On the one hand you’ve got the Bermuda Triangle – a place renowned the world over for swallowing up WWII flying squadrons of one sort or the other, and never spitting them back out. On the other hand you have the Bennington Triangle - a similar place that will steal away entire populations – one person at a time.

At least that’s what it’s history seems to suggest.

To serve as a brief intro – here’s how Wikipedia sums up the Bennington Triangle:

“The Bennington Triangle is the colloquial term for an area of southwestern Vermont surrounding Glastenbury Mountain which is said by some to be a “window” area for paranormal phenomena.”

Like we said – the Vermont triangle is kind of like it’s Bermudan counterpart in that it is the home of several mysterious disappearances. When referred to in this paranormal light it seems most people cling to a specific disappearance-riddled time period for the cause of this great alarm. Most incidents happened from 1945 – 1950, and although some of them sound like they could just be sad tales of a teenage runaway, others are bona fide perplexing.

And what’s more – legend has it the place has an Indian curse on it or something. UnsolvedMysteries.com can give a tad more specifics on that:

“The Native Americans avoided the area completely, using it only for a burial ground, for they believed the land to be cursed, because all four winds met there. Too, there were legends of a mysteriously enchanted stone, said to literally swallow anything that steps on it. Whatever the cause, no one can deny that people have vanished within the boundaries of the Triangle, and only one has ever been found again.”

Well lets not be too hasty, Indian curse, because one person was seen again – dead. Her name was Frieda Langer - she disappeared and was missing for seven months. That sounds more sad than mysterious until her decomposed body one day turned up in a field that had already been meticulously searched multiple times in a vain effort to find her.

The only victim with her own Wikipedia page is Paula Jean Welden. She was a college student who headed out for a hike alone, and was seen by lots of people en-route – and then she disappeared. A reward was offered, her classmates launched tons of searches and her picture was printed in newspapers the nation-over – but to no avail. She was just gone.

Now we know what you’re thinking – both of those cases are sad, but not overly paranormal, right? Luckily we have this strange one to tide you over until next week. It’s also from UnsolvedMysteries.com:

“Three years to the day after Paula Welden’s disappearance, James E. Tetford vanished in circumstances that defy the laws of physics. Tetford boarded a bus in nearby St. Albans after visiting relatives, intending to return to the Bennington Soldier’s Home where he lived. His presence on the bus was confirmed at the stop before Bennington city, but he was not on the bus when it reached the following stop, Bennington Soldier’s Home! None of the passengers, including the driver, had any idea what happened to him. He literally vanished!”

Those aren’t the only three cases mind you, just three commonly cited ones. And if all of this undeniable mystery terrifies you to the point that you’re thinking about blotting Vermont off of all your globes, maps and cell phone plans – you’re sweating it too much. The strangeness seems to have died out in 1950.

Still – where was everybody going? We can’t help but compare it all to the Cumpstons - the elderly couple we told you about a few years back who were snoozing nicely in their vacation hotel room when a gaping, black vortex opened up in the floor and tried to suck them into a different dimension. Oh that’s right, you read that right.

If you are interested in reading more on the Bennington disappearances, might we suggest you do so here. If you’re still spooked, you should maybe comfort yourself by only walking places while firmly tethered to something of a solid or permanent nature.

Like a house, or your wife.

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But not this year! Oh no, this year is completely different – this year we’ve got some real news for you! And that news? Matt Dillon was caught driving his car a little bit faster than he should! And he got arrested! In VERMONT!

No, really, this is big news. Huge news. Matt Dillon is one of the most famous actors in the world and… oh wait, it’s not 1988 any more, is it? OK, carry on. Sorry.

We’ve always had a soft spot for Matt Dillon, and that’s why you’ve never seen a hecklerspray story written about him. It’s not because Matt Dillon is such a thundering charisma vacuum that he could set himself on fire and run through the streets machine-gunning kittens while repeatedly screaming his own name into a loudhailer made of matted blood and toddler-hair and you’d still be hard pushed to find anyone who’d care. It’s because we’ve got a soft spot for him.

But, look, let’s not kid ourselves. This is January 2. Nothing has happened. Nothing ever happens on January 2. We’re so desperate for stuff to write about that we’re completely prepared to pretend that people care about the minor legal infractions allegedly committed by past-it James Dean impersonators who once chose to star in both Herbie: Fully Loaded and You, Me And Dupree within a particularly harrowing 13-month timespan.

And that’s why we’re pleased to report that Matt Dillon has been arrested for driving his car at 106mph in a 65mph zone. In Vermont. In a rented car. A red rented car. But wait! That’s not all – MSBNC reports:

Dillon, of New Rochelle, N.Y., was photographed, fingerprinted and released with a citation to appear at Orange County Court, police said.

OK, actually that was all. Matt Dillon drove a car quite fast, got arrested for it and was released. What happens next is anyone’s guess – chances are that if Matt Dillon is found guilty of speeding then he might have to complete a community service sentence, possibly in a field that he’s already an expert at. And that means he’ll have to teach some deprived kids how to either a) mumble a lot or b) drive a red rented car at 106mph in a 65mph zone in Vermont. Because they are the only two things that Matt Dillon is good at. And the second one seems a little bit counterproductive, frankly.

However, at least by allegedly speeding Matt Dillon has broken his hecklerspray duck, and we look forward to writing about him again in the year 2013 when he does something equally newsworthy, like prodding a cat with a pencil or thinking about some crisps or whatever. We can’t wait!

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