Agenda

Hey guys, I spent like 2 hours writing a new entry on Brian Harnois and Steve and the Ghost Hunters in order to straighten out some of the things I said like a year ago over to The Rundown. But, about halfway through it, it just became a whole different rant on just everything (I was drinking), so... I'll get back to it either today or tomorrow, and that's what I was writing to you about.

I'm working on some other aspects of the site. You might not be able to really tell it because a lot of it is behind-the-scenes stuff (coding, redirect pages, design issues), but I can tell you this much, there is a great new feature which I think both readers here and at The Rundown will be excited about, so I'll make the announcement there shortly.

I may or may not be posting here this weekend because of the time I'm spending on the site, so y'all go drink or relax for a while, watch Hex tonight, and we'll be back to business next week!

Gharials Released in India

Gharials are crocodile-like animals, which can grow up to 6 meters in length, is one of the longest reptiles and are endangered. For the past 20 years, zookeepers have been rearing them in the zoo and have released over 500 into the wild since 1986, but very few have lived and experts do not know why.

Some theories include the animals' failure to adapt to new habitat outside of captivity and pollution to the environment, but no one can say for certain. They have decided to start tagging them and tracking them by satellite, in hopes of discovering the answer.

The gharial has already disappeared from most major rivers, but the Nandan Karan zoo has 25 adults and 40 juveniles. They have also added 50 hatchlings to their list in the last two months.

- BBC

Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth - 06-27-07

Well, not much happened on tonight's Ghost Hunters, except that Steve got to lead the team on his own without Grant and Jason -- and he did a really good job.  Still, if I had one criticism (which really is kind of nitpicking), I prefer Jason's hard-nosed stance on things; Steve was a little too quick to conclude that there was definite paranormal activity on the case. Steve did a good job, though.

Destination Truth was much more interesting, even though nothing really happened. I'm really hoping Josh comes up with something a little more stunning than what we've seen so far this season.  But, I give him credit for being so grounded.  He really goes all-out for what he does and what he's going for, then takes a skeptical -- but open-minded -- approach to evaluating the evidence.

Isn't it too bad Sci-Fi doesn't run this day's programming year-round?  Wednesdays in the fall blow Nahuelito.

Some Upkeep and Maintenance

This is run from Blogger and FTPed to the site and Blogger has been going through a lot of changes lately. They have all been pretty much good, but a couple weeks back, it got to where whenever I type anything, it was taking like as much as half a minute or more for the words on the screen to catch up with what I was typing. It's still doing that. I've also been having some problems with the uploads which have been taking forever and keep timing out on me.

This has led to some glaring issues that I have alternately tackled head-on and just thrown my hands up over, but I really love talking about this kind of stuff and since activity has finally started to pick up some lately, I keep finding errant tags, misspellings, missing words, and plenty of general formatting errors and template gaffes.

If you have some issues getting on the blog for the next hour or so, this is why. I'm going to be done with everything I can get to in time to do the weekly updates on tonight's Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth, so I'll be back.

NASA Visiting Asteroids

NASA will launch the Dawn Mission from Cape Canaveral on July 7th. This mission will visit two of the largest asteroids nearby, Ceres and Vesta. It will touch down on the former in 2011 and then the latter in 2015.

Ceres was recently upgraded to "dwarf planet" - the same classification as Pluto (though Pluto's status seems to be in a constant state of flux, as late). It is thought to have a layer of ice at least 40 miles deep, and possibly up to 80, beneath its rocky surface. Vesta is void of water and appears to have been resurfaced by ancient lava flows.

The mission's objectives are:

• study internal structure and density
• determine size, composition, shape and mass
• examine surface features and craters
• understand the role of water in controlling asteroid evolution

Hatshepsut Found!

Well, but, I mean, she's dead.

One of the mummies discovered by Randolph Carter in 1903 is apparently that of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's three women rulers. Hatshepsut is said to have been more powerful than either of her two, more famous, compatriots, Nefertiti or Cleopatra, and is said to have dressed like a man and affected a fake beard.

Egyptologists made the claim at a packed press conference today in Cairo, and said a DNA lab has been set up close to the site, sponsored by the Discovery Channel. Some skeptics claim it is almost impossible to get DNA from a mummy, but the most pertinent evidence is a gap in the mummy's smile which apparently matches a tooth with Hatshepsut's name engraved upon it. The mummy also had her left arm folded, as befitting a member of royalty.

Hatshepsut's temple is one of the most revered of all the ancient Egyptian sites, wildly popular with visitors, and is said to have been the largest undertaking of the ancient empire. Hatshepsut's name and image was all but obliterated after her reign and it is believed to have been the work of her stepson, who succeeded her to the throne. It has been a while since I studied anything having to do with Egyptology, but if I remember correctly, she basically usurped the throne from him, as he was too young at the time, then refused to relinquish control - but I could be wrong about that! Going by memory here.

- BBC


© C Harris Lynn, 2007-2008

The History of EVP

Electronic Voice Phenomena, or EVP, has increasingly received attention over the years, as it is seen as some kind of "scientific proof" of an intelligent presence trying to communicate -- whether with the living, or simply because it is compelled to do so. Recently, movies such as White Noise, and TV programs such as Sci-Fi's Ghost Hunters have made the acronym a household term.

But the history of the collection of these recordings is as fascinating as the phenomena itself:

Thomas Edison, American inventor of the lightbulb and the phonograph, was actually working on a device which would provide whatever sources create these sounds, "a better opportunity to express themselves than the... crude methods now purported to be the only means of communication." Many may have thought this the product of old age and senility, but Edison's device -- if it was ever finalized and built -- was never revealed. Edison died in 1931.¹

In 1959, a Russian artist named Friedrich Jürgenson took a tape recorder outside his Stockholm villa to record birds. Upon playing the tape back, he thought he heard voices discussing the songs in Swedish and Norwegian. At first, he thought he had simply intercepted radio transmissions, but upon further research and more recordings, became convinced that he had captured voices of dead friends and colleagues. In 1964, he published a book entitled Voices from the Universe.

Former psychology professor turned parapsychologist, Konstantin Raudive, was so impressed that he met with Jürgenson and declared his breakthroughs to be empirical scientific evidence of life after death. The two worked together closely until 1969, when differences caused them to part ways. Raudive continued his work on his own and pioneered the "white noise" concept, hooking his equipment up to radios, believing that voices could be heard in the static between stations. Some of his confidants included Adolf Hitler and Carl Jung. A book on his research was published in 1968.

Shortly thereafter, Raudive claimed he had been visited by envoys from NASA, who asked "unusually pertinent questions." Raudive continued his research until his death in September, 1974.

¹: Because it was stolen from Tesla, and suppressed by the FBI.

Phantom Dogs

Now this is why I say a firm background in folklore is more important to ghost hunting than one in science:

I knew that, back in Medieval and other times, when a new graveyard was fashioned, a living person was often buried alive in a fresh grave to create a guardian spirit that was supposed to protect the area. If not, the first person buried there was thought to return as a ghost to perform these duties. Basically, the ghost protected the graveyard from the Devil and was hoped to dissuade grave robbers. These ghosts were thought to possess special powers which helped them serve their position. Many times, a living person was walled-up alive in new structures for the same reasons. This was a particularly common practice amongst the Celts.

What I did not know is that it was also common practice to bury large, black dogs!

Why is this important? Large, black, phantom dogs have been reported more or less worldwide, but are a particular phenomena in Europe. In fact, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery, Hound of the Baskervilles, is based on accounts of these dogs. Sometimes they roam in packs, but just as often, they are said to be encountered singly. They are said to be huge, black dogs with glowing red eyes, and are sometimes called Devil Dogs or Hell hounds.

We know that there are ghostly apparitions of animals - could this be the explanation of these phantom, "Devil" dogs? Other possible explanations are far less reputable, such as that these dogs are part of the Devil's hunting pack.

What's With All the Death?

I'm just segueing up a storm here, huh?  Well, I'd wanted to say this earlier anyway, but knew I had a lot more on the Supernatural (and hauntings, in particular) to come, so I was biding my time.

Of course, Ghost Hunters just returned recently, and that has been good for some ghostly discussion and all, but the book I checked out from the library was actually due yesterday and I had to renew it -- just crept-up on me, to be honest -- because I am only halfway through it.  So, I figured I'd better go on and dispense with everything I can get from it while I have it.

This book is pretty old (pretty thorough in places, but still old) and doesn't have much in the way of theory and so forth, so I had to do a lot of cross-referencing, which has taken some time.  That's why I've been on this ghost kick lately.  Once you get this far into something, it's hard to change gears suddenly, then come back to it later.

But, the best thing about older books like this one is that they are so much closer to their sources.  Books nowadays provide so much theoretical scientific bullshit (well, that's a little harsh, but keep reading) that it seems like the author is apologizing for even bothering to write on the subject, much less taking it seriously.  Modern Science, Medicine, Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Surgery came from the study of Alchemy; Astronomy from Astrology and Weather-watching; hell, Archaeology was the result of a cat who read about the siege of Troy, took a spade to the spot, and dug it up!

The result is that a lot of the pertinent folklore with which we, as phenomenalists and researchers, should be concerned and need to know is excised from the accounts in favor of more "scientific" data.  I think a firm grounding in the Occult, Spiritualism, Religion, and Folklore is far more important to the study of the Supernatural than Science and Psychology.

But I agree that these fields have a very important place in Parapsychology and the research of all things Fortean.

© C Harris Lynn, 2007-2008

Ghost of Guy and Gus, The Nazi

These two accounts seem to fall into the Poltergeist category, and I thought I would post them in order that they might be used to further the categorization and division discussion with which I have recently been involved (with myself, but maybe one day, someone will comment).

One of the earliest and best documented "spirit voice" cases in Europe is that of Guy from the year, 1323. In the town of Alais, Provence, a spirit voice was heard in a private home, shortly after the owner, one Guy de Torno, died. The disturbance was so noisome that it brought four friars from the local priory who are said to have actually held a conversation with the ghost. After eight days, they claimed the voice had told them the only way it could be released from haunting its former home is if they said 100 Masses for his soul. After doing so, the voice disappeared and did not return. Some insist that de Torno's widow, who was said to be unstable, may have fooled the townspeople and friars through ventriloquism, but my problem with this is very simple: she would have been called a witch (even though this predates witch-burning slightly) and, if she (or really anyone else) had done this for attention, why would they suddenly stop? Why not continue the ruse? If not doing it for attention, then why do it at all? The only other possible explanation would be that the widow thought her husband a wicked man and, being unstable, thought this the best way to put his soul to rest. But... eight days? Occam's Razor itself insists this was a real haunting.

The other story I liked because it is an actual German poltergeist (poltergeist is German for "noisy ghost") and was first reported in Bavaria in 1949. "Gus the Nazi" took exception to German women who fraternized with Allied forces and threw things at them, even tipped them from their beds! In one account, he is said to have cropped the hair of a girl in front of her parents!

Term: Cryptozoology

I am so glad this all came up with the news on the Bigfoot Expedition by the BFRO, because I have been really waiting for something to come up so I could broach this topic with a bit of a segue from our recent Supernatural-centric posts. Of course, I can always just flit from subject to subject, but a good segue is always... good. Unless you stick a Bigfoot in it.

And speaking of Bigfoot...

Cryptozoology is not a very popular term outside of phenomenalists and enthusiasts and is frequently misused and misdefined. Cryptozoology was first coined by Bernard Heuvelmans and means, quite literally, "The search for and study of unknown animals." In its purest and strictest sense, cryptozoology has absolutely nothing to do with legend, mythology, or folklore, but the connotation exists specifically because most unknown animals (that is to say, animals not catalogued by science - specifically zoology) are usually found in folklore long before they are actually catalogued. That is to say eyewitness accounts and general stories exist long before the creature(s) is actually verified by the eggheads what run The Show, and so these accounts are relegated to the folklore bin.

Of course, new species of animals - both small and large - are discovered on a very regular basis. One of the greatest slaps in the face to modern scientists occurred in 1992, when a species of a Vietnamese antelope that indigenous peoples had reported for years and years was finally photographed - of course, many mainstream scientists had previously mocked these inhabitants, insisting the creature was a "mass hallucination" and the result of, basically, ignorant, untrained peasants and their overactive imaginations fueled by campfire stories and folklore.

Cryptozoology is not a bad word, it has just assumed a bad connotation from mainstream scientists who consider it "fringe" science.

On Bigfoot, Cryptozoology, and Terms

I've spoken before on how I hope this blog one day becomes an important repository for terms and forwards the study of the paranormal, Supernatural, and related phenomena, such as ESP, Ufology, and cryptozoology, and to those ends, I (and any and all who wish to participate) am trying to define a set of terms on which all investigators, researchers, and phenomenolists can use. A common set of agreed-upon terms is one of the keystones to advancing the study.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the creature - or a very close relative thereof - has been reported in every part of the world. In America, it is called Bigfoot; in Canada, Sasquatch; in Australia, the Yowie; in China, Almas; and so on. In many cases, other experts have simply referred to the entire phenomena as Wild Men or Hairy Bipeds (Jerome Clark), but my decision to use the blanket term, Bigfoot, is not because I am American; it is because all of these creatures, be they related or not, seem to have big feet!

It is very possible that one species could be Gigantopithicus (an ape thought extinct), where another could be Neanderthal, and still another some species simply unknown to Science as of yet. The South American Ape (mondo grande), which has been successfully photographed even though scientists panned the photo as a fake with absolutely no evidence and a landslide of accounts to the contrary, may very well account for at least one of the species involved in these numerous accounts. At any rate, while some are said to be fierce and others are said to be docile; some are smelly and black while others have long, shaggy, white hair; some apparently scream while others growl or emit gutteral yells; at the end of the day, nearly all are associated with large footprints.

And thus, Bigfoots (or Bigfeets, if you like).

New Bigfoot Expedition

The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization is organizing a new expedition to the North Peninsula, Canada. The Ontario Expedition will begin September 6^th and go through the 8^th. While this is an incredibly short trip, the primary objective (well, one of them) is to recruit new members from the Ontario region.

There is more than ample evidence to support the theory that some great creature roams the Americas. In 2001, Smithsonian Magazine published an article which definitively proved that DNA readings from a "Wild Man" hair sample did not match any known creature. The BFRO site itself holds many pieces of video and audio evidence any serious enthusiast will find interesting, as well ample discussion on the subject. In fact, such creatures have been reported for literally centuries in every part of the world! These creatures have also been reported in all 50 states in the U.S., though any reports from Hawaii were most likely mistaken reports of famed bounty hunter, Duane "Dog" Chapman.

Nexus Points (Ley Lines)

Nexus points are most often discussed in conjunction with Ley Lines.  Ley Lines are said to be invisible lines across the surface of the Earth which possess or enhance magical or paranormal properties at their intersecting points.  For this reason, landmarks have often been positioned along these lines.  While much has been made of ley lines in certain circles, nothing conclusive has come to light.

While there are some interesting coincidences as to how certain landmarks and features seem to line-up (particularly in Europe), my personal theory is that this was a practical matter for ancient peoples who used these landmarks as exactly that: Travel guides, later (and once upon a time) connected by roads.  Of course, these ancient architects may very well have felt that there were some mystical properties to these features and/or the way they lined-up, but we may never know.

I generally tend to discount anything having to do with Ley Lines.

On quite the other hand, I believe there is some kind of evidence for "nexus points" -- places, locations, and areas which, for whatever reason, lay at the center of, or form a bridge between, our corporeal world (the Prime Material Plane, in many cases) and The Other Side (Spirit World, Dead World, even sometimes the Astral Plane -- though this latter term is incorrectly used).  In particular, there are places, such as the Borley Rectory, which do not seem to fit into any preconceived notions of your typical haunted house.

We've all heard the concepts of how, if a house is built on consecrated, holy, or "haunted" land, the structure itself will play host to the spirits there.  True to form, when the Borley Rectory was destroyed, the remains of a young woman were reportedly found buried beneath the basement.

But there is a question as to "Veridical Imagery," or "Afterimage" -- a term with which even experienced investigators might not be aware, though they all know the concept: Great distress, pain, or emotional hardship can leave what is basically an emotional photograph on an area that becomes visible or active (as emotional motion pictures) at times and/or to different people (often called "Sensitives," "psychics," or "mediums").

Australian Aborigines Threaten Civil Disobedience

Aborigines in the shadow of Australia's famous Uluru, or Ayer's Rock, have threatened to ban tourists to the area if the government goes forward with a proposed ban on alcohol and pornography in the Northern Territory where it lays.

Acting in response to Aboriginal child sexual abuse, John Howard wants to ban alcohol and pornography in the area, as well as force Aboriginal children to undergo medical examinations. He likened the child sexual abuse epidemic to that of Hurricane Katrina.

But many Aboriginal leaders have said that it is totalitarian and an attempt to seize political control of their lands. They point out that the proposed ban would only last six months and this is an election year.

- BBC

Blows Invisible

In continuing on the theories I've advanced as to Elemental Manifestations, I wanted to discuss the real dividing line between what I would consider "mischievous" behavior and that which is downright maleficent. And to this, I bring some accounts of inexplicable attacks on human beings by forces Unknown, referred to as "Invisibles" by some.

In their seminal book, Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, authors John Michell and Robert Rickard begin discussing the Invisible with accounts of hair-stealing. While originally thought to be localized to China, they discuss a short outbreak of similar events in London in December 1922. In some cases, the hair was said to disappear as soon as it was cut and the victims claimed to have felt their hair "being pulled."

While certainly injurious to the victims' appearance and ego, with very few exceptions, these attacks were not actually physically harmful, and so cannot be completely deemed "maleficent" or Evil. On the other hand, they are congruent with other activity reported to surround Elemental Manifestations and thus hint to me that they are no mere hauntings. Hair plays an important part in many Occult practices and rituals and has held a sort of mystical quality since Biblical times or before (Samson and Delilah).

But in this same discussion, the authors mention the bizarre events surrounding spontaneous wounds - some of which are said to be deadly to the victims. The most interesting of these involves the reported activity surrounding Coventry Street in London in April, 1922. A man was brought in with a stab wound to his neck, but all he could tell the doctors was that he had been walking along Coventry Street and, when he turned off of it, he had fallen to the ground. By the end of the day, two more men with the same wounds and the same story were admitted. The report was given in The People, April 1922.

In further posts, we will discuss more about Elementals, what they are and how they may come to be created. Assuming this report to be true and not - as it could be posited - an April Fool's joke, this is an Elemental that can be classified as a "Hate." Created by Evil thoughts when an Evil man is murdered, the Hate is said to seek revenge for its creator's death. This is a True Elemental, borne from the mind of Man, formed by Evil and angry thoughts, desires, hopes, or feelings. The advent of the man's death by murder is said to create such a spirit form.

But, again, given the fact that it appeared in a magazine in April and the events have not been repeated since, it may have been an April Fool's Day prank (they were pretty popular around that time). The number three is important in many branches of the Occult.

Things What Done Fell From the Sky, Pt. 3 - Frogs & Toads

Frogs and toads comprise the largest number of accounts of Things What Done Fell from the Sky, and we would be completely remiss not to include some of them. Of course, as they are so numerous and many sources draw from one another, it is almost certain that we are going to repeat a few accounts along the way. As slow as Blogger has been lately, I didn't want to sit around, waiting for 10-20 minutes for the older entries to load so I could double-check. Lazy? Sure. But it is what it is.

That being said, here are some accounts of frogs and toads showering from the heavens:

• September 23^rd, 1973: Tens of thousands of tiny toads rained on the French village of Brignoles.
• September 5^th, 1922: Small toads rained for two days on Chãlon-sur-Saône.
• August 1804: A rain of young toads fell over an area close to Toulouse. It was a bright, clear day and a great cloud appeared suddenly.
• January 2^nd, 1973: A "shower of tiny frogs... about the size of nickels" fell in Arkansas during a thunderstorm. The account was carried by the Camden News.

Of course, there are literally hundreds (if not more) of these stories and we will be bringing you more over time. One of the interesting thing about these events in particular is that some showers happened along with rainfall and thunderstorms, while others sprung-up suddenly, as generally a lone, dark cloud appeared in an otherwise bright, sunny sky.

Prescience in Spiritual Manifestation

The act of prescience (which probably should be capitalized, but isn't because Elite Caps are so... Elite) is the foretelling of the future. While all of what I'm about to be say needs to be qualified (and will be), let me first point out that prescience in a human being with ESP (often called a "psychic," but sometimes called things like "prophet" in religious circles) almost always comes and goes in certain patterns - indiscernible as yet except amongst those who feel them, and completely misunderstood even by them.

Most people who are blessed/cursed with ESP have prescient visions, notions, dreams, or other immeasurable (currently) experiences which have almost nothing to do with truly important events. You might feel a damning sense of Deja-vu while ordering a drink, for example: you feel that, if you order a beer instead of a Coke, a fight will break out, but you feel powerless to stop the fight no matter what you order and you really wanted to order a beer, so you order a beer anyway and then a fight breaks out - just like you "remembered" and you feel responsible. You aren't. Such seemingly innocuous events do not have a greater "Butterfly Effect" across all of history; you are fine. You wanted a beer and you bought one; those schlubs were going to fight, anyway. This is what the Secular World refers to as Hallucinatory.

Do not EVER take drugs from someone who is paid to give them to you.

When prescience is involved with paranormal activity, it is always due to some spiritual presence. Always.

This is what separates "psychokinesis" from "telekinesis" in ESP, but the division cannot truly be made in living things. And thus, should not be in dead ones: if any spirit - living or dead - can move things without obvious physical means, it is doing so by its very sheer force of Will, not its mind, and is possessed of kinetic energy projection. You can call it KEP, if you want; I do. Only living beings employ deceptive methods to fool investigative attempts; dead things can just move stuff.

Whether or not it uses its own sheer force of will ("psycho"-kinesis) or uses its mental acumen or ability to force its will on disconnected spirits which perform its bidding, the end results are the same and that's all we can measure because that's all we can actually... like MEASURE, gentlemen; if a spirit, living or dead, can move an(y) object(s) without visible means of support, it is possessed of the ability we call KEP. Further, true KEP is not done slowly; it happens very quickly - sometimes within the blink of an eye. Film of things moving slowly over the course of several hours is usually faked - at the very least, it is rarely caused by KEP.

True Prescience - the matter of literally knowing about future events as opposed to predicting them - is an Elemental secret. If a human possesses this ability, it may be a matter of Possession. But being "possessed" does not mean that the spirit manifestation is necessarily Evil: it does not mean that it is malefic, mercurial, Elemental, or even Apparent; the cat what is possessed may very well have the sixth sense (ESP), and may have given over control to spiritual influence. This is dangerous and should be downplayed and discouraged but not condemned; there are "automatic mediums" and places and spirits of great power. Being "possessed" cannot always be avoided by those with ESP.

BUT we're talking about prescience, aren't we? In living things, none of these disciplines should be divided; it is all ESP. In dead things, the question is to whether or not it is a matter of Poltergeist or Elemental activity - further (ONLY within investigative matters and peoples; NEVER, EVER tell media outlets), Daemonic or Natural - and prescience is not present within any spirits except those what have not lived, kids.

Changes

I made some minor, cosmetic changes to the template that I have been putting off due to Blogger's extremely slow response lately. You might not be able to really tell them, but they are there.

The difference between hosting a blog on your own through FTP and using BlogSpot is that you have to manually edit the template and there are a lot of "widgets" now with which I am not familiar. I've tried a few things here and there, just to see how things work, and they haven't really worked like I expected them to, so I don't want to waste all night messing with it.

Anyway, I'll keep playing with things. I'm going to be submitting to more search engines this weekend and some other, behind-the-scenes things, so if you don't hear from me, that's why.

Also, if anyone else runs any paranormal-related blogs or sites and would like to trade links, please leave a message and I'm more than happy to add you to the BlogRoll! I simply haven't had the time to go blog-hunting lately.

Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth

I didn't make really any entries on any blogs yesterday. I could have, but it would really have grasping at straws; just nothing much that interesting has happened the past few days. Luckily, last night brought one of our favorite shows, Ghost Hunters, as well as yet another episode of a new and fun show, Destination Truth.

I haven't heard much about Destination Truth in general, but I really like it. The host, Josh, is really funny and knows what he is doing. Plus, he takes on cases across the paranormal board: cryptozoological hunts, hauntings, UFOs, just whatever he comes across that looks promising. Last night, he caught some images of what is called the Ropen from Papua, New Guinea. I had not heard of this particular creature, but the evidence he collected is pretty powerful; there is definitely something there, though there is no way to know exactly what it is. I missed the second half of the show, unfortunately.

On Ghost Hunters, we got two good cases which provided some solid evidence. The first one was particularly interesting, since Steve and another investigator, Lisa, managed to communicate with a spirit. The homeowner had said that toys turned themselves on and off and sometimes seem to respond to her. In the basement, the pair heard a toy turn itself on, so they asked it to do it again, and it complied! Then Steve asked it to do it three times in a row "fast" and it complied again! Truly classic stuff.

All in all, an interesting night of TV, especially since I caught Creepshow and Creepshow II on IFC right after that!

Chilean Lake Disappears!

A glacial lake in Chile has literally disappeared. When rangers observed the lake in March, it was its normal size. When they returned to observe the lake in May, it was completely gone. All that remained were a few large chunks of ice that used to float on the water.

The going theory is that an earthquake opened a fissure beneath the lake, into which it flowed. The region is a hot spot of such earthquake activity. One glacier specialist in the region told newspapers that this was simply more activity in the ever-changing landscape, noting that the lake itself was not even there until about 30 years ago.

- BBC

More on Elementals

I know I've gone on about this lately, but I have had this train of thought going for a long time now and either had problems posting (like this weekend) or kept putting it off, so I figured I'd go ahead and get most everything I have on my mind about it out now, while it's still fresh and then worry about what else I have to say another day (besides, I'll have Ghost Hunters to talk about tomorrow):

Keep in mind that the word "demon" comes from Elemental, so I posit that we refer to these hauntings in general as Elemental Manifestations, but within the investigative community, we make a clear distinction between those hauntings which feature mercurial personalities and those that feature malefic ones.

This has nothing to do with the actual phenomena present; prescience, clairvoyance, telekinetic activity - these abilities may very well be the sole domain of one or the other force, but that is not the question. All we are concerned with is whether or not the force is Evil or not, and that's not to say that it cannot be mischievous or even callous from time to time, just to say that if the activity is mean-spirited and dangerous in general, it is Dæmonic activity. A phenomenon such as the Duenda de Zaragoza is Elemental (by all accounts I've read) in nature, for example.

Still, I think it important that the name be specifically changed to Elemental Infestation as opposed to Demonic for the general public's sake. It takes the religious connotations out of the word.

Daemons and Elementals

To forward the idea of classifying spirits and Supernatural phenomena, I proffer the following:

There is a difference in general Supernatural phenomena and Dæmonic activity and this division must be nurtured. We can discern all sorts of very obvious, very straightforward differences between such hauntings as those involving an image or other insubstantial (incorporeal) advents, those involving the physical manipulation of solid objects (poltergeist), and those involving what can only be considered malefic forces. Consider the truly bizarre phenomena surrounding the Bell Witch, which was far more than mere poltergeist activity.

Let us then turn to the matter of Elementals, from which the term "Demons" was culled. Elementals are spirits, not necessarily tied to the elements themselves (contrary to popular belief), that have never existed in human form. They are sometimes malefic, but usually mercurial in nature, and are said to often possess such abilities as clairaudience, clairvoyance, prescience, and telekinesis. They also produce solid materials from nowhere.

"Dæmon" is basically a corruption of Elemental, and since the former has become so intimately associated with religion, I say we should turn back to the original word, but keep the general meaning. Of course, this demands a greater division, since simply assuming that all Elemental hauntings are basically "mercurial in nature" is fallacious; there are undeniably Evil forces at work in certain places/people and many psychics and mediums have claimed to hear the guiding, disembodied voice (invariably male, by my research) of something with prescience. This voice(s) is sometimes called "The Masters" (Occult) but also often referred to as "Elementals" or just plain "Spirits."

The phenomena surrounding such obviously intelligent spirits, who also frequently seem to have a prurient (or at least hyperactive) interest in sex as well as a cutting and sometimes callous wit, cannot be chalked-up to simple poltergeist activity, such as the moving of objects, rapping on surfaces, and so on. And "traditional" hauntings, where the phenomena centers around specific images or incorporeal activity, are easily separated from either of the other two.

Hauntings Classifications

I know the recent position has been to basically group all ghosts, hauntings, and inexplicable events into broader categories. This works for psychic phenomena, which should be grouped only as ESP, because everyone who shows some psychic gift exhibits at least one or two other forms of psychic phenomena; this doesn't work so well for the Supernatural for several reasons.

The big division made, when it is, is between "traditional" and "poltergeist" hauntings. Even TAPS has made the division between possible daemonic infestations and other hauntings early-on in the series, and while many investigators maintain this at least intellectually, it is not popularly-forwarded mainly because it suggests actual Evil forces exist and connotes religious overtones and associations. Investigators are interested in having their research taken seriously and the scientific community is notoriously secular.

Such divisions can be dangerous, unduly influencing other researchers, but I think it's important to start trying to not just classify hauntings, but try to develop some way of actually identifying them. The identifications may be incorrect, but there's only one way to find out and that's to try it.

G.N.M. Tyrell, Apparitions

1. Experimental ghosts - The image of people still alive appears to others at different places (thought projection, astral traveling, astral projection, ESP, Occult)
2. Crisis ghosts - Ghosts who appear to family members during times of crises, most usually during the ghost's death (ESP, clairaudience, clairvoyance - not prescience, none of these spirit manifestations involve prescience)
3. Post-mortem ghosts - Images that appear long enough after the person is dead to be nothing but a ghost
4. True ghosts - Those that appear to observers who did not know them throughout the years, ungoverned by time but usually bound to a specific location

I'm going to advance some ideas over the course of this blog to further the classifications of ghosts, along with much discussion.

Are You Seeing This?

I have a lot to get to, including some obscure haunting and investigative terms, spectral photography and the Crewes Circle, and another installment of Things What Done Fell From the Sky, but I kept getting all these FTP errors over the weekend whenever I published anything. I also want to make some changes to the template because it is so sloppy, but like I say, there was no sense in messing with anything while I was getting all these errors.

I seem to be seeing things fine over here, and I have had no problems posting to Weird Ink, but this one kept giving me issues the whole weekend, so I decided just to wait and see if it would situate itself. Besides, there is no customer support at my hosting service over the weekends. There used to be, then they unceremoniously shut it down and didn't even bother to send us a notice!

I am on dial-up, which makes everything pretty slow anyway, but this was something different and apparently nothing I could control. If I keep getting these errors, I'll call the company and see what they've got, otherwise, I have about 4-5+ posts I'm going to dump on you between now and tomorrow!

Into the Unknown

I meant to discuss this the other night and just forgot about it and got busy elsewhere and never got back to it, but following the usual Wednesday night suspects (Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth) was a new series which was certainly more educational than the other two and fairly entertaining, as well.

Into the Unknown was basically a talk show concerning the paranormal and the premiere episode focused on the Supernatural. Along with some impressive EVP evidence collected by two investigators from Texas, we also heard from a NASA-trained investigator who had some interesting theories regarding electrostatic fields, as well as a new device he hopes will help investigators in their work. Of course, this new device will collect more evidence to further his theory regarding electrostatic fields, but it is a tenable hypothesis.

Most interestingly, this investigator admitted that he is certain such energies exist - these things we call "ghosts" - and that he believes they likely have some sort of connection to personalities whose "mortal coils" have expired. Whether or not these things are connected directly to this phenomena of electrostatic energy fields is not for me to say; I see the merit in such an hypothesis, but also believe that such energy could be manipulated by other forces. Still, the only way to start answering these questions is to start collecting the data and doing the research.

I really liked the show and am interested to see where it goes.

More on Bogies

I recently brought up the subject of Bogies - dwarfen creatures who were said to be the servants of the Devil. In particular, I was discussing how an EVP recently featured on the Ghost Hunters show sounded like it said, "I want my bones," which is what Bogies were said to have moaned (their "Whachoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" catch-phrase).

Then I was reminded that there are pictures and even film which purport to show images of dwarfen creatures. In fact, while not necessarily identified as Bogies, these creatures are not altogether uncommon. Reports of them most often come up around locales associated with Poltergeist activity - more specifically, sites generally associated with tales of human suffering, evil deeds, and so forth, such as the Waverly Sanitorium.

The more I think about this, the more I see the need to classify these creatures as Bogies, along with all the Satanic associations.

But, of course, we all know about photographic fakery, which reached its zenith at the turn of the 20^th-Century. I will post more about that today.

Ghost Hunters EVP Identified?

Now, you might not buy this, but earlier, when we heard the EVP on Ghost Hunters I said I did not think it said, "Hello." I offered some guesses (post immediately following), but I have to be honest, I couldn't make it out during the program and missed the recast. I originally thought it said something about "bones." I didn't mention that earlier because I couldn't make any sense of it and, out of context, I could only think of "my bones" or "I'm bones," or something.

Bogies are horrid, dangerous spirits thought to attack or frighten anyone who doesn't show them respect. They were thought to be short, squat, coal black and hairy, and have ugly, grinning faces. This is the basis of the Bogie-Man (Bogeyman, Boogieman) legend, which parents use to frighten their kids. Then I read this from a source I got from the Decaturville, TN Public Library about Bogies:

"It was once thought they were the most powerful among ghosts because they served as the assistants to the Devil during his evil-doing amongst mankind. They apparently have the ability to change their shape at will and sometimes make a wailing noise that sounds as if they are calling, 'I want my bones.'" - source, pg. 18 (italics mine)

How kick-ass is that shit?

Given the nature of the Hell-Fire Caves -- which most certainly were used by Satanic clubs (one of which Ben Franklin, along with several other Founding Fathers, was a member¹) - doesn't that EVP sound like it was saying, "I want my bones?"

And, before the skeptics get to hollering, remember that these cats were practicing their rituals -- whatever those may have been (this was long before the days of LaVey) -- in the days when Bogies were still a very popular legend. Today, they've taken the form of the Bogeyman, and the whole, "I want my bones," and Devil-worshipping / assisting aspects have been forgotten. But when these guys were doing whatever they were doing, this was a popular legend in its original, Satanic form.

I happen to know a bit about these clubs and the people who participated in them, as they've filtered down into such "secret societies" as the Skull & Bones and others (which are based directly on these original Hellfire Club sects), and they were "Satanic" in nature -- mainly because they openly-mocked the Puritanical practices and beliefs of the practicing Church. I put Satanic in quotes because their Pagan rituals were largely drunken romps -- yet they did invoke Satan in mockery.

This being said, it's not that these guys were necessarily worshipping Satan as we think of it today, but the basic idea was the same: some Dogmatic rituals were practiced more to mock Christianity -- or, more specifically, the dominant Christian doctrines and ideology of the times -- then they all got drunk, ate too much, did some drugs, and had "illicit" and "deviant" sex. Of course, they likely dipped into all sorts of religions and Occult practices as they heard about or learned of them, all of which would have been considered "Satanic" at the time, which is why I bother to make the division.

At any rate, whether truly Bogies or merely "Masters" taunting the investigators, the legend not only fits the time, it fits the locale, and sounds like what I heard in the Ghost Hunters EVP. If these are the recording of ethereal voices manifest from an independent intelligence that was alive during these times, then it would certainly be aware of the legend and may (or may not) have been taunting the investigators. Another theory is that the intelligence is not aware that the legend has since died, so it is not trying to test their intelligence, knowledge, or resources -- just trying to scare them away.

Maybe the legend of the bogie as a malevolent spirit is true and it deserves attention as a species(?) or independent type of haunting.

¹: Franklin visited the Hell-Fire Caves.

Tonight's Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth

Now, I won't say I'm not a sucker, because I can't say I haven't been fooled before, won't be fooled again, or whatever; I can't really judge that for myself, but I don't think that keeping an open mind automatically makes me a fool or prone to believing things others would deem "obvious" bullshit.

That being said, I will admit that I am prone to being skeptical of "trained professionals'" opinions on matters Unexplained and I'll tell you why -- and it's so basic that I find many of the so-called "skeptics" who forward their findings as indisputable "evidence" to be the real suckers: They have a vested interest in disputing the Unexplained.

1. Do you really think a professional Marine Biologist is going to go on record and admit that he thinks YOU, a professional jackass in his estimation (most likely), have discovered a new marine biological species?
2. Don't you think it more likely that if this professional consultant really thinks there is a new species, he will take that evidence and try to drum-up funding on his own to gather more evidence, then claim to have been the one to discover it?
3. Things simply aren't done this way in the scientific field(s), in general. Basically, when a new discovery is made, that intelligence is kept very, very quiet for a long, long time so that no one else molests the area, data, specimen, etc., while more data is gathered.

So, when that dude said tonight that he saw nothing on that tape that could be anything other than a giant catfish, I just don't buy it. Plus, I loved the EVP Josh and team caught in the sealed room of the crematorium! I was especially impressed when he took it to the translator who said (completely without provocation, insofar as we know) -- it sounded like it said, in the native tongue, "[Everybody] Get out of here!"

The evidence on Ghost Hunters tonight, caught in the infamous Hell-Fire Caves of London, was also impressive -- although I didn't find the visual evidence particularly impressive, even with the host's personal confirmation of the phenomena; I believe it is actual evidence, but deem it inadmissible as there's just no way to tell whether or not someone was down there with a flashlight. And it definitely looked like someone was down there shining a flashlight.

But, again, the EVP captured were definitely persuasive. In particular, I want to point-out that I didn't think the one "identifiable" EVP from Ghost Hunters was saying "Hello." I'm not sure what it was saying, but it kind of sounded more like "I'm/It's cold," or maybe, "Go home" -- or something along those lines. If I didn't live in an apartment, I could hook my TV up to all these speakers and computers and actually hear it, but, alas...

Good shows, both.

Ghosts, Hunters, and a New Source

Don't forget tomorrow night's new Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth.  One reader said the latter needed to turn up something before its destination is nowhere, but I have to point out that it really isn't in these channels' best interests to lay to rest any of these mysteries.  If they did, say, catch the Loch Ness Monster, then they'd only have one episode to rerun!

At any rate, I stopped by the library today and picked up the only real source on ghosts they had: A Dictionary of Ghost Lore by Peter Haining.  The cover blurb disclaims it as an authoritative source and I'm one of those "collectors" and "cataloguers," so if I turn up any new insights or terms, we'll run them through the mill.

I don't like to read reviews before I check things out because I find it taints my opinion and often spoils the process.  So, if it's a shit book, I'll find out soon enough on my own.  But feel free to weigh-in if you've read it yourself!

Beer Goggles

Sorry for all the typos and stuff as late. The story is pretty simple:

Friday night (or was it Saturday?), I bought myself a 6-pack of "tallboys" in a desperate attempt to save a little change (the thinking being that I'd get just as drunk off a 6-pack of tallboys as I would off the 8-9 beers I would drink otherwise). Not being used to the size of the can, and apparently just inebriated enough to completely forget the whole concept of condensation, I managed to pour pretty much an entire tallboy can o beer on the brand new keyboard I just purchased last month.

I mean the whole can.

It was like I was watching a movie or something; I jumped up and watched the foam overtake the keys, mesmerized.

I took it to the sink and poured the can of beer out of the keyboard, but I was too lazy to go digging through the bedroom for one that worked... and I was interested to see if it would still work. The good thing about this story is that some of the keys did still work, but I shouldn't have been using it to post with because I was obviously just wonky enough to not be able to determine exactly which keys worked...

At any rate, much like the current design of this blog, it was shoddy and lackluster, and I apologize. I take the subjects discussed here seriously (even though I may take a lighthearted approach to some of it), but I am human and I'll let you in on a little secret:

Part of the reason I haven't done more work here is because Blogger has a very bad tendency of timing-out when uploading. I'm running this blog through Blogger via FTP and it takes sometimes as much as 2-3 minutes to upload. That may not sound like a long time, but it's very frustrating when you realize you forgot a comma right after you hit the "Publish Post" button!

Still, I'm pleased to see people are reading and I promise to pay closer attention to the details from now on.

One-in-a-Million Find

6 year-old Nicholas Wagner had just learned about blue-eyed cicadas in kindergarten the day he came home and told his mother that he was going out in their backyard to find one. Most cicadas have red eyes; only one in a million has blue eyes, but they do exist.

After "a long time," the boy came in and told his mom he had in fact found a blue-eyed cicada!

While the find is rare, it is not unheard of. The genetic mutation which causes the blue eye color is found in about one of every million cicadas, as mentioned, but as expert Gene Kritsky says, there are hundreds of millions of cicadas.

Smart Clothes to Monitor Health

If you ever played the tabletop RPG Cyberpunk, you remember the many health monitoring devices you could purchase for your character that were built into the clothes. Well, that dark future is now.

European scientists are developing "intelligent textiles" which have built-in sensors to monitor things such as sweat and blood. Termed the Biotex program, it includes members of eight institutions, and a prototype multi-sensor test patch is already under development.

Researchers hope the smart clothes will be worn by recovering patients, injured athletes, and people undergoing intense training (such as astronauts).

Fountain of Youth in a Bottle?

An American firm claims to have developed a type of water that will speed healing. Scientists and doctors are hoping it will help victims of Diabetes. Up to 15% of Diabetes patients who develop foot ulcers result in amputation. A study showed patients with advanced foot ulcers who were treated with the water, along with an antibiotic, had a higher healing time compared to those who did not use it (43 days compared to 55, respectively).

The water, made by straining it through a special salt membrane, claims to kill virii, bacteria, and fungi, as well as aid in the healing of wounds. Its key ingredient, oxychlorine ions, are electrically-charged particles which work by completely surrounding free-living microbes, thus they prove no danger to human cells, which exist as part of a larger matrix. Studies have also shown the water kills 10 strains of bleach-resistant bacteria.

Source: BBC

Dr. Spock, I Presume?

Canadian doctors were shocked when they discovered a patient they were operating on bled green blood!

The patient had fallen asleep in a sitting position, which had caused what is called "compartment syndrome". The surgery to save his legs is known as a fasciotomie, where they make incisions to relieve the pressure in the affected areas. But when the incisions were made, the patient's blood was green!

As it turns out, he has been ingesting large amounts of Sumatriptan, a medicine which introduces sulphur into the bloodstream and turns it green. Dr. Spock, on the Star Trek series, had a human mother and Vulcan father. His blood was green because the oxygen-carrying agent in Vulcan blood carries copper, instead of iron, as is found in humans.

The patient's surgery went fine and he is recovering nicely. Green blood and all.

Magnets May Offer Some Help

Magnets may offer help in mental- and brain-centralized diseases, according to new research. The magnetic fields apparently not only stimulate electromagnetic forces which prove beneficial to the patient in a number of ways, they also seem to strengthen the brain "muscles" which control, function, and produce these same benefits.

While more in-depth, scientific discussion can be found elsewhere, and the recent BBC article does a fair job of running down the details, I would suggest that it works much like the physical practice of "traction."

In traction, you are hooked a to a machine which is only fairly uncomfortable According to the severity of your injury(s), the process lasts between 20 minutes to far longer. The machine is strapped to your chin and about your ears (behind and to the sides), and literally pulls your neck from your torso for about 20-30 seconds [again, depending on the injury]). It then relaxes the neck and connecting muscles for the same amount of time. It is slightly uncomfortable, but only very rarely painful -- and you have a panic button in your hand at all times to stop it whenever you want -- and it works. While it does not immediately quell the pain and cannot "cure" it, it helps immensely.

I believe magnetic forces can and will do the same and should be pursued to see how well they play out. Even if we agree that the brain tissue is not a muscle as we know it, it is most likely capable of being exercised and strengthened and the ebb and tide of the magnetic field -- the real "traction" for the ol' bean -- logically seems to work.

The Ancient Art of Alchemy

Most balk at Alchemy, though they know nothing about it.  The truth is that Alchemy and its practitioners -- the Alchemists, Witches, and Wizards of their day -- were the very forefathers of modern-day scientists, doctors, pharmacists, and more.  They were persecuted mercilessly by the emerging medical practitioners, mostly under the auspices of the Catholic Church.

While Alchemy was, at its basest, the search for transmuting lead into gold, this was only the most physical aspect of the art (and the ultimate prize); Alchemists claimed that its study brought forth interior changes -- psychical changes within the Alchemist himself which transformed the "lead" of his everyday life into spiritual "gold."

One of the most famous, and most recent, alchemists was none other than Israel Regardie himself, author of the now infamous Golden Dawn (whose publication got him thrown out of the circle and scorned by his peers and one-time colleagues), though he admitted he never actually completed any great Transmutation through the practice.

One of the most authoritative documents claiming to have succeeded in Alchemy is almost certainly a fraud:

Attributed to one Nicholas Flamel, it first appeared in 1612.  A very rich man who had made public his interest in Alchemy (1130-1417), Flamel was a scrivener, a preparer of legal documents, and the date of his supposed Alchemical breakthrough given in this autobiography was Monday, January 17^th, 1382.   But the 17^th of January, 1382 was not a Monday --- an easy mistake for anyone else, but an unlikely one for a scrivener.

We'll delve much further into the Art of Alchemy as the weeks go on.

© C Harris Lynn, 2007

Ghastly Classifications.

There is no real ongoing series for accounts of ghosts, hauntings, phantasms, and spectres in all their many forms. Ghosts run the gamut of simple apparitions to full-bodied phantasms, to poltergeists, to the unseen haunting.

Many ghastly manifestations seem centered around a specific structure, room, area, person(s), or time of day. There are two major divisions of spiritual manifestations: those that are attached to a specific place or area and those that are connected with an individual or collective, such as a family. Amongst these, there are generally three types of phantasms:

1. The unseen spirit who makes its presence known by manipulating real, corporeal objects. These are often called "spirits" or "ghosts," and they are usually innocuous. They often appear in one form or another, sometimes as solid beings and sometimes as phantasmal, transparent visions. Rarely, they interact with viewers, typically children. They often show up on film and cause little or no harm. They may, but rarely, speak in voices.
   
2. The second type is the Poltergeist, based on the Germanic word, noisy ghost, which frequently moves items around - often violently - slams doors, and even physically touch and sometimes attack people. They may speak in voices, whispers, or even yells or screams. Sometimes, they have been known to hurl items, break them, or worse. In extreme cases, they rearrange entire rooms, stacking furniture and other items in impossible and bizarre formations.
   
3. The third most common type (thankfully very rare) is the Daemonic entity. Daemonic entities are by far the most dangerous and have been known to appear in full-form that is sometimes impossible to differentiate between the solid and phantasmagoric. They are infamous for truly terrible activities, such as nightly shrieks, violent attacks on living beings - such as slaps, punches, scratches, even producing solid materials from absolutely nowhere. Daemonic entities are also said to be able to possess living human beings and grant them inhuman strength, change their personal facial features, possession, grant them precognition and prescience, as well as an uncanny knowledge of others' secrets and past events, produce materialistic items from thin air. Daemonic forces can affect anyone of any age and sometimes plague entire families. They are one of the few spirits known to follow families once they move. Daemonic forces also relish in showing off their abilities and partaking in particularly horrific, disgusting, and dangerous "pranks."

The type of spiritual phenomena we are focusing on now is of the first category. Ghosts always have a visual aspect, whether they seem solid or transparent, they come in two basic forms: the veridical apparition and the cognizant one. The former are often tied to a specific place or location, time, and event, and almost always follow a similar pattern, as though it is simply replaying an event(s) it has experienced before - like a replay of a recorded event. They almost never interact directly with the living.

For example, a ghost clad in Periodic clothing that appears about the same time every year is a Veridical Imagery; it may seem to be aware of you, but it does not speak and often seems to be frightened and compelled to continue some situation which rarely makes sense to onlookers. A phantasm dressed in Periodic costume who may or may not take on an air of "floating" may look at/through you, but will continue on its predestined trail, undeterred by your presence. They usually dissipate or dematerialize right through walls and/or other solid impedances unopposed. In other cases, many phantasms might appear in the midst of some sort of activity, such as a party, battle, horseride, or even train ride, only to dissipate or disappear entirely.

Veridical Imagery refers to phantasmagorical "replays" of events which supposedly cannot be changed and must be revisited and replayed by the damned souls trapped in reliving their deaths, tragic failures, or whatever, for time Immemorial. Other veridical imageries consist only of phantasmal noises, music and/or voices with no discernible source. Sometimes, this theory is advanced as a Veridical Afterimage, which assumes that some form of energy - as yet unknown - remains after death and is sometimes visible to, and/or interacts with, the living.

Many phantasmagorical images which do not appear to the naked eye show up later on film. Likewise, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) are almost never heard while being recorded and can only be catalogued by replaying the tapes and attempting to decipher the communications.

None of these phenomena can currently be explained by modern accepted Science and are thus quickly dismissed, along with serious researchers, cataloguers, and hunters like ourselves.

In further entries, we'll turn our attentions to some very interesting and "classic" cases of these things and attempt to catalogue them according these criteria.

What in the World: Paris Hilton?

Starting yet another ongoing series, What in the World will look deeper into mysteries, weird news, and similar subjects, dissecting them and laying them bare so we can better understand the situations surrounding them.

Today, we're going to go a little deeper into the Paris Hilton debacle which I have been covering all day on pretty much all the blogs. The reason I wanted to do this is because I know some people will think I'm just talking about her to drum-up some traffic or something and that's honestly not the case.

This has everything to do with Sociology in general, and specifically how myths and legends are created. Let's face it: this entire episode has cemented Paris Hilton's legendary status. This will be shown, rebroadcast, dissected, analyzed, and eventually show up on VH1's I Love the 00's, as well as umpteen other shows like it. This is also going to be a case-in-point for other celebrities.

Outside of pop-culture, this is going to be a really big sticking-point in the legal circles, as well. Most all of the experts have said that anyone else arrested on these same charges would have only served several days, at best. It really is a case of her being treated unfairly, held up as an example to the other "bad girls" in Hollywood, as well as any others who see Hilton as some sort of role-model.

But my point here has a lot to do with folklore, legend, and myth. In today's reporting alone, we heard all about how Paris supposedly decided she was going to call in to court instead of showing up, but Greta van Susteren said the media was told that Paris would be calling-in by a Sheriff's deputy. It begs the question, now that we know of the struggle between the sheriff and the judge, if she decided this or she was told this would be okay by the sheriff, or someone in his department.

This mysterious "medical condition" which got her out of jail to begin with, verified and explained by Greta van Susteren, SMACKS of withdrawals from a certain drug, but it has widely been reported that she caught some kind of rash while in jail. The going "codeword" being used is "nervous breakdown," but there is no such thing as a "nervous breakdown" in medical jargon, and if Paris Hilton had a Psychotic Break, we would most certainly have heard about that.

There are several other factors which are shrouded in mystery and/or conflicting reports and I think it's important to see how it all plays out. This is how things happen when there is a panic, when there are strong emotions. Sure, this is over-the-top drama of a celebrity kind, but I want to keep this in mind and dissect it from a folklore perspective as it goes on, because I think we can learn a whole lot from this as researchers.

It sounds silly, but if Paris Hilton were Bigfoot - and there are glaring similarities - is this how everything would go down, is this how the public, media, and legal system would react? Think about that, as it's going to be the focal point throughout this discussion.

Sociological Implications of Hero Worship

Were you watching the television today in America?

With all of the arguments and the back-and-forth between "experts" and factions over whether or not celebrities, movies, music, video games, and similar entertainment, have an effect on kids and their behavior, I think the media coverage of Paris Hilton's non-appearance in court today proves -- beyond the shadow of any doubt -- that America is a celebrity-obsessed culture.   This being the case, how is it that anyone could honestly suggest that these things have no effect on society, in general, and children, specifically?

Here we, as the adults, are glued to our TVs, watching to see if this spoiled little brat is going to even bother to come out of her mansion which is now surrounded by media, protesters, onlookers, police, and paparazzi.  We are so engrossed with celebrity and the goings-on of these people that we've put our entire day on hold to see how this plays out, yet we insist that our children are not affected by these very same things.

Now I'm not suggesting that everyone gets a free pass -- that we blame the media for every bad social thing that occurs or every bad person that loses his shit and goes on a killing spree -- but I am insisting that this sort of celebrity obsession and focus on media, in general, definitely plays a part in our children's lives because it plays such a big part in all of ours.

Children are extremely impressionable and not just in that ephemeral, emotional sort of way; their brains are not fully-developed, their personalities are not fully actualized, and they look to us (adults) to see how we behave and what we think in order to piece these facets of their being together.

In this specific case, there are all sorts of other factors in play: The LA police refused to comply with the judge's orders -- not once, but twice!  Children -- hell, even we adults! -- do not understand that this is what we call "politics" and that these are very real, very corrupt, very contentious, very celebrity-obsessed individuals who comprise these forces; children see the police as a singular entity and the judge as a fuzzy sort of higher authority figure.  All they understand from all of this is that Paris Hilton is more important than the indefinable authority forces who are trying to oppress her.

These things have an affect.

You cannot discount society as an individual when assigning blame.  The American "cowboy" stance against this -- the "Don't blame society" argument -- is exactly why these problems persist.  Of course society bears some of the responsibility here: Children learn from adults and adapt to their environment.

This specifically applies to Atheists and Agnostics, who tend to be the ones who argue that organisms adapt to their environment by way of Evolution, but just as often disregard the role society plays in development.

Drunken Toddler, Just Add Water

Students in Amsterdam have invented - wait for it - powdered alcohol!

This is pretty weird in and of itself, but the disturbing part is that the students blatantly admit they are aiming for the underage market! Since it is not in liquid form, it is apparently legal to sell it to kids under 16 (16 being the legal age to purchase tobacco products and alcohol in the Netherlands). It can also be sold tax-free for the same reason!

Called Booz2Go, the powdered alcohol is sold in packets that go for between $1.35 - 2.00. When you add water, it produces a lime-flavored drink similar to "Bacardi-mixed drinks," according to one of the inventors. While the alcohol content is a mere 3%, you have to remember that most American beer has an alcohol content of about 5%.

Even more interestingly, powdered alcohol, marketed as flavoring, was apparently sold in the US three years ago.

Things What Done Fell From the Sky, Pt. 2

Continuing on in our series on Things What Done Fell From the Sky, we have a few more accounts from the 20^th-Century and earlier, but I want to note that the phenomena has not let-up. Very recently, India experienced a shower of red rain which made international headlines.

These odd showers are often taken as portents or omens of bad things, but sometimes they are seen as actual showers of manna, which literally means "food of the gods," such as that which sustained the Israelites in Exodus 16:4-36, and as in the cases following:

• Fish fell from the sky on Singapore in 1861 during torrential rains following an earthquake. People scrambled to fill their baskets with the fishes.
• In Lake County, California, showers of "candy or sugar" fell on the nights of September 2^nd and 11^th, 1857. "The crystals were from ¹/₈^th - ¹/₄^th of an inch in length and the size of a goose quill. Syrup was made of it by some of the lady residents..." - Lyman L. Palmer, History of Napa and Lake Counties, p.71
• On Friday, March 3^rd, 1876, flakes of meat fell over an area 100 yards long and half as wide in Kentucky. Those who tasted it said it was neither mutton nor venison. Samples were collected and one expert claimed they were Nostoc, "a low form of vegetable existence." Seven other samples of the substance were tested by several other experts: 2 samples were said to be "lung tissue as from an infant or a horse," 3 were said to be muscle tissue, and the last two were thought to be cartilage.

Yummy! Hope you weren't sitting down to dinner...

Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth

Well, tonight was full of premieres on the Sci-Fi Channel -- with the season premiere of Ghost Hunters as well as the debut of a new series, Destination Truth.

I don't figure I need to say much about Ghost Hunters.  It's been proven a good, fun show -- and truly educational to anyone who has never been on a ghost hunt (a real, "professional" one).   It followed its tried-and-true formula (which isn't to say it's formulaic):

They went overseas, went dark, chatted and hunted, then did The Reveal.  Brian felt things no one else did.  But, the cool thing was that they found some evidence at both locations -- of course, this being the season premiere, that may be why this episode was shown first.  Hopefully the rest of the season will be as eventful, but like I said in an earlier post, one of the best things about this show is that they don't always find stuff.

Destination Truth was a welcome and very interesting surprise.  The host, Josh someone, really makes the show what it is: He's very passionate about what he does and he's very funny, too.  His narration is filled with pop-culture references and outright silliness, but never at the expense of the subject matter or the people with whom he is dealing.

Tonight, they traveled to New Guinea to seek proof of two uncatalogued creatures locals claim to have seen: A mermaid-like beast and what is possibly a living Iguanodon.   The most interesting thing is that they actually did uncover some evidence in the latter case!   One of the local tribes showed them bones from what is most definitely a huge animal, though it was not clear exactly what kind of animal it was.

At the end of the program, a zoologist who has been studying the local fauna and flora for decades suggested the bones might possibly belong to a saltwater crocodile, but that couldn't explain some of the other evidence they found in conjunction with the case. It also reminded me of another, possible modern-day dinosaur, which I'll get to here soon enough.

Destination Truth was a really interesting, good show, and I can't wait to see more of it!

Ghost Hunters Returns Tonight!

Just thought I'd check-in and remind everyone that the season premiere of Ghost Hunters is tonight on Sci-Fi at 8:00 PM, CST. I'll definitely be back here after the show to let you know what went down, and what I thought.

While Ghost Hunters is obviously a big hit for the Sci-Fi network, and seems to be pretty well-received by the general public, I have heard some rather disparaging remarks as to the authenticity of the show. Some seem to think that a lot of the situations and "evidence" collected by T.A.P.S. on the show is outright faked.

I stringently disagree; while I some of the interpersonal situations might be on the "reality TV" side (that is to say that they might happen off-camera, then be reenacted -- or are reenacted to get a better shot, etc.), I do not think the evidence collected or the paranormal experiences are faked by any means. Of course, I could be wrong about this -- and I sincerely hope I am not -- but I've seen all of the episodes (many of them more than once), and it's not like they find something every time -- most of the times, they don't find anything, at all!

Even my dad said, "This show's boring; nothing ever happens!"

What I mean is that, if they were going to manufacture evidence and falsify situations, why wouldn't they go full-force? One case in particular stands out: The episode on the boat where the bedspread appeared to come off the bed on its own. On further examination, the team discovered that someone had tampered with the camera, and moved the bedspread. Like they noted, had they taken the "evidence" at face value and presented it, their credibility would have been damaged when a third-party determined it had been faked.

It's really not in their best interests to falsify evidence or manufacture situations, and since their show's ratings and popularity seems to be on even ground, why would they?

US Major Ivory Importer

Two major wildlife conservation groups have determined that the United States is one of the major countries involved in the illegal importing of ivory. Officials visited shops in 15 cities and found over 23,000 pieces of ivory for sale. Both groups also noted that online auction site, eBay, has become a major conduit for the trade and sale of ivory.

Importing ivory into the US is a crime and US officials admitted there probably wasn't enough local enforcement. But they also said that if ivory is being sold in states where it is not illegal, then they do not have the authority to do anything. eBay has said it will prevent further international ivory trading on its site.

Ivory trade has halved the elephant population in Africa in under a decade. Importing ivory into America was decreed illegal in 1989.

© C Harris Lynn, 2007-08

Talking Paper

Swedish scientists have developed a type of paper that can actually talk to the reader.   Using conducive inks which are sensitive to pressure, the paper can be used for advertising and other practical applications, such as reading for the blind.  One scientist suggested using the technology on cigarette packs so smokers would hear a warning whenever they get a cigarette.

The prototype display features travel locations so that when a viewer pushes on a postcard, a brief description of the locale is given.  The technology is expensive and scientists are hoping to not only find cheaper methods of production, but also downsize the paper so that it is more useful.

Possibly the coolest thing is that the speakers are also printed.   They are placed in one layer, made of the same conducive inks, over a hollow area which creates a diaphragm.

Things What Done Fell From the Sky, Pt. 1

I'm restarting this thread because I am always fascinated by the things that fall from the sky (even rain) and there's a long history of such things.  No one knows how, why, nor where these things come from, but one of the most persistent theories has to do with waterspouts and tornadic winds:

The theory holds that these weather anomalies pick up objects from one location then drop them at another.  Of course, that's preposterous, as there's no known way such weather features can discern between objects, meaning that not only would, say, pennies drop from the sky, but everything else that was picked up by the weather feature would be dropped along with pennies -- nickels, boards, trees, leaves, etc.  Yet all of these accounts are of a single type of item being dropped.

In the series, I'll give a few recorded accounts of things what done fell from the sky in bulleted lists, like this:

• August 27^th, 1968: Blood and flesh fell over about ¹/₃ a square mile area between the Brazilian towns of Cacapava and Sao Jose dos Campos.  The fall reportedly lasted 5 - 7 minutes.
• Also in 1968, a deluge of mud, wood, glass, and broken pottery fell four separate times on Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
• Banknotes worth 2000 marks fell from a clear sky in Limburg, W. Germany in 1976.  Two clergymen picked them up.

Pretty nifty, huh?  I'll be adding about one such post every week or so.