The Hole

On this weeks episode of Expanded Perspectives the boys start off by talking about how according to Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, a full-size unmanned prototype is expected to be ready by 2018. The firm's concept car has fold-out wings with twin electric motors attached to each end. These motors allow the TF-X to move from a vertical to a horizontal position, and will be powered by a 300 horsepower engine. Thrust will be provided by a ducted fan, and the vehicle will have a cruising speed of 200 mph (322 km/h), along with a 500-mile (805 km) flight range. Terrafugia said its aim is to provide 'true door-to-door transportation,' with the vehicle capable of being parked in a home garage like an ordinary car. Then, they bring up how surprising research, revealed for the first time in an exhibition opening next week at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, exposes that many were buried in new and decorated coffins, patched together from pieces of older coffins; some made only a few generations earlier. Then, a fast-growing tumbleweed dubbed "hairy panic" has taken over a street in a rural Australian town with homes and gardens clogged with the weed. Residents in Wangaratta, Victoria, have complained they have had to spent hours clearing away the weed only for it to come back the next day. Extremely dry conditions and winds mean that the weed, with a Latin name of Panicum effusum, is engulfing homes sometimes up to roof height. Then, Kyle brings up a new article posted by Gregg Newkirk on his blog the Week in Weird, about the interesting real life story of  Emily Isabella Burt, Georgia's real life Werewolf. After the break, the guys get into one of the most bizarre stories of all time, simply known as Mel's Hole. In 1997, Art Bell, of "Coast to Coast AM," the popular syndicated late night radio talk show, received a fax from a man named Mel Waters. The fax explained that Mel had what appeared to be a bottomless pit on his property near Manastash, Washington. Soon thereafter, Art booked Mel on his radio show, where Mel explained what would become known as "Mel's Hole" to the world. Mel was interviewed over the phone, and at the time of the interview he was not at home, but in the town of Ellensburg, WA. Mel had bought this property a few years earlier, and the previous owners had owned the land for over thirty years prior to that. The neighbors knew of the hole quite well, and would regularly dump their garbage in it, but the hole would never fill. It was a round pit, with a stone retaining wall surrounding it, and extending down, about 15 feet below the ground surface. Beyond the wall, the hole bore through dirt and bedrock, and from there, darkness as far as the eye could see. Mel had never met anybody who could remember when the hole was not there. The stories only grew into one of the most incredible stories ever told. Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives. Have a great week!!

• Flying Cars are just Two Years Away: Terrafugia claims its TF-X will be ready to take to the skies by 2018
• Egyptians were Buried in Recycled Coffins, Research Reveals
• "Hairy Panic" as Tumbleweed Engulfs Australian Homes
• Silver Bullets in Talbot County: The Strange Grave of Emily Isabella Burt, Georgia's Real Life Werewolf
• Mel's Hole
• Art Bell's Interview with Mel Waters Part One
• Art Bell's Interview with Mel Waters Part Two
• Art Bell's Interview with Mel Waters Part Three
• Art Bell's Interview with Mel Waters Part Four
• Monsters and Magic Blog - Cryptozoology and the Paranormal from a Magical Perspective 

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights! Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com

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• Something's Wrong
• Where Am I Trying to Go
• Sweet Long Life