Nashoba Publishing.com: Harbor haunted? Ghost hunters investigate
Townsend, MASS: The setting is perfect for unsettled spirits to drift. Many of the homes and buildings were built shortly after the American Revolution and still would still be recognizable to the folks who lived and worked there 200 years ago.
The Townsend Historical Society owns and operates four buildings in "The Harbor," where the Squannacook River was dammed centuries ago to provide power for a mill and cooperage.
For years, rumor of a ghost has quietly circulated among the volunteers and visitors to the museum. No doubt, some of the classic signs of a haunting were observed: unexplained noises, strange feelings and flickering lights.
The Reed Homestead, now the office for the Historical Society, was built around 1809. Townsend historian Richard N. Smith wrote about the "handsome frame dwelling on Main Street" in "Dust and Divinity," published by the historical society in 1978.
As it turns out, there may be a suitably tragic reason for a haunting in the old home.
Harriet Reed, the second generation of Reeds to live in the home, allowed her sister, Hannah, to return home to mourn the death of Hannah's 10-year-old daughter. Smith writes the girl was of singular beauty.
Hannah did not find peace. One evening before supper, the distraught mother took her own life. Harriet found her sister hanging from the ceiling in the stairway hall when it was time to eat.
Harriet fled the house, never to return. After her death in her brother's home, her relatives discovered over $8,000 rolled into her stockings and linens.
Fertile opportunities indeed for a ghost to take up residence. There are those in Townsend, however, who dismiss the sorrowful tale told by Smith as an author's fancy.
As can happen, the daily users at the Historical Society learned to get along with whatever presences might be flitting through the buildings during business hours.
It took a fresh set of eyes and ears to recognize any phenomena might be unique.
The Spaulding Cooperage, another building owned by the Society, was rented to Laura Bradley for an antique co-op almost a year and a half ago.
Inside the co-op, a horse-drawn hearse is concealed behind a curtain. The Society had no place else to store it. The funeral conveyance is not what affected Bradley though.
She felt "something" and her clairvoyant agreed there might be a ghost, a female presence, in the old mill.
Not one to leave things to chance, Bradley contacted "Ghost Hunters," an NBC television series. Investigators from The Atlantic Paranormal Society jumped on the case.
The big black TAPS trucks showed up in the peaceful Townsend Harbor April 11. A quick-working crew set up lights and cameras, toured the historic district and spent two nights in the buildings.
They rolled out as swiftly as they arrived, leaving everyone involved sworn to secrecy regarding their conclusions.
Jeannie Bartovics, site administrator, said all would be revealed when the show is aired in approximately three months.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
In England: Simply Ghost Nights
www.simplyghostnights.co.uk/
This is a press release from Media Syndicate:
The Simply Ghost Night team had such a great time at Cusworth Hall, but the nights event was made so much easier to run with the help of the Cusworth Hall staff of Phil and Craig, for which no task was to small for them and we thank them both for all their help.
With a full house at Cusworth Hall the team were enthralled to listen to the ghost hunters tales of their own ghostly experiences, with so many new faces who were so excited to attend their first ghost hunting event, the atmosphere was electric inside the packed greeting room. The Simply Ghost Night team were overwhelmed with the turnout of ghost hunters and we had indeed had to stop selling tickets months prior to the event.
The nights ghost hunting at Cusworth Hall, in Doncaster started quiet for some of the groups, with reports of tapping, light analomies, and movement of ghostly dark shadows, as well as k2 meter spikes. However after a sumptuous buffet, and some light refreshments and with everyone’s batteries fully charged the nights activity literally went into overload. Numerous groups even commented that they had even the heard the panting of a spectral dog.
In the hearse room after some amazing glass divination and table tipping the ghost hunters attempted to see if the spirits in the room could in fact move the table with nobody's hands actually on the table, with baited breath and their fingers raised above the table the table momentarily moved for about 5 seconds rocking to and fro, not once but on three separate occasions, this totally amazed Olwyn, Gwen, Nick and even the sceptical Sharon, so much so they could not comprehend what they had witnessed.
In two separate vigils, both team leaders also mentioned that a torch had turned on and off on numerous occasions by the invisible hands of spirit people, this totally stunned all those who saw the incidents. Some ghost hunters stated that the batteries in their torches and cameras had gone flat prematurely, all said that they were new batteries that they had used.
In one vigil a brave ghost hunter called Simon screamed and squealed in terror after he had felt the back of his coat pulled by ghostly unseen hands, which absolutely petrified him to the point that he in fact leapt forward with a frightened yell, once he had settled down he resumed the vigil and was speechless as the table began to tip when requested by the spirit inhabitants of Cusworth Hall. Loud banging and knocking was also reported in many vigils in search of spirit communication in this grand building.
Sarah, Paula, and Pauline all stated that they felt as if their hair was being pulled by unseen hands, Jamie Lee, Angela and Andrea reported seeing a ghostly shadow in the Chapel area, and strange lights were seen too, and a foul fusty smell was detected by the group also.
In the hearse room, (this room is a SGN team favourite), one group of ghost hunters were participating in glass divination when the glass spelt out B.A.T.T.Y, the group was absolutely thrilled when they looked on the internet and found that there was indeed a Mr. Batty-Wrightson who actually used to own Cusworth Hall. The majority of vigils in the hearse room all team members reported aggressive table tipping with the table moving around the room chasing our ghost hunters on request around the room, and in one vigil the table literally walked onto the landing.
As Gary, Joy, Liz and Jamie all stated that Simply Ghost Nights not only provide fantastic locations, but make sure everyone feels as though they are part of the team too, and that Simply Ghost Nights are second to none in co-ordinating excellent and professional events.
Everyone agreed that the ghostly residents of Cusworth Hall had provided a fantastic display of paranormal phenomena.
For more info please got to www.simplyghostnights.co.uk/
This is a press release from Media Syndicate:
The Simply Ghost Night team had such a great time at Cusworth Hall, but the nights event was made so much easier to run with the help of the Cusworth Hall staff of Phil and Craig, for which no task was to small for them and we thank them both for all their help.
With a full house at Cusworth Hall the team were enthralled to listen to the ghost hunters tales of their own ghostly experiences, with so many new faces who were so excited to attend their first ghost hunting event, the atmosphere was electric inside the packed greeting room. The Simply Ghost Night team were overwhelmed with the turnout of ghost hunters and we had indeed had to stop selling tickets months prior to the event.
The nights ghost hunting at Cusworth Hall, in Doncaster started quiet for some of the groups, with reports of tapping, light analomies, and movement of ghostly dark shadows, as well as k2 meter spikes. However after a sumptuous buffet, and some light refreshments and with everyone’s batteries fully charged the nights activity literally went into overload. Numerous groups even commented that they had even the heard the panting of a spectral dog.
In the hearse room after some amazing glass divination and table tipping the ghost hunters attempted to see if the spirits in the room could in fact move the table with nobody's hands actually on the table, with baited breath and their fingers raised above the table the table momentarily moved for about 5 seconds rocking to and fro, not once but on three separate occasions, this totally amazed Olwyn, Gwen, Nick and even the sceptical Sharon, so much so they could not comprehend what they had witnessed.
In two separate vigils, both team leaders also mentioned that a torch had turned on and off on numerous occasions by the invisible hands of spirit people, this totally stunned all those who saw the incidents. Some ghost hunters stated that the batteries in their torches and cameras had gone flat prematurely, all said that they were new batteries that they had used.
In one vigil a brave ghost hunter called Simon screamed and squealed in terror after he had felt the back of his coat pulled by ghostly unseen hands, which absolutely petrified him to the point that he in fact leapt forward with a frightened yell, once he had settled down he resumed the vigil and was speechless as the table began to tip when requested by the spirit inhabitants of Cusworth Hall. Loud banging and knocking was also reported in many vigils in search of spirit communication in this grand building.
Sarah, Paula, and Pauline all stated that they felt as if their hair was being pulled by unseen hands, Jamie Lee, Angela and Andrea reported seeing a ghostly shadow in the Chapel area, and strange lights were seen too, and a foul fusty smell was detected by the group also.
In the hearse room, (this room is a SGN team favourite), one group of ghost hunters were participating in glass divination when the glass spelt out B.A.T.T.Y, the group was absolutely thrilled when they looked on the internet and found that there was indeed a Mr. Batty-Wrightson who actually used to own Cusworth Hall. The majority of vigils in the hearse room all team members reported aggressive table tipping with the table moving around the room chasing our ghost hunters on request around the room, and in one vigil the table literally walked onto the landing.
As Gary, Joy, Liz and Jamie all stated that Simply Ghost Nights not only provide fantastic locations, but make sure everyone feels as though they are part of the team too, and that Simply Ghost Nights are second to none in co-ordinating excellent and professional events.
Everyone agreed that the ghostly residents of Cusworth Hall had provided a fantastic display of paranormal phenomena.
For more info please got to www.simplyghostnights.co.uk/
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Real paranormal sleuth on fakery in film, TV
Downtown Express: Real paranormal sleuth on fakery in film, TV
BY SCOTT STIFFLER
Like the morons who ignore a zoo’s warning sign not to tease the animals — then end up regretting it when a tiger jumps the moat and mauls them good and plenty — those who wake the dead for fun and profit should see their own destruction coming a mile away.
So when a fiction film like “Grave Encounters” shows you raw footage of an exploitation-minded group of paranormal investigators locking themselves inside an insane asylum during the “peak hours of dead time,” there’s genuine pleasure to be had from watching them slowly lose it as they’re stalked by spooks.
Flip channels on any given night, and you’ll come across at least one “Reality TV” program that follows paranormal investigators (of wildly inconsistent skill and sincerity). They bait and bully the dead, run around with night vision cameras like a group of laser tag nerds on a company-sponsored outing, and generally get all jumpy when the slightest thing goes bump in the night. So we thought it would be fun to invite a sober and responsible real-life paranormal investigator to see “Grave Encounters” — and we were right!
Readers may remember Dan Sturges from this scaredy cat reporter’s October 2010 visit to a Sturges Paranormal (www.sturgesparanormal.com) investigation of Manhattan’s genuinely haunted Merchant’s House Museum.
Downtown Express: How often do occult rituals unleash paranormal activity upon a shape-shifting insane asylum, resulting in the gruesome deaths of all inside?
Sturges: Never.
DE: Really…not even occasionally?
Sturges: Never.
DE: As horror movies go, what did you think of “Grave Encounters?”
Sturges: It was pretty good. I loved the concept of spoofing the current crop of paranormal shows and then picking off the cast members one by one. The Vicious Brothers did a great job — but being young filmmakers, they’ll learn that they don’t have to throw the kitchen sink at you. The movie could have done with a little editing. Instead of ten pretty scary bits, why not have five really scary bits?
DE: How are those ghost hunting TV shows regarded by paranormal researchers?
Sturges: I get a kick out of them. Some are good, and some are just plain ridiculous. They give just a small look into what happens on an actual investigation, minus the creepy music. I have met most of the people on these shows, and all are really great, nice people who know how to conduct a proper investigation. These are entertainment shows, not science documentaries. The people who take this field serious, the real parapsychologists and field investigators, for the most part, find these shows amusing — and probably a little helpful. I know I have stolen an EVP question or two!
DE: Electronic Voice Phenomena; supposed ghostly voices picked up on digital or analog tale machines.
Sturges: I liked that they showed an analog recorder to use for capturing EVP. They gave the TV explanations of the equipment, which is cool I guess, because that’s who they were spoofing. The other stuff, residual and intelligent hauntings, they were correct about. They showed the night vision camera shots because it’s what the TV shows use. They use night vision because it’s a lot scarier than just having the lights on. Any true investigator will tell you that you don’t need to turn out the lights. How else are you going to see what’s going on if you’re in the dark? I’d rather not be tripping over or bumping into things all night long.
DE: The “Grave Encounters” crew was seen paying witnesses to give false testimony and faking stuff. Is that standard practice in the world of Reality TV?
Sturges: I do think there is a lot of re-creating going on. Anyone with a good eye can easily spot something fishy. These shows have to deliver, otherwise they get canceled. Could you really imagine people tuning into a show that has its cast sitting in a room for hours at a time and nothing happens? Welcome to the world of paranormal investigations.
Bagans back for new ghost series
The Daily News (Genese, Wyoming and Orleans, NY Counties): Bagans back for new ghost series
Ghost-hunting celebrity Zak Bagans was in Batavia in early April, and clues point to the area being featured in his upcoming Travel Channel series "Paranormal Challenge."
Bagans posted several pictures April 5 on his Twitter account, including one of himself outside the Pok-a-Dot diner. He didn't identify the location as Batavia, though the image clearly shows the Ellicott Street landmark's colorfully-dotted exterior and sign with Pepsi logos on either side.
"So I guess they are famous for a sandwich called "Beef on Wick" ... time to give it a shot," Bagans posted.
He posted four other pictures dated April 5, including a beef on weck, a pay phone, a hotel fitness room and a birthday cake that included a logo for "Paranormal Challenge."
"Paranormal Challenge" is a new series scheduled to premiere 9 p.m. June 17 on Travel Channel. Bagans will hosts the series, which will feature two teams on ghost-hunting missions.
At the same time Bagans was in town, film crews were spotted at Rolling Hills Asylum in East Bethany. The venue noted on its Facebook page on March 29: "network tv show filming here all week." About three dozen photographs from the shoot are posted on the Rolling Hills' Facebook page. Most of the photographs show equipment being carried into the building, where it fills hallways and rooms. The shoot was April 4 to 8, according to the page.
On April 7, Bagans tweeted: "WOW!!!! WHAT AN EXPLOSIVE Paranormal Challenge episode filmed tonight!!!!!"
A spokeswoman for the Travel Channel confirmed Monday afternoon that Bagans was at Rolling Hills filming an episode of his new series in early April. The episode is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. July 8, according to publicity coordinator Katelyn Balach.
In each episode of "Paranormal Challenge," Bagans will invite two teams of amateur ghost hunters to spend the night locked down inside haunted hotspots. During the night, the teams put their paranormal skills to the test by conducting a ghost investigation with high-tech gear and their own knowledge. The teams will then present their findings to Bagans and a panel of three paranormal experts who judge the teams on teamwork, use of technology and evidence collected during the lockdown, according to a series description from Travel Channel.
The series has already filmed at Eastern State Penitentiary near Philadelphia, Pa., and an old prison in Mansfield, Ohio, and about a half dozen other locations.
Bagans had previously visited Rolling Hills for his other Travel Channel series, "Ghost Adventures." The series featured Rolling Hills in an episode that originally aired in September 2010. (A new season of "Ghost Adventures" is scheduled to begin 9 p.m. May 13.)
Rolling Hills, which is said to have a high rate of paranormal activity, is a popular destination for ghost hunters and has been featured on several such programs. The 11-acre property has been used as a location for films.
The property opened in 1827 as the county poorhouse and has been greatly expanded over the years. It's been the county orphanage and nursing home, and host to a succession of businesses.
Ghost-hunting celebrity Zak Bagans was in Batavia in early April, and clues point to the area being featured in his upcoming Travel Channel series "Paranormal Challenge."
Bagans posted several pictures April 5 on his Twitter account, including one of himself outside the Pok-a-Dot diner. He didn't identify the location as Batavia, though the image clearly shows the Ellicott Street landmark's colorfully-dotted exterior and sign with Pepsi logos on either side.
"So I guess they are famous for a sandwich called "Beef on Wick" ... time to give it a shot," Bagans posted.
He posted four other pictures dated April 5, including a beef on weck, a pay phone, a hotel fitness room and a birthday cake that included a logo for "Paranormal Challenge."
"Paranormal Challenge" is a new series scheduled to premiere 9 p.m. June 17 on Travel Channel. Bagans will hosts the series, which will feature two teams on ghost-hunting missions.
At the same time Bagans was in town, film crews were spotted at Rolling Hills Asylum in East Bethany. The venue noted on its Facebook page on March 29: "network tv show filming here all week." About three dozen photographs from the shoot are posted on the Rolling Hills' Facebook page. Most of the photographs show equipment being carried into the building, where it fills hallways and rooms. The shoot was April 4 to 8, according to the page.
On April 7, Bagans tweeted: "WOW!!!! WHAT AN EXPLOSIVE Paranormal Challenge episode filmed tonight!!!!!"
A spokeswoman for the Travel Channel confirmed Monday afternoon that Bagans was at Rolling Hills filming an episode of his new series in early April. The episode is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. July 8, according to publicity coordinator Katelyn Balach.
In each episode of "Paranormal Challenge," Bagans will invite two teams of amateur ghost hunters to spend the night locked down inside haunted hotspots. During the night, the teams put their paranormal skills to the test by conducting a ghost investigation with high-tech gear and their own knowledge. The teams will then present their findings to Bagans and a panel of three paranormal experts who judge the teams on teamwork, use of technology and evidence collected during the lockdown, according to a series description from Travel Channel.
The series has already filmed at Eastern State Penitentiary near Philadelphia, Pa., and an old prison in Mansfield, Ohio, and about a half dozen other locations.
Bagans had previously visited Rolling Hills for his other Travel Channel series, "Ghost Adventures." The series featured Rolling Hills in an episode that originally aired in September 2010. (A new season of "Ghost Adventures" is scheduled to begin 9 p.m. May 13.)
Rolling Hills, which is said to have a high rate of paranormal activity, is a popular destination for ghost hunters and has been featured on several such programs. The 11-acre property has been used as a location for films.
The property opened in 1827 as the county poorhouse and has been greatly expanded over the years. It's been the county orphanage and nursing home, and host to a succession of businesses.
Monday, April 25, 2011
They feel spirits among us
CJOnline: They feel spirits among us
By Ann Marie Bush and Anthony S. Bush
By Ann Marie Bush and Anthony S. Bush
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
LAWRENCE — "I keep seeing a hand wearing a wedding band," Vicky Millard whispers into the darkness.
She and four other members of the Kansas Paranormal Research Society, all of Topeka, are crammed into a small room on the third floor of the Sigma Nu fraternity house northwest of The University of Kansas campus.
They check the temperature in the room. Member Brenda Mason asks Millard, who is the psychic of the group, if she feels anything.
"I feel something on the back of my neck," Millard says softly.
Mason uses a full-spectrum digital camera to take a photograph. The flash bounces off the women in the room.
Riley Mays and Brandon Mason are one floor below, watching the women via a camera placed in the room. One floor below Mays and Mason, Larry Mason and Steve Millard quietly watch for spirits.
For more than five hours, the group documents movements, orbs and other signs of paranormal activity in the said-to-be-haunted fraternity, which is home to more than 70 KU men.
KPRS members focus their work on the third floor, but they search the whole house in hopes of finding clues to support stories that the frat house is haunted by a spirit named Virginia, a mistress of former Gov. Walter Stubbs, who served as governor from 1909 to 1913 and lived in the house before it was turned into a fraternity.
An undocumented story suggests Virginia, who also was a servant in the house, hanged herself in a third-floor room in 1911 after the governor's wife found out about the affair.
Fraternity brothers have speculated about Virginia's spirit for decades, and some tell stories about women being scratched in the house and furniture being moved.
"We came in really, really cold," Millard explained before the investigation began March 26.
The group tries to avoid stories about the locations they research, which allows Millard to develop her own theories.
"On the way here, I saw fire, two hawks and something about witchcraft," Millard said.
The idea of a woman committing suicide in the house entered Millard's mind, too.
She can't explain how the information comes to her.
"I thought I had a vivid imagination," Millard said. "It's hard for me to believe. I'm a skeptic. But I consider it a gift. I feel like it's helping people."
But the thoughts and whispers that come to Millard — in the shower, while driving and on investigations — have proven useful to several people who have lost loved ones.
"She's the real deal," Mason said.
Mason founded KPRS about a year ago and is the empath of the group. To date, the group has had about 18 investigations throughout northeast Kansas, including the Moose Lodge, North Star, The Break Room and Mount Hope in Topeka.
Millard joined the group shortly after Mason formed it. However, she wasn't sure she could take part in the ghost hunts at the beginning.
"I can't even go into haunted houses at Halloween," Millard said with a laugh.
The Millards, Brenda and Larry Mason, and Pam Currie, all of Topeka, are the five core members of the group.
"It's so social," Vicky Millard said. "The five us are such good friends."
Mays and Brandon Mason work as technical specialists for KPRS, which also has three in-training investigators, Terry Dubbs, Chris Hertel and Christy Schmidt.
KPRS members take money they would spend on going out to restaurants and movies, and spend it on equipment. So far, they have motion detectors, infrared cameras, full-spectrum cameras, video monitoring equipment and five electromagnetic field detectors.
The ghost hunters provide their services free of charge for businesses and individuals. For more information, visit www.ksparanormalresearchsociety.com or check out the group's Facebook page.
It will take KPRS members several hours to go through investigative material collected from the Sigma Nu house. But Millard's initial reaction, posted on the Facebook page hours after the hunt, said it all.
"It was a great time, and what may seem to be a story passed down through the years, in my opinion, is a close to accurate account of what might of happened," she wrote.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The ghost in the Mass. machineshop
Boston.com: The ghost in the Mass. machineshop
ATTLEBORO, Mass.—So you don't believe in ghosts?
A local couple and their troupe of self-styled ghost hunters say they've been communicating with the spirit of a 12-year-old boy that taps "yes" and "no" in response to questions and has caused a flashlight to turn on and off repeatedly.
Wayne and Lynn Homer, whose Attleboro Paranormal Investigations is housed in a downtown industrial building, say they discovered the spirit they call "Andrew" after multiple members of their group saw what they described as an apparition in a darkened fourth-floor factory about a month ago.
They say the spirit answers questions by making tapping noises -- even identifying chocolate cupcakes and ice cream among its favorite foods.
"I'm naturally skeptical, but this stuff seems pretty blatant to me," said Wayne Homer, who along with his wife took up ghost hunting as an avocation. The pair, who have about a dozen followers, use low-light cameras and sensitive electronic equipment to search out hidden images and disturbances in electrical fields. Lynn Homer and Cody Desbiens, a 16-year-old intern, began conversing with what they believe might be a spirit after hearing noises coming from a freight elevator.
Last week, the Homers made a video recording of a flashlight going on and off by itself as interviewers asked questions of the spirit. When asked during the video if he remembered Wayne Homer, who had worked in the vacant building when it was an active factory, the flashlight appeared to turn on brightly and then switch off.
When Lynn Homer assured the spirit there was "nothing to be scared of," the light turned on again, then off.
The group has also taped "conversations" with the spirit in which tapping noises are heard in response to questions.
The Homers say they've been able to learn an increasing amount about the spirit during the short time they've been in touch. Most of the information comes from conversations in which ghosthunters asked the spirit to tap once for yes and twice for no.
"The name Andrew just came to me," Desbiens said. The Homers said subsequent taps confirmed the spirit's name and age and indicated the apparent ghost might have been in the building for 40 years or more.
The Homers, who investigate strange happenings and possible hauntings as a hobby, aren't saying for sure they have a ghost on their hands. But they've amassed some intriguing evidence.
"It's interesting that the responses we've been getting are immediately after a question is asked," Wayne Homer said. "If there was a long gap between the question and the answer, we'd discount it."
The Homers say their research hasn't revealed why the spirit of a child might be haunting an industrial building. However, the building is near railroad tracks where there have been fatalities in the past.
ATTLEBORO, Mass.—So you don't believe in ghosts?
A local couple and their troupe of self-styled ghost hunters say they've been communicating with the spirit of a 12-year-old boy that taps "yes" and "no" in response to questions and has caused a flashlight to turn on and off repeatedly.
Wayne and Lynn Homer, whose Attleboro Paranormal Investigations is housed in a downtown industrial building, say they discovered the spirit they call "Andrew" after multiple members of their group saw what they described as an apparition in a darkened fourth-floor factory about a month ago.
They say the spirit answers questions by making tapping noises -- even identifying chocolate cupcakes and ice cream among its favorite foods.
"I'm naturally skeptical, but this stuff seems pretty blatant to me," said Wayne Homer, who along with his wife took up ghost hunting as an avocation. The pair, who have about a dozen followers, use low-light cameras and sensitive electronic equipment to search out hidden images and disturbances in electrical fields. Lynn Homer and Cody Desbiens, a 16-year-old intern, began conversing with what they believe might be a spirit after hearing noises coming from a freight elevator.
Last week, the Homers made a video recording of a flashlight going on and off by itself as interviewers asked questions of the spirit. When asked during the video if he remembered Wayne Homer, who had worked in the vacant building when it was an active factory, the flashlight appeared to turn on brightly and then switch off.
When Lynn Homer assured the spirit there was "nothing to be scared of," the light turned on again, then off.
The group has also taped "conversations" with the spirit in which tapping noises are heard in response to questions.
The Homers say they've been able to learn an increasing amount about the spirit during the short time they've been in touch. Most of the information comes from conversations in which ghosthunters asked the spirit to tap once for yes and twice for no.
"The name Andrew just came to me," Desbiens said. The Homers said subsequent taps confirmed the spirit's name and age and indicated the apparent ghost might have been in the building for 40 years or more.
The Homers, who investigate strange happenings and possible hauntings as a hobby, aren't saying for sure they have a ghost on their hands. But they've amassed some intriguing evidence.
"It's interesting that the responses we've been getting are immediately after a question is asked," Wayne Homer said. "If there was a long gap between the question and the answer, we'd discount it."
The Homers say their research hasn't revealed why the spirit of a child might be haunting an industrial building. However, the building is near railroad tracks where there have been fatalities in the past.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
England: Win A Ghost Hunt With Phil Whyman
FemaleFirst: Win A Ghost Hunt With Phil Whyman
To celebrate the release of Insidious, in cinemas Friday 29th April we are offering you and a friend the chance to go on a Ghost Hunt with ‘Phil Whyman’, a paranormal expert and former presenter of the TV show ‘Most Haunted’ and the man behind www.deadhaunted.com!
Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) have a happy family with their three young children. When tragedy strikes their young son, Josh and Renai begin to experience things that science cannot explain.
James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the co-creators of Saw, join forces with the producers of Paranormal Activity to take you on a mind-bending journey into the world of the unknown.
Insidious is produced by Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, and Oren Peli and executive produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones.
Over the past 6 years Dead Haunted have taken countless brave ghost hunters to some of the UK’s most infamous haunted locations, and are considered by many to be the foremost ghost hunting event company within the UK.
Headed up by paranormal expert, author and former ‘Most Haunted’ presenter Phil Whyman - and with some of the most experienced crew members in the business - guests can be sure they will have a haunted night to remember for a very long time! Dead Haunted are the team you can trust when it comes to choosing your ghost hunting event.
Insidious is in cinemas 29th April. Join the Insidious UK Facebook page for all the latest information on the film www.facebook.com/InsidiousUK.
For the chance to get your hands on this great prize just answer this question:
In Insidious, ‘it’s not the house that’s haunted’, what is it that is haunted?
A) The Son
B) The Car
C) The Mother
[see original article for link to competition]
To celebrate the release of Insidious, in cinemas Friday 29th April we are offering you and a friend the chance to go on a Ghost Hunt with ‘Phil Whyman’, a paranormal expert and former presenter of the TV show ‘Most Haunted’ and the man behind www.deadhaunted.com!
Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) have a happy family with their three young children. When tragedy strikes their young son, Josh and Renai begin to experience things that science cannot explain.
James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the co-creators of Saw, join forces with the producers of Paranormal Activity to take you on a mind-bending journey into the world of the unknown.
Insidious is produced by Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, and Oren Peli and executive produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones.
Over the past 6 years Dead Haunted have taken countless brave ghost hunters to some of the UK’s most infamous haunted locations, and are considered by many to be the foremost ghost hunting event company within the UK.
Headed up by paranormal expert, author and former ‘Most Haunted’ presenter Phil Whyman - and with some of the most experienced crew members in the business - guests can be sure they will have a haunted night to remember for a very long time! Dead Haunted are the team you can trust when it comes to choosing your ghost hunting event.
Insidious is in cinemas 29th April. Join the Insidious UK Facebook page for all the latest information on the film www.facebook.com/InsidiousUK.
For the chance to get your hands on this great prize just answer this question:
In Insidious, ‘it’s not the house that’s haunted’, what is it that is haunted?
A) The Son
B) The Car
C) The Mother
[see original article for link to competition]
Friday, April 22, 2011
Your Reincarnating Child, by Gilbert Childs and Sylvia Childs
The title of this book is misleading - it actually doesn't deal with children who have been reincarnated, but rather children who have been "incarnated" and how to raise them.
Nevertheless, I thought the subject matter was so interesting that I thought I'd share it here anyway!
Your Reincarnating Child: Welcoming a Soul to the World, by Gilbert Childs and Sylvia Childs
Sophia Books, 1995
169 pages plus Notes and References. No index and no photos
Library: 133.9013 CHI
Description
The primary contention of this book is that...us lives beyond death, and eventually returns... [Text obscured by library sticker!] With this knowledge in mind, the authors give much sound practical advice as to how parents, and others who spend time with children, can welcome a soul to the world and help it grow into a healthy and responsible human being.
Mainstream educational policies and practices can result in children being pushed prematurely towards adulthood, before having had a chance truly to experience childhood. As the authors demonstrate, an understanding of the nature of the human being as comprising body, soul and spirit leads to the conclusion that every child should be allowed to grow slowly into the world.
'One of the main purposes of this book,' writes the authors, 'is to demonstrate that human beings are primarily of spiritual nature, and only secondarily of bodily nature.' They explain how these two natures complement each other in the processes of maturation and development from the period before birth, or incarnation, to maturity. As well as a firm philosophical grounding, Your Reincarnating Child discusses critical questions surrounding the pre- and antenatal periods, including issues connected to clothing, food, play, work, technology, discipline and much more.
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1: Welcome to the World!
-the miracle of birth
-The crown of creation
-Assistance from the spiritual worlds
-'Out of the everywhere into the here'
-The eternal spirit can never be born
-Were you a wanted child?
Chapter 2: Gateway to the World
-Pregnancy as a creative deed
-The mixed blessing of pregnancy
-Don't forget Father!
-Be conscious of what you choose to do
-Where will your baby be born?
-Why induction?
-And what about the hustle and bustle?
-Soften the harsh outlines of the world
-Grasping situations
-Remember your child has chosen YOU
Chapter 3: Getting Priorities Right
-Seeds of stress
-Treatment on arrival
-A daily bath is not necessary
-Swaddling is sensible
-Not on its stomach, please!
-What about those 'comforters'?
-No noise please-for baby's sake!
-Exercises for the baby?
-A hardening process is an aging process
-The vexed question of toilet training
-A human being grows up slowly
Chapter 4: Some Advice You May Not Need
-So tired!
-Peace at any price?
-Why is your baby crying?
-Crying and attention seeking
-Goodnight rhythms
-The comfort of the known
-Sensory overload plus
-A child sets its own developmental limits
-Time and space to grow...
-Avoid pomoting independence too soon
-Imitation as a formative force
-Be aware of what you say
-orking with love for the task
-Learning self-control
-By way of review
Chapter 5: Is Your Baby Fashion-Conscious
-Blood and fire
-Clothes for the new-born baby
-Several changes of clothes
-No hat equals problems
-Decades later health may suffer
-Check the way the garments are made
-Natural materials feel good
-Is your baby really fashion-conscious?
-The outer becomes the inner
Chapter 6: Food Matters
-Off to a good start
-Breast-feeding vs Bottle-feeding
-Digestive upsets are a cause for concern
-Will-full behavior
-Proper weaning is vital
-Nothing but the best
-Is meat a dietary necessity?
-A special word about eggs
-The formation of eating habits
-Recapitulatory overview
-Instant, convenient-and junk
-Food as a sacrament
Chapter 7: From Play to Work
-Play is a serious business
-Rigid playthings lead to rigid thinking
-Stimulating imagination
-Babies do not get bored
-A new world for baby
-Moving toys for toddlers
-Those awful 'comic' characters
-Repetition is important
-Play is work
-Art for a child
-Every picture tells a story
-Outer noises stifle inner quiet
-Is sport such a good thing?
-The kindergarten-a social milieu
-As grandparents would, so kindergarten should
-Social skills
Chapter 8: Discipline: From Diversion to Negotiation
-Good habits and discipline
-A changing scene
-Tired and scratchy
-Working towards independence
-No one can reason with a small child
-Moralizing does not work
-Don't tidy up after your child
-The will wants power
-Watch the signs
-Does your child ask questions all day?
Imaginative stories
-No extraneous bribes, please
-Nine or ten - such a sensitive age
-Anger, frustration and temper tantrums
-Stand firm in the face or argument
-Punishment or reward
-Most parents do their best
-Baby-rearing is now big business
Chapter 9: Technology-A Mixed Blessing?
-We cannot put the clock back
-The 'flushing toilet' syndrome
-Television is no substitute for mum or dad
-Arguments against television
-The alien in our home
-Television hinders proper child development
-Television is a lie to our organism
-Created zombies
-More insidious effects of television
-Insomnia
-TElevision as teacher?
-Computers are compulsive
-Video 'games' are anything but
Chapter 10: Courage and Fear
-Courage: what is it?
-Have courage for the truth
-Classical literature contains truth
-Human relationships are not easy
-Our collaspsing society
-The problem of pain and illness
-'Riddle of destiny...'
Our urge to know and understand
-Hope and despair
Notes and references
Duggestions for future reading
Nevertheless, I thought the subject matter was so interesting that I thought I'd share it here anyway!
Your Reincarnating Child: Welcoming a Soul to the World, by Gilbert Childs and Sylvia Childs
Sophia Books, 1995
169 pages plus Notes and References. No index and no photos
Library: 133.9013 CHI
Description
The primary contention of this book is that...us lives beyond death, and eventually returns... [Text obscured by library sticker!] With this knowledge in mind, the authors give much sound practical advice as to how parents, and others who spend time with children, can welcome a soul to the world and help it grow into a healthy and responsible human being.
Mainstream educational policies and practices can result in children being pushed prematurely towards adulthood, before having had a chance truly to experience childhood. As the authors demonstrate, an understanding of the nature of the human being as comprising body, soul and spirit leads to the conclusion that every child should be allowed to grow slowly into the world.
'One of the main purposes of this book,' writes the authors, 'is to demonstrate that human beings are primarily of spiritual nature, and only secondarily of bodily nature.' They explain how these two natures complement each other in the processes of maturation and development from the period before birth, or incarnation, to maturity. As well as a firm philosophical grounding, Your Reincarnating Child discusses critical questions surrounding the pre- and antenatal periods, including issues connected to clothing, food, play, work, technology, discipline and much more.
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1: Welcome to the World!
-the miracle of birth
-The crown of creation
-Assistance from the spiritual worlds
-'Out of the everywhere into the here'
-The eternal spirit can never be born
-Were you a wanted child?
Chapter 2: Gateway to the World
-Pregnancy as a creative deed
-The mixed blessing of pregnancy
-Don't forget Father!
-Be conscious of what you choose to do
-Where will your baby be born?
-Why induction?
-And what about the hustle and bustle?
-Soften the harsh outlines of the world
-Grasping situations
-Remember your child has chosen YOU
Chapter 3: Getting Priorities Right
-Seeds of stress
-Treatment on arrival
-A daily bath is not necessary
-Swaddling is sensible
-Not on its stomach, please!
-What about those 'comforters'?
-No noise please-for baby's sake!
-Exercises for the baby?
-A hardening process is an aging process
-The vexed question of toilet training
-A human being grows up slowly
Chapter 4: Some Advice You May Not Need
-So tired!
-Peace at any price?
-Why is your baby crying?
-Crying and attention seeking
-Goodnight rhythms
-The comfort of the known
-Sensory overload plus
-A child sets its own developmental limits
-Time and space to grow...
-Avoid pomoting independence too soon
-Imitation as a formative force
-Be aware of what you say
-orking with love for the task
-Learning self-control
-By way of review
Chapter 5: Is Your Baby Fashion-Conscious
-Blood and fire
-Clothes for the new-born baby
-Several changes of clothes
-No hat equals problems
-Decades later health may suffer
-Check the way the garments are made
-Natural materials feel good
-Is your baby really fashion-conscious?
-The outer becomes the inner
Chapter 6: Food Matters
-Off to a good start
-Breast-feeding vs Bottle-feeding
-Digestive upsets are a cause for concern
-Will-full behavior
-Proper weaning is vital
-Nothing but the best
-Is meat a dietary necessity?
-A special word about eggs
-The formation of eating habits
-Recapitulatory overview
-Instant, convenient-and junk
-Food as a sacrament
Chapter 7: From Play to Work
-Play is a serious business
-Rigid playthings lead to rigid thinking
-Stimulating imagination
-Babies do not get bored
-A new world for baby
-Moving toys for toddlers
-Those awful 'comic' characters
-Repetition is important
-Play is work
-Art for a child
-Every picture tells a story
-Outer noises stifle inner quiet
-Is sport such a good thing?
-The kindergarten-a social milieu
-As grandparents would, so kindergarten should
-Social skills
Chapter 8: Discipline: From Diversion to Negotiation
-Good habits and discipline
-A changing scene
-Tired and scratchy
-Working towards independence
-No one can reason with a small child
-Moralizing does not work
-Don't tidy up after your child
-The will wants power
-Watch the signs
-Does your child ask questions all day?
Imaginative stories
-No extraneous bribes, please
-Nine or ten - such a sensitive age
-Anger, frustration and temper tantrums
-Stand firm in the face or argument
-Punishment or reward
-Most parents do their best
-Baby-rearing is now big business
Chapter 9: Technology-A Mixed Blessing?
-We cannot put the clock back
-The 'flushing toilet' syndrome
-Television is no substitute for mum or dad
-Arguments against television
-The alien in our home
-Television hinders proper child development
-Television is a lie to our organism
-Created zombies
-More insidious effects of television
-Insomnia
-TElevision as teacher?
-Computers are compulsive
-Video 'games' are anything but
Chapter 10: Courage and Fear
-Courage: what is it?
-Have courage for the truth
-Classical literature contains truth
-Human relationships are not easy
-Our collaspsing society
-The problem of pain and illness
-'Riddle of destiny...'
Our urge to know and understand
-Hope and despair
Notes and references
Duggestions for future reading
14 and 21 May: Local group plans ghost hunting tours in Corunna
Argus-Press.com: Local group plans ghost hunting tours in Corunna
OWOSSO, Michigan — Have you ever wanted to take part in a real paranormal investigation? Your chance to participate is coming up at 9 or 11:59 p.m. May 14 and 21.
The Society of Paranormal Investigators, Research and Information Team (SPIRIT) is hosting its first-ever ghost hunt. Members of SPIRIT will take patrons through four historical buildings, conducting electronic voice phenomenon sessions, taking pictures and using ghost-hunting equipment. Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring their own audio and video equipment and after their sessions have a chance to conduct a cemetery walk.
The hunt will take place at the Corunna Historical Village. Tickets are $20 each. Tickets are limited to 16 per time slot. Advance tickets are recommended. The group will donate $5 from each ticket to the Corunna Historical Commission. For more information, visit www.spiritmi.org or call 723-4269.
OWOSSO, Michigan — Have you ever wanted to take part in a real paranormal investigation? Your chance to participate is coming up at 9 or 11:59 p.m. May 14 and 21.
The Society of Paranormal Investigators, Research and Information Team (SPIRIT) is hosting its first-ever ghost hunt. Members of SPIRIT will take patrons through four historical buildings, conducting electronic voice phenomenon sessions, taking pictures and using ghost-hunting equipment. Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring their own audio and video equipment and after their sessions have a chance to conduct a cemetery walk.
The hunt will take place at the Corunna Historical Village. Tickets are $20 each. Tickets are limited to 16 per time slot. Advance tickets are recommended. The group will donate $5 from each ticket to the Corunna Historical Commission. For more information, visit www.spiritmi.org or call 723-4269.
Oklahoma ghost hunter says curiosity drives search
NewsOK: Oklahoma ghost hunter says curiosity drives search
EL RENO — Turns out, hardly anything that goes bump in the night is a ghost, Tonya Hacker said.
Ghostlahoma conference
Where: Centre Theatre, 108 S Bickford, El Reno
When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday
Admission: $25
More information: Go to www.ghouli.org or blog.NewsOK.com/paranormaleyes.
More “ghost hunters” are arriving at that realization, “smartening up,” as Hacker, puts it. “Being skeptical is getting kind of cool.”
Hacker, a longtime investigator in Oklahoma of haunting and other unexplained oddities, will host many evermore skeptical fans at her annual paranormal conference Saturday in El Reno. Hacker expects up to 250 fans of the supernatural from across Oklahoma and surrounding states to appear, or rather show up, at the historic Centre Theatre.
Now called Ghostlahoma because the old name, “ParaCon,” was so overused it sounded like “a franchise,” Hacker said, the event will feature several speakers from Oklahoma, including paranormal researchers and writers Teri White, of Broken Arrow, Tammy Wilson, of Enid, and Cullan Hudson, of Norman. Also expected to attend is Ken Gerhard, a “cryptozoologist” who has searched for Bigfoot, the chupacabra and other legendary creatures.
Curiosity, nostalgia
Hacker said more people these days are spurred by curiosity and nostalgia, rather than close encounters of the otherworldly kind, and are taking a skeptical approach.
“They're sort of steering away from the ‘We're scientists and we know everything and we're going to prove it,'” she said. “They're seeing the field as more of ‘Let's go have fun and have adventures.'”
They're interested in the real stories behind the legends that swirl around old hotels, hospitals, prisons, theaters, cemeteries and other locations said to be haunted. They're realizing that without history, she said, “ghost stories don't mean anything.”
Still, the field of paranormal searching and researching continues to have its mixed nuts driven by a desire for attention and the hope of landing a reality show, she said.
“There are still a lot of idiots out there,” she said.
Finding unexplained
Hacker, who works in purchasing for an oil and gas company, said she receives many inquiries from people consumed by the feeling their homes or other properties might be haunted. She explains to them “the difference between a story and reality” and describes how the mind can play tricks.
However, Hacker believes in the unexplained. For instance, her experience at the abandoned Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas. While she stood in a hallway rolling her eyes at ghostly claims being exchanged by other visitors, who often expect spirits of prostitutes or Bonnie and Clyde, she and another friend noticed a little boy.
“We watched him cross the hall, and he went into the elevator shaft,” she said.
The next day they asked the caretaker if a little boy had been in the hotel.
“She just kind of smiled at us,” Hacker said. “She was like, ‘Did you see him?'”
Then the caretaker told a little-known story of the son of a hotel worker who had been playing hide-and-seek when he pried the elevator doors open and fell down the shaft to his death.
“Of all the places I have been probably in my whole life, that place I would say I'm 100 percent sure is haunted,” Hacker said.
Just when she's ready to give up ghost hunting in frustration, she said, something amazingly unexplainable comes along.
“There are things out there,” she said.
EL RENO — Turns out, hardly anything that goes bump in the night is a ghost, Tonya Hacker said.
Ghostlahoma conference
Where: Centre Theatre, 108 S Bickford, El Reno
When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday
Admission: $25
More information: Go to www.ghouli.org or blog.NewsOK.com/paranormaleyes.
More “ghost hunters” are arriving at that realization, “smartening up,” as Hacker, puts it. “Being skeptical is getting kind of cool.”
Hacker, a longtime investigator in Oklahoma of haunting and other unexplained oddities, will host many evermore skeptical fans at her annual paranormal conference Saturday in El Reno. Hacker expects up to 250 fans of the supernatural from across Oklahoma and surrounding states to appear, or rather show up, at the historic Centre Theatre.
Now called Ghostlahoma because the old name, “ParaCon,” was so overused it sounded like “a franchise,” Hacker said, the event will feature several speakers from Oklahoma, including paranormal researchers and writers Teri White, of Broken Arrow, Tammy Wilson, of Enid, and Cullan Hudson, of Norman. Also expected to attend is Ken Gerhard, a “cryptozoologist” who has searched for Bigfoot, the chupacabra and other legendary creatures.
Curiosity, nostalgia
Hacker said more people these days are spurred by curiosity and nostalgia, rather than close encounters of the otherworldly kind, and are taking a skeptical approach.
“They're sort of steering away from the ‘We're scientists and we know everything and we're going to prove it,'” she said. “They're seeing the field as more of ‘Let's go have fun and have adventures.'”
They're interested in the real stories behind the legends that swirl around old hotels, hospitals, prisons, theaters, cemeteries and other locations said to be haunted. They're realizing that without history, she said, “ghost stories don't mean anything.”
Still, the field of paranormal searching and researching continues to have its mixed nuts driven by a desire for attention and the hope of landing a reality show, she said.
“There are still a lot of idiots out there,” she said.
Finding unexplained
Hacker, who works in purchasing for an oil and gas company, said she receives many inquiries from people consumed by the feeling their homes or other properties might be haunted. She explains to them “the difference between a story and reality” and describes how the mind can play tricks.
However, Hacker believes in the unexplained. For instance, her experience at the abandoned Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas. While she stood in a hallway rolling her eyes at ghostly claims being exchanged by other visitors, who often expect spirits of prostitutes or Bonnie and Clyde, she and another friend noticed a little boy.
“We watched him cross the hall, and he went into the elevator shaft,” she said.
The next day they asked the caretaker if a little boy had been in the hotel.
“She just kind of smiled at us,” Hacker said. “She was like, ‘Did you see him?'”
Then the caretaker told a little-known story of the son of a hotel worker who had been playing hide-and-seek when he pried the elevator doors open and fell down the shaft to his death.
“Of all the places I have been probably in my whole life, that place I would say I'm 100 percent sure is haunted,” Hacker said.
Just when she's ready to give up ghost hunting in frustration, she said, something amazingly unexplainable comes along.
“There are things out there,” she said.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
So You Want to Be a Medium?, by Rose Vanden Eynden
So You Want to Be a Medium?: A Down-to-Earth Guide, by Rose Vanden Eynden
Llewellyn Publications, 2006
241 pages plus appendices, bibliography, and index. No photos
Library: 133.91 EYN
Description
Mediumship potential is present in every person. Our spirit guides and loved ones on the Other Side want to communicate with us and help us as much as possible. They want us to be successful and happy in every aspect of our lives, whether it be our relationships, our careers, or our health. Learning to ask, listen, and act on advice given to us from Spirit is the key to leading an extraordinary and fulfilling life.
This friendly, straightforward guide by Spiritualist medium Rose Vanden Eynden offers a dtep-by-step approach to working with the spirit world. After a brief introduction to the origins and principles of Spiritualism, you'll find how to prepare your mind and body for spirit communication using meditation, deep breathing, dreamwork, symbol interpretation, and energy exercises.
So You want to be A Medium? includes a description of the many different kinds of spirit beings, such as angels, spirit guides, andelemental energies, and their role in communicating with Spirit.
Whether you're seeking to become a professional medium or simply interested in a closer connection with Creator, this fascinating guide to the spirit world can enrich your life. Informative and positive, this book is respectful of all religious and spiritual belief systems.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Ghost Hunters/GHI at Reality Rocks Expo
by Chad Alan
Barry FitzGerald, Kris Williams, Amy Bruni, and Adam Berry were all in attendance to share their ghost hunting history, as well as, give those at the Expo an inside look at what viewers don't always get to see during the show. Ghost Hunters Producer Rob Katz also accompanied the team. I was there for the initial panel discussion and then had a chance to talk one on one with the members of TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society).
I was very impressed with the way that Barry, Kris, Amy, and Adam handled the panel discussion. Although they've probably answered these same questions time and time again, the group seemed more than happy to go into the appropriate detail the outstretched ears of the audience was hoping for. When we had a less structured conversation after the open public panel, they were just as good natured and detailed in their responses to my general interest questions. I picked out some of the highlights of the two sessions below.
GHI (Ghost Hunters International) team lead, Barry FitzGerald, talked about how exorcisms are very real and common, especially outside the U.S., and seem to be a well kept secret. He believes more than 400 exorcisms are done every year and knows of at least one instance where even the Pope could not cast out the demons in one poor soul. Barry also mentioned that one of the scariest places he's investigated the Clark Air Force Base on Luzon Island in the Philippines. He specifically mentioned the basement area stating "there is something really wrong going on down there." The one place he would love to investigate, if funds allowed it, is the resting place of the Titanic.
Amy Bruni, who recently did an interview with Reality Wanted, shared a very interesting story from her youth. Amy grew up in family that was involved in paranormal research to begin with and she joked that her family feels as if she reached "doctor" status in the family. When she was a child, her grand mother had passed away, and she found out about it when her grandmother paid her a spiritual visit in her upstairs bedroom to say goodbye. Needless to say, she had a calling for this work at a young age. Amy refrains from taunting the spiritual world too strongly after one event left her with a strange painful scare on her leg. Either the ghost wasn't very friendly or that's the only way it was able to make contact.
Kris Williams joined GHI this past season after spending much of her time with the original Ghost Hunters show. She is really enjoying traveling the world but mentioned it's a whole other scene with the GHI crew. Kris recounted a recent situation in Argentina where they had to cut through a dense forest like area with large knives just to get to their investigation spot. Large, poisonous, snakes were also part of the experience and are all too common to other areas where the GHI team has spent time investigating. She's been a welcomed addition to GHI which recently saw veterans Robb Demarest and Brandy Green depart from the team. Her father is a big fan of her current gig and wouldn't mind a call from TAPS co-founders, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, to join the team on an investigation.
The newest member of TAPS, Adam Berry, has a craving for seeking out the most haunted place he can find. He's a big fan of trying to taunt the spirits into making contact with him, although his current investigative partner Amy Bruni tries to keep him from going to far while she's around. Adam mentioned Gettysburg as being one of the top most haunted places he's been too and also said the battlefields are very haunted at night but there are restrictions on being on the fields at night so you have to be creative if you want to experience the paranormal activities yourself.
You're not supposed to take your work home with you, but ghosts don't seem to play by the rules. Every team member mentioned having experienced paranormal activity back at their hotels after their investigations. TV's and lights turning on by themselves have become expected occurrences.
The team was able to take a recent break from the cold, blistery weather of Rhode Island and do some investing in Hawaii. Timing though could have been better as they happened to be there during the recent Tsunami warnings caused by the 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Japan.
The show has brought on many guests but a few of them really stuck out to the team. Who would have thought Meatloaf would be such a natural Ghost Hunter? Pro wrestler "The Miz" kept the team well entertained and the same can be said for Destination Truth's Josh Gates. Eddie McClintock from Wharehouse 13 was another guest Ghost Hunter the team talked about really enjoying working with.
Looking for a big named Haunted House? TAPS recommends visiting the White House which is well known for paranormal activity. Abraham Lincoln is one of the identified apparitions to be seen.
Thanks again to Barry, Amy, Kris, and Adam for their time and special thanks to NBCUniversal's Maureen Granados for setting up the exclusive interview!
Congratulations to Ghost Hunters for their award for "Best Supernatural/Science Show."
Can't get enough Ghost Hunters? Be sure to check out our interview with Amy Bruni.
Ghost Hunters airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Syfy. Check your local listings.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Consequential Strangers, by Melinda Blau and Karen Fingerman
This book is off-topic, but it's so interesting that I thought I'd share it.
There's an old saying, "I shall only pass this way but once, so any little good I can do, let me do it now, for I shall only pass this way but once."
We pass strangers every day - each one of them has their own problems and preoccupations. A smile from you might change their life - so might a frown or a casual insult (such as sneering at their weight, or something of that nature.)
It costs nothing to give someone a friendly smile, and you never know what it might accomplish as the stranger at whom you smile goes on to struggle through his or her day.
Consequential Strangers: The Power of People who Don't Seem to Matter, but Really Do, by Melinda Blau and Karen Fingerman
W W Norton and Co, 2009
219 pages, plus Appendices, notes and index. No photos
Library: 155.927 BLA
Description
They punctuate our days, but we take them for granted: our barista, our car mechanic, a coworker, a fellow dog lover. Yet these are the consequential strangers who bring novelty and information into our lives, allow us to exercise different parts of ourselves, and open us up to new opportunities. They keep us healthy and are invaluable when we're sick. They fuel innovation and social movements. And they are vital in times of uncertainty.
In their unprecedented examination of "people who don't seem to matter," psychologist Karen L. Fingerman, who coined the term "consequential strangers" collaborates with journalist Melinda Blau to develop an idea sparked by Fingerman's groundbreaking research. Drawing as well from Blau's more than two hundred interviews with specialists in psychology, sociology, marketing, and communication, this book presents compelling stories of individuals and institiutions, past and present.
A rich portrait of our social landscape-on and off the internet-it presents the science of casual connection and chronicles the surprising impact that consequential strangers have on business, creativity, the work environment, our physical and mental health, and the strength of our communities.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction - The Birth of a Notion
1. The Ascendance of Consequential Strangers
2. The View From Above
3. Beyond the Confines of the Familiar
4. Good for What Ails Us
5. Being Spaces
6. The Downside
7. The Future of Consequential Strangers
Epilogue: The Postscript is Personal
Appendix I: 20 Questions
Appendix II: The Occupation Test
Notes
Index
There's an old saying, "I shall only pass this way but once, so any little good I can do, let me do it now, for I shall only pass this way but once."
We pass strangers every day - each one of them has their own problems and preoccupations. A smile from you might change their life - so might a frown or a casual insult (such as sneering at their weight, or something of that nature.)
It costs nothing to give someone a friendly smile, and you never know what it might accomplish as the stranger at whom you smile goes on to struggle through his or her day.
Consequential Strangers: The Power of People who Don't Seem to Matter, but Really Do, by Melinda Blau and Karen Fingerman
W W Norton and Co, 2009
219 pages, plus Appendices, notes and index. No photos
Library: 155.927 BLA
Description
They punctuate our days, but we take them for granted: our barista, our car mechanic, a coworker, a fellow dog lover. Yet these are the consequential strangers who bring novelty and information into our lives, allow us to exercise different parts of ourselves, and open us up to new opportunities. They keep us healthy and are invaluable when we're sick. They fuel innovation and social movements. And they are vital in times of uncertainty.
In their unprecedented examination of "people who don't seem to matter," psychologist Karen L. Fingerman, who coined the term "consequential strangers" collaborates with journalist Melinda Blau to develop an idea sparked by Fingerman's groundbreaking research. Drawing as well from Blau's more than two hundred interviews with specialists in psychology, sociology, marketing, and communication, this book presents compelling stories of individuals and institiutions, past and present.
A rich portrait of our social landscape-on and off the internet-it presents the science of casual connection and chronicles the surprising impact that consequential strangers have on business, creativity, the work environment, our physical and mental health, and the strength of our communities.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction - The Birth of a Notion
1. The Ascendance of Consequential Strangers
2. The View From Above
3. Beyond the Confines of the Familiar
4. Good for What Ails Us
5. Being Spaces
6. The Downside
7. The Future of Consequential Strangers
Epilogue: The Postscript is Personal
Appendix I: 20 Questions
Appendix II: The Occupation Test
Notes
Index
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Book Review: ‘Aliens Above, Ghosts Below’ – Dr. Barry Taff
GhostTheory: Book Review: ‘Aliens Above, Ghosts Below’ – Dr. Barry Taff
Simplicity. Simplicity is what makes for a good horror movie. There isn’t any need for elaborate plots, or million dollar special effects. No. Just a basic story, with ordinary characters and terrifying scenes in where most of the fear is left to the imagination of the audience. Do you remember reading “The Amityville Horror” or “The Exorcist”? The books were written with such simplicity and realness to them, that fear gripped you by subtle details.
When it comes to the parapsychology, it’s the cases that are the most subtle and well witnessed that send shivers down my spine. Most of the new school ghost hunting shows are painfully dull. They repeat the same pointless types of investigations which requires them to run around in the dark with thermometers and flashlights, scaring each other. Then we have the old school “ghost hunters” (if we can call them that). These are the guys that put a lot of effort into investigations. Analytical investigation through science, as we understand it, and through psychology, is what they were all about. Cases weren’t solved in a 1-2 day time frame. In fact, I don’t believe them to be ever “solved”. The paranormal activity just dissipated. These were the men and women that used logic, reasoning and common sense into every investigation they headed.
Through the decades, one man has had one foot squarely planted on science, while the other foot explored the unlimited possibilities of the paranormal.
Dr. Barry Taff has seen it all. From his meticulous work as a young researcher for UCLA’s parapsychology lab in the 70s, to his most famous cases which propelled his status as one of the greatest in the annals of the paranormal. Dr. Barry Taff has always focused on understanding the phenomena that many mainstream scientists deny or belittle. With decades of experience, Dr. Taff now finds the time to reflect back through all the crazy years and crazy things his research took him to. Still, keeping his firm stand on science, Dr. Taff explains his encounters with the unknown in his new book titled “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below“.
The book is riddled with stories of apparitions, hauntings, aliens and science. It’s an incredible read for the skeptics, as well as the believers. From the subtle cases involving “ghost cats” to Dr. Taff’s topsy-turvy ride through the dating world (which his take on the subject is quite amusing); the book is as chilling as it is entertaining. “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below” is one of those books that you have to put down. Not because it’s bad, but because you need to turn on the lights to keep from being freaked out.
I do most of my readings late at night, due to my busy schedule. So when I was reading through Dr. Taff’s version of the “San Pedro haunting” and “The Entity“, I felt chills going down my spine. Enough for me to turn on more lights. Those are two of his most famous cases. One of which spawned a movie. Now, I know those cases back and forth because I’ve been interested in the research that was done. Meticulous scientific studies, and well documented witnessing of the paranormal phenomena by scientists and others. But what really creeped me out where the stories of ghostly apparitions that were reported by families throughout the L.A. area. The stories of those who reported UFOs or aliens and then weeks later disappear from the face of the earth, never to be found, even decades after…those types of stories freak me out, and that’s what the book is filled with.
The book is written in such way that Dr. Taff starts with some of the basic cases and research that he’s done, and then takes you to some of the most unbelievable explanations to the paranormal and even how we, as humans, can begin to understand what really is out there. Holographic brains, time traveling and even theoretical physics is how the book concludes Dr. Taff’s amazing journey through this bizarre world. And for some strange reason, although I’m not a big sci-fi fan, it all made perfect sense.
“Aliens Above, Ghosts Below” is one of those books that presents the problems with gathering evidence or data in parapsychology and the contradictions of what the modern laws of physics tell us, but at the same time, does a hell of a job in presenting eyewitness testimony of the impossible. Or what we perceive to be the impossible.
Whether you’re an avid “ghost hunter” or mainly a skeptic, this book will speak to both sides of the argument and serves as a great tool for opening the doors of curiosity. A great read and great exploration into the unknown.
Simplicity. Simplicity is what makes for a good horror movie. There isn’t any need for elaborate plots, or million dollar special effects. No. Just a basic story, with ordinary characters and terrifying scenes in where most of the fear is left to the imagination of the audience. Do you remember reading “The Amityville Horror” or “The Exorcist”? The books were written with such simplicity and realness to them, that fear gripped you by subtle details.
When it comes to the parapsychology, it’s the cases that are the most subtle and well witnessed that send shivers down my spine. Most of the new school ghost hunting shows are painfully dull. They repeat the same pointless types of investigations which requires them to run around in the dark with thermometers and flashlights, scaring each other. Then we have the old school “ghost hunters” (if we can call them that). These are the guys that put a lot of effort into investigations. Analytical investigation through science, as we understand it, and through psychology, is what they were all about. Cases weren’t solved in a 1-2 day time frame. In fact, I don’t believe them to be ever “solved”. The paranormal activity just dissipated. These were the men and women that used logic, reasoning and common sense into every investigation they headed.
Through the decades, one man has had one foot squarely planted on science, while the other foot explored the unlimited possibilities of the paranormal.
Dr. Barry Taff has seen it all. From his meticulous work as a young researcher for UCLA’s parapsychology lab in the 70s, to his most famous cases which propelled his status as one of the greatest in the annals of the paranormal. Dr. Barry Taff has always focused on understanding the phenomena that many mainstream scientists deny or belittle. With decades of experience, Dr. Taff now finds the time to reflect back through all the crazy years and crazy things his research took him to. Still, keeping his firm stand on science, Dr. Taff explains his encounters with the unknown in his new book titled “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below“.
The book is riddled with stories of apparitions, hauntings, aliens and science. It’s an incredible read for the skeptics, as well as the believers. From the subtle cases involving “ghost cats” to Dr. Taff’s topsy-turvy ride through the dating world (which his take on the subject is quite amusing); the book is as chilling as it is entertaining. “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below” is one of those books that you have to put down. Not because it’s bad, but because you need to turn on the lights to keep from being freaked out.
I do most of my readings late at night, due to my busy schedule. So when I was reading through Dr. Taff’s version of the “San Pedro haunting” and “The Entity“, I felt chills going down my spine. Enough for me to turn on more lights. Those are two of his most famous cases. One of which spawned a movie. Now, I know those cases back and forth because I’ve been interested in the research that was done. Meticulous scientific studies, and well documented witnessing of the paranormal phenomena by scientists and others. But what really creeped me out where the stories of ghostly apparitions that were reported by families throughout the L.A. area. The stories of those who reported UFOs or aliens and then weeks later disappear from the face of the earth, never to be found, even decades after…those types of stories freak me out, and that’s what the book is filled with.
The book is written in such way that Dr. Taff starts with some of the basic cases and research that he’s done, and then takes you to some of the most unbelievable explanations to the paranormal and even how we, as humans, can begin to understand what really is out there. Holographic brains, time traveling and even theoretical physics is how the book concludes Dr. Taff’s amazing journey through this bizarre world. And for some strange reason, although I’m not a big sci-fi fan, it all made perfect sense.
“Aliens Above, Ghosts Below” is one of those books that presents the problems with gathering evidence or data in parapsychology and the contradictions of what the modern laws of physics tell us, but at the same time, does a hell of a job in presenting eyewitness testimony of the impossible. Or what we perceive to be the impossible.
Whether you’re an avid “ghost hunter” or mainly a skeptic, this book will speak to both sides of the argument and serves as a great tool for opening the doors of curiosity. A great read and great exploration into the unknown.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Jonathan Miller reviews 'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives'
WBEZ91.5: Jonathan Miller reviews 'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives'
Filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul was born in Thailand but his formative film education came about in the Windy City. He earned his MFA in experimental film at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His latest film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives has won a number of major awards, including the Palme d’Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. The film has a run in Chicago beginning on Friday. Eight Forty-Eight asked Jonathan Miller to take a closer look at the film.
Boonmee, a farmer in rural Thailand, faces death. His kidneys are failing. His sister-in-law Jen comes to spend time with him. She is accompanied by Tong, a young man who can help care for Boonmee.
Boonmee’s proximity to death draws the world of spirits closer. The night Jen arrives, Boonmee’s wife, Huay, appears at the dinner table. She has been dead for 19 years. Then Boonmee’s lost son, Boonsong, emerges from the shadows of the night jungle as a monkey ghost. Boonsong explains that he became fascinated by an image of a monkey ghost that showed up in one of his photographs. He began to stalk them, and eventually found one to be his wife.
The monkey ghosts stare at the human world from behind the dense jungle foliage, laser bright red eyes surrounded by long dense black fur. Weerasthakul’s finds the source for these striking creatures in popular Thai films he watched when he was young. They are at once familiar kitschy and unearthly profound.
The up-country landscape is lush, eerie and brimming with spirits, alive and dead. There’s a quasi-animistic quality to the world that Weerasthakul depicts — the wheel of karma can be felt spinning in every action. Killing mosquitos with an electronic zapper leads to profound consequences. Boonmee invites Jen to taste the honey right from one of the hives on his bee farm. The honey, with flavors of tamarind and corn, is bitter and sweet, the distilled essence of life.
Boonmee confesses a belief that his illness is the result of his karmic debt. He is burdened by deaths that he has caused, from insects to humans. His thoughts on these actions point to a subtle political subtext. Part of the history of the area where Weerasthakul sets the film involves clashes between the government and farmers turned communists.
Appearances in this film are deceptive — the world of the living and the world of the dead, dreams and the future, all interpenetrate. In the opening moments of the film, a buffalo slips its tether and runs off into the woods; it may be Boonmee’s memory of a past life. A princess, woebegone because of her flawed appearance, stops by a waterfall in the woods, where a talking catfish convinces her of her beauty and seduces her. Boonmee’s long-dead wife tends to his medical needs at his bedside and they embrace.
Boonmee stands for a world that is passing into extinction, an ongoing process in which the present engulfs its origins. The tale weaves its way toward its peak moment as Boonmee Jen and Tong descend into a cave. The explicitly womblike quality of the location provides a platform for the blurring passage between birth, death, and rebirth. Boonmee senses a previous incarnation as he moves deeper into the cave, a primordial undifferentiated birth, maybe human, perhaps animal, at the least, alive. Perhaps it began among a handful of fish swimming in a pool in the caves far from the light of day. Here, in the depths of the earth, the fission of spirit and matter occurs and completes another turn in the cycle of existence and extinction.
Even the living may separate from themselves to exist in two places at once. Perhaps because of the deadening qualities of modern life: at complacent moments, lulled by distraction, or lies, blinded by ideology, it may be that we die a bit, at which moment our spirits have to go forward seeking fulfillment.
Weerasthakul’s gentle and subtle film moves with unhurried fluidity. The pace of everyday rural life meshes with overarching cosmic rhythms. Few filmmakers would ever try to show us how we can, to paraphrase William Blake, “Hold Infinity in the palm of our hand . And Eternity in an hour.” Weerasthakul demonstrates most deftly that a brightly-lit, colorful restaurant with a karaoke soundtrack can be the purest paradise.
Filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul was born in Thailand but his formative film education came about in the Windy City. He earned his MFA in experimental film at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His latest film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives has won a number of major awards, including the Palme d’Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. The film has a run in Chicago beginning on Friday. Eight Forty-Eight asked Jonathan Miller to take a closer look at the film.
Boonmee, a farmer in rural Thailand, faces death. His kidneys are failing. His sister-in-law Jen comes to spend time with him. She is accompanied by Tong, a young man who can help care for Boonmee.
Boonmee’s proximity to death draws the world of spirits closer. The night Jen arrives, Boonmee’s wife, Huay, appears at the dinner table. She has been dead for 19 years. Then Boonmee’s lost son, Boonsong, emerges from the shadows of the night jungle as a monkey ghost. Boonsong explains that he became fascinated by an image of a monkey ghost that showed up in one of his photographs. He began to stalk them, and eventually found one to be his wife.
The monkey ghosts stare at the human world from behind the dense jungle foliage, laser bright red eyes surrounded by long dense black fur. Weerasthakul’s finds the source for these striking creatures in popular Thai films he watched when he was young. They are at once familiar kitschy and unearthly profound.
The up-country landscape is lush, eerie and brimming with spirits, alive and dead. There’s a quasi-animistic quality to the world that Weerasthakul depicts — the wheel of karma can be felt spinning in every action. Killing mosquitos with an electronic zapper leads to profound consequences. Boonmee invites Jen to taste the honey right from one of the hives on his bee farm. The honey, with flavors of tamarind and corn, is bitter and sweet, the distilled essence of life.
Boonmee confesses a belief that his illness is the result of his karmic debt. He is burdened by deaths that he has caused, from insects to humans. His thoughts on these actions point to a subtle political subtext. Part of the history of the area where Weerasthakul sets the film involves clashes between the government and farmers turned communists.
Appearances in this film are deceptive — the world of the living and the world of the dead, dreams and the future, all interpenetrate. In the opening moments of the film, a buffalo slips its tether and runs off into the woods; it may be Boonmee’s memory of a past life. A princess, woebegone because of her flawed appearance, stops by a waterfall in the woods, where a talking catfish convinces her of her beauty and seduces her. Boonmee’s long-dead wife tends to his medical needs at his bedside and they embrace.
Boonmee stands for a world that is passing into extinction, an ongoing process in which the present engulfs its origins. The tale weaves its way toward its peak moment as Boonmee Jen and Tong descend into a cave. The explicitly womblike quality of the location provides a platform for the blurring passage between birth, death, and rebirth. Boonmee senses a previous incarnation as he moves deeper into the cave, a primordial undifferentiated birth, maybe human, perhaps animal, at the least, alive. Perhaps it began among a handful of fish swimming in a pool in the caves far from the light of day. Here, in the depths of the earth, the fission of spirit and matter occurs and completes another turn in the cycle of existence and extinction.
Even the living may separate from themselves to exist in two places at once. Perhaps because of the deadening qualities of modern life: at complacent moments, lulled by distraction, or lies, blinded by ideology, it may be that we die a bit, at which moment our spirits have to go forward seeking fulfillment.
Weerasthakul’s gentle and subtle film moves with unhurried fluidity. The pace of everyday rural life meshes with overarching cosmic rhythms. Few filmmakers would ever try to show us how we can, to paraphrase William Blake, “Hold Infinity in the palm of our hand . And Eternity in an hour.” Weerasthakul demonstrates most deftly that a brightly-lit, colorful restaurant with a karaoke soundtrack can be the purest paradise.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Neve Campbell says she`s seen a ghost
MonstersandCritics.com: Neve Campbell says she`s seen a ghost
Scream 4 actress Neve Campbell has said her former house in Los Angeles was haunted and she used to see a woman who had been murdered in the home.
The 37-year-old told British Live magazine: 'I know that ghosts exist because I've seen one. A few years ago I moved into a haunted house in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, with some friends. It turned out that it was inhabited by the ghost of a woman who had been murdered there in 1991.'
She added: 'Doors would repeatedly slam, windows would open and ashtrays would fly off dressers. Then there were times when the ghost would actually walk into the room. After a while it just felt normal. I would pass her in the hallway and casually wish her good morning.'
Scream 4 actress Neve Campbell has said her former house in Los Angeles was haunted and she used to see a woman who had been murdered in the home.
The 37-year-old told British Live magazine: 'I know that ghosts exist because I've seen one. A few years ago I moved into a haunted house in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, with some friends. It turned out that it was inhabited by the ghost of a woman who had been murdered there in 1991.'
She added: 'Doors would repeatedly slam, windows would open and ashtrays would fly off dressers. Then there were times when the ghost would actually walk into the room. After a while it just felt normal. I would pass her in the hallway and casually wish her good morning.'
Friday, April 8, 2011
Ghost Hunters sneak peek video 'Dog the Ghost Hunter'
MassLive: Ghost Hunters sneak peek video 'Dog the Ghost Hunter'
(Monday, April 4 post): This week's Ghost Hunters sneak peek video includes footage of Maddie-the-ghost-hunting-dog doing her job and checking out a family home in which the resident dog gets creeped out. No such problem for 'Dog the Ghost Hunter,' as she fearlessly wanders around the place, in what I am sure, is more of a search for the resident dog than an actual ghost hunt, but whatever.
The TAPS team is apparently doing a private home investigation, which is fabulous, as well as an investigation of a fort in Maine that frankly, looks just as cold as last week's investigation at Mackinac Island up in Michigan did.
(Monday, April 4 post): This week's Ghost Hunters sneak peek video includes footage of Maddie-the-ghost-hunting-dog doing her job and checking out a family home in which the resident dog gets creeped out. No such problem for 'Dog the Ghost Hunter,' as she fearlessly wanders around the place, in what I am sure, is more of a search for the resident dog than an actual ghost hunt, but whatever.
The TAPS team is apparently doing a private home investigation, which is fabulous, as well as an investigation of a fort in Maine that frankly, looks just as cold as last week's investigation at Mackinac Island up in Michigan did.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Expect eerie encounters at paranormal Powell business
Columbus Local News: Expect eerie encounters at paranormal Powell business
The Powell Paranormal Place opens April 17 with a visit from pro ghost hunters Debby and Mark Constantino.
When Travel Channel and A&E ghost hunters Debby and Mark Constantino entertain crowds at the Powell Paranormal Place's grand opening April 17, they may be able to do more than just explain their methods.
Business owner Lynlee Lybrook said the celebrities can use their specialty in advanced Electronic Voice Phenomenon, a device that allegedly allows people to communicate with the undead via static and radio waves, to interact with ghosts that live in the old farm house at 9216 N. Liberty St., which houses the Powell Paranormal Place.
"I couldn't ask for a better place to have this business," Lybrook said of the hauntings.
The entrance to the shop is through the metaphysical store Mystic Nirvana, where a photo on the cash register depicts what the owner calls a spirit standing next to a member of the weekly psychic development class.
"Meters are for skeptics," said Lybrook, who dares anyone who isn't sure about the paranormal to join her on a ghost hunting trip. "You can't explain an electric reading in a house that hasn't had electric for years."
The store offers infrared cameras, EVP meters and camcorders for those who question what they hear, see or don't see on a ghost hunting trip or in their own homes.
Lybrook said there are two kinds of hauntings: residual and intelligent. Residual may be recurring events, such as an object being misplaced or seeing a shadow at the same time each day. Intelligent hauntings involve the ghost interacting with humans via EVPs or what Lybrook calls her "lucky flashlight."
During a meeting of paranormal minds in the basement of the business, members noticed a flashlight turning on and off. They began asking questions about the ghost and receiving answers, Lybrook said, by way of turning the light on and off. This lasted for 30 minutes and has occurred since, she said.
She and a Mystic Nirvana worker also have been able to hear voices on real-time EVPs and talking when no one else is in the old home.
Lybrook said she began ghost hunting five years ago when her brother Steve died.
"It is kind of a healing thing to find out that there is something after death," she said.
Her first experiences occurred on the U.S.S. Freedom that's docked in Tampa Bay, and at the Mansfield Reformatory, where she saw shadowy figures.
"I didn't believe it at first," she said. "Like anyone else, I had to experience it."
Lybrook said every ghost-hunting trip is different, and the Powell Paranormal Place will offer a variety, ranging from spooky children's camps to downright terrifying adult jaunts through former penitentiaries and mansions.
The first adventure will be to Prospect Place Mansion in Dresden, Ohio. Lybrook said she will invite no more than eight people to participate in the $60 trip. Other planned visits include the Mansfield Reformatory and Moundsville Penitentiary. Prices will vary for each trip, she said.
Those looking to dabble in ghost hunting, but who might be faint of heart, can stop by the second Monday of each month for a paranormal chat, where for $10, students can discuss how to deal with paranormal events, take field trips to local cemeteries or homes, and learn how to use ghost-hunting equipment.
For the younger crowd that might be intrigued by the unknown, Lybrook said in the summer she plans to host backyard campouts that will feature s'mores, equipment tutorials and, of course, some good old-fashioned ghost stories.
The business is believed to be only one of four boutiques like it in the country, Lybrook said.
The boutique offers lower-end items beginning at $14 to pique interest in ghost hunting. Upon further advancement, items such as the real-time EVP can be purchased for $300. Five percent of all the store's profits benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The store hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Lybrook said she plans to have longer store hours during fall, when she anticipates business to increase.
For information on classes and products, visit the website powellparanormal.com. Tickets to the grand opening event April 17 are $20 and can be purchased online.
Lybrook maintains that while there are ghosts with evil intentions and hunters should always be prepared for the unknown, most spirits are just mindful observers with personalities that might resemble who they were as humans.
"I think if you have good intentions, they'll know," she said.
The Powell Paranormal Place opens April 17 with a visit from pro ghost hunters Debby and Mark Constantino.
When Travel Channel and A&E ghost hunters Debby and Mark Constantino entertain crowds at the Powell Paranormal Place's grand opening April 17, they may be able to do more than just explain their methods.
Business owner Lynlee Lybrook said the celebrities can use their specialty in advanced Electronic Voice Phenomenon, a device that allegedly allows people to communicate with the undead via static and radio waves, to interact with ghosts that live in the old farm house at 9216 N. Liberty St., which houses the Powell Paranormal Place.
"I couldn't ask for a better place to have this business," Lybrook said of the hauntings.
The entrance to the shop is through the metaphysical store Mystic Nirvana, where a photo on the cash register depicts what the owner calls a spirit standing next to a member of the weekly psychic development class.
"Meters are for skeptics," said Lybrook, who dares anyone who isn't sure about the paranormal to join her on a ghost hunting trip. "You can't explain an electric reading in a house that hasn't had electric for years."
The store offers infrared cameras, EVP meters and camcorders for those who question what they hear, see or don't see on a ghost hunting trip or in their own homes.
Lybrook said there are two kinds of hauntings: residual and intelligent. Residual may be recurring events, such as an object being misplaced or seeing a shadow at the same time each day. Intelligent hauntings involve the ghost interacting with humans via EVPs or what Lybrook calls her "lucky flashlight."
During a meeting of paranormal minds in the basement of the business, members noticed a flashlight turning on and off. They began asking questions about the ghost and receiving answers, Lybrook said, by way of turning the light on and off. This lasted for 30 minutes and has occurred since, she said.
She and a Mystic Nirvana worker also have been able to hear voices on real-time EVPs and talking when no one else is in the old home.
Lybrook said she began ghost hunting five years ago when her brother Steve died.
"It is kind of a healing thing to find out that there is something after death," she said.
Her first experiences occurred on the U.S.S. Freedom that's docked in Tampa Bay, and at the Mansfield Reformatory, where she saw shadowy figures.
"I didn't believe it at first," she said. "Like anyone else, I had to experience it."
Lybrook said every ghost-hunting trip is different, and the Powell Paranormal Place will offer a variety, ranging from spooky children's camps to downright terrifying adult jaunts through former penitentiaries and mansions.
The first adventure will be to Prospect Place Mansion in Dresden, Ohio. Lybrook said she will invite no more than eight people to participate in the $60 trip. Other planned visits include the Mansfield Reformatory and Moundsville Penitentiary. Prices will vary for each trip, she said.
Those looking to dabble in ghost hunting, but who might be faint of heart, can stop by the second Monday of each month for a paranormal chat, where for $10, students can discuss how to deal with paranormal events, take field trips to local cemeteries or homes, and learn how to use ghost-hunting equipment.
For the younger crowd that might be intrigued by the unknown, Lybrook said in the summer she plans to host backyard campouts that will feature s'mores, equipment tutorials and, of course, some good old-fashioned ghost stories.
The business is believed to be only one of four boutiques like it in the country, Lybrook said.
The boutique offers lower-end items beginning at $14 to pique interest in ghost hunting. Upon further advancement, items such as the real-time EVP can be purchased for $300. Five percent of all the store's profits benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The store hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Lybrook said she plans to have longer store hours during fall, when she anticipates business to increase.
For information on classes and products, visit the website powellparanormal.com. Tickets to the grand opening event April 17 are $20 and can be purchased online.
Lybrook maintains that while there are ghosts with evil intentions and hunters should always be prepared for the unknown, most spirits are just mindful observers with personalities that might resemble who they were as humans.
"I think if you have good intentions, they'll know," she said.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Ghost hunters to report findings at Fort Knox on Wednesday
Bangor Daily News: Ghost hunters to report findings at Fort Knox on Wednesday
PROSPECT, Maine — Television viewers around the county will find out on Wednesday whether any ghosties or ghoulies are spending their time in eternity at the Fort Knox historic site.
The stars of the SyFy Channel’s popular “Ghost Hunters” program will offer their opinion on whether the fort is haunted when they reveal their findings from a February visit to the 19th century fort on the episode that airs April 6. According to the “Ghost Hunters” website, the show airs at 9 p.m.
“We hope by its inclusion in the ‘Ghost Hunters’ show, many more people will come to visit and enjoy the cultural heritage of Fort Knox,” said Will Harris, director of the Bureau of Public Lands which oversees the fort and its grounds. “It is a gem — with or without spirits.”
The crew of the “Ghost Hunters,” including the show’s stars, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, and co-star Amy Bruni, spent six days in February with a 19-person crew in the Prospect-Bucksport area. The show is based on the investigations of Hawes and Wilson, former Roto-Rooter technicians, who began investigating paranormal occurrences as a hobby, using highly sophisticated measuring equipment.
In addition to filming in the fort itself, they interviewed Tom Desjardin, BPL state park historian, Leon Seymour, executive director of the Friends of Fort Knox, and other area residents about the fort’s history and reports of paranormal experiences at the fort.
“Visitors have repeated odd experiences to FFK staff over the years, which enabled us to connect the ‘Ghost Hunters’ with local people who related their experiences to the investigators,’’ Seymour said in a prepared release. “Though [the Friends] has not taken an official position on whether ghosts prowl the corridors of the fort, we are pleased that this will bring national attention to the historic site, and in so doing, increase visitation.”
He did not indicate what kind of “visitation.”
The fort is one of four National Historic Landmarks in Maine managed by the BPL. Construction was begun in 1840 to protect the Penobscot River and Bangor’s lumber operations, and, though never completely finished, it was garrisoned with troops during and shortly after the Civil War and for a month during the Spanish-American War in 1898, according to Desjardin.
The fort’s barracks were not located inside the fort but were in a wooden structure somewhere on the fort property, according to Desjardin. Although there are no official reports of hauntings at Fort Knox, Desjardin noted that records indicate three soldiers died while at the fort. In 1866, he said, one artilleryman, who was a new recruit and spoke only German, died of disease while stationed there. He was buried in the fort’s unmarked graveyard.
Years later, two other soldiers died while serving as the fort’s caretaker.
“It will be really nice to see Fort Knox presented on the national stage , and it will bring attention to one of Maine’s unique places,” Desjardin said.
PROSPECT, Maine — Television viewers around the county will find out on Wednesday whether any ghosties or ghoulies are spending their time in eternity at the Fort Knox historic site.
The stars of the SyFy Channel’s popular “Ghost Hunters” program will offer their opinion on whether the fort is haunted when they reveal their findings from a February visit to the 19th century fort on the episode that airs April 6. According to the “Ghost Hunters” website, the show airs at 9 p.m.
“We hope by its inclusion in the ‘Ghost Hunters’ show, many more people will come to visit and enjoy the cultural heritage of Fort Knox,” said Will Harris, director of the Bureau of Public Lands which oversees the fort and its grounds. “It is a gem — with or without spirits.”
The crew of the “Ghost Hunters,” including the show’s stars, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, and co-star Amy Bruni, spent six days in February with a 19-person crew in the Prospect-Bucksport area. The show is based on the investigations of Hawes and Wilson, former Roto-Rooter technicians, who began investigating paranormal occurrences as a hobby, using highly sophisticated measuring equipment.
In addition to filming in the fort itself, they interviewed Tom Desjardin, BPL state park historian, Leon Seymour, executive director of the Friends of Fort Knox, and other area residents about the fort’s history and reports of paranormal experiences at the fort.
“Visitors have repeated odd experiences to FFK staff over the years, which enabled us to connect the ‘Ghost Hunters’ with local people who related their experiences to the investigators,’’ Seymour said in a prepared release. “Though [the Friends] has not taken an official position on whether ghosts prowl the corridors of the fort, we are pleased that this will bring national attention to the historic site, and in so doing, increase visitation.”
He did not indicate what kind of “visitation.”
The fort is one of four National Historic Landmarks in Maine managed by the BPL. Construction was begun in 1840 to protect the Penobscot River and Bangor’s lumber operations, and, though never completely finished, it was garrisoned with troops during and shortly after the Civil War and for a month during the Spanish-American War in 1898, according to Desjardin.
The fort’s barracks were not located inside the fort but were in a wooden structure somewhere on the fort property, according to Desjardin. Although there are no official reports of hauntings at Fort Knox, Desjardin noted that records indicate three soldiers died while at the fort. In 1866, he said, one artilleryman, who was a new recruit and spoke only German, died of disease while stationed there. He was buried in the fort’s unmarked graveyard.
Years later, two other soldiers died while serving as the fort’s caretaker.
“It will be really nice to see Fort Knox presented on the national stage , and it will bring attention to one of Maine’s unique places,” Desjardin said.
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