Sue St.Clair and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog

Can you predict the future in remote blind Zener card draw?
by Chris Laursen

An Oklahoma City parapsychologist, Ron Cross, is leading a remote international clairvoyancy test online in the coming month. It is to test people’s abilities to predict future events via a staple of extra-sensory perception testing, Zener cards. Although the test officially commenced on Monday, participants are still welcomed and the project runs until June 26. Each night at 3 a.m. GMT (11 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Pacific time), Mr. Cross will draw a Zener card. Each Zener card has a symbol on it: square, star, waves, plus sign or circle. It is very simple: you guess what symbol will been drawn on each of the 30 days, starting on May 28, complete the list and e-mail it to Mr. Cross before the end of the experiment on June 26.

Here's the twist! “I will not look at the cards until the end of the experiment to see what card was drawn on a particular day,” Mr. Cross wrote on International Paranormal Investigators message board. “The reason for not looking is to reduce the chances of telepathy giving away the identity of the card on a daily basis.” Thus, this will test people's ability to clairvoyantly predict the future drawing of the cards.

Mr. Cross recommends participants predict what the cards will be for the coming seven days, write that down, put the list away and don’t look at it until they are ready to submit all of their lists. By the end, they will have completed four lists in total (the last of which will have two additional days added onto it). Then they should submit their results prior to June 26.

If you have any questions or if you wish to submit your list before the end of Mr. Cross’s experiment, you can reach him at prosghosthunters@yahoo.com.

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Historian Chris Laursen reflects on one of his favourite investigations of poltergeist-type activity... if it was indeed RSPK! The case of inexplicable flashing lights focused on a 19-year-old North Carolina waitress in 1962, and remains to this day completely unexplained.

When Clayton, N.C. entered the Twilight Zone
by Chris Laursen

Surely one of the books that anyone with a serious interest in the paranormal must read is parapsychologist Dr. William G. Roll's book The Poltergeist (1972). In the last half century of poltergeist research, Dr. Roll has investigated among the most fascinating cases of them all.

Poltergeists have little to do with the 1982 Tobe Hooper film of the same name. The word derives from the German "knocking spirit" because many early cases involved inexplicable rapping noises. Aside from knocks and raps, poltergeists cases commonly include spontaneous, often rambunctious incidents of objects flying about with no explainable cause, defying the laws of physics not only by flying across rooms, but also floating, climbing vertical surfaces, turning corners in mid-air, teleporting themselves from other locations, disappearing and later reappearing out of nowhere. Often, those afflicted by this phenomenon seek trickery to explain what is happening, but extensive research on this over the decades has shown that there is something far from trickery or the traditional explanations of ghosts at work.

Dr. Roll termed the phenomenon "recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis" or RSPK. It is an apt description based on his and others' research. It seems that in most poltergeist cases there is a person at the center of all of the activity, referred to as the agent by parapsychologists. This agent may be subconsciously prompting psychokinesis to occur, often randomly. In many cases, adolescents have been central to this phenomenon, most often girls. That is by no means the rule, as boys and adults have also been central to these strange happenings. Dr. Roll and others theorize that there is some pent up force that is repressed by the agent is causing them to psychically wreak havoc without consciously doing anything.

In 1984, Dr. Roll famously investigated the case of Tina Resch, which resulted in much media attention and even James Randi trying to expose the case as a hoax. Working with writer Valerie Storey, Dr. Roll gave the Resch case extraordinary detail in his 2004 book Unleashed: Of Poltergeists and Murder, the Curious Case of Tina Resch. He was among the earliest investigators of poltergeists in the United States, starting with a case of caps popping off of various bottles by themselves at a house on Long Island in 1958. His continuing investigations along with those of other researchers around the world have shown poltergeist phenomenon to be a complex beast, beyond rapping sounds and objects being thrown about by invisible force. They can involve disembodied voices, apparitions and, as Dr. Roll investigated early in his career and wrote about in The Poltergeist, mysterious bursts of light. He starts his chapter on the case: "For about two hours during a July night in 1962, I was lying in a flower bed in the small town of Clayton, North Carolina, looking for some strange lights which had stirred up the whole town."

Dr. William G. Roll

The flashes of light were originating inside of the white-frame home that had been occupied by the widowed Pearl Howell and her two children, Frances, 19, and Bobby, 22. "The flashes came very rapidly and looked like those a neon tube sometimes gives off when it is turned on," Roll described. The parapsychologist decided to personally investigate after reading about the strange lights and interviewing witnesses by phone.

Like many of these cases, people were seeking natural explanations. The unnerved Mrs. Howell was concerned that a prowler was trying to intimidate her and her children by shining a bright light into their house. Two weeks after the flashes started and were publicized in local media, threatening phone calls were being made. The unknown person on the line sometimes implied that he caused the lights. She had called the police in to investigate.

Police chief Charles D. Allen told Dr. Roll that the lights seemed to follow Mrs. Howell's daughter Frances around, but only after dark and when the house lights were off. Witnesses had seen flashes coming from the bathroom when Frances walked by it. A heavy curtain over the window excluded the source as coming from outside of the house. It even occurred on a few occasions outside, when Frances was in her car. Often, witnesses clearly saw Frances in relation to the flashes of light, and she was doing nothing that seemed to cause the strange phenomenon.

A freelance photographer, Charles Barden, called Dr. Roll on June 27. He had been taking photographs connected to the case for the local newspaper, and saw for himself several of the mysterious flashes in the house the night before. "They seemed faster than flashbulbs," the photographer told Roll, "having more the speed of electronic flashes."

In his investigation, the parapsychologist found out that the flashes were significantly stronger in intensity than the house lights would be. One electrician who witnessed the lights estimated it to be equivalent to 200 watts, though they were witnessed to be at different luminosities at different times. They were not at all blinding. Each bright yellow, pinkish or white flash seemed to start at its most brilliant luminosity, and then quickly dim, with several flashes following in succession within a second or two.

Dr. Roll found out from Mrs. Howell that the lights would flash no matter whether the blinds were open or closed, suggesting that they originated inside of the house. After consulting with electrical engineers on what they cause might be, police had searched the house for any remote flash devices that may have been causing the phenomenon, but found nothing. Dr. Roll wrote that it was "difficult to suppose that Frances was igniting some chemical that would produce them" since the flashes of light occurred so quickly and spontaneously, often with Frances in plain view.

Strange lights silently flashing, prank phone calls, prowlers, the whole neighbourhood and police on alert: it was if monsters were soon due to arrive. Clayton, North Carolina, had entered the Twilight Zone.

After an electrician claimed to have pinpointed the problem being due to faulty wiring, everything seemed to calm down and become quiet for a few nights. But on the evening on June 29, the mysterious caller phoned and said, "Lights will be on tonight - better not have police." At 1 a.m., Charles Barden phoned Dr. Roll and told him the lights were flashing again in the house. Two policemen witnessed it from different locations, one stationed in the house, the other on the street. This continued for several nights, with police and neighbours keeping an eye out for a prowler that never seemed to show himself, or for any potential electrical problems - anything that might explain what was going on.

In the early hours of July 4, police saw a suspicious man flee when spotted. He simply disappeared in the chase. They suspected the man might live in a nearby house. Later that morning, another officer received a phone call from someone who just laughed at him. Despite these oddities, Dr. Roll was building a case that "the lights were not due to any known source, either inside or outside of the house," and he was certain Frances was the focal point, just as every poltergeist case had an agent.

Further investigation by electricians turned up nothing. Wiring was disconnected from Frances's room, and the landlord was talking about condemning the house. Dr. Roll was given free reign in the investigation since no conventional explanations could be found despite the thorough work by police and electricians. The flashing lights continued to be witnessed by people, though Dr. Roll himself felt like he was hexing the lights whenever he was present (as was the case in many of his poltergeist investigations).

On July 10, the case took some strange turns. The Howell's neighbour was awakened by two light flashes in her bedroom. She and her husband watched five or ten minutes later as lights flashed in the Howell house. Mrs. Howell called the police, and neighbours, anxious that the prowler was about, grabbed their guns and went out looking for him. An officer responding to the call witnessed a pinkish light come through the kitchen window as he was checking around the outside of the house. All three family members including Frances were standing outside talking about the incidents when this occurred - so the house was actually empty. After that, Frances moved into her mother's bedroom to escape the lights, but they continued there as well.

A few nights later, Dr. Roll decided to observe from the neighbour's house while Officer Robert Davis stayed inside of the Howell residence. Davis reported flashes from the bathroom while Frances was in there and could clearly see her holding a glass of water, her other hand on the spigot of the sink. Dr. Roll saw no lights from his position at the neighbour's. It was only the next night that Dr. Roll finally saw the lights himself while lying in the flowerbed outside of Frances's bedroom window. As it turned out, that would be one of the last of the mysterious flashes to plague the Howell family and the community of Clayton.

Both Pearl Howell and her daughter worked at a local restaurant as waitresses, and the restaurant's owner was becoming impatient with them coming into work exhausted from sleepless nights and ignoring his suggestions that they just move to a new house. So he flat out fired them. "This convinced Mrs. Howell that they had to move. Another house was found and on July 16 they moved," Dr. Roll wrote. Never again did the strange lights flash.

Faulty electrics, prowlers, trickery - none of these possibilities added up to explain the flashes. The Howells declined to participate in further testing at Duke University to try and determine if Frances had some type of energy in her that caused the lights. "Electricity in your body don't make phone calls," Mrs. Howell bluntly told Dr. Roll. To this day, it remains a truly inexplicable case.

Further reading:

William Roll. The Poltergeist. With a foreword by J.B. Rhine. Re-released by Paraview Books, 2004.

Iris Owen and Margaret Sparrow. Conjuring Up Philip. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1976.

The famous "face" on the surface of Mars!

"In July, 1976, Viking Orbiter 1 was acquiring images of the Cydonia region of Mars as part of the search for potential landing sites for Viking Lander 2. On 25 July, 1976, it photographed a region of buttes and mesas along the escarpment that separates heavily cratered highlands to the south from low lying, relatively crater-free, lowland plains to the north. Among the hills was one that, to the Viking investigators scrutinizing the images for likely landing sites, resembled a face. Owing to the importance of the landing site search, and with a desire to provide the public with at least one familiar-looking landform amid the craters and exotic terrains found all over Mars, an image including the face-like hill was released as part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's public relations effort."

And this image has been hotly debated ever since. So what do you guys think. Alien structure? Or just shadows giving the illusion of a face?

Happy Wordless Wednesday, and thank you for stopping by!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Blurtit is a website that you can join, and add questions or give answers (share opinions) to questions already asked, on a wide variety of topics including some paranormal related ones.

Today while surfing around the website I came across this question: Why do people still believe in ghosts? It is an age old question in that seemingly enlightened people have been asking it for centuries now. And this ghost related question has already received two answers from different Blurtit users.

In my own opinion I believe that a belief in the existence of ghosts ties in directly with a person's own life experiences, and personal; philosophies on life after death.

I was raised an Atheist, which as a philosophy does not include a belief in an afterlife. After becoming very interested in the topic of ghosts, studying it, researching it, investigating ghost cases, and reports, interviewing witnesses, and then sharing in some experiences not readily explained I am now an Agnostic when it comes to this subject.

In other words I believe in "ghostly phenomenon," but have not made up my own mind 100% as to it's true cause.

Like I've stated above, there are other topics of interest in the paranormal over on Blurtit that you can participate in. Surf on over, and check it out!

Cheers!
Sue

My thanks to our sponsor!

It's been a while since we have given some props to our fave paranormal blogs on this site, so I thought I'd blog a bit about Ghost Stories!

Andrea presents us with a collection of stories about ghosts, urban legends, mythology, haunted places and other paranormal phenomena. There are questions of the week, and a tag board that make Ghost Stories a fun, and interactive site to visit!

Go check out, Ghost Stories, and don't forget to give the site a vote over at the BCA awards where it is nominated.

Cheers!
Sue

Ok. This topic came up on a forum I occasionally frequent, basically a user was asking whether or not a home owner would need to disclose to their insurer if they suspected their home was haunted. I'm serious. My thoughts, and by no means am I an insurance expert were no. The only things that must be disclosed as far as I know are what is asked for directly by the insurance company.

With that being said I did look up some information recently on different Insurance policies.

Good insurance coverage particularly on a home is an absolute must to maintain financial security for both an individual and/or a family now, and in the future. And with the above topic in mind I read through an article on risk assessment for home insurance policies, and no it does not go into ethereal topics such as possible ghosts, but things such as identifying bad plumbing to location near a possible safety hazard.

If you are looking for information on insurance or insurance providers do have a look at SecureInsuranceQuotes.com which is a good resource, and contains many helpful articles on various types of policies for everything from home insurance to life insurance products.

Our thanks to our sponsor!

The following video clips comprise an interesteing four part series of an interview conducted a few years back with Michael Roll on his views on the topic of life after death.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

The interview outlines the scientific and rationalist case for life after death as set forth by Mr Roll. Whether you agree with him or not he does provide much interesting food for thought. And anyone who challenges the main stream thoughts of both the "when you're dead, you're dead," and the "we are all just resting in peace in the ground waiting for a Judgement Day" philosophies is worth at least giving a listen to for a different perspective.

It is really a shame that Mr Coleman has decided to name his dead horse, and keep this going. Apparently he has misread yet again, my statements below, and even mislabelled the title of the entry as Smackdown Sunday all of which, in my eyes, speaks volumes of his reading and comprehensive skills.

As much as I feel that I am now defending myself (which is odd,) at least I know (as do the readers here) that no one really needed defending... not myself, not Mr. Noory, and certainly not Mr. Coleman... but for some odd reason, he feels the need to continue to pour water on a fire that never truly existed... now causing a flood or irrelevance.

Much as some think I should continue to "defend" myself (which I don't understand,) or "attack" Mr. Coleman (which I really didn't do in the first place and I'm not going to start now,) I don't think I'll do either.

In many posts on this blog, we speak about those who cannot expand their own horizons and see possible answers and solutions to problems and mysteries because they will not break with their treasured personal philosophies and treasured beliefs... and normally this is about those who stick to either a hypothesis about the paranormal or the passionate disbelief in it... I never thought that here, on this blog, I'd come to see someone so unwilling to read and understand and make such an issue out of a non-situation that was outside the studies we delve into.

Sadly, although there may be "mocking" and "arguments" from the other camp, my time is too precious to invest in trying to get people to examine the facts and the truths when they already have not only made their minds up... but have gone that extra step and adopted their "thoughts" and supposition as their own quasi-truth that is, at least to them and a handful of their followers, self-evident facts.

Very slim difference between dealing with this nonsense and those who are devout followers of The Church of Non-Belief.

There comes a time that we have to assess our time and resource allocation and say enough. This nonsense helps no one and teaches nothing... and furthers the field and the discussion on the topics that we say we hold so dear to our heart in absolutely no way.

In essence, we're done. To be truthful we have better things to occupy our time. We do not concede defeat in this, nor claim a victory, we really don't know why we are still discussing this.

But hey you dear readers get a twofer today ... :)

To paraphrase the Bard, " The gentleman doth protest too much, me thinks."

Last week our Smackdown entitled, Male Chauvinism Within Cryptozoology? brought much consternation to Mr Loren Coleman. He blogs about it here.

Nowhere did I state that I thought Mr Noory was a chauvinist as Loren Coleman charges. I merely mentioned that he was the radio host of the program where Loren Coleman made his remarks. Apparently Mr Coleman misread that part.

Nor did I say Loren Coleman is a chauvinist. I have no clue if he is or isn't as I've never met the man. Only that I found statements made during the program to sound, "a bit chauvinistic."

And I did link directly to his own article on his appearance on that show for interested readers to formulate their own opinion based on his words, and not just my or Robin's interpretation of them.

Robin had this to say on the matter in an email sent directly to Loren Coleman:

"I was sorry to hear you were upset by my comment. I did not say you were a chauvanist--I simply said that one remark was chauvinistic. I stand by that opinion.

I did find it remarkable that you were so enraged. We're (Sue and I) such a small fish in the big pond I would hardly think our opinions would count so heavily. Perhaps if you had brought this to my attention rather than blogging it I could have had a chance to clarify that it was the STATEMENT not the person I objected to.

Im very VERY new in the crypto field. My role is primarily administrative at this point, at least until my book goes to press, and I rely on your work quite heavily as I learn. I will admit to having only a cursory interest in Bigfoot--Im more enthralled with birds and water "monsters" to be honest, with a possible study of cryptoentemology at some point. So all of my opinions" are based solely on the work of others; largely you.

If you and Sue Darroch want to battle this out, I'd like to be kept out of it. I admire you both very much, for different reasons, and it was never my intent to insult you. I wasn't upset when I made the statement. I simply felt that one remark was a bit off the mark and sexist. Surely you've taken stronger criticism from better sources *grin*.

If you'd like to discuss further, I'm certainly available for that.
Otherwise I consider this matter closed as far as I'm concerned."

Frankly it was way over blown in my opinion ... but if Mr Coleman feels that harmed, and wrong done by because I had the audacity to state my opinion on his words on my own blog then so be it. I'm sorry.

However, if I was in his position I would be thankful that someone took the time to state how my words were taken by at least two listeners if not more, so that I could address the issue. After all not all Coast To Coast listeners are going to be fans of his books, or aware of his website, and previous works. Therefore Robin, and I were probably not alone in thinking the statement sounded a "bit chauvinistic."

I will point out that Mr Coleman could have posted his concerns or asked for clarification on the original entry, we only filter for spam, not moderate every comment for opinion etc. Every comment received here is published, and only removed if it is racist, sexist etc. In the history of this blog that has only been done once, and there are some here that are highly critical of us. Our email addresses are not exactly hidden either.

Heck, all he had to do was ask, and I would have been happy to amend the entry to state this is how it sounded to us, but Coleman states it is in no way how it was intended.

Oh and thanks for pointing out the typo in the original entry. It has been corrected. Apparently this is a very huge deal for those in the "I've Never Made A Typo Club" ... ;)

As Robin said above, I too believe the issue to now be closed.

Cheers!
Sue

Celebrity Paranormal Project is coming to Canada via Alliance Atlantis, and we were asked to be part of the official press junket to promote the show!

Celebrity Paranormal Project, is a reality show which debuted on VH1 in the United States on October 22, 2006, and was last aired on December 16, 2006 with the season one finale. The show will now start running on Canadian television. Except for a different title, and usage of celebrities, the VH1 show is identical to MTV's Fear.

Our very own Robin Bellamy is being flown out this coming week to Louisville, Kentucky to take part in an overnight investigation of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. It housed TB victims in the days before penicillin, and over 63,000 people died there, including a nurse who hung herself. A handful of these folks had mental problems, but the general population was afflicted with TB. The facility was a nursing home later, which was shut down due to patient abuse.

More info on the location, and it's history here: http://www.whshistory.com/

The show's episode features actor Gary Bussey, and Robin is the first Canadian investigator to spend the night at this notorious location! Details of Robin's trip will be posted after she returns!

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, Hauntings, UFO's, and other strange events that may be considered Fortean, from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

A Ghostly Apparition At The River Street Junk Yard, Toronto Canada

Hide-N-Seek, or Hango-Seek as we called it, was definitely our favorite outdoor summer game, and we had many great places to play it, but the best place was "The Junk Yard". It wasn't really a junk yard, it was a fenced in place on River Street with a couple of dilapidated old wooden buildings full of holes that housed giant bales of cloth that were soon to be turned into felt. It was a busy place and the bales were changed regularly creating an always changing maze of tunnels and holes to hide in. After the workers left it was our turn.

One day George, Gary, Jimmy, Ricky and I were playing there. George was a small kid with bright red hair and there was no mistaking him for anybody else. In hide-and-seek, if you spied someone and identified them wrongly it was called a false spy and you were "IT" again. We all spied George at least once when we were it and he'd pop up somewhere else yelling "false spy, you're it again". So after four or five false spies on George we decided something funny was going on. It was pretty dark in there except for a few beams of light coming through the holes in the walls. We now started to get a bit scared and decided to get out quick. We all scrambled for the exit hole trying to be the first one out.

Unfortunately, the hole was very small and we had to exit one at a time in single file. Gary was behind me and I heard him say "Come on George, hurry up". So I turned around and noticed that George was crawling along behind us but quite a bit back. However, when I got to the hole and looked out I saw George standing outside. Well let me tell you, I almost tore the skin right off my back getting out that hole. Gary popped out next and just about dropped dead when he saw George there. We took off like scared cats. Later at Gary's house we told his mother about this and she told us a young kid with red hair suffocated there years before.

Well, I leave it up to you. Was it a ghostly apparition or some kid that had a lot of moxie? If it was another kid, he was pretty slippery because after the first few false spies we'd all rush over to where the phony George was and he would simply not be there. Needless to say, we didn't go in there too much after that.

Our thanks to the witness for sharing this report with us. Please note that the image used is not of this particular location.

Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

The Ghosts and Hauntings Research Societies has hosted several large events for the public over the years, and I can tell you it's not easy to plan nor pull off no matter how organized you are, and I really do give credit to professional event co-ordinators that can work magic, and make an event a success!

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The following just made me sick to my stomach, and I had to get it out here...

Yesterday I watched an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show that was a follow-up to an earlier episode on spouse abuse that originally aired May 8th, 2007.

Did anyone watch the May 8th show? It featured a videotape of a woman by the name of Susan Still being brutalised both physically, and emotionally by her then husband. It was absolutely sickening! The tape was made by their son who was forced into filming it. You can read more on this via Oprah.com.

Why you maybe asking am I blogging my frustration here, and not on my family blog the Urban Zoo where it would seemingly be more appropriate?

Well, yesterday during the follow-up show Oprah read a letter from the victim's former husband that was sent from the prison where he is incarcerated for 30+ years. And in that letter he blamed the "GHOSTS" for what he had done...yes, I said the ghosts or evil spirits he claims was haunting their home.

My reaction was to SCREAM!

NEVER in all my years of researching ghosts & hauntings have I come across a person being forced to commit violent acts against their loved ones by a ghost. This is just Hollywood nonsense! Fine for a horror movie, but in no way reality.

Granted this idiot is not the first to try the demons/ghosts/aliens made me do it crap, but I guess because my emotions were already so heightened by the absolute revulsion I felt towards that video, and my admiration for Susan for escaping, ending this abuse, and publicly coming forward in order to help other women that I just needed to verbally scream my utter frustration at this pitiful excuse for such horrendous behaviour. And in the process make a further mockery of those who have witnessed ghostly phenomena.

CREEP!!!

Thanks for letting me vent!

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Recent news stories of human trafficking and foreign maids being held prisoner pale in comparison to the horrific legend of a sixteenth century noblewoman who not only enslaved her servants, but brutally and sadistically tortured him. But how much of the bloody tale of "Countess Dracula" is historically accurate?

The horror of the Bloody Countess
by Chris Laursen

Last week in Laval, Québec, Canada, a couple were arrested for human trafficking after neighbours took notice that their Ethiopian maid rarely ever left the home where she worked. The couple had reportedly confiscated her personal documents and they threatened to deport her if she left their home. "She was essentially a prisoner," the Canadian Press quoted RCMP Const. Magdala Turpin as saying.

Not far to the south, in the Long Island community of Central Islip, New York, another couple were arrested for forcing their two Indonesian maids from leaving the house except to take trash to the curb. The Associated Press reported that "prosecutors said the women were subject to beatings, had scalding water thrown on them and were forced to repeatedly climb stairs and take as many as 30 showers in three hours as punishment for misdeeds." The enslavement was uncovered when one of the women escaped and "was found wandering outside a doughnut shop wearing nothing more than pants and a towel."

These two cases of strange enslavement over the past week harken back to a far darker case of a noblewoman from what is now the Hungarian, Austrian and Romanian borderlands. Not only did Erzsébet (Elisabeth) Báthory keep her maids prisoner, she brutally and sadistically tortured and murdered them. Báthory remains infamous as the "Bloody Countess" who obsessively would lure and then brutally murder young women who she hired as her servants, especially in her older years.

There are some parallels between the horrific legend of Báthory and the Wallachian prince Vlad Tepes (who I wrote about in the 17 January 2007 Weird Wednesday). Although they lived two hundred years apart, both are reputed to have influenced Bram Stoker in writing his famed novel, Dracula, however there is no evidence from the writer's notes to support these theories. Báthory nonetheless, just like Vlad, continues to have her image connected to utterly bloody and horrifying behaviour, glorified in popular culture for instance in the 1971 Hammer film Countess Dracula starring Ingrid Pitt, and even in waxwork museums.

Journalist Sean Thomas wrote of the controversy surrounding Báthory in the latest Fortean Times which celebrates 50 years of Britain's Hammer horror films (think of Peter Cushing playing The Mummy, Christopher Lee as Dracula, and even sexploitation cinema such as Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C.). Countess Dracula was certainly the kind of bloody tale that the studio relished.

In his article, Thomas personally retraced Báthory's steps, visiting the many castles she occupied through to her arrest by the Palatine of Hungary, Count György Thurzó, in 1610. The violent legends of the Countess and her family began when she was only 10 years old and witnessed firsthand how a gypsy thief was sewn alive into a stomach of a rotting horse. This was one of many incidents throughout her life that apparently influenced her own violent behaviour.

Married to the notorious soldier and count Ferenc Nádasdy of Fogesforald at the age of 15, the couple moved in to one of her husband's castles, Sárvár. There, according to witnesses at her 1610 trial, her reputation for torturing her maids became well known. Witnesses testified that she, encouraged by her husband, would jab pins under their fingernails, thrash them with stinging nettles, and have them stripped and covered with honey to be let loose on the grounds and stung by insects. But these stories paled in comparison to the terrors that gave Báthory the title "The Bloody Countess."

According to Thomas, historical records clearly suggest that the couple were quite interested in witchcraft, and as a result, Báthory surrounded herself with an unusual cast of characters including her bisexual sorceress aunt, a lesbian witch and a servant dwarf - certainly the offbeat types who would make any Hammer horror film complete. Travelling from castle to castle, Báthory reputedly attracted new young maids to torture in increasingly brutal ways. "According to the allegations, one of Báthory's favourite tricks was to press red-hot coins into the hands of the girls she accused of stealing," Thomas wrote. She was also accused of putting a hot iron on her maids' bare feet, torturing them in the ironically named iron maiden, even ripping the jaws on one maid open with her bare hands.

After the death of her husband, Báthory's sadistic behaviour was said to become even more extreme. One of the terrifying tales is of a woman stripped naked and sent out into the snow to be splashed with water until she turned into a pillar of ice. Famously, Báthory is said to have ordered her bath to be filled with maids' blood "as a cosmetic remedy for her fading beauty," Thomas wrote.

Young Elisabeth Báthory was without a doubt a beautiful woman from this and other portraits made of her. Did she, as legend has it, sadistically torture and kill her maids?

It is hard to determine how true these claims are. Hungarian scholars have long suspected that Báthory was the victim of the politics of the time, and feminist historians theorized that Báthory was actually a "smart and spirited woman condemned by a misogynist patriarchy," Thomas wrote. This view is being put forth in an upcoming dramatization of Báthory's life by Slovakian filmmaker Juro Jakubisko.

Again, here you see a parallel between the opposing historical views of Vlad Tepes as brutal mass murderer and national hero. Likewise, many believe Báthory has been given a bad rap through fabricated accusations documented in her trial and the sorcery angle. Essentially, these historians believe that she was demonized to "cleanse the national record" which was fraught with brutal wartime violence.

Yet, there remain historians who view Báthory as "the quintessence of female evil," Thomas wrote in the Fortean Times, "a cannibalistic lesbian who slaughtered hundreds of virgins."

Although Thomas's own journey through Báthory's life may not shed more light on whether or not she committed these heinous acts, it does serve as a reminder that people love a good horror story, moreso when they believe it actually happened.

Further reading:

"The Secret of the Bloody Countess" by Sean Thomas in the July 2007 issue of Fortean Times. Website: http://www.forteantimes.com/

Tony Thorne, Countess Dracula: The Life and Times of the Blood Countess, Elisabeth Báthory, Bloomsbury Publishing, 1997.

BBC article on Erzsébet Báthory: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A593084

Website by Dennis Báthory-Kitsz, an ancestor of Erzsébet Báthory who composed an opera about her life: http://bathory.org/

Wordless Wednesday Visitors Please See Below For An Image Of Countess Bathory's Former Home.

Welcome To Castle Cachtice

Cachtice Hrad - The Castle of Elizabeth Bathory as it looks in ruin today.

And below:

Castle Cachtice as it appeared in the time of the Blood Countess

Those familiar with vampire lore, know the name of Elizabeth Bathory. I have even seen her billed as the "real" Dracula. However, how much about her actual life jibes with the horrific crimes she was accused of? For those interested, please see above entry where historian Chris Laursen takes the helm, and discusses the "Blood Countess".....

Happy Wordless Wednesday, and thank you for stopping by!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce to you gentle readers this terrific opportunity on obtaining a motor insurance quote. By clicking on the link you will be taken to the CIS Motor Insurance website, which is offering affordable insurance rates for motorists.

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Go have a look!

Our thanks to our sponsors!

Mississauga ON Canada 1970's

"For what it's worth....It was sometime in the late seventies, sorry the exact date or even year I forget.

I was living in Mississauga Ontario (Fieldgate and Bloor) on the ninth floor. It was sometime after midnight, while lying in bed through my open window I heard a faint hum. I thought to myself what is that a UFO? The hum got a little louder I then thought if you are a UFO come take me, I want to know. I then felt a warmth cast over me and the hum got very loud. I then got very scared and thought, no I don't want to go. Well the hum instantly just disappeared. At this time I would like to mention my eyes were closed the entire time. I finally fell asleep and in the morning I thought about the events and surmised I must have been dreaming. I didn't tell anyone about this and the day went by normally. The day after that however I was reading a newspaper (The Toronto Sun) I couldn't believe what I was reading. The small 1 paragraph article simply stated "Two girls claim to have spotted a low hovering UFO around 1am in the Fielgate and Bloor area." It made me a believer and until now I have told this story only to my family. My son is a non believer and simply sums it up to a coincidence...but after reading that article I knew it was real."

Our thanks to the witness for sharing their experience with us. We will attempt to locate the original article.

Everybody it seems uses a credit card these days, especially with the popularity, and convenience of online shopping. Most online shops tend to want a credit card to pay for purchases. With that said, there are so many different types out there it can be confusing trying to pick the right credit card for one's own needs, and financial circumstances.

I was just reading about the Smile Credit Card (I like the name), of which there are two options for consumers to choose from. You might want to check them out too. Apparently they have won the Guardian Consumer Finance Awards best credit card award four years in a row, based on popular vote! Sounds pretty good to me!

If you are interested in obtaining more information, please do click on the links provided.

Our thanks to our sponsors!

A Special Two Hour Broadcast on CFRB 1010

Vatican Insider Leaks Information about an ET Presence.

Exopolitics Toronto’s Director of Media Relations on The Richard Syrett Show - CFRB 1010 AM.

On Wednesday May 23 at 11:00 pm DST Richard Syrett and Victor Viggiani will interview Italian journalist Luca Scantamburlo.

Scantamburlo has written extensively about an interview conducted between Cristoforo Barbato and an unnamed Vatican Jesuit priest who has confidentially disclosed inside information about a clandestine meeting in 1954 at California’s Muroc Air Force Base (later named Edwards AFB) involving President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Los Angeles Bishop James Francis McIntyre and an extraterrestrial delegation.

As a result of this meeting the Vatican established and maintains to this day a secret organization – the S.I.V. – that studies and catalogues information relating to ET contact. Hear how a Catholic Bishop was threatened by an American Secret Service agent to maintain silence about this event and more.

Join host Richard Syrett and Victor Viggiani as they explore what might be considered the third indication that a geo-political movement towards disclosing UFO information, initiated recently by France and the United Kingdom, is fully underway.

This program can be heard locally on radio station CFRB 1010 AM News Talk Radio this Wednesday May 23 at 11:00 pm DST or on the live streamed audio at Listen Live at www.cfrb.com

Media outlets and journalists may access the text of the Barbato – Vatican Jesuit interview or obtain pre-program briefings by using the contact information below:

Contact information:

Exopolitics Toronto

Victor Viggiani B.A. M.Ed.

Director of Media Relations

Toronto Ontario Canada

(905) 278 5628

zland@sympatico.ca

Today in Canada we are celebrating Her Majesty Queen Victoria's birthday, with a well earned long weekend, backyard BBQ's, and of course fireworks!

We would have loved to have related to you a spooky tale of Victoria's spirit haunting some ancient castle, but...there are none...

However, the ghost of Queen Victoria's trusted friend John Brown is reportedly haunting Balmoral castle in Scotland our current Queen Elizabeth II favourite summer home...well ok more like palace.

John Brown was rumoured to be the lover of Queen Victoria, and perhaps he is still waiting for her? His apparition, said to be dressed in Scottish Highland attire, has reportedly been witnessed by no less than our current Queen herself!

Speaking of Queen Victoria, and the paranormal, historians note that she was interested in spiritualism, and reportedly participated in several seances during her reign.

Wishing ALL of our Canadian readers a very happy, and safe Queen Victoria Day!

Famed Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman was recently interviewed on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, and one of the topics that was brought up is one that we've been tossing around on our paranormal message forums lately....women in Cryptozoology. Something that appears at least on the surface to be too far, and too few between...and I thought there was an "old boys" network in UFOlogy .. huh!

Mr Coleman had made an interesting point about women in the field though. Could Bigfoot or a Sasquatch find a woman less threatening or more attractive in the field? Would this give her an advantage in the study? You can read more on Loren Coleman's thoughts on this subject here.

Frankly, our own Director of Cryptozoology, Robin Bellamy who is a woman found this a bit chauvinistic, and so did I. More likely women in the field would do well because of their SKILLS and METHOD than their hormones!

However, they're talking about women in the field and that's a good thing. Right! Right?

The 1973 film The Exorcist is a horror movie classic, and yes, my all-time favourite film of it's genre. Have a look at the original trailer below...it still gives me chills....

Yet, in all honesty I have to date not come across a similar case within my own research of approximately 10 years...and I do admit in a strange way, that yes, if it were possible I'd want to.....I would want to see it with my own eyes, and study hands on the phenomenon.

What I have found so far within in the topic of "demonic possession" is much ritualistic abuse, and in many case leading to the death of those said by certain individuals to be possessed by otherworldly forces. It is far more sad, than frightening....

I have heard of the supernatural occurrences that were reported during the making of this film, but you would be very hard pressed to find any film or tv show of this type where similar claims were not made.

While based around a real case, this film is nothing more then an interesting bit of entertainment, designed to disturb, and nothing more....at least that is what I quietly tell myself after each time I view it...and that dear reader is exactly the reaction a good horror film should invoke....

What is your favourite horror film?

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, Hauntings, UFO's, and other strange events that may be considered Fortean, from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

Private Residence Milford Haven Drive, Scarborough, Ontario CA

The following was submitted by one of our readers:

"I have wanted to share my story with everyone. I remember the incident as if it were yesterday. I know it wasn't a figment of my imagination. It is as follows:

In the fall of 1999, my older brother moved into a house on Milford Haven Drive. He moved into the house with his wife and son. My brother had a job as a security guard. He worked late shifts, and would come home past midnight. He told me a few times that when came home he would hear strange noises. I was skeptical at the time and thought that it was all in his head. But he told me that he kept hearing these noises coming from the basement. But still, I did not listen to him.

About one year later, I moved in with my brother and I was staying upstairs temporarily until the basement was done. While I was staying there, I helped him do work, like putting up drywall and painting. Basically, the handy stuff. We managed to finish the basement 2 months later. It was time for me to move downstairs.

I had settled into the basement. I remember what my brother told me about the noises in the basement, but again I thought it was nonsense. As soon as I settled in, several hours went by and then it was about 2 am. I was doing some exercise, since I couldn't sleep. As soon as I was done, I attempted to try to sleep and I turned off the lights.

This is when the strange thing happened. I heard someone laughing. The laughing sounded like it was close by. So I looked outside my window to see if it was the neighbor, but no one was there. I went outside to see if there was anyone on the sidewalk, and still there was nothing. I went upstairs and my sister-in-law, and nephew were sound asleep, and my brother was still at work. I was confused, and I wanted to know what this could be. I went to bed and about a half an hour later, not only did I hear laughing, but I heard a radio. This was beginning to get really weird. I stayed awake, and waited for my brother to come home.

When my brother finally came home I told him about what was going on in the basement. He told me he heard the exact same thing before. We were both puzzled by this. In the morning, my sister-in-law confirmed that she heard the same noises in the past too. All three of us believed that this house could be haunted, but we had nothing concrete to back that up.

About a month later, my brother went to get his mail from the mailbox and the neighbor came over to say hi to my brother. My brother was staring at the mail and noticed that some man's mail was stll coming to this address. He wrote "Return to Sender" on the mail and stuck it in front for the mail man. The neighbour saw the name on the envelope and was surprised that the man was still receiving mail and he told that to my brother.

The neighbour (who was living there at the time) informed my brother that this man was a tenant in our house. He also told my brother that around 1997, the man had died in the basement from natural causes. The neighbour said that he saw the ambulance come to the house.

I was told about this information. The ghost did not seem to be threatening. His laugh sounded like a happy laugh. However, I moved out sonn after anyway. I did not feel comfortable with a ghost. Not too long after that a female tenant had moved into the basement, and she told my brother about the unusual sounds. She was hearing them too.

My brother and his family moved out of the house in 2004."

Our thanks to the witness for sharing this report. Often when people hear strange sounds they cannot initially explain they become frightened. From the above report we learn that once the family got over their initial fear despite remaining uneasy they were able to discern that the "laughing" was a happy sound, and over all no harm came to them.

Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

U.F.O. encounters, immediate actions!
By Paul Williams

What to do should you observe a U.F.O. should be rather straight forward, logical and also verifiable. One of the first things you should do, is note the time, time is of essence, especially if there are the possibilities of independent witnesses, observing the same phenomena. If you're close by to a camera, or video recorder, try to capture images of the object, for later analysis. Try to include background objects in the footage, so that an estimate of the object's size, distance and altitude can be hypothesized. Also note the weather conditions, winds, lighting conditions, aircraft, people and special landmarks in the immediate area.

If you're very near an object, DO NOT PANIC, observe, record and document as much as you safely can, do not expose yourself to dangers, earth bound, or extraterrestrial in nature. If the object is on the ground do not approach the object, you can be injured, by the object itself . Immediately call the authorities (Police), record everything, capturing the object on film, additionally record any strange sounds, odors and sensations you may experience. If you see any occupants , DO NOT Approach them, note the appearance and number of occupants, capture them also on film if possible. If the object vacates the area, keep people away from the landing site, do not touch anything near the sight, you could be injured, or become ill, handling physical evidence left behind. Take photos of the landing site and document any evidence that may be present. If the Police require evidence for a possible investigation, cooperate fully with them, get a receipt for any evidence you provide to the authorities. Keep copies of whatever you can, to present to an experienced U.F.O. investigator.

Remember you're safety is paramount, do not place yourself in a position where you, or others may become injured, or sick.

Historian Chris Laursen has been busily preparing a two-and-a-half-month long project that gives people a chance to try out psychometry, the ability to perceive accurate information from objects merely by touching them.

Adventures in Psychometry, Part 1
by Chris Laursen

I’m taking a detour from my usual storytelling to tell you about a rather unique project that I am doing in the coming weeks. It is called the Psychometry Experiment, and you may have already read a bit about it here on the Paranormal Blog. I invite all of you who will be in the area to participate!

Psychometry, also known as “token-object reading,” is when people are able to divine accurate information merely by looking at or touching an object that belongs to someone they don’t know. It is well known that police departments have sometimes consulted with psychics on difficult cases, from missing persons to unsolved murders. At times, these consultants have employed psychometry, for instance taking a piece of clothing connected to the case which somehow gives them vivid impressions about someone’s whereabouts or who the killer is. It is hard to tally just how accurate this technique has been. Obviously, successes are highly publicized, and could very well be exaggerated by the consultant or their supporters. Police often downplay their use of psychics, though there are many cases where it is hard to deny that the impressions were helpful.

In more typical form, psychic readers use personal possessions from clients to get impressions. The problem with this has been that numerous supposed psychics have employed a form of cold reading in which they derive information through a clever series of remarks that start vague and, via the reaction of the client, become more specific. Such behaviour historically has delivered a nasty blow to the legitimacy of psychic ability.

In February, I wrote about a medium and PSICAN consultant, Lynn Tucker, who does psychometry readings with strict measures of control. I wrote: “When giving readings, she will turn her back to the sitter to ensure she does not pick up on their facial expressions. If doing psychometry, she receives items to read in a basket with a cloth lid, each item sealed in an envelope. She will pull the envelope out and open it to show the audience of sitters what the object is. Then, she turns her back to the audience for the majority of the reading. She has no idea who owns the object until the reading is completed.”

I found Lynn’s technique key in devising the concept for my own experiment on psychometry. In the experiment, which I am conducting through to July 15 in the Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara regions of Ontario, Canada, I have collected a variety of items from a diverse group of people. Each of these objects has special meaning to its owner - in other words, the owner could tell a good story about the object. It took some time to find people willing to part with objects that are special to them, especially people who would complete a vigorous questionnaire that probes their personal lives and the history of the object that they are submitting. The questionnaires they have completed help develop a story of what they have lent for the experiment, its meaning to them, as well as both objective and subjective questions about their lives. I even went as far as asking those lending objects to submit photographs of where they keep the object, their homes and the people in their lives.

Any of these details (and doubtlessly many more not accounted for) could come forth in the impressions people get from the objects. Initially, I will only compare the impressions people give with the documentation submitted, however, the objects’ owners will be privy to what every participant in the experiment said about their object, and may very well find details that pinpoints something not mentioned in the documentation submitted.

The completed documentation was sent by the lenders to a third party in another part of the country to hold on to until the experiment is complete so that I have no idea whatsoever the story behind each object or about the owner’s personal lives. I wouldn’t want anyone to read my mind to get the details, after all!

The experiment itself is being conducted in public locations in the coming weeks (see the below dates). Anyone can participate - from those who have never had an experience involving extra-sensory perception (ESP) to those who can control extra-sensory abilities.

The procedure is quite simple. You arrive at the location and fill out a brief questionnaire which asks you about your beliefs and personal experiences in regards to ESP. Then, you have half an hour in a private room to give your impressions on up to four objects. Time is limited to allow for a fair number of people to participate in these public dates, and I encourage participants to take their time. In terms of the data I collect, it is more valuable for someone to spent a good amount of time with one or two objects than rush through all four.

One by one, you open boxes and see what is inside. Then, closing your eyes, you take a few minutes to let impressions come to you. I ask participants to give their impressions honestly, for anything that comes to their mind may be accurate. And I ask them to give these impressions in as much detail as they can. Sometimes, nothing comes, at which point the participant moves on to the next object. Other times, the participant becomes very absorbed by the vivid impressions coming to them from one object.

After the experiment and into early autumn, I will be correlating these impressions with the documentation submitted by those who lent the objects. Each person who participates will be e-mailed summaries of the history of each object and a basic description of who its owner is, along with a comparison to the impressions they gave. (No one’s actual identity is revealed, including those who participate in the experiment.)

Ultimately, I will be writing about the process of doing this experiment, the results, and the history of how people have used psychometry.

I am not out to prove whether or not individuals have psychic ability. No doubt people with strong perceptive abilities may not get accurate impressions from these particular objects, while others will. And, likewise, those who have never knowingly experienced ESP may very well surprise themselves through this experiment. So far, those who have participated have commented on how relaxing the process is. They express a certain joy in connecting with other’s personal possessions.

That’s what fascinates me so much about looking at psychometry in a historical context. Somehow, we are all connected via history, and history resonates for us - even distant history. Objects are put in museums to carry this connection forth. People treasure family heirlooms in glass cabinets or on shelves in their homes. We keep pictures of those who we have loved who are now gone, and of long gone relatives or even historical figures who we never even met. There is a strong force that connects us to the past, and maybe, somehow, that force can be perceived through objects themselves.

Confirmed Psychometry Experiment dates:

SAT., MAY 19 – DUNDAS (Hamilton Area), Dundas Library

SAT., MAY 26 – MARKHAM, The Ancient Mystic

SAT., JUNE 2 & SUN., JUNE 3 – ST. CATHARINES (Niagara Region), St. Catharines Museum at Lock 3

SAT., JUNE 9 – TORONTO (East), The Beaches Library

* Check the below website for full details on dates.

To participate or for more information, visit the Psychometry Experiment website:

http://psychometry.psican.org

Since most of you guys are tech, and gadget freaks like us, I thought I'd tell you all a little bit about a new site I was checking out called Testfreaks. It's promising to be a hot resource for all sorts of gadgets, and products like cell phones, cameras, and TVs.

I do not know about you, but I will really appreciate the ability to compare products in a one-stop, unbiased online environment. For instance how much easier will it be to comparison shop for cell phones, of which there are oodles out there, by checking out a comprehensive listing, and reviews of them within the Testfreaks site.

Go check them out, the full site launch will be in approximately two months. They are also working on a web-site developer’s forum that you can also have a look at, and join by clicking on the link.

Our thanks to our sponsor!

The photograph above known as The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall is probably the most famous photo of a supposed ghost ever taken. It was captured on September 19th, 1936 by two photographers, and the photo shows a transparent image, suggestive of a hooded figure, descending a wooden staircase in Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England, long known at the time to be haunted by the spirit of Dorothy Walpole. It is also the most hotly debated "ghost" photo of all time. Believers think it is an actual image of a spirit, while sceptics, and many ghost investigators now discount it. I leave it to you to decide.

Happy Wordless Wednesday, and thank you for stopping by!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Within our hobby having a Credit Card can be extremely helpful, whether it's used for travel like hotel rooms, eating on the run or hobby related purchases like batteries, cameras etc.

The tricky part of course is making sure you do not over spend, stay within your limits, and find the right credit card for you, and your own financial circumstances.

The first two are a matter of self control in my opinion, however, the latter, finding the right Credit Card can be accomplished through doing some homework, and getting quotes for the best possible rates. Moneyeverything.com is a website that can help you do just that. You can use this online resource to obtain information, compare, and apply for different credit cards right from the comfort of your own computer.

The site is easy to use, and handy for those looking to obtain a card.

Have a look at what they can offer you by clicking on their link.

Our thanks to our sponsor.

If you are a subscriber to the TGHRS newsletter then you know that we have decided to replace it completely with this blog.

Welcome!

Why the change over you might be asking ... well, because we've decided to use The Paranormal Blog as our outlet to give you news, information, and obviously thoughts and whatnot on what's going on in the realm of the paranormal... in fact, the blog and the newsletter were kind of a redundancy together... so, in an effort to streamline things, allow for more time for other projects, and genuinely allow us to do things "on the fly".

For those worrying about scrolling through dozens of posts and information to get from "Point A" to what you're most interested in, please note the Categories feature on our sidebar...

Using this, you can select the categories that you wish to read about and avoid all the others...

So although it's been fun doing the newsletters, we hope you enjoy and appreciate our Paranormal Blog and check it often... there's usually new content here DAILY and it's well worth the read in our opinion, and very soon...well worth the listen we hope too!

Watch for the launch of The Paranormal Podcast in the next few weeks!

I had the opportunity to review a new Pay Per Click management software service being offered by Acquisio.com this morning, and I thought I'd let you know a bit about it.

This software was developed with multiple pay per click accounts in mind. It is listed as being very easy to use, but at the same time giving you the ability to get your PPC campaigns off the ground, and maintain them effectively. All of those pesky tasks can now be managed within one highly efficient service!

If you are dealing with multiple accounts, and all the various associated tasks why not try out Acquisio Search, and see how this new software package can make the process so much easier. There is a risk-free trial being offered right now.

Our thanks to our sponsors.

For Immediate Release:

OTTAWA - Recently, there have been misleading stories from various media sources regarding a petition presented in the House of Commons to recognize Bigfoot as a protected species.

On March 28, 2007, Mike Lake, MP for Edmonton - Mill Woods - Beaumont tabled in the House of Commons a petition brought forward by one of his constituents. This constituent had collected signatures from a few hundred individuals, the vast majority of whom reside outside Mr. Lake’s constituency. The petition was deemed by the House of Commons’ Clerk of Petitions to be in order.

“I take seriously my responsibility to represent all of my constituents, regardless of whether or not I agree with their views. If a legitimate petition is brought forward by one of my constituents and deemed to be in order, I feel it is my duty to table it in the House.”

At no time did Mr. Lake speak in the House of Commons regarding the petition. At no point has Mr. Lake indicated his support for this petition.

Media Contact:
Monica Sabo
Special Assistant to Mike Lake, MP
613.995.8695 or 613.325.617
---------

Apparently some folks in the Edmonton area got together and did a petition asking for Bigfoot to be a protected species. Mr Lake submitted it to parliament, and it was accepted for consideration. No word on the vote.

This is causing some problems for Mr Lake on both sides of the fence. Some of his peers are being rather idiotic, and treating this (And Mr Lake) as nonsensical. To which Lake replied, that he did not believe in Bigfoot, which of course irked those who submitted the petition.

Kudos for representing this constituency even though the cause wasn't something he personally could get behind. And as for the no win situation--well, welcome to the world of crypto, Mr Lake!

Our thanks to Robin Bellamy for the above!

Two Sundays ago we posted up a Smackdown entitled Investigating Recent Tragic Deaths. In response we received the following comment, and the author of that comment has given us permission to repost it here.

"Thank you. There's a similar problem involving one of our local cemeteries. The young boy's tombstone has a drawing on it. The rumour is that it mysteriously carved itself after the tombstone was erected, it shows the scene of his murder, etc. And few people going to see the ghost grave treat it or the cemetery with any respect.

Someone took a picture of that tombstone and submitted the rumour to Ghoststudy.com. They published it. Unfortunately, they never added the information I put in the message board that this is a rumour along with the link to the online newspaper article on the distraught family who PAID to have their son's last drawing carved on the tombstone and included an interview of the stone carver who made it.

I gave up when the best response was "oh the kid must have had a psychic vision of his death." If I'm remembering correctly, he loved to go hunting and drew the picture about hunting and the accident that killed him was on a hunting trip. *Sigh*"

Our thanks to Bookworm

We've heard similar "horror" stories about Ghoststudy.com. Just awful!

The cemetery, and child that are referenced by Bookworm were the focus of a newspaper article. It has since been archived, and no longer online, but there is reference to it on the JREF forums.

Family of buried teen wants ghost stories to stop
By Heather DiMattia
Hammond Daily Star

"More than 20 years after her 15-year-old son died in a car accident, Wilkinson and her daughter, Mary Anthony, are defending their loved one's memory against fictitious ghost stories that have led many to visit the Springfield Cemetery. They'd like to know who started the stories and why."

This is exactly the pain, and anguish that can be caused by those we ranted about in the Investigating Recent Tragic Deaths entry. It is disgusting what this family went through, and for what a cheap thrill? A photographed bit of dust being proclaimed a ghost????

This is EXACTLY why we never investigate nor write about recent nor tragic deaths.

This also reminded me of a really dreadful book released a few years ago that I obtained an advance copy of. Thinly disguising an actual location it purported to be the story of an actual haunting involving a young teen that had committed suicide. That part was in my opinion just a sensational grab at attention as the book mostly concentrated on some horrific claims of the author against what was once a household of a prominent Italian Canadian family. Complete hogwash according to one paranormal investigator I met that personally knew the family, again so thinly disguised I did not even have to look them up to know who the author was writing about or exactly where their former home was located.

Who knows what pain this reopened within those that loved this teen in life or the family whose home was written about? Perhaps they too suffer unheard by the masses as the family that Bookworm told us of has. In a book that read like Stephen King on a very bad hangover. It was that predictable, new puppy dies, demons in the end. Ugh!

Not only do these actions make a laughingstock of all who take these subjects seriously, it makes us all appear like cemetery stomping weirdos who could care less of the feelings of real living people, and more for 15 minutes of pixalated fame, or books exploiting the dead....

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, Hauntings, UFO's, and other strange events that may be considered Fortean, from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

Private Residence - Shawnee Circle, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

We received the following report in March 2006. The family's experiences began in the 1970's and continued until they moved 12 years later. We will allow the primary witness to explain in his own words:

My family (back then) consisted of my parents, a younger sister, a younger brother, myself, and my older brother, a total of 6 members.

When we first moved into the home in the mid 70’s, there was only the 4 of us. From my understanding, we were the 2nd original home owners to move into that house from the time the home builder sold the home. The first family oddly enough sold the home quite quickly from the time they bought it, but were never questioned if the reason was due to financial issues or something else.

I was just entering my junior kindergarten years, and it seemed that weird issues with the home did not start until after my younger brother was born in ’78 or that I can recall. My parents, especially my mother, seems to think that even when we moved into that house we had problems, and it was just that I was too young to remember them.

We stayed in that house for about 12 years, and it was the 12 most weirdest years of our lives. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't creepy all of the time. We had a lot of great times at the house, but the days when it got creepy, it would get very creepy. You'd have to look at it from my parents’ point of view (why they stayed so long, and did not make their experiences public) they always said, "A young family of 4 going onto 5, and all their hard earned money was invested in the home and the bills from the mortgage and the business piled up. God forbid we said anything to the public in that they would think we were nuts, furthermore that when we had enough to get out of there, that nobody would buy our home if we openly spoke about our experiences."

The following are just some of the weird experiences encountered in the house and not in exact order of occurring:

· Younger brother's bedroom has his bed located against the wall. Above the bed on the wall he sticks a triangular Toronto Maple Leafs banner using scotch tape. During the night when going to bed, he finds his banner placed face down on his bed peeled off the wall. We then precede this routine for 3 days straight. After the 3rd day we decide to crazy clue the 3 corner tips of the banner on the wall. That night, banner is again is faced down on his bed and where the super glue points were placed on the wall, the paint was peeled right off and still attached to the banner lying on the bed... Maple Leaf hater ghost?

· Other objects from other rooms fall off the walls such as pictures, wall mounted phones.

· Occasional times something would be constantly banging lightly on the side of the furnace wall. When a person approached the furnace for investigation, the banging stops, when departing from the furnace location, banging begins again, constant routine.

· Family members are located on family room floor. From the family room area a person can hear the fridge in the downstairs kitchen open up, things vibrating such as beer bottles and containers and then the fridge door slamming shut hard.

· Mother has a semi-sleep-semi-awake dream that a man enters her room and attacks her by choking and shaking her violently which my mother is paralyzed that she cannot move or speak a word but does not tell her children about it. Same man is described by myself attacking me in my dreams moves up from the feet area to my head, covers my whole body paralyzing me.

Investigator's Notes:Please note that while the above resembles a sleep disorder aptly named Sleep-Paralysis it is very interesting that both mother and son visualized the same man! This would cast serious doubt to sleep-paralysis as being the causation)

· Older brother wakes up from a dead sleep, walks to younger brothers’ room, asks for one brother to move over to lay next to him staring at the ceiling until mother forces the older brother to go back to own bed. Next morning older brother does not remember the night before’s event.

· Myself, waking up around 3am finding myself staring down the bedroom staircase with both my feet halfway off the edge of the top staircase step.

· Waking up one morning finding that a white cloudy circular orb is staring me right in the face from the side of my bed and with a quick blink of fright it is gone.

· Upstairs kitchen during a thunderstorm, my older brother and myself are talking to one another across a circular table, and the lights go out for a split second which reveals a cloudy white thin entity hovering above the table between the both of us and then gone after a split second.

· Pet canary from time to time would fly from cage wall to cage wall frantically as if it is trying to get away from something that wants to touch it. Pet canary goes completely haywire in the cage enough for my mother to cause intervention, open the cage and hold it in her hand to calm it down.

·Televisions in the family room and basement den turns off and on by itself, but happens on rare occasions.

· Radio on top of fridge in the downstairs kitchen turns on and off by itself, but happens on rare occasions.

· There had been some mornings when nobody is upstairs in the bedroom floor area that when the light shines in from the east windows and reflects shadows on the staircase wall that you can see shadows moving upstairs that resembles a person.

· Had a developed photograph of the basement den that you can see the television is turned off, but there is an apparition of a woman’s face with long hair staring out of the television, but no other object content on the screen to show that the television may be on and set to a channel.

· My younger sister almost on a daily basis during some weeks would start talking in her sleep at exactly 1:15am in full understandable sentences to someone in the room to leave her alone and go ask someone else to play with them. These sessions would last a good 10-15 minutes at a time.

· My younger sister (back then) collected a doll rock group set called ‘Jem & the Holograms’. One piece of this set was a tiny little organ powered by a watch battery. During the very early hours of the morning (1am-3am), you can hear the organ playing very softly from the bedroom closet. By the time you approached their bedroom the sound would stop, and by the time you got settled in your own bed it would start again.

· Family vacation for 6 weeks requires house sitting by our grandfather. Returning home, grandfather states that he hasn't been scared in all of his life more than being in our home alone listening to noises of things moving and someone walking.

· Family brings in 2 different Orthodox Priests during 2 separate occasions to bless the house.

· Last day living at house, after all furniture was relocated to new home, younger sister and next door neighbour perform a walk through of the empty home. They are alone. Being scared out of the house from the sounds of heavy footsteps echoing from bedroom level coming down the staircases.

· One situation, we were awakened by the fire department to evacuate our home because the home attached to ours has their furnace catch on fire. While talking to home owners family on road, they claim weird banging noises on furnace wall for several days before the event that would stop when they tried to investigate the problem.

During the day, the house is pleasant, but takes on a whole new look during the evening. When I was younger coming home during the night with my family, I always would have this sort of fear that something from the dining room/living room porch window was staring at us coming up the driveway.

The witness and his family speculate that the haunting may still continue and would like to hear from anyone who may have further information. (Please note that we will not confirm an exact address.) They are also curious as to why so many of the street names in the area are of Native tribes.

Our thanks to the witness and his family for sharing their experiences with us.




Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

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This week, historian Chris Laursen recalls the tale of Whitey, a cat from the Florida suburbs who seemed to have the uncanny ability to talk.

Mama, I am not a bad cat!
by Chris Laursen

Ruth Deem was lying on her bed when her six-month-old cat Whitey jumped up. “Mama, I’m hungry,” the white cat told her. Mrs. Deem was quite surprised, and replied, “What did you say?” “I’m hungry,” Whitey repeated in his high cat voice. A talking cat?

She and her husband had rescued the male kitten, found abandoned and hungry near their home in Hillside Acres, Florida in June 1963. Little could they have imagined that they had inherited a cat who would speak English and become a Fortean legend. Mrs. Deem didn’t think it was appropriate to mention Whitey’s strange talent to her husband, but a few days after Whitey’s first words, Mr. Deem was petting Whitey and jokingly called him a bad cat. “I am not a bad cat. I want out,” Whitey replied tersely. Mr. Deem called to his wife, “Did you hear that?” giving her a sense of relief that she was not alone in hearing their white cat talk.

At the time, the Deems had one other cat (though by 1967, when Search Magazine wrote about Whitey the Talking Cat, they had 19 felines running around the house). The other cat’s name was Blackie, and he was obviously Whitey’s archenemy. Whitey used his ability to talk to berate how bad Blackie treated him. “He’s bad” or “He’s mean,” Whitey would often tell Mrs. Deem. His comments came almost daily in a “whining, self-pitying manner as though still aggrieved by its wretched infancy,” Bob Rickard and John Mitchell wrote in their compendium Unexplained Phenomena. Mrs. Deem added, however, that although Whitey spoke quietly, his words were usually quite clear and distinct.

Whitey enjoyed watching television with the Deems. Once, Search Magazine reported, there was a picture of a dog on TV, and Whitey, almost as if he were reassuring himself, commented, “He is not real.” Another time, a man was shot on a television show, and Whitey asked Mrs. Deem, “Was he hurt?” Mrs. Deem replied that he wasn’t, but Whitey wasn’t convinced of her answer. “Don’t tell a lie, Mama,” he said.

“Talking apart,” Rickard and Mitchell wrote, “he was a normal tom cat who liked to go out on prowls.” When the famed psychic, writer and paranormal investigator Susy Smith came to investigate, Whitey had been poisoned while out and about, which apparently inhibited his speech. But neighbours corroborated the Deem’s claim. One such neighbour, Marshall Furgeson, had looked after Whitey and Blackie when the Deems were away. One day, the two cats got into a scrap and he swatted them with a newspaper to break it up. Upon Mrs. Deem’s return home, Whitey accusingly told her in front of the neighbour, “He hit me!” “Who hit you?” asked Mrs. Deem, and Whitey replied “Him,” referring to the present Mr. Furgeson. “What did he hit you with?” Mrs. Deem asked. “Newspaper,” Whitey replied. Up until that point, Mr. Furgeson had been very sceptical that Whitey could actually talk as was claimed.

Whitey did not look kindly on people who did things to hurt him, including the veterinarian’s assistant, who Whitey also accused of being mean. He also did not show much respect for houseguests. Search Magazine reported that one day a minister came by to visit, and Whitey asked him, “Why don’t you go home?” Mrs. Deem, quite embarrassed, said to the cat, “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” Whitey arrogantly replied, “I am not! He’s a stinker!”

Perhaps one of the most self-pitying comments of all were, “Why no one love me?” Whitey always seemed to feel that he wasn’t getting enough attention, and that people were mistreating him. He even caught the attention of a policeman passing by the Deem’s car one day. They were having a nap during a road trip through North Carolina which included Whitey. According to Search Magazine’s report, the policeman heard a cry, “Help! Help!” When he approached the car, he found the cat inside with its sleepy owners saying, “I want out! Nobody love me!” You have to wonder if the officer bothered writing a report on that incident.

Even sceptics were shown up by Whitey. Joe Rhodes, a friend and previous neighbour of the Deems, really didn’t believe Whitey could talk. But at one point, after Whitey had been away from home for several days, he saw the white cat in a vacant lot. Knowing the Deems were anxious about their missing cat, Mr. Rhodes tried to catch him, and was flabbergasted when the cat ran off, calling out “You can’t catch me!”

A professor of sociology at Florida Southern College, Dr. Hornell Hart, offered various theories after discussing the case with Susy Smith. His three possible explanations, according to Rickard and Michell: ventriloquism, the misinterpretation of a cat’s meows, and “the development of a fad under which it becomes stylish for individuals to report having heard a cat make various remarks.” Note that the simple fact that the cat could actually talk is not mentioned. Susy Smith, however, thought witness evidence was substantial to demonstrate that Whitey, somehow, could talk.

There is another paranormal possibility that Matthew Didier and Sue Darroch mentioned to me when we were doing an investigation last Sunday, and Rickard and Michell also touched on this in their book. They mentioned the famous case of Gef the Talking Mongoose, investigated by paranormal sleuth Harry Price and Richard S. Lambert in the 1930s. The elusive mongoose lived in a house on the Isle of Man (kept there because the teenaged girl of the house loved him and besides, he kept the rat population down!). Gef could speak in a high, feminine voice, but upon further investigation, it was determined that the disembodied voice attributed to the invisible mongoose was a rare incident of poltergeistery. Could Whitey’s speaking abilities have been the product of a poltergeist? But the story of Gef the Talking Mongoose is a completely different Weird Wednesday in itself – for another time!

Whatever the case, it is hard to ignore the story of Whitey the talking cat from the Florida suburbs. Whitey wasn’t always self-pitying. He certainly loved Mrs. Deem. After she had been in the hospital with an illness for an extended period in 1966, upon returning home, Whitey ran right up to her and gripped his paws around her leg, refusing to let go. “Mama home! Mama home!” he joyously said.

Ponder this, gentle readers…

What would you do if an animal started talking to you?

Further reading:

In Search of the Talking Cat by Susy Smith in Fate Magazine, November 1965.

Whitey Talks (The Talking Cat) by Bennett Wm. Palmer in Search Magazine, November 1967.

Bob Rickard and John Michell. Unexplained Phenomena: A Rough Guide Special. London: Rough Guides, 2000.

Image credits:

Pictures from Search Magazine, November 1967 from the website that reprinted the article, http://www.geocities.com/casadetodd/whitey.html

"One curse, one cure, one week to find it"

Ringu was released in Japan in 1998, and has become a cult horror classic. I love the terror, and escape that a good horror film can deliver, so different from the reality of actual paranormal research, study, and investigation. The former after all is pure fantasy, while the latter is more akin to the extension of actual human experience.

Happy Wordless Wednesday, and thank you for stopping by!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

Muncaster Castle is reputedly one of the most haunted buildings anywhere in the UK. Scientists have been researching the "ghosts" of Muncaster Castle since 1992, and are still unable to explain some of the strange occurrences reported at Muncaster. Dare you spend a night in the 'Tapestry Room' to decide for yourself?

The Muncaster 'Ghost Sit' is a unique opportunity for up to 6 people to stay overnight in the Tapestry Room. To set the scene, your visit will begin late evening, with a private tour of the Castle.

Your party will be immersed in the tales and legends of Muncaster - an introduction to their ghostly residents. Tom Fool lived their once, some believe he still does. Tales are also told of The White Lady and of a woman dressed in black.

After your tour, you settle down for an all-night watch in their notorious Tapestry Room, with its Flemish hangings, rich Georgian furniture, and Elizabethan fireplace. To ensure you don't miss a moment, coffee will be provided.

The following morning, you will be greeted by a full English Breakfast in Creeping Kate's Kitchen. What better way to reflect on your evening and swap stories? The Castle owners ask all guests to complete a log, sharing their experiences.

Sounds delightful! And just my cup of tea ... :) Muncaster has been featured in several ghost documentaries that I own.

For further information please visit the Muncaster Castle website.

Cheers!
Sue
XOX

Key West is a fantastic place to visit for the paranormal enthusiast! Not only is Key West Florida rich in folklore, history, and legend, it is home to the world famous Key West ghost tours! It is also the home, and headquarters of Jim Moseley, famed UFOlogist, adventurer, and author of Saucer Smear.

Aside from the spooky fun of evenings spent in Key West, this gorgeous location is the perfect vacation spot for relaxation under the warm Florida sunshine. The best of both worlds so to speak!

If you are planning a visit Key West vacation rentals are offered at fantastic bargains by clicking the link on this entry. I do recommend you have a look at the various holiday rentals they have listed to plan your perfect Florida vacation.

Best Wishes,
Sue

Our thanks to our sponsors!

I once had a phone conversation with another small group of ghost enthusiasts who had spent some time near a small bridge in Guelph that has a "spooky" reputation.

I asked them, "So, what's the history of the place?" They started mentioning balls of light, weird noises and other strange stuff that people had claimed happened near or on the bridge.

"That's interesting," I said, "What's the history of the site?"

"I dunno. Why?" came back the reply.

"Well, what happened there in the past? Can anything from the sites history maybe explain who or what might be responsible for the phenomena... I mean, even if it is just a legend, these thing are usually attributed to a person or event from the past."

"Who cares." came back a 'matter of fact' reply, "It's just a cool spot and we..." At this point, I lost complete interest and really tuned them out. Frankly, I was angered and horrified. This is sloppy work at it's best from people claiming to be "investigators."

Nobel Prize winner, and Holocaust survivor Eliezer Wiesel said it best with "the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference." What does it say about any investigation when the investigators themselves say, "who cares," about what should be a very important component of their work?

This kind of tertiary examination of a site is a little like going to the Taj Mahal, and only seeing it as a big mausoleum, and missing the splendour of the architecture, and the tremendous love story between a man and a woman that it truly represents.

How many of these other "ghost sites" and groups go to cemeteries, and such to try to take their precious orb pictures and grab the odd EVP without stopping to note the history of the spot? Who are the people that represent the "ghosts" they are supposedly "hunting?" Do they even care? If you subscribe to the idea that "ghosts" are the manifestation of some form of energy from a living being who has since passed on, then why would you only be concerned with "them" AFTER they died? Wouldn't you LIKE to know why they may still be hovering in this spot in one way or the other?

Even if your a sceptic or simply a "thrill seeker," why not learn something en route? Would it kill you to learn why certain things may have had a practical reason for being there? If nothing else, it's fun to point out that sometimes legend and fact don't jive...

Another case in point, at Old Fort Erie in the Niagara region of Ontario, there's the "handless and headless ghosts." This is not, as I've read on a website, ONE ghost with no hands, and no head BUT TWO ghosts... One missing the head, and the other missing the hands. They have been seen for quite some time wandering the areas of the fort and the "legend" said that they were two occupying American soldiers during the War of 1812 who, while one was shaving the other, suffered a "fatal" blow from one of the cannon balls lobbed into the fort by the British during the siege. Thus, the "shavee" lost his head and the "shaver" lost his hands. According to what I've read and backed up by our wonderful guide, Jim, this legend persisted, and later on in the twentieth century, during an archaeological dig, they found a burial pit... In a line was one headless corpse followed by a "normal" corpse followed, in line, by a corpse who's arms had been amputated at the elbow. This was found LONG after the reports of the ghostly duo had been seen, therefore adding credence to the original legend. It goes to reason that the gent with no hands MIGHT have outlived the fellow with no head long enough for another chap to have passed in the interim explaining the person between them.

Finds like the one above do happen, and more often then you might think! They are one of the very reasons this type of study can be so exciting ... but then again, we do care!

Taken by Chris Laursen overlooking Toronto Harbour. A bit blurred, but cool all the same with the lights of Toronto Island and a part boat in the Harbour, a blood moon hangs low over Lake Ontario....there are many bits of folklore, and myth based around this type of beautiful, natural wonder...

Saturday, May 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dundas Library (Allwood Room)
18 Ogilvie Street
Dundas, Ontario, Canada

If you will be in the Hamilton/Halton Region on that date, you are welcomed to participate by pre-booking a time.

Dates and locations in the greater Toronto area and hopefully the Niagara region will be posted as soon as they are confirmed.

Further details on the Psychometry Experiment website.

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, Hauntings, UFO's, and other strange events that may be considered Fortean, from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

Today's entry takes us out of province for a change of pace, and is courtesy of our sister group the BCGHRS, it is an interesting series of events to say the least!

SE Marine Drive Townhouses, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The following is an account of our research and investigation into a number of strange happenings at a townhouse complex near SE Marine Drive in Vancouver, BC. This account is now featured in Susan Smitten's Canadian Ghost Stories Volume II

BACKGROUND

The complex is located near SE Marine Drive in the Vancouver neighborhood of Killarney. It consists of 70 housing units built nearly eight years ago, and residents in at least six of these units have come forward to say they’ve had strange encounters with what they believe is to be paranormal.

Hundreds of years ago the Killarney region was a popular summer residence for a number of First Nations groups, including the ancestral relatives of today’s Squamish, Burrard and Musqueam bands.

The area was favored by those people for its lush forests, abundant wildlife and close proximity the Fraser River... unfortunately, those elements were also attractive to the British settlers of the 1800s.

While we have yet to find evidence to suggest that natives were forcibly removed from this particular region, it is a documented fact that during this period it was common for white settlers to use violence against aboriginals to enforce their occupation of many parts of British Columbia … including murder.

Extensive logging operations began in Killarney at the turn of the 19th century, a highly profitable operation because of its easy access to river barge transportation.

In 1868, a large portion of the region was granted to William Henry Rowling (1826-1905), a surveyor with the British military’s Royal Engineers which had completed an exploration of the Esquimalt region on Vancouver Island a few years earlier.

Rowling’s lands consisted of a 3.5 km stretch of riverfront along the Fraser which extended a few kilometres north just past where the townhouse complex stands today.

Prior to moving to his new property with his wife Mary and their five children, Rowling had owned a pub called “The Retreat” in New Westminster’s Sapperton district. The city of Vancouver’s website lists the Rowling family as Killarney’s first official settlers.

Fast forward to December 25, 1889 - Rowling had thrown a Christmas party at one of the three homes he’d built on the property over the years.

Many of the guests in attendance belonged to various chapters of the Masonic Lodge, and a horse-drawn buggy containing several of their young members was soon met with a terrible fate.

Documents at the Vancouver City Archive show that the buggy was struck by a massive falling tree as they headed down the North Arm Road, an early incarnation of today’s Marine Drive which ran through the Rowling lands.

That night four young men were crushed to death: James Bodwell, 21; Clarence Campbell, 22; James Lawson, 16; and Jasper Locke, 24.

Lawson’s younger sister Mayo escaped with a minor injury to her arm, and another passenger, James Mashiter, was unharmed.

A news article appearing in the Dec. 27, 1889 edition of Vancouver-based “Daily Colonist” states:

“The news of the sad affair cast a gloom over this city and the North Arm, all the parties being well known. The bodies were crushed and mutilated almost beyond recognition.”

James Saint, a neighbour and relative newcomer to the area, was said to be partly responsible for the deaths.

A few days earlier Saint had cut into the tree’s trunk and deposited burning coals inside.

Burning trees down from the stump was a common method for bringing them down, and the process often took several days. Why the tree wasn’t cut to land safely is unknown.

Nearly 50 years later, much of the city of Vancouver had developed with the exception of Killarney, which was still largely uninhabited.

Aside from a scarce few residents, it was also home to one of the city’s landfills through the 1940s and 1950s. The landfill is no longer there, but by our estimation it too was situated on the former Rowling lands about a block south of the current townhouse site.
The Townhouse Tragedies

The following is a partial list of the activities reported by a variety of tenants scattered throughout the townhouse complex.

“Donna” - TOWNHOUSE #1 & #2

Donna has served as a liaison between the BCGHRS and residents of the complex. She was one of the first residents to move into the development with her husband and children about eight years ago. During that time she has lived in two separate townhouses at the site, and has had paranormal experiences at both. Donna has since moved into a new home in Burnaby, and we thank her for her efforts to assist us.

Activities in #1 include:

· sightings of shadowy figures;

· TV set turning on by itself when nobody was home;

· disappearing \ reappearing objects

NOTE: while this activity occurred with a variety of household objects like keys, personal belongings, etc., the most notable instances surrounded the frequent disappearance of her birth control pills.

The packages would often vanish from their usual spot on a countertop whenever someone left the room. Donna even tried keeping them in a locked drawer, but still they vanished.

At the time she thought someone was breaking into her home to play a cruel joke, and even raised the issue with other residents at a strata council meeting. It was after that declaration that some of her neighbours came forward and shared some of their strange personal stories. Like Donna, they thought they were going crazy.)

Activities in #2 include:

Sightings of shadowy figures and balls of light,

mysterious smells of Old Spice aftershave, cinnamon and flowers;

unusual cold spots and auditory phenomena

NOTE: On two occasions Donna heard glass shattering in her downstairs kitchen and upstairs bathroom. Upon investigation there was nothing there.

One morning around 4 am she heard the loud, unmistakable sounds of a man walking past her home whistling a familiar tune. As she couldn’t see anyone from her windows she rushed outside to greet the culprit… naturally there was nobody there, although she could still hear him walking a short distance away.

Another time she awoke to the voice of a “tormented” woman playing through a baby monitor. The microphone was in her infant son’s room, and again, no trace of a woman could be found.

Donna insists that this was not a case of transmission interference, a common occurrence with baby monitors. She said that you could actually hear that the woman had increased her proximity to the microphone while she was talking before pulling away.

Other instances have included the sounds of various bells ringing inside her home.

“Meghan” - TOWNHOUSE #3

Meghan moved in just a few years ago, and was also a particularly active participant in the BCGHRS investigation. Special thanks once again.

Activities in #3 include:

· sightings of shadowy figures and balls of light;

· lights turning on\off;

· water faucets turning on\off;

· footsteps walking up the stairs;

· a persistently vibrating picture frame

NOTE: The silver-colored picture frame stands about eight inches high and folds on hinges in the centre. It once belonged to Joan (see below), who resides in one of the most active homes in the complex.

Meghan said that she kept the frame on her bedside dresser, and several times a month she’d wake up to the sound of it rattling loudly. At first she attributed it to heavy vehicle traffic passing by her home. But she soon came to realize that it was only the frame that was shaking - all other objects on the dresser were still.

Her attempts to replicate the vibrating motion were unsuccessful - even physically shaking the dresser failed to reproduce what had been happening.

Unfortunately, she said it still feels like a presence is in her home.

Our thanks to Heather Anderson, and the BCGHRS for sharing these reports with our readers!

Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

The British Columbia Ghosts & Hauntings Research Society is currently recruiting volunteer investigators, and researchers. If you are a ghost enthusiast currently residing in British Columbia, Canada that would like to pursue this study from a serious, and science-based view please contact Director Heather Anderson through the website link given above.

It can be a very fun & exciting hobby! And it is always good to network with others that share similar interests ..

Cheers!

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On the first Weird Wednesday of each month, Chris Laursen reviews exceptional films, television series, visual arts and music that have imaginative paranormal themes. In this instalment, he looks at the outrageous and poignant Werner Herzog and Zak Penn mockumentary, Incident at Loch Ness.

Haunting Visions | May 2007
Incident at Loch Ness
by Chris Laursen

In 2004, Werner Herzog supposedly embarked on the filming of a documentary about the world's most famous lake monster, The Enigma of Loch Ness. Produced by a blockbuster Hollywood screenwriter, Zak Penn (who wrote the second and third X-Men movies, the live action Inspector Gadget and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Last Action Hero), arthouse film director Herzog found himself at odds with trying to tell the story of a myth within the collective consciousness of humanity and Penn's eagerness to make a slick film to bring in the box office receipts.

The eerie shot of Loch Ness at the start of the film.

Of course, the Hollywood types think the legend is balderdash, and Herzog himself doesn't really buy into it but he has a greater vision at stake. He hopes to pull out of it a greater poetic truth about humanity, as he has done in such films as Fitzcarraldo in which a steamship is hauled up the side of a mountain in the Amazon; or in his look into the mind of a man seeking fame, fortune and meaning in Grizzly Man; or his dramatization of the true mysterious case of a boy who had been locked in a cellar most of his life, Kasper Hauser.

"Of course you can tell it's made up," he says, pulling a famous Nessie photo off of his corkboard in the documentary on the making of his film, Incident at Loch Ness. At first glance, the photo appears to be the lake monster's head poking out of the waters from a distance, but looking closer, it is obvious that a scale-sized model has been placed in the water. "The movement of water cannot be miniaturized. It's probably only toy size." Werner bares his teeth as he considers the legend.

Werner Herzog points out his wall of Loch Ness monster photos.

"It shows very clearly that this whole thing about Loch Ness is more or less a figment of our fantasy. I like that much more than the real monster: what's going on in our collective dreams and collective nightmares." In the same breath, he heartily admits that he is seeking the "weird whackos" out there.

Upon his arrival in Inverness, Scotland, Herzog finds himself confronted with a few unexpected surprises courtesy of Zak Penn, including a sonar navigator who is actually a former Playboy model (Kitana Baker) and an obsessive cryptozoologist (Michael Karnow) who carries around samples of unknown animal parts in jars inside of his suitcase. Nothing is going according to plan, and Herzog suspects that his crew have ulterior motives that they are trying to hide from him - which in itself is a part of Herzog's own legendary status as a gonzo filmmaker.

Michael Karnow shows off what may very well be Bigfoot hair. Note his fine beard.

Everyone, according to Herzog, thinks he is berserk and trying to "out-Hollywood Hollywood," but he insists he is staying true to his cinematic roots. The film documents the descent of his intent verses the powerful commercial vision that wishes to pull the director into the blockbuster realm. The two cinematic ideals are in a hardcore on-screen rasslin' match.

Moreso, Incident at Loch Ness is clear satire of how the mainstream media and entertainment industries treat mysteries and legends. It's all about hyping up the story and creating unbelievable adventure, but as this struggle between Herzog's purist documentary filmmaking ethics and Hollywood blockbuster exploitation heightens, there is a sense that the mystery itself is actually there, mocking the entire situation. The mystery itself becomes more blatantly present as the film progresses, forcing it into the Hollywood style.

Herzog chooses all of his "Loch Ness experts" based on the quality of their beard.

The Incident at Loch Ness revels in Herzog's improvisational style. It is sort of the Blair Witch Project meets Curb Your Enthusiasm meets the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest (who made This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and last year's For Your Consideration). Everything is tongue in cheek and over-the-top to reinforce the collision between the nature of reality, illusion and human nature.

If you haven't gathered yet, The Enigma of Loch Ness was never released. But this "making of" mockumentary becomes what the Enigma could never be: a commentary on the juxtapositions between styles of filmmaking and exploring the unknown. It's Herzog's silliest film as a result - a complete farcical romp that is far from subtle, complete with slapstick gags, self-mocking and Hollywood cheese. It's a favourite of many paranormal and cryptid enthusiasts for it so aptly pokes fun at investigation into these matters and how mass media covers them. A sugary treat for Herzog and Loch Ness buffs alike!

Ponder this, gentle readers...

Are lake monsters a mere fantasy in the collective imagination, or is there some basis to believe that large underwater dinosaur-type creatures inhabit lakes around the world?

Further reading:

Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep by Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe. Tarcher Books, 2003.

Tim Dinsdale. Loch Ness Monster. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1961.

"Is This Nessie?" by Ian Barron in Highland News, 17 April 2007:
http://www.highland-news.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/1596/Is_this_Nessie_.html
(courtesy of Robin Bellamy, PSICAN's new Director of Cryptozoology)

And now for something completely indifferent...

A 1970s Forteanesque cartoon on why you should abide by Canada Customs regulations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODEcxypvIZU

I was quite delighted to come across the EMT Alert website, and wanted to take a few moments to tell our readers about it.

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Sue

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Owls often factor into the folklore of many different cultures. They are also reported and associated in some cases of alien abduction. Sceptical organizations have used owls to try to explain away strange creature sightings such as Mothman. Personally, I find them to be beautiful, and intriguing!

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants please click here.

The IFO

A UFO becomes an IFO when it is positively identified as a known object. The following is a partial listing of IFO’s that can be reported by witnesses as UFO’s. Depending upon whom you consult, the percentages of IFO’s making up UFO reports will differ. Sceptic organizations such as CSICOP will argue that all UFO sightings are in fact IFO’s, and that it is missing clues that prevent making a positive identification with all cases. It is the cases that cannot be explained by the following that intrigue UFOlogists.

Common causes of misidentification

Celestial Objects

Venus, Jupiter, the rising moon etc.

Venus in particular is a common culprit as it can be intensely bright and will twinkle differing colours under the right atmospheric conditions.

Comets and Meteors

The media usually provides ample coverage of a comet’s approach and dates of larger meteor showers are fairly well known by the public. Larger meteors known as fireballs are often reported as well.

Clouds

Lenticular clouds are quite strange in appearance and can be mistaken for “saucers,” Water droplets can create the illusion of metallic colouring when struck by sunlight at certain angles.

Space Junk

Rocket boosters etc are seen as an unexpected bright light in the sky upon re-entry.

Satellites

The NOSS (National Ocean Surveillance System) in particular have been found to be the causation of some UFO reports. Excellent article here: http://www.bufora.org.uk/archive/NOSSessay.html

Airplanes, Gliders, Helicopters, Blimps, Balloons

Military, commercial, and private. Many company’s are developing and testing unmanned, strange looking aircraft that will be able to perform manoeuvres that conventional aircraft cannot.

Birds and Insects

Fireflies and migrating spiders have been reported as UFO’s. An interesting story is of owls that became covered in phosphorescent fungus while roosting in infected trees and later being reported as “ghostly lights.”

Other natural causes include: the aurora borealis, lightning, and mirages.

This list is far from complete, but gives the reader a good idea of what competent investigators will consider while investigating UFO reports.

This entry was inspired by Dave's comments on yesterday's article in regards to UFOs Spotted By Pilots Over England.

Cheers!