The Mould Mesiah of Houston

I'm a  little late with this news but better late than never.  Huffington Post reports that Houston resident, Chyenna Richards, has had  a visitation from Our Lord... in the form of mould on her bathroom wall.

"People say your house is blessed," she said. "I see the head, the hair, a cloak... Maybe it means something. Maybe look into yourself and see if you need to change something in your life," she said.

Hmm there you have it.... Perhaps it's a case of  blessed are those who are lax in their housework for the Lord will be with them...

Still it's another fine simulacrum!

Fire Dragon II

Fire Monster

Fire Dragon

Fire Demon

Proof of Alien Elephants

The Mirror has ublished an image that cold have ramifications for our assumptions about early inhabitants of Mar. What clearly is an outline of an elephant's head was captured by NASA's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) which is carried on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite .

The outline may be construed as just a rock a rock formation formed by lava flow from Elysium Planitia, the second largest volcanic region Mars. However, it may. like the Cydnia face photographed during the Viking expeditions in the 70's indicate that Mars was once inhabited by space elephants.

"This proves for once and for all that Mars was once inhabited by giant astroderms. It is obvious that a giant astroderm, perhaps 10km tall was  caught in a lava flow and preserved just waiting our discovery" said Julian Crandoffer spokesman for the exobiology unit of the Star Federation (Nuneaton Branch) "I am sure that further research will provide evidence fo claims that mammoths were genetically miniaturised versions of the Mars Astroderm."


I love making up quotes!

A Patriotic Simlacrum

The Mail reports that a young mother has discovered a simularum that is quite appropriate given that it is the Queen's diamond jubilee year. 

Laura Robertson, 18, spotted a watermark in the shape of the queen's head while drying her dirty dishes.  'I turned to do the drying-up and noticed a mark on the bottom of one of the glasses. As I went to re-wash it, I noticed that it was a familiar shape. I almost dropped the glass when I suddenly saw the Queen's face in it.





With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June, Laura intends to put the piece of royal memorabilia on display at her home in King's Lynn, Norfolk. 

'People have offered me money for it but there's no way I am going to sell it.'

Well there you ave it. It's been a while since I posted a simulacrum. THis one seems to be quite appropriate!

Virgin Mary at Hamburger Mary?

(Photo from WTSP.COM site)

It's been fat too long since a simulacrum graced these pages so here goes According to wtsp.com  the name of a restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa has taken on a new meaning after the image of the Virgin Mary appeared on one of its walls.

The location of said appearance is Hamburger Mary's

The image first got attention over the weekend after some customers noted its appearance on a stainless steel plate on the wall near the kitchen. "From certain angles it does look like the Virgin Mary," says acting manager Melanie Todd.  "I never have noticed it myself, before."

This isn't the first time the Blessed Virgin has appeared on an inanimate object in Tampa Bay.  For several years an image said to be her adorned the glass windows of a Clearwater office building. Vandals destroyed the several of the windows in 2004.

Todd says the image at the restaurant -- known for its gay karaoke and drag queen bingo nights -- reminds her of that earlier appearance in Clearwater. "Everybody is curious to see it," she says. "It's a true image, it really is."

Excellent stuff but I must admit the drag bingo must be a good draw too!

Not Cliff, but Jesus

The Huffington Post has news of another great simulacrum. Visiting this one may be for extreme sports enthusiasts though!.

THis time Jesus has appeared on the side of a cliff in Ireland. Tourist Sandra Clifford's picture has got a lot of people excited.
Clifford, a pilot fron San Francisco, spotted the figure recently while visiting the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare with her friend, Fiona Fay.  The two saw what Clifford thought looked like the image of Jesus on the side of one of the cliffs and she immediately snapped a photo on her digital camera.

"I definitely felt a divine presence," Clifford told HuffPost Weird News. "To me, it was definitely a face, but I realize some people may interpret it differently."
Clifford feels her training as a pilot has honed her vision and also taught her to be skeptical about what she sees, which is why she asked the folks around her their opinions of the cliffside Christ.

She is curious that the Jesus image hasn't been seen before since she usually sees at least five tour buses going to that same viewpoint and none of them have reported a similar sighting.
Clifford is amazed as well."I found this image amazing. This entire day was incredible," she said. "The only way I can describe how I felt when I saw the image is very calm. It was absolutely beautiful and quiet.

Clifford wants to make sure that no one can make claims that the photos have been retouched, so she is removing the disc with the photos from her digital camera so they can be saved as they are forever.

She has refused all attempts to touch up the photograph back in the United States, insisting she wants to maintain its originality.

Well there you have it. Perhaps someone committing suicide at that point can make peace with Jesus as he or she passes by....

The Devil's in the detail!

TheTelegraph reports on another fine image. This time it is not Jesus on a waffle or a terrier's arse, but Old Horny himself!

It seems that the smirking face of the Devil has been discovered hidden in a fresco by the Italian medieval artist Giotto after remaining undetected for more than 700 years in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. 

Sergio Fusetti, the head of the restoration work in the basilica, said the devil face may have been a dig at somebody the artist had quarrelled with.
Claudio Strinati, an art historian, said it was not unusual for Renaissance artists to include hidden meanings in their works. "Paintings often had two facets – an explicit one and an implicit one." 

Born near Florence in the late Middle Ages, Giotto di Bondone became one of the most important figures of the Early Renaissance.Among his most celebrated works are a series of frescoes in Padua, frescoes and altarpieces in Santa Croce church in Florence and a painting of the Madonna which is on display in Florence's Uffizi Galleries. 

 

Well there you have it. It's god to see a truly artistic simulacrum.. well perhaps not a simulacrum!

Canadian Cloud Simulacrum

Jesus? Satan? George Washington?

Ah who cares! It's been a long time since I had a good simulacrum on the Poor Mouth and this one is a goodie!

Sacred relic rediscovered in Coventry

The Veil of Veronica is one of most sacred relics of the Catholic Church. Second only to the Turin shroud in importance, it was reputedly created when Saint Veronica encountered Jesus when he was on his way to crucifixion. Saint Veronica used her veil to wipe sweat from the face of Jesus. His face was imprinted on her veil and so it became a treasured relic.

The Veronica was brought to Europe by King Henri IV of France following the 4th Crusade. He entrusted it to the Abbey of Poitiers which for many years was a major site of pilgrimage - almost equalling Santiago de Compostella in numbers of pilgrims. However it was seized by King Edward III in 1356 following his decisive victory over the French at the battle of Poitiers and it was taken to England,

The Veronica was presented to the monks of Walsingham Priory in Norfolk where again it became a major attraction for pilgrims. However, it was lost during the dissolution of the English monasteries and its location, if it still existed, has remained a mystery. Until now that is

Two months ago Rose McCarthy
visited a car boot sale in Stourbridge where she found an antique Coalport figurine at a bargain price. When she got home she discovered that the seller had used a piece of old linen to wrap the figurine. On a whim she decided to give it a clean – linen is not cheap after all and it may come in handy, she thought.

It was only after she washed it that she saw an unusual brown stain, which shows what seem to be the facial features of a long-haired, bearded man.

“When I took it out I could not believe it. I could see it was Jesus straightaway. I took it to my husband and he agreed with me, “she said. I am Catholic but I am not extremely religious we don't go to mass every weekend but after finding this it has definitely made my faith stronger.'”


An initial study by Roland Felcher, Professor of Mediaeval studies at the University of Northampton, indicates that the linen is of great antiquity and may well date back to the first century AD. Since this announcement the McCarthy family home has been besieged by pilgrims.

The Catholic Church has not made any announcement of the Veronica’s authenticity. “At present we have no view on whether this article is a genuine representation of the face of Christ or not” said a spokesman for the Suffragan Bishop of Yardley.

Well there you have it... I’m sure you all missed your tales of simulacra.. .Even when I make up 95% of the story!

Candle Mary

This is a few months old but still worth a post
Mari Valenzuela of Alhambra, California made an astonishing discovery when she finished praying the rosary in December. According to the KTLA news website she noticed an image of the Virgin Mary formed in candle wax.

The wax figure is about six inches tall and appears to show a woman kneeling and praying.

Valenzuela showed the figure to her friends and family who say they've never seen anything quite like it form from wax.\

Valenzuela says she doesn't know what to do with the figure but wants to share it with as many people as she can. In the meantime, she's storing it in her refrigerator so it doesn't melt.

Hmm I wonder if she has ever heard of Ebay?

Mary in Newquay

Caroline and Stephen Gray were walking along the coastline near Newquay when they stopped to pose for a series of holiday snaps. But Caroline, 38, was speechless when the couple returned home and studied the digital camera to spot a clear image of the Virgin Mary, which she insists was not present when she took the picture.


She said: ''There was nothing on the screen when I took the original photograph. Then when we got home the image of the Virgin Mary had appeared. ''There was absolutely nobody else on the beach at the time, which makes this all the more intriguing.
''It looks like a pregnant woman and she appears to be holding a lamp. It certainly looks like the Virgin Mary. ''I don't know if it would still be visible if you went there to see it, but I'm sure that won't stop people from trying.''

After a spate of non-religious simulacra it’s good to see a BVM appearance again

E-Tree phone home (or Take me to your Lignin?)

Pete Burford, 72,of of Eldersfield, Gloucestershire, discovered this fine simulacrum when when he chopped down a poplar tree for firewood.

"It's probably just one of those things, but it so looks like E.T. I couldn't believe it," he said.

Or is it crap magician Paul Daniels?

Simulacrum news part 34,952

I can thanks the Fortean Times Breaking News section to bring my attention to another fine simulacrum. This one was found on a rocking chair n Orange County, California.

Chair owner Lynn Balducci said that her husband had discovered the image on the chair last week after they decided to throw away some old cushions.

The rocking chair that has been sitting in their backyard for years..

"He didn't think too much of it at first, " said Mrs Balducci. "He showed it to me and to a few of our friends and everyone agreed that it was indeed an image of of Jesus."

Balducci believes that the image is a sign and a blessing from God. She's not sure what it means, she hopes it is a sign of better things to come. She and her husband want to share the image with others hoping it will bring everyone inspiration to live better lives.

Personally I think that this one looks more like cult musician Roky Erickson (he of the 60s band the 13th Floor Elevators and a number of fine solo works) than Jesus. Ah well perhaps the Balduccis are not familiar with him, hence the misidentification.

A Christmassy Simulacrum

It would appear that Rudolf exists if only in the Hippocampal region of the brain

Claudia Racca, of the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University said: ''Biology can throw up things like this, but it was a nice surprise to find this image. We were looking at a section of the tissue and noticed this strange but familiar shape. We then took an overexposed picture of it and the red blob for the nose and the white antlers showed up even better.

Well it may not be hard science but it surely ranks far higher than virtually every Jesus simulacrum out there... apart from the Jesus on the terrier's arse of course!

Jesus or a tooled up Dalek?

This wonderful simulacrum was reported in the Winston Salem Journal. It was discovered by Bill Johnson after a fallen cherry tree limb was cut up.

My first impression was of a Dalek who had replaced the standard armament with something rather more potent!

Jesus in me... again

A woman in Greer, South Carolina found this simulacrum in an MRI scan.

Ach I'm not even feeling up to making a cheap joke about it... bloody methotrexate!

Instant Jesus, just add toast

A Vermont man has solved a major problem that besets all too many people in this topsy-turvy world. Try as we may we can never find a crap simulacrum when we need one. But fear not, Galen Dively III of Walden, Virginia, has introduced a toaster that sears the image of Christ on each and every slice it toasts.

Retailing for $39.95, the toaster uses patented radiated heat technology to toast the face of Christ on any variety of daily bread. Dively has ordered an initial run of 3,000 units from a factory in China and believes the toasters will be a big hit with church and school groups. His company, Burnt Impressions, also has plans to create Virgin Mary and Star of David toasters.

Dively believes that he is serving a higher purpose. "I consider it cheap PR for the Lord," he said.

Cheap PR or not it does mean that a saddo like me gets another simulacrum rel;ated post for what laughingly passes as a blog