@Thought and Licawolf: Since you guys achieved the same conclusions as I, this definitely confirms the theory.
Meh! People make a big issue about nothing sometimes, but it's fun investigating how things turn out, and these huge misunderstandings bring stuff to light. What irks me still is the that they said they spotted the horsemen at Japan's earthquake scene too (which is obviously a hoax, since I've never been able to spot it though people, including my boss's daughter, still claim they have).
The image enhancement actually revealed the curved, though broken, bottom of the flare. Usually light flares have sharp edges and most of them appear in oval shape unless the light source is uneven, such as an explosion.
@FaustWolf: Thanks! I bookmarked it. I actually reached the same conclusion as to why the people responded to strongly to it (albeit, I kept calling it "Placebo effect"). Human brain is good at recognizing patterns, whether they are relevant or not. When coincidences happen at the precise moments one subconsciously begins to think they are related (well, it's SAFE to think they are related, if at least temporarily) regardless of the person's background. It's the same way how telling a person he/she is cursed, then waiting for bad stuff to happen (which coincidentally does happen if not careful), might actually make a person
believe he/she is cursed.
@Saj: It's the same, basically. XD The Pale Horse steals the show, like Wolverine in the X-Men, or Magus in Chrono Trigger, or even Snake Eyes from G.I.Joe. Still, the Placebo/Pareidolia effect takes place symbolically: "Conquest" pertains to Proud King (Mubarak), "People killing each other" pertains to "Civil War", and "Don't touch the oil" pertains to "Africa/Saudi Arabia". People subconsciously noticed that, aced with a flare that looks like "Death" (when they saw people dying, of course), their superstitions left the ground.
@Lord J: Man, you're awesome! That's precisely how I felt too.
