing as having "claws." When I think of witches, that's typically the first thing I imagine.

By: humblepigeon

humblepigeon — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:18:02 -0800

I think we're all just inches away from believing in superstitious nonsense. Even those of us in so-called developed countries. All it takes is for enough people to take it seriously, and for a couple of people to claim to have found "proof"...

By: Mister Cheese

Mister Cheese — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:19:00 -0800

I won't dispute your assertion, Cool Papa Bell, as I know that the images of "la bruja" is woven into the fabric Mexican folklore. But hucksters have to huck something, you know? So who would stand to benefit from fear of the cemetery via supernatural hauntings. In other words, I'm curious about the personal story of the perpetrators of the hoax. Is it exploitation of third world magical horseshit believers by paternalistic and condescending first world hooligans? Or the more likely huckestering of someone in the city itself that stands to benefit. Anti-witch medallions or potions and the like. Orchestration by the townspeople to draw media attention to the area and perhaps an increase in tourism? Marfa lights, anyone?

By: mdonley

mdonley — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:19:49 -0800

This is basically the same thing.

By: dgaicun

dgaicun — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:20:55 -0800

Is this one of those 'flying burrito brothers' I'm always hearing about?

By: spiderskull

spiderskull — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:21:22 -0800

Dude, Mexico is a third-world country. They're all about the magical horseshit down there. Jesus in a tortilla, Virgin Mary in your bathroom mirror, UFOs over Mexico City. This is not a phenomenon unique to Mexico. Being a third-world country doesn't automatically mean all of its citizens are superstitious, just as being a first-world country doesn't imply the opposite. Just look at all of the Virgin Mary toasts/trees/shadows/coagulated milk in the US.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:21:34 -0800

In other words, I'm curious about the personal story of the perpetrators of the hoax. They could just be having fun. Hey look, we're on TV. That sort of thing.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:34:07 -0800

Cool Papa Bell writes 'Dude, Mexico is a third-world country. They're all about the magical horseshit down there. Jesus in a tortilla, Virgin Mary in your bathroom mirror, UFOs over Mexico City. The country is a target-rich environment for hucksters of all kinds.' I've got two words for you, Papa Bell. Deepak and Chopra.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:34:26 -0800

I know this has been said before, but I DEMAND to know if there is some kind of Al-Qaeda of Rationality that I can join. I mean, seriously people, why you even gotta do a thing?

By: Avenger

Avenger — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:35:06 -0800

I've got two words for you, Papa Bell. Deepak and Chopra. Peter McD wins the internet.

By: invitapriore

invitapriore — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:08:30 -0800

This really pisses me off. Supernatural creatures have enough to deal with without having the stereotypes about us confirmed. Cape? Pointy hat? Is this Salem?? COME ON!!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:27:21 -0800

Oh, that's Don Juan! He's at it again, doing his Yaqui thing. That or a Flying Burrito Brother on a zip line. Lots of UFO stuff in the news recently. British airline pilot sees mile wide UFO over English channel, two. Another one in England. Salt Lake City. Most dramatic was the statement by "Isaac" about the UFO sightings in California.

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:27:48 -0800

No way, you're all wrong. The crotchety old owner of the cemetery dressed up in a pointy hat and wig to scare away the townsfolk, so they wouldn't suspect he was plotting to sell the land where there families are buried to developers for a substantial profit. He would have succeeded, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids.

By: Kirth Gerson

Kirth Gerson — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:35:50 -0800

Fun with balloons. I do like that the UFO expert appears to have a batshitinsane logo on his shirt.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:14:21 -0800

I like how they kept referring to the local UFO club for expert opinion. That was some hard-hitting Telemundo journalism right there.

By: humannaire

humannaire — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:10:49 -0800

I like turtles.

By: spish

spish — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:15:26 -0800

does anyone know what system is being used at 2:48?

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:16:52 -0800

RONALDO WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT BROOM? I AM ABSOUTELY DISGUSTED! YOU'RE FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER *TOE* OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME! And Guadalupe, dear, congratulations on making it into Leónindor. Your Father and I are so proud.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:17:22 -0800

Twenty five dollars. I have 25 bucks, in my hand, ready to give to the first person to make and ship me a t-shirt that says "local Mexican UFO club."

By: WPW

WPW — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:19:11 -0800

From the shape of the object and the steady movement, I think it's a performer riding a tiny bicycle along a high-wire. Compare the silhouette. An oulandish explanation, but still more likely than witches or aliens. NB, how come a Google image search for "tiny bicycle", "miniature bicycle" etc. turns up pictures of naked women?

By: WPW

WPW — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:21:09 -0800

Outlandish, not oulandish.

By: gallois

gallois — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:27:26 -0800

Hmm. It looks suspiciously like something filled with helium floating on prevailing air currents. Either that, or what happens when your tonal runs smack dab into your nagual.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:33:15 -0800

Ocham's Razor says it's a witch. It really is the simplest explanation. It's a motherfucking witch, yo.

By: buriednexttoyou

buriednexttoyou — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:34:04 -0800

I WANT TO BELIEVE

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:46:34 -0800

here i am, i'm an e t complete with martian antennas

By: lychee

lychee — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:55:08 -0800

I don't care how much you first-world, scientific minds poke fun, this kind of stuff makes me glad I'm Mexican. Like a lot of developing countries, superstition and folklore are still very much a part of everyday life in the Mexican cultural experience. I'll take my Virgin Mary tortillas, flying witches, and Chupacabras any day over the dismissive, dry rationalism of the average Mefite. It's fun, people! Like when you gather around the Ouija board, and you know that fucker Kevin's nudging the planchette to spell out Lucifer, but you go along with it and convince Mary something's moving in her closet. You play along and play along and halfway believe it, 'til the cat jumps out of the closet and you have a big ol' laugh, making sure everybody knows you were never scared, but you still dive under the covers when you get into bed that night. I love that feeling, the thrill of still believing in the supernatural. For a little while you forget about being a rational adult and can work yourself into a tizzy. It's fun!

By: spoobnooble

spoobnooble — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:55:09 -0800

Q. What does a warlock pimp say when he gets up in the morning? A. Where my witches at?! /I'm so sorry... //well, not really...

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:07:01 -0800

Q. What does a magician say upon looking into his empty top hat? A. Witch you better give me my bunny!

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:09:24 -0800

“Dude, Mexico is a third-world country. They're all about the magical horseshit down there. Jesus in a tortilla, Virgin Mary in your bathroom mirror, UFOs over Mexico City. The country is a target-rich environment for hucksters of all kinds.” Dude, that's an ignorant frickin' thing you've just said. As many others have already pointed out, there's all sorts of superstition and magical thinking horseshit in the developed world.

By: doctorschlock

doctorschlock — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:10:01 -0800

It looked like a dead witch on a Harry Potter vibrating broom.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:21:13 -0800

I think we're all just inches away from believing in superstitious nonsense. Lord forbid.

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:26:43 -0800

The madness of crowds.

By: WPW

WPW — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:27:03 -0800

there's all sorts of superstition and magical thinking horseshit in the developed world Leprechauns in Mobile, Alabama, to take an instance at random from the very next MeFi post. I checked out www.snopes.com to see if there was anything about this "witch", and that's always a reminder of how superstition is universal.

By: ormondsacker

ormondsacker — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:36:52 -0800

Clearly what we have going here is some kind of magical realism. My theory is that it's Vincente Fox, soaring above his people by his own force of ancient will before returning to squat in his palace, an aged monster seamed by time but still canny, my own Rosa, still in some glancing shadow the already-tarnishing warrior that in the misguided strength of his arms bayoneted three monkeys in the plaza on that harsh-shadowed afternoon when you lost the first bloom of your heart.

By: LooseFilter

LooseFilter — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:40:32 -0800

NB, how come a Google image search for "tiny bicycle", "miniature bicycle" etc. turns up pictures of naked women? Because it's the internet--anything you search for will, eventually, turn up pictures of naked women.

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:42:38 -0800

Just look at all of the Virgin Mary toast//trees/shadows/coagulated milk in the US. Just this week in Florida: Woman Sees Virgin Mary in Watermelon.

By: squalor

squalor — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:42:45 -0800

The first thing I thought was "unmanned drone." Must we go through this again?

By: Hands of Manos

Hands of Manos — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:46:09 -0800

::Witch you better give me my bunny!:: I laughed out loud.

By: dgaicun

dgaicun — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:00:26 -0800

Here are the ground rules for claiming proof of extraordinary phenomena in 2007.

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:05:20 -0800

Someone in Mexico scraped together the $250K.

By: localroger

localroger — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:30:40 -0800

Mexico has a seriously enthusiastic UFO culture. The first time I visited (and not in a typical tourist place, a rural village near Veracruz that had just become known for a bird migration phenomenon) I was surprised to see at this small village news stand multiple entire magazines devoted to UFO sightings and abductions. I suppose this is a way to be more modern while still enjoying the frisson of spookiness that the old legends produced, as lychee suggests.

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:48:05 -0800

Great video, thanks for the posting. Do remember that educated observers do see things that are very hard to explain. That said, this video looks like a clever hoax. It simply looks too much like a cartoon witch perched on a broom. If it were a hoax, I'd suggest a zipline like some of you said. However, it can't be a person -- the thickness of the line required to carry a person that far would be substantial, you'd have to see it. I'd suggest that it's some sort of low-weight construction, perhaps 10-20 pound in weight, and that it rides down the line, perhaps on a wheel, inside the body of the item, with a weight below it to keep it stable. It's still pretty good. If you designed it according to my theory, you'd expect it to rock from side to side a little as it went. If there were any wind at all, it'd catch it and rock even more. You really see none or very little of that...

By: forallmankind

forallmankind — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:49:20 -0800

Metafilter: Here I am, I'm an E.T. complete with Martian antennas!

By: AccordionGuy

AccordionGuy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:52:44 -0800

I am naming my next band "Local Mexican UFO Club"!

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:53:01 -0800

On preview, it actually could be a jetpack, see this video. I'd still lean towards the "model on a wire" theory because you don't get much time aloft on a jetpack.

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:02:52 -0800

Or it could be this sort of joke...

By: EatTheWeak

EatTheWeak — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:04:30 -0800

“Dude, Mexico is a third-world country. They're all about the magical horseshit down there. Jesus in a tortilla, Virgin Mary in your bathroom mirror, UFOs over Mexico City. The country is a target-rich environment for hucksters of all kinds.” LOLMexicans? Really? Would donating your balls to a comet count as magical horseshit, or do we call it something else in the developed world?

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:06:59 -0800

Mexicans might have their primitive superstitious beliefs but unlike the US they don't actually start wars about them.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:22:34 -0800

¡Ella me hizo en un axolotl!

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:23:11 -0800

As many others have already pointed out, there's all sorts of superstition and magical thinking horseshit in the developed world. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

By: Snyder

Snyder — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:31:45 -0800

lupus, those stories from your link remind me of one I read, which I unfortunately can't find right now, of a woman seeing a flying saucer with the letters "UFO" written on the sides.

By: furiousxgeorge

furiousxgeorge — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:36:19 -0800

It's a streetlight.

By: MrBobaFett

MrBobaFett — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:38:25 -0800

lupus_yonderboy: "Great video, thanks for the posting. If it were a hoax, I'd suggest a zipline like some of you said. However, it can't be a person -- the thickness of the line required to carry a person that far would be substantial, you'd have to see it. " I disagree. It could easily be a human load on a zip line. If that object is the size of a human it could be a quarter of a mile away from the camera, and 1/4" wire rope could be very difficult to see from that range and quite capable of carrying a human load. If you really want to pull it off and don't concern yourself with saftey factor you could even pull it off with 1/8"

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:42:04 -0800

One of the very interesting things about UFOology is stories from multiple witnesses reporting details like that which they themselves know are stupid. A favorite of mine is two men who reported that an man in a spacesuit came out of a flying ship and asked them what time it was. "2:30," they said. "You lie, it is 4 o'clock," said the "man," and left -- but it was in fact 2:30. They both reported this and of course people in their small town were skeptical but they stuck to their guns -- even though it was clear that they felt themselves pretty stupid reporting this. The question is -- why would you make this up -- particularly in a small town where you had to live with the people there for the rest of your life? (Not that I think this proves anything at all of course -- but it's a strange story anyway...)

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:57:57 -0800

I disagree. It could easily be a human load on a zip line. If that object is the size of a human it could be a quarter of a mile away from the camera, and 1/4" wire rope could be very difficult to see from that range and quite capable of carrying a human load. If you really want to pull it off and don't concern yourself with saftey factor you could even pull it off with 1/8"

Good points, but consider the length of such a wire -- it's got to be a half a mile long from several of the shots. If you make something very light, you can simply use a couple of strands of monofilament fishing line on a track... and afterwards you can just cut it -- but wire rope would be heavy bulk and expensive in that length. And there are few if any advantages to using a human over a model. One of them would be that the human could move, obviously be animate -- but we don't see ANY movement in the videos. I mean, if you were sliding down a wire, terrorizing the natives, wouldn't you want to make threatening gestures? I know I would!

By: quin

quin — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:02:35 -0800

All amusing anecdotes about a culture's relative superstitious nature aside, it's a bunch of balloons. And the cops are either in on it, very susceptible to the power of suggestion, or should be tested for drugs. I'm leaning towards the middle one. They got spooked, the were talking to one another about what they thought they saw and then, in a situation of heightened stress, they saw what they were just talking about. This sort of thing happens with you humans all the time.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:15:22 -0800

Well, waddya know. Somebody's remade Gisele Kerozene.

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:15:30 -0800

Quin nails it: "it's a bunch of balloons" Yes. Perfect. Accounts for everything, particularly the smoothness. I knew I recognized that sort of motion from somewhere... A very successful prank!

By: jfuller

jfuller — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:25:07 -0800

Swamp gas.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:47:41 -0800

My theory is that it's Vincente Fox, soaring above his people by his own force of ancient will before returning to squat in his palace, an aged monster seamed by time but still canny, my own Rosa, still in some glancing shadow the already-tarnishing warrior that in the misguided strength of his arms bayoneted three monkeys in the plaza on that harsh-shadowed afternoon when you lost the first bloom of your heart. Yeeeessss.... that's the stuff. *rummages in bookshelf for Marquez*

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:05:51 -0800

I think quin got it right. If you look at the very beginning of the video you can see what appears to be a person on the ground at the far left, in a perfect position to release a bunch of balloons with fabric draped over them.

By: effwerd

effwerd — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:10:31 -0800

Where's the Scooby gang when you need them?

By: Uther Bentrazor

Uther Bentrazor — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:11:28 -0800

This is basically the same thing. Are the only voice actors in Mexico culled from game shows, or is it just a coincidence?

By: Liosliath

Liosliath — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:26:39 -0800

"...the thickness of the line required to carry a person that far would be substantial, you'd have to see it." You can't always see the zip line, depending on the angle. (Warning : Dumb people die in this video)

By: dgaicun

dgaicun — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:26:56 -0800

Seriously though Mexican prank people...a witch? Riding a broom? Aren't we kind of scraping the bottom of the monster barrel here? I think, as a rule of thumb, if a monster has been featured in the title of an Abbott and Costello movie all of its possible scariness and intrigue have been erased forever. I can see how local legends can still legitimately tap into local emotions, but after generations of pop cultural imagining and Halloween commercialization, the folk credibility of a green, wart-nose, pointy-hat, broomstick witch should be about on par with a Count Chocula.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:40:33 -0800

You know what I just realized? It's not a witch or a zip line. IT'S GREG BRADY PLAYING A TRICK ON MEXICO. Mystery solved! ¡Es tiempo del tequila!

By: hattifattener

hattifattener — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:52:02 -0800

Yeah, ormondsacker has it. I cracked up when the astronomer put the antennae on and claimed to be an ET though.

By: mr.marx

mr.marx — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:33:28 -0800

balloon

By: Mister Cheese

Mister Cheese — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:49:44 -0800

Oooo, that's pretty interesting, mr.marx. Full length video with audio from the people taping it. Seems there's a great deal of speculation, but probably can be summed up with: "this is not a bird we're seeing, it's a balloon," "it's big!" and "it's a horse that flies!" The people video taping don't seemed frightened at all. Initially they're speculative as they try to spot the thing, then the woman in the tape declares it's just a balloon, and the jokes come out near the end. This gives me some ideas, though :P

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:51:42 -0800

Seriously though Mexican prank people...a witch? Riding a broom? Aren't we kind of scraping the bottom of the monster barrel here? Doubling back with my comments above ... I just don't think you guys understand the cultural climate to Mexico. You can snark at me with Deepak Chopra, Leprechauns in Alabama and Heaven's Gate and whatnot. But you're missing the larger point that Mexico is a profoundly rural, magically religious country. The ground is fertile for hucksterism to a far, far greater degree than the U.S. and the U.K. I mean, it's not even close. Saying, "hey Americans believe stupid shit, too" simply fails to grasp the astonishing amount of magical belief in a country like Mexico. Call me shortsighted, whatever, I don't care. Don't miss the forest for the trees.

By: hector horace

hector horace — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:53:38 -0800

Did anyone else hear part of the X-files theme at about 2:07 into the clip?

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:17:09 -0800

Mister Cheese: "It's never aliens for real." *kicks the ground with tennis shoe* Word. I hope to be alive when it's not a false alarm. I believe in the possibility of non-terrestial life. However, I am also a strong believer in Drake's Equation, and the odds of non-terrestrial life ever finding this little spitball in space are not very good. According to Isaac Asimov, there's a mathematical near-certainty that as you read these words, out in space there are a bare conservative minimum of thirty communicative, space-faring civilizations which are close enough to our perception of sentient life to be of mutual value. Frank Drake's own calculations were far more idealistic: ten thousand sentient non-terrestrial lifeforms in the Milky Way. The Milky Way Galaxy contains approximately 200 billion stars. You'd have a better chance finding one bone needle in a couple thousand haystacks.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:18:21 -0800

communicative, as in "able to communicate" not as in "diseased" or something. =P

By: Mister Cheese

Mister Cheese — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:20:59 -0800

Oh man, someone already beat me to my idea. Also, I think the amount of magical belief in Mexico is only astonishing if you aren't familiar with its cultural inheritance of indigenous and Catholic beliefs. Coming from more secularized backgrounds, it's easy to dismiss these beliefs and go LOLMexicans. I feel, however, that this is a disservice to the experience of those in fear and even to those perpetrating the hoax. The involvement of the police is very interesting, not to mention the media. So the approach I'd take, once again, is why? Especially given the casual tone of the viewers in the unedited videotape. There were no cries of witch within, no real fear. Someone decided to take, it though, and run with it. And of course, it's the people within the culture that know best how something of supernatural nature will be received. So there's intent behind making this available to the media. It may be just a bunch of attention grabbing, but then look, we're discussing it here on Metafilter, no? I'll ask my pa if he saw anything on the way back up from Michoacan. :)

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:30:29 -0800

I think the amount of magical belief in Mexico is only astonishing if you aren't familiar with its cultural inheritance of indigenous and Catholic beliefs. Oh, totally agreed there. I think what's astonishing is that the country could be literally next door to the U.S. and its colossal media machine and still retain its level and particular flavor of magical belief. I think that speaks more to the level of governmental corruption within Mexico, that it is still economically backward, and has not raised its educational levels. Compare Mexico to the other next-door neighbor, Canada, and the difference is astonishing.

By: IronLizard

IronLizard — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:32:48 -0800

EatTheWeak, that site you linked to about the balls tried to install system doctor.

By: jefbla

jefbla — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:47:16 -0800

I bet those witches make a kickass mole sauce.

By: Zack_Replica

Zack_Replica — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:21:25 -0800

If they were witches, they wouldn't make a mole sauce, they'd make a mole sauce. Or perhaps in this case it'd be an otter sauce.

By: phoque

phoque — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:32:30 -0800

A flying witch with thriller sound.

By: phoque

phoque — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:36:16 -0800

Though it could have been ... a lawnmower.

By: Joakim Ziegler

Joakim Ziegler — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:38:50 -0800

That particular TV "news" show is not the most serious, respected, or reliable, to put it mildly. Also, beware that the translations and summary on the video site are blatantly incorrect. This wasn't in a "remote town", when the subtitles are saying "remote town", the presenter woman is actually saying "city". This is in Monterrey, Mexico's third biggest city, and a center of industry and business in the North.

By: radiobishop

radiobishop — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:02:19 -0800

It's strange to see him in Mexico but it's obviously CELEDON.

By: Mcable

Mcable — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:50:02 -0800

That was incredible. I couldn't stop laughing. I love a well engineered prank but the Isaac link that Nickyskye posted was just amazing. Check the documents at the upper right...that launguage primer is awesome.

By: hodyoaten

hodyoaten — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:42:30 -0800

I am seconding dgaicun's suggestion about ground rules for evidence. Crappy video, so I'm not squandering away any further fractions of my life on this.

By: signal

signal — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:04:32 -0800

That would take about 4 minutes to make in Premiere or whatever. Next.

By: signal

signal — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:08:17 -0800

And to all the people trotting out their 'Spanish' (to use the term loosely) or their 'funny' (ditto) stereotypes about Mexico, please don't. It's embarrassing.

By: iamck

iamck — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 23:26:20 -0800

What are the business ethics of a viral marketing scheme that involves bribery of police officials to make false statements? Well, it might make a good story.

By: mmoncur

mmoncur — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 23:33:03 -0800

This has been thoroughly debunked. It's not a witch. It's Cory Doctorow's Balloon.

By: EatTheWeak

EatTheWeak — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 08:31:04 -0800

Ironlizard - !!! Oh, crap. Sorry about that. ... wonder how nervous I should be about not noticing anything when I clicked it earlier? Apologies all around for the tainted link, my friends.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 08:49:49 -0800

[removed the link from EtW's comment]

By: IronLizard

IronLizard — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:01:03 -0800

No worries, after the first time it happened I tried to get it to do it again with firebug open just to get a look at what code was called, but it wouldn't do it (with those msgboxes, you can't get the browser to do anything until you close them). It may have been code from one of the rotating ads displayed and not necessarily the site itself (it had a heck of a lot of popups/banners plastered on it).

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:15:19 -0800

I grew up a half hour from Mexico & am a quarter Spanish. My family makes tamales for Christmas. So my sucky Spanish will not be silenced, ese.

By: octobersurprise

octobersurprise — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 07:06:46 -0800

there's all sorts of superstition and magical thinking horseshit in the developed world. *cough*Iraqi nukes*cough*

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:41:22 -0800

there's all sorts of superstition and magical thinking horseshit in the developed world. *cough*Iraqi nukes*cough* Speaking of Iraq and magical beliefs... We all know how this turned out, but for a while there... Even on the run, Hussein has Iraqis under his 'spell' By James Hider | Special to The Christian Science Monitor BAGHDAD – As US forces rolled into Baghdad, Saddam Hussein, the Ace of Spades in the US Army's deck of cards of wanted Iraqis, did a spectacular vanishing act. Many Iraqis believe their former leader, a lifelong dabbler in the occult, will never be found by coalition troops scouring the country. His trick, they say, is a magic stone that protects him from harm. Mr. Hussein and his inner circle were obsessed with the dark arts: his son Uday even advertised on his own television channel for those with supernatural powers to come forward and serve the ruling family. In a country where decades of isolation and repression have cut people off from the modern world, belief in the occult is commonplace, and Iraqis regularly consult soothsayers to find stolen cars or tackle mental illness. Many believe Hussein has shrouded himself in his dark powers. "Saddam never takes any step unless he consults with his magician advisers. I'm sure he has two or three with him now," says Qassem Ali, an electrician in Baghdad. "He brought them in from China and Japan because he wanted specialists," says colleague Ali Mahdi. As they talked, a crowd gathered around to earnestly chip in their stories about Hussein's supernatural prowess. "Saddam is indestructible because of these powers," Mr. Mahdi insists. Such a belief, widely but by no means universally held here, has contributed to the atmosphere of fear and mistrust that is hindering coalition attempts to rebuild the country. Coalition leaders admit that a key to convincing Iraqis that the old regime is dead is capturing or killing the bogeyman who still casts a long shadow over Iraq. The most commonly held view in Baghdad is that Hussein wore a "magic" stone around his neck, which warded off assassins' bullets. "It's all true about the magic stone," says car dealer Mokhaled Mohammed, sitting in a cafe on Baghdad's upmarket Arasat Street. "First of all, he put it on a chicken and tried to shoot it. Then he put it on a cow, and the bullets went around it."

By: octobersurprise

octobersurprise — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:19:42 -0800

His trick, they say, is a magic stone that protects him from harm. I gotcher magic stones right here. Meanwhile, speaking of Saddam and magic, some people believe in astrology; some people still believe in those nukes.