Surveillance Camera Ghost - Spoof

Don't believe everything you see! This is a fun spoof.

Ghost Viewpoints

We probably all know parapsychological or metaphysical viewpoints on ghosts and spirits, as well as our personal ones, but what about beliefs in other cultures, such as the Native Americans? Or the Australian Aborigines?

The Western mindset usually synonymizes "ghosts" and "spirits", with no real distinction between the two. In Native American culture, however, there is a clear difference between them. Whereas spirits are held in high regard, being ancestral souls, ghosts are viewed very negatively. They believe that "spirit" is all around us, within each living thing, and they call upon the ancestral spirits to help guide them and for knowledge and insight.

When a person dies, their spirit continues on, traveling into the next life where it will carry on with the journey. There are also a number of helpful or familial spirits, who have chosen to stay earthbound, sometimes becoming "spirit guides", to offer guidance. Ghosts, on the other hand, are viewed as twisted spirits with corrupted personalities, who are responsible for causing sickness and disease, contaminating food and drink, and subverting positivity and all that is good.

In comparison, the Australian Aboriginal religion hold that humans have multiple souls. One is an "egoic soul", a self-created, independent state accompanying the body and shaping a person's personality and identity. Another comes from "The Dreaming" or divinity (or both), capable of entering the body to impart knowledge and insight. Ancestral spirits (spirits of ancestors) usually fall under the latter.

At death, these two types follow different paths, fates and trajectories. The "egoic soul" initially becomes a dangerous ghost, not straying far from the deceased's body and property, but instead jealously guards them. Eventually it will pass into nonexistence, either dissolving into nothingness or by traveling to a distant place inconsequential to the living. At that moment, the deceased's property is abandoned or destroyed and no one can rent or live in the property. Ancestral souls are eternal; they return to specific locations or to sites where they are summoned through rituals, or they are returned to the environment, abiding as one with nature and humans, to wherever they are needed.

In fact, these two viewpoints are mirrored in many cultures throughout the world, both ancient and modern, including Asian, Mediterranean and pre-Columbian American, and even in Celtic folklore.

Electronic Voice Phenomena

Electronic Voice Phenomena (or EVP) is where human-sounding voices from an unknown source are recorded onto electronic media, usually audiotapes. At the time of the recording no voice is actually heard, but only during playback is something heard. Sometimes noise filtering and amplification is required to hear the voices.

EVP quality varies. Some EVP is clearer than others, some are difficult to determine and are open to interpretation as to what they are saying. They vary in gender, age, tone and emotion. EVPs are usually single-word phrases or short sentences, but sometimes play back as grunts, groans, growling and other vocal sounds, and in various languages. Sometimes EVPs are mechanical-sounding; sometimes they sound naturally spoken.

Researchers categorize EVPs into three distinctive classes:

• Class A: Very clear, easily understood, with distinct formations of words. Class A EVPs are also usually the loudest.
• Class B: Unclear or indistinct, with word formations often difficult to understand, and certain syllables are distorted or very unclear. This class is the commonest type of EVP and tend to be softer than Class A EVPs.
• Class C: Distorted, indistinct and barely audible (often as whispers), and very difficult to understand word formations.

Many EVPs are simply recordings of anomalous voices, but sometimes the voices seem to respond directly to questions asked by the researcher. And, once again, the response is not heard until afterwards, when the audiotape is played back.


There are many theories on what EVPs actually are, but no one knows for certain, so it remains something of a mystery. Some of those theories are:

• They are the voices of spirits, i.e. people who have died but still remain earthbound. Many researchers visit cemeteries for EVP recordings (often with great success). In this context, it is usually referred to as ITC (or Instrumental Transcommunication).
• They are researchers' own thoughts recorded onto the magnetic tape, in the same way it is thought that the energies from "residual hauntings" are recorded in certain areas.
• They are ordinary background noises, random sounds or voices picked up from radio, cell phones and other electronic sources. The brain will naturally search for patterns it can recognize, especially visual and auditory, reforming them into something it can identify with.

Other theories are:

• They are beings from another dimension, one of the many planes of existence, or alternative universes. They are able to utilize this method to communicate.
• They are the voices of angels or demons, but this theory is primarily influenced by religious conviction.
• They are hoaxed, created by audio rendering software and recorded onto audiotape.

Nowadays, with modern sound analyzing software, it is possible to isolate "white noise", background sounds, and "normal" voices to distinguish anomalous sounds and voices. It is also possible to identify each sound wave individually.

Celebrity Paranormal Encounters

With the tragic and globally impacting death of Michael Jackson dominating the news headlines, I wonder if he will return (as a "ghost") to his familiar and favorite places, the places he loved, like his Neverland ranch. I wonder how long it will be before psychics claim to "talk" to the iconic pop star from beyond the grave. Conspiracy theories have already inevitably surfaced regarding Michael Jackson's death and I will admit that there are too many discrepancies in journalistic reports, but I digress.

Many celebrities have had their share of paranormal encounters.

Michael Jackson

The Thriller singer claims that he was able to communicate with pianist Lee Liberace, who died in 1987 and whom Jackson considers as his guardian angel. Jackson had his own secret room, with a moving wall and mirrors, where he would frequently talk to Liberarce. Jackson would often feel the pianist's presence very close to him, hear his voice, and communicate to him about a plethora of different things.

Hugh Grant

British Four Weddings and A Funeral star, Hugh Grant, attests that his Los Angelese apartment is haunted. He often hears the wailing and screaming of a tormented spirit through the night, whom he has speculated is the ghost of actress Bette Davis who died in 1989.

Russell Crowe

The Sun newspaper relates how Gladiator star, Russell Crowe, knew of his grandfather's death. A kookaburra (an Australian kingfisher) suddenly flew into his window and looked him directly in the eye. He called his mother, who confirmed that his grandfather had died and later, on the day of his death, she too had seen a kookaburra. Crowe firmly believes that the bird was his grandfather's spirit a-visiting.

Nicolas Cage

Actor Nicolas Cage knowingly bought a haunted house, the Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans' French Quarter, reputedly the most severely haunted house in New Orleans. Cage says he is aware of the mansion's checkered past and its ghostly residents, but has yet to sleep overnight in it. Paranormal groups have requested to investigate the house, but he has refused on the basis that he does not want any of the "residents" to become exploited.

Paranormal News Central

Paul McCartney

Former Beatles singer, Paul McCartney, claims that John Lennon's playful ghost made an appearance during the recording of the 1995 song Free As A Bird. He says, "There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio - noises that shouldn't have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things. There was just an overall feeling that John was around."

Paranormal News Central

Ghostbusters III Confirmed

I guess it's been confirmed that there will be a third Ghostbusters movie, scheduled for release some time in 2012. Now, I grew up with the Ghostbusters, saw both movies, watched the animated spinoff series, played the video games, bought the merchandise, and so on. And while there were "ghosts" of rumors about a third movie, nothing seemed to have materialized until now. Perhaps because no one could come up with any plausible plot ideas for the third movie - not Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd or Harold Ramis, or even Ivan Reitman (director of the first two Ghostbusters movies). Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (script gurus of "The Office" and "Year One") have apparently written a plot that Aykroyd says "really works".

While the plot details are still rather sketchy, the basic idea is that the Ghostbusters have become so successful in despatching the ghosts in Manhattan that they are now out of business. There might be an opportunity for the Ghostbusters at Manhattan's "dark underworld", Manhellan (or something like that), where a portal has opened up at Foley Square. Dana Barrett's son, Oscar, will most likely be appearing in the movie too. (Dana Barret is the character played by Sigourney Weaver for those who didn't know.) There might be a team of new recruits, all female, who are ill-trained but eager to do their part in ridding Manhattan of its ghostly inhabitants. The original team will still appear in the movie, but briefly, since Aykroyd is hoping for more of a "passing-of-the-torch movie".

That is only a synopsis of the basic plot, based on the ideas and snippets that have been released, so I guess we'll have to wait until something more concrete is revealed or until the movie itself.

That said, I don't think I agree with the concept of having a "new generation" of Ghostbusters in this case, especially if they are going to be the main characters of the movie, with the original team members having just a cameo appearance. There's nothing wrong with training raw recruits before the original Ghostbusters' retirement, but that should be a reference point throughout the movie, where the original team works alongside the new team. And then if there were to be any further movies for the Ghostbusters franchise, their primary focus should be on the new recruits. After all, there are so many reports of paranormal activity to draw upon for those plots.

Speculation and opinion aside, I most likely will be viewing Ghostbusters III at the movie theater, but until then will be watching for further updates to see how it all progresses.

Freaky Coincidences - Part III

Sometimes novelists unwittingly write fictitious stories that end up coming true or they have weird experiences that cannot be explained rationally. It seems that sometimes people's fates are inexplicably intertwined somehow. Here is another entry belonging to the Freaky Coincidences umbrella - which already includes parts #1 and #2 - but the theme here is authors and novels. Some of these may have been repeated in previous entries, some of them are prophetic in nature, and some of the are just bizarre.

Anne Parrish

While American novelist Anne Parris browsed bookstores in Paris, in the 1920s, she stumbled upon one of her childhood favorites, entitled Jack Frost and Other Stories. She showed her husband, remarking that she the book had been one of her favorites as a girl. Her husband opened the book and was astonished at the inscription inside, which read: "Anne Parrish, 209 N. Weber Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado". As it turned out, the book was her very own copy from her childhood.

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhome Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was a popular American author of such books as the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He was born on the day that Halley's Comet appeared in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. In fact, he himself predicted this a year before his death when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1935. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."

Edgar Allan Poe

Famous horror writer Edgar Allan Poe wrote a book entitled The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket in 1838, actually his only complete novel. The story is about four shipwreck survivors who were in an open boat for several days before they decided to kill and eat Richard Parker, the cabin boy. Forty-six years later, the Mignonett foundered, with only four survivors, who were in an open boat for many days. Eventually the three senior crew members killed and ate the cabin boy. The cabin boy's name was Richard Parker.

Morgan Robertson

In 1898, Morgan Robertson wrote a novella entitled Futility (or The Wreck of The Titan. It was about an Olympic-class ocean liner called Titan, which sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg.

• The Titan (800' long) was considered to be "indestructible", the Titanic (882' long) was described as being "unsinkable".
• Both ships had three propellers and two masts.
• The Titan was launched in April from Southampton, so was the Titanic on her maiden voyage in April 1912.
• The Titan carried 24 lifeboats, less than half required for her 3000 capacity, whereas the Titanic carried only 20 lifeboats, less than half the number needed for a passenger capacity of 3000.
• The Titan struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic, 400 miles from Terranova (Newfoundland) while traveling at 25 knots, the Titanic traveled 23 knots too fast, 400 miles away from Terranova.
• The indestructible Titan sank, with over half of her 2500 passengers drowning, the "voices raised in agonized screams", whereas the unsinkable Titanic sank with more than half 2207 passengers dying screaming for help.

Prophetic coincidence? Could be, but there are also a few differences between the Titan and the Titanic. These can be viewed on Wikipedia.

Norman Mailer

When Norman Mailer started work on his novel Barbary Shore, he had no plans on having a Russian spy as a character. However, as work continued on it, he introduced a Russian spy in the US as a minor character, who soon became the dominant character in the novel. After completion of the novel, the US Immigration Service arrested a man living one floor above Mailer in the same apartment building. His name was Colonel Rudolf Abel, allegedly a top Russian Spy working in the US at the time.

Émile Deschamps

In 1805, stranger Monsieur de Fortgibu treated French writer Émile Deschamps to some plum pudding. A decade later, in a Paris restaurant, he saw plum pudding on the menu and decided to order some, but the waiter told him that the last dish had been served to another customer, who turned out to be Fortgibu. Years later, in 1832, Deschamps was at a diner and was once again offered plum pudding. He remarked to friends that only de Fortgibu was missing for the setting to be complete - and at that same moment the now aged de Fortgibu entered the room!

Ben Jordan Paranormal Investigator

The folks at Grundislav Games have developed a series of games centered around paranormal investigation work. The games revolve around its central character, Ben Jordan, a college grad who decides to become a P.I. - that's Paranormal Investigator - apparently influenced by episodes of the X-Files, and his adventures.

There are seven in the series, with an eighth in development. The first, Case 1: The Case of the Florida Skunk-Ape, was created in 2004 using Adventure Game Studio (AGS). The game's popularity within the AGS community was such that more Ben Jordan games were created.

For Ben's first case, he visits the Florida Everglades, in search of something known as "The Skunk-Ape", a local variation of Bigfoot, so named because of its horrible smell. Furthermore, several park rangers have been murdered, so Ben is called in to investigate the possibility that the Skunk-Ape is responsible. To compound the theory, all of the victims' livers are missing.

The gameplay is reminiscent of those old Sierra classics from the 90's - Space Quest and King's Quest. In fact, AGS uses the same engine that Sierra did all those years ago, but it was designed specifically for recreating the same kinds of adventure games. Retro-gamers familiar with the Sierra classics will definitely feel the familiarity here, as the GUI is the same and with its built-in points system whenever you receive points (for successful actions), you'll hear a distant Bigfoot growling sound.

Characters are unique, each with specific (and sometimes humorous) traits, like Ranger Rick, who is very superstitious, or an angry hippy, who certainly is funny. The author has spent some time developing the characters appropriately for the game, although in later games this is much more in-depth.

There are a number of puzzles in the game. I'm usually hopeless at logical thinking, but for the most part found them fairly easy, so probably won't pose too many problems.

Overall, the game is entertaining and anyone who likes adventure games (especially those with the Sierra-style GUI) will definitely like this one. Although it's a little too short for my liking, it does have a high replayability if not for some of the funnier lines than anything else. I would definitely recommend this game to adventure game enthusiasts and those into the paranormal alike.

The game itself can be downloaded here, where there are two versions to download. The simple download (6.4 Mb) and the deluxe version (36.3 Mb) which has improved graphics and full speech.

For a comprehensive list of all the Ben Jordan games available, here is the website. Enjoy them as much as I am (currently playing Case 3).

Haunted Britain - Real Ghost Stories

There is no doubt that something, just beyond the edges of our psyches, exists, caught in between two worlds. They are the darker shadows of the night, within the night, the "night stalkers", preying on our fears and terrorizing us. Perhaps they are manifestations of our darker natures, or perhaps they are something far more sinister. This video (only part 1) details one such instance.

The other parts (20 in total) can be viewed here. The rest of the episodes chronicle other eyewitness accounts of paranormal activity.

All-In-One Ghost-Cam

Most paranormal investigators need to carry a plethora of equipment around with them for investigations, including night-vision cameras, EMF readers, EVP recorders, motion detectors and digital cameras, all for capturing even a single instance of something supernatural or paranormal, or that cannot otherwise be explained normally.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could combine all of these gadgets into one super-cam? Well, apparently, a British inventor, Paul Rowland, has done just that. He uses blue and infrared/ultraviolet lights to enhance the capability of "seeing" in darkness, along with a digital stills camera and camcorder, both of which use ultraviolet light also. There's even a built-in live EVP recorder too. His invention resulted from frustration at some of the TV investigators not using their equipment efficaciously.

When using it to investigate the haunted Plas Teg, in Wales, UK, he claims to have captured a child-like figure apparently reaching an arm out towards him. And he will be leading an investigation called "The Paradox Experience", in Scotland (running until this coming Sunday), using his new gadget, of course.

Source: Phantoms & Monsters.

Although this device seems quite innovative, I'm sure I've seen it (or something similar) elsewhere, but one thing's for certain. One day, technology might well reveal some irrefutable evidence of things that simply cannot be explained rationally or scientifically.

Freaky Coincidences - Part II

Some peoples' lives are inexplicably intertwined, it seems, and there might be more than mere coincidence at work. As a followup to Freaky Coincidences - Part I, here are some more bizarre stories about coincidences.

Return To Childhood

1920s: While in Paris, American novelist Anne Parrish was browsing bookstores when she came across one of her childhood favorites, Jack Frost and Other Stories. She picked up the old book and showed it to her husband, telling him that she fondly remembered the book. Her husband took the book, opened it, and on the flyleaf found the inscription: "Anne Parrish, 209 N. Weber Street, Colorado Springs." It was Anne's very own childhood book!

—While Rome Burns, Alexander Wollcott

Falling Baby

1930s: Joseph Figlock was walking down the street when a Detroit mother's baby feel from a high window onto Figlock. The baby's fall was broken, and both man and baby were unharmed. Certainly lucky the first time around, but a year later, the same baby feel from the same window onto the same Joseph Figlock, who had been passing under that same window at the time. And, once again, both survived the accident.

—Mysteries of the Unexplained

Switched Hotels

1953: A TV reporter, Irv Kupcinet, was covering Elizabeth II's coronation in London. In one of the drawers in his room at the Savoy Hotel, he found items that belonged to a man named Harry Hannin. Coincidentally, the famed Harlem Globetrotter Harry Hannin and Kupcinet were good friends. But here's the twist in this story. Just two days later, and before he could tell Hannin of his discovery, Kupcinet received a letter from Hannin. The letter mentioned that, while staying at the Hotel Meurice in Paris, Hannin had found a tie in a drawer and it had Kupcinet's name on it!

—Mysteries of the Unexplained

Double Twins

1975: John and Arthur Mowforth were twins, who lived in UK but were separated by about 80 miles. On the evening of May 22, 1975, both suffered from severe chest pains. Both men's families were completely unaware of the other's illness. Both men were rushed to separate hospitals at approximately the same time. And both died of heart attacks shortly after their arrival.

—Chronogenetics: The Inheretance of Biological Time, Luigi Gedda and Gianni Brenci)

Freaky Coincidences - Part I

According to the Free Dictionary, a "coincidence" is "a sequence of events that, although accidental, seems to have been planned or arranged". And no doubt we have all had such experiences, often leaving us with a sense of wonder and mystery. But is it really coincidence? Or is something else working behind the scenes?

Here is a collection of some of the most bizarre stories about coincidence:

Rightful Winner

1858: Robert Fallon was shot dead by his fellow poker players, accused of cheating when he won the $600 pot. None of the other players were willing to claim the now-unlucky winnings, but a new player sat in Fallon's empty chair and staked with the dead man's $600. By the time the police arrived to investigate the murder, the new player had gained an additional $1,200 in winnings. The police demanded that the original $600 be passed on to Fallon's next of kin. As it turned out, the new player was Fallon's son, who had not seen his father in seven years!

—Ripley's Giant Book of Believe It or Not!

Vengeful Bullet

1883: When Henry Ziegland broke up with his girlfriend, out of distress, she committed suicide. The girl's enraged brother hunted down Ziegland and shot him. Believing that he had killed Ziegland, he then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life. However, the bullet had only grazed Ziegland's face and subsequently lodged in a tree. Some years later, Ziegland decided to cut down the large tree, which still had the bullet in it. The task proved to be more difficult than he thought it would be, so he decided to blow it up with some dynamite. The resultant explosion propelled the bullet into Ziegland's head, killing him instantly.

—Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Strangers On A Train

1920s: Three Englishmen, who had been traveling separately by train through Peru, found themselves en route in the same railroad car. They introduced themselves and were surprised to find that they had more in common than they first thought. One man's last name was Bingham, the second man's last name was Powell, and the third man announced that his last name was Bingham-Powell. Yet none were related in any way.

—Mysteries of the Unexplained

Locating George Bryson

Late 1950s: George D. Bryson, during a business trip, registered at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. After signing the register and being given the key to his room (Room 307), he asked the mail desk if any letters had arrived for him. The mail girl told him that there was, indeed, a letter and gave him an envelope addressed to Mr. George D. Bryson, Room 307. This is not remarkable in itself, but the letter was not actually his. It was for the just-previous room's occupant - another man named George D. Bryson!

—Incredible Coincidence, Alan Vaughan

Bermuda Taxi

1975: While riding a moped in Bermuda, a man was accidentally struck and killed by a taxi. A year later, the man's brother was also similarly killed. In fact, he was riding the very same moped and, against the odds, was hit by the same taxi driven by the same driver - even carrying the same passenger as before!

—Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, John Michell and Robert J. M. Rickard

Jim Carrey's Ouija Board Story

Comedian Jim Carrey shares one of his anecdotes! His expressions are a scream!

Hauntings Across America

Here's a fascinating, hour-long journey into some of America's most well-known hauntings, including some of its famous Hollywood ghosts. It's narrated by Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf from Star Trek for those who don't know).

Confirmation Bias

There are so many photos available, especially on the Internet, depicting paranormal activity - such as apparitions, orbs, vortices, and the like - that it can be difficult to determine what they actually are. What makes it doubly more difficult is that conditions at the time of taking these photos may be unique and can't be repeated or emulated in normal circumstances. This is further compounded by things that are normally invisible to the naked eye are caught on film, so are only noticed after the photo has been taken.

Various news articles have shown the apparent figures of religious figures, such as Jesus, the Virgin Mary or Mother Teresa, resulting in a mass pilgrimage to view these holy icons imprinted in ordinary objects. This is where the paraidoliac constructs become really weird.

Click the image to see the original article.

According to a more recent article, the Asian newspaper, The Electric New Paper, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, was released when a car accidentally crashed into it, splitting the old bark of the tree open. The monkey image apparently appeared around 3 September 2007 in Jurong West New Town, Singapore. Large crowds flocked to view and worship their Monkey God, and to place bunches of bananas and incense sticks at its "feet".

In other news articles, the "Virgin Mary" Toast was sold on eBay for $28,000 to Global Palace, an online casino. By the time the auction had closed, the sale had received over 1.7 million hits. Floridian Diane Duyser discovered the "face" burned into her piece of toast over ten years ago and claims that, during that time, it has never gone moldy and instead has brought her luck, including winning $70,000 at a nearby casino. While I don't actually see image of the Virgin Mary, I do see the face of an actress suspiciously resembling Rita Hayworth, yet if I look at it from a different angle I can see a monk, replete with his cowl. (The full article and image can be found on the BBC News.)

The Nun Bun

Another more infamous article was that of the "Nun Bun". This was an ordinary cinnamon bun that bore a striking resemblance to Mother Teresa, discovered by a customer in 1996 at the Bongo Java coffee shop in Nashville, Tennessee. It was subsequently preserved with shellac and placed in a glass frame. The owner quite clearly capitalized on its world-wide media popularity by selling "Nun Bun" T-shirts, prayer cards and mugs emblazoned with pictures of the anomalous cinnamon bun. But, in December 1996, it was apparently stolen and later turned up again in Seattle.

Parapsychology is not an exact science; it's more like a huge research project to determine the existence, nature and causes of paranormal and psychic phenomena. The golden rules for determining whether something in a photo is real or not are to view the anomalies shown objectively and to eliminate all other possibilities first. This includes dust motes, weather conditions, lighting, the type of camera being used and its shutter speed, and the location itself. Even with extensive studying, it is still difficult to know conclusively what these anomalies are because the person (or persons) analyzing the photos were not present at the exact moment that the photos were taken. Instead, they have to rely on other means - such as graphics programs or digital technology - to manipulate the images and extrapolate the "correct" data therefrom.

"Confirmation bias" is the tendency to search for or interpret new information in such a way that it either confirms or fits into one's preconceptions, leading to avoiding information and interpretations which contradict prior beliefs. Indeed, when photos contain unexplainable "extra" images, the original photographers sometimes tend to search for data that they can understand and recognize to explain what they know shouldn't be there. Once found, the mindset is fixated on the notion that it must be paranormal in nature, since they (the images) cannot be explained ordinarily, and no other explanation will deviate it from that notion.

Quite often people will suggest to others what they see in the photo and the brain will search for patterns it can identify or relate to until the same image has been rendered by it. A prime example of this is where a photograph of a wooded area reveals what appears to be a shadowy figure standing beyond the branches. The figure appears to be out of place, so the brain is naturally drawn to it and searches for any kind of pattern it can recognize, usually faces and other shapes. When one is identified, the photo is shared with others, who in turn search for the same set of patterns until the face or shape is seen by them, and a "ghost" is born.

This is known as "pareidolia", a part of "apophenia", which is finding images, shapes, patterns and sounds in random stimuli or meaningless data and making connections to recognizible shapes, such as faces. The term was coined by Klaus Conrad, in 1958, who defined it as an "unmotivated seeing of connections".

If I'm appearing as being cynical, then perhaps that's because I am. I've studied a lot of photographs in my lifetime, even rendered some of my own, performed experiments in order to try and emulate the same types of apparitions I've captured on my Polaroid and digital cameras. I'm not skeptical by any means; I just have a hard time seeing "famous" people in other people's food, or even my own food for that matter. That said, people are entitled to believe that they see Mother Teresa or their Monkey God in ordinary items - and I might even be able to see it myself - but I would still hesitate when saying for certain whether a face or shape is real or not simply because another person sees it. I would analyze it very carefully first before making any concrete conclusions either way.

That is my "confirmation bias".

Happy Paranormal Easter

Happy Easter To All!

While Easter is a welcome vacation from the daily grind, filled with the joys of chocolate Easter eggs and fluffy pink bunnies, spirits remain active. We didn't do much today, since it's raining too hard. Instead, we sat down to a pleasant family meal.

There are countless reports of paranormal activity and sightings occurring on or around Easter Sunday. These are a few of them (with the focus on the UK, my "favorite" haunted country):

Incense Aromas

Location:Church House Inn, Broadhempston, Devon, UK
Type: Reoccurring Manifestation/Haunting
Date/Time: Easter and Christmas

Many guests have noticed, especially at Easter and Christmas, the sweet aromas of incense burning pervade some of the rooms of this historical inn. It is thought that long-dead monks continue their celebrations here, still ritually waving their incense burners, accounting for the mysterious smells.

The Black Abbot

Location: St. Mary's Church, Prestbury, Gloucestershire, UK
Type: Reoccurring Manifestation/Haunting
Date/Time: Easter, Christmas and All Saints Day

A hooded figure with his head bowed, always described as seeming to glide rather than walking, maintains the same route every year, usually appearing around Easter, Christmas and All Saints Day, and occasionally after funerals. He was often seen walking down the aisle of the church, in addition to one of the nearby cottages used as the vicarage, until both buildings were exorcised. Since then has only appeared in the Churchyard, and is often seen crossing the churchyard and disappearing through a wall in the High Street. He has also been sighted in other parts of the village, including the Plough Inn and the Reform Cottage, the garden of which was once a burial ground for monks.

The Charging Horseman

Location: The Plough Inn, Prestbury, Gloucestershire, UK
Type: Reoccurring Manifestation/Anniversary Haunting
Date/Time: Easter

The mystery figure of a horseman charging pellmell through the streets of Prestbury, especially through Shaw Green Lane and The Burgage, can be seen around Easter. It is said that he was a messenger on his way to Edward IV's campsite at Tewkesbury during the War of the Roses, but was killed by a Lancastrian arrow (around May 4, 1471), so never made it to his destination. To this day, he still carries the burden of delivering the message. (During roadworks, a skeleton was indeed found with an arrowhead embedded between the ribs.)

Easter Priest

Location: Holme Hale, Norfolk, UK
Type: Reoccurring Haunting/Anniversary Manifestation
Date/Time: Easter

In and around the Green Room, the ghost of a priest supposedly haunts the building. It is believed that the priest was killed on Good Friday by Cromwell's soldiers, hence the majority of sightings reported tend to occur during the Easter period.

<1-- MOLLY TAPE -->

Molly Tape

Location: The Castle Restaurant, Hurst, Berkshire, UK
Type: Reoccurring Haunting/Manifestation
Date/Time: Easter

In 1971, local news reported the appearance of a mystery woman, wandering down the road wearing little clothing, but she disappeared into a lane, as mysteriously as she had appeared. There have been few sightings of her since then, but locals claim she still appears occasionally around Easter. It is thought that the woman, Molly Tape, had a passionate love affair with a farmer named Dick Darval. Eventually, Dick rejected her after one of their romantic trysts and, in despair, she hanged herself in the lane. Her scantily clad spirit still haunts the location of her death.

Ghosts & Poltergeists Clips

This video shows some very intriguing, and compelling, clips of paranormal activity.

I must admit, however, that I'm skeptical of the poltergeist activity since it's so easy to manipulate objects using "parlor tricks". Tremors can open and close doors and cause furniture to move anomalously, but it cannot be certain from the clips alone if there were tremors at the time the clip was filmed.

In a future entry, I'll outline some of the more popular parlor tricks, especially common in séances during the era of Victorian Spiritualism.

Poltergeists - Part II

This entry was originally posted on the Paranormality blog, on 9 Nov 2008, but has been expanded for Paranormality Reincarnated.

Perhaps the most "famous" case of poltergeist activity is that of young Carol Ann Freeling. I'm speaking, of course, about the 1982 Steven Spielberg movie, Poltergeist, and its sequels, which almost everyone knows about. In the beginning, Carol Ann (played by Heather O'Rourke) has "imaginary friends", but then things become rather unpleasant after she hears voices coming from the television set. Dolls come to life, objects fly violently around the house, doors shut of their own accord, trees grab the children and the bedroom closet becomes a portal to the other side.

As with most poltergeist cases, the poltergeist needs an "agent" to activate, in this case young Carol Ann. Since the family has just moved into their new home in suburban California, she is adjusting to her new surroundings, her chemistry is changing; emotional and chemical changes are starting to occur in her body; her mind is still a child's, not yet fully developed, but she is old enough to recognize the changes in her surroundings. As she learns to adjust, these chemical and emotional changes play havoc on her system, causing conflicting signals and imbalances, which might inevitably result in latent psychokinetic abilities surfacing. She would be unaware that she was acting as agent, as in most cases. This is a factor in the movie sequels, where the poltergeist apparently follows her (and the family) wherever they go.

Throughout the movie, it becomes quite evident that Carol Ann is afraid as the frightening events unfold around her. Fear is the most powerful of all emotions and produces all kinds of additional chemical reactions in the body. The amygdala is considered as the "fear center" of the brain because when we feel threatened or fear something, it triggers responses in every other part of the brain. The hypothalamus, which controls basic drives - such as hunger or thirst - sends a signal that activates the sympathetic nervous system. This in turn releases hormones that allow the body to react to and deal with danger and emergency situations. Adrenaline or epinephrine is released, causing all kinds of reactive symptoms in the body, including increased heart rate, dilated eyes, sweaty palms and horripilation (goose bumps).

When certain changes occur within the body, the pituitary and pineal glands may also factor into the poltergeist equation. The pituitary gland is known as the "master gland" of the endocrine glands because it monitors hormones regulating bodily functions, including sleep, energy levels, metabolic rate and libido. Also affected is the pineal gland, located deep within the brain, controls biological rhythms (such as our internal clock) and produces melatonin, a substance that controls sleep cycles but also inhibits sexual maturement. Melatonin production increases at night, thereby increasing the likelihood of somnambulism (sleep-walking) and hallucinatory reactions to the surroundings through a kind of warped perception. When there is no release for pent-up emotions, especially fear, psychokinetic responses are more likely. The greater the fear, along with the super-charged chemicals in the body (adrenaline, serotonin, melatonin and endorphins), the greater the psychokinetic activity will be.

It's highly unlikely that Carol Ann would be sexually mature, since she is only five years old, but can still assume that, since she is forced to readjust to her new surroundings, her natural fears would prey on her mind.

At the start of the movie, a chair moves autonomously, and then Carol Ann is propelled across the floor. Some form of levitation is common during poltergeist activity, although usually only during sleep. Seeing her communicating to "spirits" via a static television set infers early on that she possesses underdeveloped mediumistic abilities.

It is conceivable, however, that some exterior "evil" force could be haunting the family. As the first Poltergeist movie progresses, it becomes evident that Carol Ann is not a just a poltergeist agent, responsible for psychokinetic activity, but rather an "object of desire" by a demon known only as The Beast. The reason this becomes important is mentioned in the second movie, Poltergeist II: The Other Side. It is revealed that the Freelings' house is built over a huge underground cavern, extending underneath the un-relocated graveyard from the first movie. Rev. Henry Kane, a power-hungry, egocentric utopian cult leader, orchestrated the mass suicide of his followers in the underground cavern in the early 1800s.

There are several reports (that I know of) where angered spirits have returned to wreak their revenge in the earthly plane. There are others where in life the spirit had had a life of nothing but negative experiences, so they have craved the innocence of youth or a family's deeply-bonded love. And more often than not, they will go to any lengths to acquire it. Other reports of heightened poltergeist activity are where houses have been built over graveyards or sacred Native American ground, thereby upsetting the spirits buried there.

While the majority of cases centers on a poltergeist agent, those few incidences (as portrayed in the Poltergeist trilogy), where something else might be responsible, is still largely unexplored. Ultimately, it is often very difficult to distinguish between psychokinesis and poltergeistry; there is a very fine line between them, it seems.

Poltergeists - Part I

This entry was originally posted on the Paranormality blog, on 8 Nov 2008, but has been expanded for Paranormality Reincarnated.

Whenever the word "poltergeist" is mentioned, our minds are automatically drawn to the eponymous movie (usually) and the horrifying events attached thereto. However, in life it doesn't really happen that way. There are incidences of high poltergeist activity, of course, but they are nowhere near as fanciful as the Hollywoodesque creative licenses portrayals.

According to The Free Dictionary, a poltergeist is "a ghost that manifests itself by noises, rappings, and the creation of disorder; a spirit believed to be responsible for noises and acts of mischief, such as throwing objects". Indeed, the word itself originates from the German poltern (to be noisy) and Geist (ghost), so it's a "noisy ghost" - aptly named.

The common symptoms attributed to poltergeist disturbances start out as harmless-seeming, often entertaining, anomalies. As time goes by, however, if the cause is still unresolved, the activity becomes increasingly more severe. It usually reaches the point where the targets' lives are in danger and some kind of physical injury or mental trauma can occur.

The commonest symptoms attributed to poltergeist activity are:

• Unexplained noises – knocks, bangs and footsteps.
• Moving objects – furniture sliding across the floor, objects flying through the air, and objects disappearing (apport) and reappearing (asport).
• Disembodied voices – spoken or whispered words and one or more people speaking in different languages (xenoglossia).
• Levitation – objects, beds and people raising into the air, and beds shaking violently.
• Electrical disturbances – lights turning on and off, failing power, electrical appliances failing, and, in some cases, electrocution.
• Other reported symptoms include unexplained dripping water, electrical appliances still functioning after being unplugged, hallucinations, mysterious figures appearing, extreme mood swings, random fires igniting, epileptic seizures, and anomalous writing on walls or mirrors.

Since poltergeist activity is often experienced by everyone, not just individuals, it is often thought that a poltergeist is an angry spirit haunting the location. However, a haunting usually occurs either as an "intelligent haunting" (spirits remaining after death and interacting with their surroundings) or a "residual haunting" (spirits reliving events as when they were alive). Poltergeist phenomena has been studied for decades and most parapsychologists now agree that poltergeists are psychokinetic manifestations. Poltergeist activity normally revolves around a single person - usually a pubescent girl - who acts as a catalyst (or agent) for these anomalous occurrences.

In my own studies, I have found the latter to be true. I have conducted a fair amount of research into the subject, including visiting homes supposedly haunted by poltergeists. In fact, based on my own findings, not necessarily those of "mainstream" parapsychology, around 95% of these cases involved a poltergeist agent, i.e. the person around whom poltergeist activity seems to revolve.

I've heard many stories where families move into a new home and the poltergeist activity begins and heightens, forcing them to move out of their home. But even then it seems to follow them and the family experiences the same kinds of phenomena as before, suggesting that one or more family members are psychokinetic conduits.

With the remaining 5%, the disturbances continued even after the "agent" had left the house, suggesting something else may be present. These types of haunting are not usually associated with a person, but rather with residual energies from past events and traumas, events, discarnate entities (ghosts and the like), and even in some cases "time phasing".

Poltergeists are often attributed to being "evil spirits", but in all of the research I've done over the years, I have yet to find one that is truly evil, if you subscribe to the notions of the Devil and demons. There may be some spirits that come close to being evil (by definition of the word), but their base emotion is nearly always a deep-seated anger, jealousy and other similar emotions, which has been carried over from life to beyond life.

We still don't know enough about the "Afterlife" to concretely conclude whether or not poltergeists are real, imagined or somewhere in between. We can, however, say for certain that something happens that cannot be explained normally.

Paranormal State

One of my favorite shows right now is Paranormal State, hosted by Ryan Buell and his team. Now in Season 3, it's gained a lot of popularity since its first episode on A&E. What I like about this show is the fact that they investigate rather more objectively than some of the others, gaining insight from experts rather than people who think they know things, then put the pieces together in a logical sense. There is also an underlying sense of a genuine desire to help people experiencing paranormal activity.

For quick updates, they can be found on Twitter. There are some very interesting "extras" worth watching, including video articles about Ouija Boards and updates after the shows. The "official" website is at A&E Television, which includes full episodes.

I will be giving this (and other) TV shows more detailed entries in the future, perhaps including full episodes if I can.

In the mean time, this is one of the most edge-of-the-seat episodes I've seen in a long time. The full episode (in 5 parts) can be watched on the A&E site: The Possession - Return of The Six.

Movie Making Madness

A long time ago, I used to create my own mini-movies, along with soundtracks that I had created with my trusty Yamaha Portasound. I would write short stories and convert them to movie format, the subject being, of course, paranormal thrillers. For the longest time now, I've really wanted to get back into it, but have deferred because it seemed such a difficult, daunting undertaking. But, I guess the other day, I thought, "It can't really be that hard to do, can it?" So I started downloading all of these cool programs and utilities - video editing, sound editing and animation software - and did some experimenting. And, guess what, it was much easier than I anticipated.

So, for the next few weeks I think I'll be starting on a mini-movie based on one of my older short stories, entitled Beyond Life. I'm not going to reveal any part of the plot regarding that, as it's better that way. When it's done I'll post it here as a special feature. (I'd put it on the Inspired Inkpot blog, only the place I uploaded the graphics for the layout decided to delete everything!) When they're done, I'll be placing them on this blog as "special features".

Some of the other projects I have planned, as part of this "movie making madness", are documentaries and docu-dramas about various paranormal topics. They won't be the investigative work that I do occasionally, more like some of the research that I've conducted into the paranormal over the years, including some photographs and video footage I've taken. We're all really excited here about these particular projects, as you can imagine.

It's something to strive towards and look forward to.