Sue Darroch and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog

This story was submitted in April 2002 by a visitor to the Chateau Frontenac Hotel in Quebec City. Built in 1893, the hotel is one of the city's premier heritage buildings, and as one might expect, also has its fair share of ghost legends. Here are a few of the stories currently making the rounds of the local tour guides:

Strange Man on 5th Floor

My tour guide, "Warren," gave a set of keys to these two sets of travelling couples to their room on the 6th floor. The two couples were riding the elevator up, and when the doors opened, they stepped out of the elevator and realized they were actually on the 5th floor. They figured they had pressed the wrong button,and thought nothing of it. That's when they saw a man dressed in period clothing. The strange man did not speak to them, and they thought he was a member of the hotel staff, dressed in period garb to "entertain" guests at the hotel. They got on the next elevator and went up to their floor.

That night, they all settled down in their beds, falling asleep. Then suddenly,they felt a presence in room. They looked around and saw the strange man standing between the two platform beds, looking from left to right, watching them sleep.The two couples were scared stiff, too afraid to even get out of bed to turn the lights on or say anything to their spouses. They just lay there with their eyes closed. They felt him watching them for a long time, perhaps a few hours. They didn't sleep at all that night, and just lay there petrified.

The next morning, Warren saw them and asked why they looked so tired. They told him their story and said that they weren't going to go on tours with this company any more.

The Yin-Yang Eyes

On another trip, a young woman from Hong Kong was seated with her companion at the front of the tour bus, behind Warren, as it made its way to Quebec City. They were passing through a stretch of forestland, which was quite boring for most people. Suddenly, this woman gasped "Aiya!" and covered her face, then looked away from the window for a while, until the forest was out of sight.

Warren asked her what was wrong, and was worried because this woman was pale and looked very scared. She wouldn't tell him at first, but then after a bit more convincing, she explained that she has what Chinese people call the Yin-Yang eyes. That means that she can see both the living (in the Yang) and the spirits(in the Yin). Since she was a child, she has been seeing spirits of dead people.Most of the time, it's not scary to her because the spirits don't seem to realize that they're dead.

Anyhow, as they were passing by the forest, she was looking out the window, and she saw a man being hanged on a tree. She could see that he had scraggly longhair, and was wearing a white outfit with a large red circle in the middle of his shirt. This startled her immensely, because she said that she had never seen the spirit of a hanged man before.

Then Warren related to her a bit of historical info about the stretch of land they were passing. It used to be near a battlefield, and when the French took prisoners, they would execute them by hanging. I don't know much about this dark side of French America's history, so I can't tell if the tour guide was telling the truth or just making this up to scare the girl. I don't think Warren would do that to a girl who was already very shaken up, since he seemed really nice on the trip.

The Phantom Bedmate

The next incident occurred when they had arrived in Quebec City. This tour group was also staying at the Chateau Frontenac.

That night, as this young woman was sleeping in one bed, and her friend in another, she woke up because she sensed that someone was in the room -- someone not human. She felt this "person" lay down on the bed next to her. She was very scared and began reciting Buddhist mantras, what had been a very successful"trick" in the past. Unfortunately for her, the ghost didn't pay heed to the Buddhist mantras this time, and continued to lie there for almost an hour. Then the young woman felt the ghost leave the bed. She relaxed for a bit, and not five minutes later, the ghost returned, and this time lay down even closer to her. The young woman was getting even more scared, and started pleading with the ghost to leave her, swearing in English and in Chinese at the ghost. Nothing worked.

She decided to open her eyes (she had kept them closed this whole time) and address the ghost. This was another effective "trick," although risky, because she might end up seeing something terrifying.

Despite her fear, she opened her eyes and saw a female ghost with long dark hair in a white nightgown standing next to her bed, gently stroking her arm as if to say: "Don't worry, sleep now." The young woman was scared stiff. After about a minute, the ghost left.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The sceptics will love this how-to video that demonstrates how easy it is to Photoshop a fairly decent ghostly image. It's only drawback for the English reading viewers is that it is in Japanese. You'll get the idea though...

Well at least these are far more interesting to look at then "orbs" aka dust, airborne particles, etc

Do you believe in Angels? Specifically do you believe in Guardian Angels or spirits that exist to guide, and help us in our hours of need? I find reports of these spirits (which have been around for centuries, and in virtually all cultures) to be fascinating. Here is a report recounting just such an encounter.

"When I was eight years old, I saw my guardian angel. I still remember what he looks like and what he said to me. He was a very tall man with red hair and a red beard and moustache. He had what I would say to be wings; they were illuminated (like looking at oil in water). I remember that I was feeling scared when I went to bed. I said my prayers and tried to go to sleep. My bedroom was dark, then suddenly it lit up brighter than day, but it wasn't the kind of light that hurt my eyes. I remember asking who he was. He said, "Do not be afraid, for I will always be with you." By this time I was really freaked out. So he once again said, "Do not be afraid, for I will always be with you." It was just moments later that I felt a real peace. He then proceeded to tell me that I will go through some really hard times in my life, but to always remember that he will be right there helping me through these hard times. That was 16 years ago, and I still remember it like it happened last night. I have been through some real struggles in my life. But the one thing that I know that he was talking about is happening right now. I am a single mom, and my son, who will be three in May, has cerebral palsy with extensive brain damage. Anyone who has - or has had to love and take care of a severely disabled person - knows how hard it is mentally and physically. I thank the Lord everyday for my son. He is my little angel sent from Heaven. I am a born-again Christian and I now know that the Lord sent my guardian angel all those years ago to let me know that he will never abandon me."

I find stories such as these quite heart-warming especially at this time of the year.

Interesting Canadian possible UFO-related news item as first reported by the CBC. Here is a snippet from the article:

PRINCE.EDWARD.ISLAND (CBC) - Environment Canada and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada can't explain just what it was a P.E.I. couple filmed in the Island skies on Wednesday evening.

When Tony Quigley and his wife Marie of North Tryon, just east of the Confederation Bridge, saw a dark spiral in the sky they went for the video camera.

"When we first saw it, it was going so slow. We said, is it a meteorite, or what the heck is it? So when we did start to tape, it was above the cloud and that's the part we missed," said Marie Quigley.

"When it came out of the cloud, we have it from there until it's out of sight. I have no idea. I mean I didn't think it was a UFO or anything but to me I thought something was in trouble, but it was going so slow. I mean it was at least a half an hour from the time we first spotted it till it went out of sight."

The couple has no clue what it was. Their first calls, to the Charlottetown Airport and the RCMP, were no help. They called Environment Canada, which was also unable to identify the phenomenon.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has reviewed the footage to ensure the sighting was not of an aircraft in distress. A representative from the board confirmed it was not, but had no further details.

Full CBC Article Here

Hopefully the footage will become available to the public in the near future. If it is available or you have seen it please do let us know.

UPDATED: Video available here

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!

The following occurred in the early 80's in a trailer park home. The experience is very similar to Old Hags Syndrome.

"I wanted to share a multi situation that happened to me in 1983. It was in a trailer on Hungry Hollow Road just outside of Arkona, Ontario, Canada.

I had the same experience three times while living in this trailer.

I was sleeping and was awoken due to something softly brushing across my face. I reached to turn on the bed side lamp and nothing was there. The curtains or any other item was not in reach so really nothing around me that I could see was present there enough to do such a strange brushing of my face.

I tried to sleep and failed as I was and am the type of guy whom once awoken it takes me a lot to get back to sleep.

Anyhow I felt at peace and in a quiet setting too. And then I heard a multi voice chanting. It sounded fast and mixed, but I knew it was voices altogether at once kind of like a choir. It was down at the other end of the hallway coming towards my room at the end of the trailer.

I could hear it getting louder as it approached my bed, and close to my ear. I tried very hard to move and I tried very hard to open my eyes but I was just frozen stiff and could not move at all. Yet I was wide awake and could hear these multi voices.

I said the Lord's Prayer and all of a sudden it stopped and I was unfrozen

This happened to me 3 times the exact same way. And the thing about it was that I did not know at the time that the girl whom lived there before me had died by her own hand. But I did wonder why the rental property investment ad said immediate occupancy, no last months required? Maybe this was why?"

The witness goes on to add that other than these three weird events it was always a peaceful place to stay and he always felt safe there.

Our thanks to the witness for this report.

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 1.4kg Mallomys giant rat was one of two mammal species thought to be new to science documented on an expedition to an Indonesian rainforest described as a "lost world".

I think he/she is kinda cute!

Happy Wordless Wednesday, and thank you for stopping by!

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

Image Credit: BBC

Wow! It is hard to believe that 2007 is almost at a close, and today is Christmas Eve! With the shopping done, and gifts all wrapped, and under the tree, it is now time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the holiday.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate), and Happy, Prosperous New Year in 2008

People scare me far more than the paranormal does ... lol! Here is a bizarre news item that I came across in regard to actor - tough guy Chuck Norris. According to the article Mr Norris is suing a publisher because his tears are not a cure for cancer. Huh?!

Here is a snippet:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tough-guy actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris sued publisher Penguin on Friday over a book he claims unfairly exploits his famous name, based on a satirical Internet list of "mythical facts" about him.

Penguin published "The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the World's Greatest Human" in November. Author Ian Spector and two Web sites he runs to promote the book, including www.truthaboutchuck.com, are also named in the suit.

The book capitalizes on "mythical facts" that have been circulating on the Internet since 2005 that poke fun at Norris' tough-guy image and super-human abilities, the suit said.

It includes such humorous "facts" as "Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried" and "Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits," the suit said, as well as "Chuck Norris can charge a cell phone by rubbing it against his beard."

Full Reuters Article Here

Told ya this is a weird one. Who would have thought that what seemingly started out as a bit of internet fun would turn so serious.

Here it is Christmas Eve, and for once I have managed to make all my purchases without taking out huge unsecured loans (just kidding) or over using the credit cards. Phew!

Not only did I stay in budget this year, but all of the shopping has been done, the gifts have all been wrapped, and now are snug under our Christmas tree.

We actually had a lot of fun shopping this year as we decided to stay away from the big malls and do most of our shopping in Kensington Market here in Toronto (which is always a big hit for unusual, and unique gift items) and along China Town where you can again get some really cool items cheap, cheap, cheap!

So how did you all make out this year? Stressed, broke, or did ya find that happy medium?

Now, now....it is the holidays and the last thing we want to do is concentrate on smacking down the dirtbags, charlatans, and other assorted creeps that occasionally litter our study ....BUT you all LOVE it!!!! At least that is what our stats tell us .....so without further ado Sue & Matt's fave smackdowns from 2007....

The Giggle Factor

A pathetic attempt to discredit a U.S. politician by ridiculing UFO witnesses....Read more.....

Hear a claim - Check a claim!

Yet another self proclaimed expert ghost hunter who claims an educational background that upon investigation is found to be unverifiable. A pet peeve as we know how hard it is to earn a University degree and no one should claim they have unless they actually did the work ... Read more......

Psychic Scams

More charlatans, and hucksters includes links to a terrific off-site article on what to look out for when seeking a ghost clearing. If they ask for a hand-out even if it is just for expenses it is your right to ask for receipts.... Read more.....

I Don't Believe You

A PSICAN message board user goes on the attack with a witness, and we respond with our own brand of smack...Read more

We're all just one big happy community!

The HELL we are!!!! One of our absolute personal faves ...hey we even get to work in the village idiot image that we both adore! ... Read more.......

To ALL of those who lie, cheat, hoax, scam, and otherwise exploit the paranormal...you know who you are, and we most likely have written about you already, we do sincerely hope you find a nasty lump of coal in your stockings! Enjoy!

This looks so good! ....

....and while your home or office computer speakers will in no way compare to checking this out on say a Bose home theater you will definitely get the idea that this film has some real promise within the spooky/horror genre. At the very least the concept seems to be refreshing, and I have heard that the book by the same name The Ruins by Scott Smith is excellent, and comes recommended by more than one of my book loving friends.

I was reading the following news article earlier this afternoon that had been published in the Daily Mail. In all honesty the headline made me wonder if it was true or not, but apparently this child does exist as reported. Here is a snippet:

Russian police are hunting a "werewolf boy" - who snarls and bites - after he escaped from a Moscow clinic just a day after being rescued from the wild.

Doctors expressed shock saying he was found living with a pack of wolves in a remote forest in the Kaluga region of central Russia.

Full Article Here

Hopefully they will be able to find him. This is certainly yet another interesting case of animals adopting humans as if they were their own offspring.

Image Credit: Daily Mail

Have a look at the above video clip, in which author of The Field, Lynne McTaggart asks the question "can intention change the world?" A Shift In Action literally demonstrates a world that is transforming through positive thoughts, and intentions, and it is something that we can all participate in, and be a part of!

My answer to this question is yes, I absolutely believe that our intentions can and will change the world not only within our own lives as the secret promises, but globally for all of human kind. And the most exciting thing perhaps in my opinion is this is not just the domain of the spiritual leaders, but accredited scientists like Rupert Sheldrake, and Charles Tart have recognized the tremendous benefits of positive intention. Give the linky above some clicky love to learn more.

Readers who have already participated on a Muddy York Walking Tour know how much fun they are! Our dear friend Richard Fiennes-Clinton certainly knows how to educate while at the same time entertain! Not only do we highly recommend these tours we also like to participate in them ourselves. Here is the upcoming line-up:

Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays in December
(Including December 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th)

AFTERNOON TEA AT TORONTO’S FIRST POST OFFICE

"A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS IN TORONTO"
A History Of Toronto’s Christmas Traditions
Learn about the history of early Toronto, and the Victorian origins of our modern day Christmas. Come in from the cold and warm yourself by the fireplace before settling down to relive the spirit of Toronto Christmas past. The programme includes the founding of the Town of York, the Battle of York, Toronto’s Rebel Christmas (December 1837), the Victorian origins of modern day Christmas traditions, Charles Dickens, Toronto and "A Christmas Carol". The evening will conclude with a reading of a Christmas Ghost story by famed Canadian author Robertson Davies.

Remember, for those of us who are more traditional, Christmas runs a full twelve days. Why go through all the hustle and bustle and then pack everything up on December 26th? We will be continuing this talk through to the end of the month. It’s been very well attended on the Saturdays, and we’ve had a wonderful time.

Also, we are continuing this programme in January with a new theme for the talks - please scroll down to see what we’re presenting after tea in January.

Our group minimum for tea is six people, and our maximum is twelve to fifteen. You don’t need to meet the minimum in your party to sign up, but we need at least that many in total to go ahead, so it helps if you can convince as many people as possible to come out!

___________________________________________

December 21st, 2007
MIDWINTER NIGHT DREAM WALK at 6:00 p.m.
Come and celebrate the longest night of the year. We’ll start off at the Royal Ontario Museum for the storytelling part of the tour. I’ll share some eerie stories from the University Campus. Some of these may be familiar to those who have been on my Ghosts of the University of Toronto tour but I’ll have one or two new ones as well. Then, we’ll wander up into Yorkville, and I’ll share a little bit of it’s history with you as we look at their beautiful Christmas light display. As we pass by some of the exclusive shops, I’ll be sure to point them out to you, using their displays to help tell the origins of some of our Christmas traditions.

For thousands of years, almost every culture and religion in the world has had some kind of festival to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Don’t let the fact that it’s the longest night of the year keep you inside! Come out and have some fun.

We meet at the east side of the Royal Ontario Museum at 6:00 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. Please get in touch with me to reserve in advance.

___________________________________________

Saturday January 5th, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
CHOCOLATE SHOPPING TOUR THROUGH YORKVILLE

This tour will introduce you to the premiere chocolate shops, food suppliers and eateries in Toronto’s exclusive Yorkville district. The tour cost includes an introduction to over half a dozen locations, as well as one or two sample truffles as well. Bring spending money if you like, in case you see something else you want to pick up on the way. There will be time for you to do some quick shopping at our various stops. Our last stop is Carole’s Cheesecake Company, where you will be able to stop and have a sandwich and something sweet, too!! Food at our last stop is not covered in the cost of the tour. As we go along through Yorkville, you’ll hear the story of this fascinating neighbourhood and all the changes it’s gone through in the last 170 years.

We will probably limit this tour to about 20 people, so please reserve in advance.
We meet at the corner of Yorkville and Bloor at 3:00 p.m. Please let me know if you need further directions.
COST : $20.00 per person

___________________________________________

Sunday January 6th and Sunday January 26th at 3:45 p.m.
Afternoon Tea at Toronto’s First Post Office
"SCOTTISH NEW YEAR AND ROBBIE BURNS DAY CELEBRATION"
Come out and celebrate the new year in old world style. We’ll talk a wee bit about Scottish new year traditions, and also learn about a handful of men from Scotland who had a profound impact on the city of Toronto. The Scottish have had a profound impact on our national landscape. Most people think the Battle on the Plains of Abraham was fought between the English and the French, but at the end of the day, one Scotsman surrendered to another. Then of course, there was our illustrious first Prime Minister - another Scotsman! More specific to Toronto were a handful of men who came from Scotland’s shores to build our city. We’ll tell you about that, too!

We are only hosting afternoon tea twice in January - once on Sunday January 6th, to celebrate Hogmanay, and then again on Saturday January 26th (Robbie Burns day weekend) so it’s important to sign up now!

Our group minimum for tea is six people, and our maximum is twelve to fifteen. You don’t need to meet the minimum in your party to sign up, but we need at least that many in total to go ahead, so it helps if you can convince as many people as possible to come out!

DATES :
Sunday January 6th at 3:45 p.m.
Saturday January 26th at 3:45 p.m.
Please arrive at Toronto’s First Post Office (260 Adelaide Street East, just east of Jarvis Street) at 3:45 p.m.

COST : $35.00 per person.

___________________________________________

Saturday January 12th
INDOOR GHOST TOUR at 11:45 a.m.
We’ll meet at the front entrance to the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre Centre at 11:45 a.m. The Elgin Winter Garden theatre centre is home to two distinct theatres, totally different in style, that were built one on top of another. It opened as a vaudeville theatre in 1913. After talking movies were invented in the 1920s, the upstairs theatre, the Winter Garden was closed up and left abandoned for sixty years. In the six decades that no one entered the theatre, it was said to accumulate some interesting paranormal guests. I will be able to conduct the tour through the theatre centre myself. Although we will have the chance to visit the Elgin theatre, our main focus will be on the Winter Garden. We’ll even go backstage and see some of the artifacts that were discovered after they reopened it, as well as a vintage dressing room restored to the vaudeville era.

We’ll leave the Elgin Winter Garden theatre centre around 1:30p.m., and walk about five minutes to Mackenzie House Museum. Mackenzie House is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the city of Toronto. When we get there, I’ll tell you a little more about it on the front lawn, and then turn you over to the staff who will give you a guided tour through the house.

This tour starts at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday morning, January 12th. We meet at the main entrance of the Elgin Winter Garden theatre centre, located at 189 Yonge Street just north of Queen Street.

You absolutely need to register for this tour by Wednesday January 9th, so call or email me at your earliest convenience.

Our group minimum for this tour is fifteen people, and our maximum is about twenty-five. You don’t need to meet the minimum in your party to sign up, but we need at least that many in total to go ahead, so it helps if you can convince as many people as possible to come out!

COST : $25.00 per person (includes admission into both the Elgin Winter Garden theatre centre and Mackenzie House museum).

___________________________________________

Saturday January 19th
RIOT IN THE COURTROOM TOUR
Meet me on the front lawn of Mackenzie House Museum at 12:15 p.m.

This is your chance to have your day in court!
This is a two part tour examining the history of a very important 19th Century court case. William Lyon Mackenzie, one of Toronto’s most notorious citizens, was a journalist, politician, and leader of an unsuccessful rebellion that took the streets of Toronto in 1837. He used his newspaper as a forum for expressing the ideas of himself and his reform party. In 1826, in response to his controversial writings, fifteen young men from wealthy, well-known families of York raided his printing office, damaged his press, and threw cases of type into Lake Ontario. This became known as the Types Riot.

Our day starts off at 12:30 p.m., with a tour of the printing press at Mackenzie House Museum, located at 82 Bond Street, two blocks east of Yonge Street immediately south of Dundas Street East. This first part of the programme should conclude by about 1:30 p.m.

Leaving Mackenzie House we’ll travel south and then along Queen Street West. As we pass Old City Hall and Osgoode Hall, you’ll hear about their connections with law in Toronto and Canada.

We’ll arrive at Campbell House, located at Queen and University, where participants re-enact the famous trial where William Lyon Mackenzie took those who invaded his printing press to court. Extensive pre-visit materials will help participants with role playing. These will be given out by email before the tour, and you’ll be able to pick available roles on a first come, first served basis. For those not given to public speaking, you can chose to be a member of the jury and decide the fate of the participants who will be defending themselves before the judge.

The programme should conclude by about 4:00 p.m.

THE COST for this full afternoon joint programme is only $25.00 per person! The court re-enactment is a programme that is not usually open to the public, so it’s a very unique opportunity. PLEASE BOOK FOR THIS TOUR BY WEDNESDAY JANUARY 16th.

Our group minimum for this tour is fifteen people, and our maximum is about twenty-five. You don’t need to meet the minimum in your party to sign up, but we need at least that many in total to go ahead, so it helps if you can convince as many people as possible to come out!

Know anybody studying Canadian Law or History? This would be an ideal programme to get them involved with. We can arrange this programme between Mackenzie House and Campbell House for special groups, so please get in touch.

If you have any questions about these events please contact Muddy York Walking Tours through their website or get in touch with them by telephone at (416) 487-9017.

We hope to partake in at least two of these tours, and hope to see you there! A great last minute gift idea for the paranormal enthusiast and/or history buff as well!

I came across a really great online resource for Pet Friendly Hotels, and I thought I would pass along the info to readers of this blog who also have fur babies that they travel with.

Travelling with my Max is much easier when preplanned. The official pet hotels.com is a great way to do just that! The site is easy to use, and deals exclusively with pet friendly hotels.

We love to travel to the Niagara, Ontario, Canada area, and often stay overnight either for hobby-related activities or just for fun. There is more than one pet friendly hotel in the area, where our dogs are welcomed and it is great to learn how many others exist in virtually every major tourist destination! Cool eh!

I came across this news item via UFO Digest and I have to admit that I have my misgivings. Here is a snippet:

Possessions by evil spirit seem to be so important matter that a special treating center for people with spiritual possession problems is about to be created in a village in north-western Poland. There people harassed by evil powers would soon find help of both secular and cleric exorcists.

Treating center for people possessed by the evil is aimed to be created in the border vicinity of Puszcza Goleniowska - a vast (circa 6302 km) forest complex located in Zachodniopomorskie wojewodztwo (Western Pomerania) in north-western part of the country, in Szczecin area. The first facility of this kind in Poland (and probably unique on the world's scale) will be devoted to serve people with problems connected with possession of dark powers.

Full article here

The photo above is of the new treatment center.

Now am I alone in being rather worried about a place such as this? Personally I am afraid it will become a place of botched "exorcisms" where people will be tortured or worse in the name of casting out evil. It just seems so medieval to me.....

I have been asked in the past if I would ever go into serious debt for this hobby, and my answer is I already have! Well not serious debt, but we do fund ourselves and therefore it can be costly at times.

As for loans I can say I have not taken out one as a direct result of the hobby, but perhaps indirectly so as I at one time was financing a computer, which for us makes up an important part of our research.

While most of us have to borrow money at some point in our lives either mortgages or car loans etc it is my opinion that unless you are obtaining cheap loans to finance certain equipment it is not necessary to go into large debt for this hobby.

Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present, by John Leech. Made for Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol (1843). Traditionally Christmas is the time for a good ghost story.

Since I will probably not be playing along in next week's Wordless Wednesday I thought I would take this opportunity to wish all my fellow WW participants a very merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and all the best in the upcoming year!

Happy Wordless Wednesday - Tuesday Edition, and thank you for stopping by!

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

Image Credit: WIKI

I LOVE a good scare! However, the reality of paranormal research is not scary at all, and in fact is for the most part very mundane. I often say that the topics we cover here are a natural part of the human experience, and not to be feared at all. Therefore when I am in the mood for a good thrill I turn to entertainment and amongst my faves are from the horror genre.

This past weekend I caught up on my horror movie viewing by checking out Grudge 2, (I loved the first) Silent Hill, and The Descent. Hey what better time of year to cuddle up, and watch a good horror flick, especially with a snowstorm raging outside.

I was disappointed with Grudge 2. In my opinion the ghosts were over used, and I hate to say it because I really liked the first one, but this one left me bored by the end of it.

Silent Hill was a lot of fun, and I do not think you need to be a fan of the games to get into it!

As for The Descent I really liked it! The film is British and has a strong female cast, (always a good thing in my opinion) and has an interesting crypto kinda concept that drives the film.

Alright, enough Siskel, and Ebert from me. What are your fave horror films?

This is an off-topic review, but should be of interest to readers especially in in Southern California. If you are seeking a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney | California Felony Misdemeanor DUI Specialists please do click on the link that I have added into this entry for you.

I had the opportunity to visit the website of this top 5% U.S. law firm earlier this morning, and was impressed with the information presented, and the design of the website itself. The site is easy to use, and will give you a detailed outline of the services being offered. I also felt that the site gives a personalised touch, which in my opinion helps to put users at ease. With over 50 years of trial experience I am certain clients will be in good hands.

If you are a friend of Paranormal Studies, & Investigations Canada you can now join us on Facebook. It is a cool way to keep up with what is going on in the group, and network socially in a very relaxed, and easy going atmosphere. The group is open so anyone can join, and toss a sheep at us...

Just click on the linky above to get to our Facebook group!

Webmasters check this out! If you are running a paranormal themed website or any type of website for that matter you will want good quality, reliable web hosting that is reasonably priced for the services you are paying for. Am I right? No need to answer as that question is obviously rhetorical.

We have had to change web hosting companies a couple of times over the many years our websites have been around, 10+ in the case of the TGHRS, and there is a great online resource called Web Hosting Choice that can help with finding exactly what you are looking for. You can check it out here http://www.webhostingchoice.com, and see what I mean when I say it is very easy to use, and an informative guide to web hosting. You can use their complete directory, or you can utilise the quick search box to find the right hosting service for your own site. Cool eh!

Oh, No! It is an attack of demonic orb ghost thingys! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Actually this is a view from my living room window yesterday afternoon during the height of the snowstorm that we in Southern Ontario had been experiencing.

Despite the nasty weather I did go out and get some lovely photos, such as the one above.

In response to a number of recent queries regarding EVP we thought we would replay if you will .....

The Art of the Phantom Interview or...

"If there's a ghost in the house, could you please speak directly into the microphone?"

The art(?) of EVP or "Electronic Voice Phenomena" has really taken off over the last few years. Many websites worldwide (including our own) are actively are seeking out the ability to capture what could be the voices of ghosts... or, at least, unknown speakers on tape.

This article, more or less, is kind of a "How To" document if you will and as usual, a 'caveat emptor' warning of sorts to those who wish to try their hand at capturing mysterious voices and sounds.

FIRST: The obligatory history lesson...

History

Historically speaking, (other than looking at the fact that Thomas Edison practically invented the phonograph desperately trying to figure out a way for the dead to communicate with the living,) EVPs first came to the fore through Friedrich Jurgenson who, while trying to record birdsongs outside his house in the 1950's, ended up having voices come over his tape as interference. Jurgenson, deciding that it might be "the voices of the dead" tried to record them in a small forest hut near his home.

His first clear EVP from this was a voice in German saying "Friedle, little Friedel, can you hear me?" which apparently could not have come from a "living" person.

From that point, Jurgenson invested a lot of his time into the study of EVPs until he passed away in the late 1980's.

Since then, literally THOUSANDS of researchers hit the field with tape recorder in hand trying to capture anomalous sound with mixed results and success. Even we at the GHRS (with the now defunct CSPI) have had our "sound" moment at Oak Hill (Merritt House) in St. Catharines. That sound, such as it is, is available on a page that you can get to by clicking here. (A new browser will open up.)

Also, while we were at the same location a while later, ParaResearchers also captured ANOTHER sound that truly is a wonder as videotape clearly showed that the room in which the voice was recorded in was at least empty of all the "human" elements of the investigating group (and everyone else at the house) BUT the tape picked not just a voice whispering, but one telling me, your humble correspondent, by name to "shut up". That sound can be accessed by clicking here.

So, is there "something" to this? Well, let's just say that I believe that there is... actually, I believe there is more to this than "orb and mist" photos for sure!

Equipment

Strikingly enough, this does *NOT* have to set you back a ton of dough!

Basically, like all forms of data and phenomena collection, unless you are gathering for strictly self interest and don't mind an argument (see below), analog is KING!

This is NOT saying "Digital is Bad!" it's just in the grand scheme of recording either via film or tape, a digital ANYTHING comes down to "witness testimony" only once presented. With an analogue device, any phenomena captured can be scrutinized from the point of the equipment and the tape or film whereas with digital, once it is dumped from the equipment to a computer or similar source, it is your word that indeed, there has been no tampering because, indeed, it is much easier to create a credible looking hoax with digital than it is to create a "foolproof" hoax with analog. Again, digital is FINE provided you are not going to loudly proclaim "THIS IS GENUINE!" and not expect a louder argument. The "true believers" will never completely argue the merits of your findings but trust us on this one, the sceptdebunkers will and they will do it loudly and with as much venom and issue as they can.

Closing: The way I say it to people is imagine you have been charged with a murder. The only evidence that you did it is a DIGITAL image from someone's camera dumped on to a computer. Would you not see the fallacy of this in your own defence?

Addendum to the Above: While doing a recent radio program, the host suggested using a "digital mini-disc" recorder, which are fine instruments. We mentioned to him the issues with "digital" vs. "analog", but in thought, we came up with an intriguing idea... use both.

This may answer a couple of questions... like, is the magnetic media (of the tape) necessary for these things? What if the sound only is recorded on one of the devices and why might that happen? What if the sound is caught by both devices?

Basically, using multiple devices with differing medias may pose or answer some questions.

It's a good idea, but costly and we would still recommend if you're going to use only one piece of equipment, analog is still the media of choice... but if you have an extra bit of money and wish to look into things very clinically, using both in tandem would be ideal.

So, basically a standard, ordinary DECENT cassette recorder is preferable. I don't recommend "mini-cassettes" too much as the recording ability on the ones under $100.00 is sketchy and the tapes are prone to stretching and therefore contorting sounds. Also, do not purchase or acquire a machine with a built in radio as the mechanism might cause some "spill" from radio frequency onto the tape.

Marantz, Sony, General Electric, Panasonic and even good old Radio Shack (Realistic) make perfectly acceptable models of standard cassette recorders with no radio functions.

Microphones are a little trickier. You SHOULD try to find a microphone that extends at least three feet away from the tape recorder mechanism to avoid catching the "grinding" noise from the tape gears. Again, Radio Shack has some you can purchase by clicking here. They (Radio Shack) are not alone. Check out the electronics stores near you as well for more options. MAKE SURE the mic you buy FITS the recorder you have or, if all else fails, get an adapter.

Next, something we've recently (Jan 2003) come up against, TRY to find "shielded" microphone fiber cable or a mic with "shielded" cable. Radio frequencies bleed through the cord like there's no tomorrow in certain places. Two forts (Fort York and Fort Erie) we worked at experienced this problem very badly. No one needs to be straining to hear anomalies while Rush's "2112" is playing semi-audibly in the background because the local rock radio station is coming through the microphone cable.

If you can't get a "shielded" cable, you can purchase shielding separately from most good electronic stores and then do it yourself.

Tape should NEVER be longer than the 90 minutes variety and do not use "metal" or Cr02 tapes if the deck you bought cannot handle this type. Again, this is for static and 'bleed through' reasons and the "length" of the tape is to avoid stretching and breaking.

Normal C60s or C90s are fine and (good news) VERY inexpensive.

To avoid criticism, make sure you ALWAYS use fresh, sealed tapes OPENED ON SITE in front of AT LEAST one other person to avoid the inevitable call of people screaming "FRAUD!" If the tape was factory sealed, opened in front of at least one witness and a new tape is used on EACH session (not opened and then re-used because you used half or part in one location and decided to "kill" the rest of the tape) then the "fraud" factor is decreased significantly.

BATTERIES, BATTERIES, BATTERIES! Make sure that you do two things... First, always TRY very hard to use battery power rather than an outlet to avoid interference and feedback from the power current from the wall. Secondly, bring EXTRA batteries. If you figure you MIGHT go through two sets of batteries for your unit, bring four sets. Nothing worse than paying extravagant prices for batteries at an all hours convenience store when you could have stocked up MUCH cheaper earlier in the day.

As far as "reel-to-reel" decks or other specialty tape decks, that's entirely up to you but as a reminder, you MAY want to abandon or leave the machine alone somewhere... Just in case, the less expensive the unit, the less tears if, on recovery, it's broken or missing...

"Vox" or "Voice Activated" units CAN be the enemy! Turn off the VOX settings and let the tape roll. As evident, EVP can be EXTREMELY quiet (to a whisper) and therefore may not 'trip' the recording abilities of the machine.

Make sure, also, you TEST the machine and recording BEFORE heading out to a location!!! Getting to a site and finding out then that the machine is not functioning... well... sucks.

LASTLY, try to use "normal" record and tape speeds. Although "double-speed" is a clearer form of recording and "slow-speed" extends the tape, it also leads to stretching and can make it VERY difficult to transfer to another tape or computer later.

Methodology

We have really only EVER come out with two good possibilities for capturing these events. Both are listed below...

Abandon and Retrieve Method: This is the most "foolproof" way of ensuring that the possible recorder sounds are indeed anomalous in nature.

In a good spot, set up the mic (three feet away from the unit and shielded) in a good "recording" spot. Open a fresh tape in front of a witness. Place the unit on record. Announce the time, date, location and who's around (at the initial point of starting) and leave the tape rolling. MAKE SURE that before doing this, you test with A DIFFERENT TAPE for audio interference and double-check for possible "natural sound sources" that might be misconstrued later on while listening. NOTE ALL POSSIBILITIES IN WRITING! Always ensure 100% fresh (factory sealed) batteries are used in the tape recorder from the beginning.

Next, "seal" (as best as possible) the area the unit is in. Put a note on a door (or whatever) warning people that might enter that an experiment is in progress and IF they HAVE to enter, they should announce their name, the time they enter the room near the microphone and announce the time that they are leaving the room.

In an ideal situation, a video camera of some sort could ALSO monitor the cassette deck and area for possible "human" intervention. If you can afford to do this, make sure the "Time and Date" stamp are on the video tape.

Once 30 or 45 minutes have passed, two people can enter the room and either retrieve or "flip" the tape. MAKE SURE EACH UNIT IS ASSIGNED TO ONE TEAM! We have had situations of tapes being flipped thrice (losing the initial recording and voiding the tape as being "re-used" and therefore unreliable) and moved without the recorders "owning" team being informed or involved. This is a HUGE no-no!

After the investigation is done, take the tapes to a "good" playback unit (if the recorder isn't "great", try a 'boom-box' or home stereo) and listen to the tapes CAREFULLY. Remember to double check the noted "natural" causation for some noises.

As stated, with this method, it's almost a given that indeed, any 'odd' sound recorded is indeed, anomalous but remember, be your own watchdog and debunker and if presenting, make sure you can, if possible, debunk yourself. It will save you arguments and aggravation later.

Interactive Recording: This is the more "human fallible" of the two methods.

In this case, an ideal scenario is a team of THREE using the machine. Either it is "taken" on a walk (again, ensuring that the mic is away from the mechanism, fresh batteries, fresh tape, etc.) and the researchers simply converse or even possibly ask questions. The person with the microphone MUST do two things...

#1: Stay in VISUAL range (front facing) the other two team mates to avoid possibly being asked if "they" are the mysterious sounds/voices that are being presented. If two researchers validate that this is NOT the case and the sound/voice was caught WITHOUT the mic-holder's assisting it, that's pretty convincing testimony.

#2: Watch for "natural" explanations for possible captured sounds. The mic person must be vigilant for things like other people, nearby sources of sound or "natural" causation (such as wind or the like) and make note of it.

Again, when playing back later, listen for ALL sounds with the team and make sure you honestly write off any "normal" interference so it is not mistake for the "paranormal".

Also, in the interactive method 'realm', is the more interesting type that we are currently (Jan 2003) working with.

Again, preferably three (but two WILL do provided a video cam is available) actually sit or at least stay in one area. The mic and machine are placed in a central location and left on recording. The researchers MUST face each other or a video camera should be trained on them.

While there, a series of questions SHOULD be asked aloud to "anyone" other than the visible to answer. Leave at least ten seconds between each question for an answer and try to do "reasonable" questions for the environment.

For example, the basic questions good in any location are...

* Is anyone else here?
* Who are you?
* Do you know why you're here?
* How old are you?
* How do you feel?
* Is anyone else here?
* Are you waiting for or looking for someone?

After this, you can tailor the questions... Let's say you're at a restaurant...

* Did you work here?
* Do you like the restaurant?

...and so on.

Again, you MUST make sure all things are taken into consideration. As "common sense" as it seems, doing the above at a restaurant during the "dinner hour" with other patrons around of COURSE is going to net you some sound(s) or voice that would match.

Same thing applies, AFTER doing this, take the tape and let the team listen to it intently.

REMEMBER no matter how honest you are and how good you are and how compelling the evidence is to you, there will ALWAYS be those that will argue. It's best to accept this and if there's any reasonable argument, learn from it, adopt preventative measures into your techniques and move on QUICKLY. No one needs or wants a flame war over data unless it's being presented as ABSOLUTE proof or evidence or is being presented poorly to all.

If you look hard enough, you'll find something... even if it really was never there.

This will probably be my LEAST favourite and most controversial part of this document but I must say it.

Some people believe that when an audible, clear sound or voice is not evident, you need to push the sound through multiple filters via something like Cool Edit (which we did purchase and use for 'dumping' analog tape to computer... but we still keep the tapes!) or "back track" it and play the noise backwards.

As someone who is familiar with synthesizers (musically) I can and will attest to the fact that with enough tweaking, I can make your dishwasher sound like it's ordering Chinese food in Cantonese. "White noise" can be manipulated into anything.

Also, many of the "backtracking" samples I've heard are clearly voices (probably human and sometimes, even admittedly so) where the person is straining and reaching to hear something more... "unusual".

I liken this to "orb and mist" photos in the fact that whereas I can't say for certain there is ZERO validation in this, it's amazing that we try to do things like this as researchers when there's so many apparently good, "normal", no-editing-needed voices and sounds... Why would we need to (depending on your view) either create or attempt to decipher something when indeed, it may not be there to begin with?

It reminds me of the latest (again, Jan 2003) batch of "orb" enthusiasts who are TRYING to say that orbs are the ONLY way 'ghosts' can be photographed. This is the equivalent of saying "Take all those silly full and partial apparition photos we've all seen and chuck them in the garbage! They are WRONG!" (Forgive me, but I have far more faith in the images like The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall or even our own (GHRS) photos from Nevada and Ontario than the standard orb shot.

How does this relate?

Simple, there SEEM to be THOUSANDS of clear, "normal" audio captures of possible anomalies... Why do we "need" to accent them so much to try and pull out more???

Conclusion

So, remember, if you're off to go and record 'ghostly' voices, remember these rules...

* Get Permission to be on the site you're doing this at.
* Use discretion and don't disturb other "living" souls to do it.
* BE YOUR OWN SCEPTDEBUNKER and always try to answer all your own (and other's) questions in advance!
* Remember, nothing is ever going to be perfect so understand that there may be people that WILL question your findings.
* Take from the above SOME (if not all) the recommendations. I'm sure they will help.
* Be honest, be respectful and do your best... and have fun!

I would close this with the obligatory "Happy Hunting" but, nah... Just let it suffice to say, I hope your efforts are VERY successful!

Oh yeah, I forgot my usual disclaimer... "This entry is how "we" at the GHRS are doing things and what has worked for us. It does not represent the ONLY way of doing things nor does it represent the way other groups and researchers do their job. It is presented for you to read and possibly use (part or all of) for your own studies. Again, we (the GHRS) are CERTAINLY NOT the "end all of be alls" in ghost research so please, look around at other's work and decide what works best for you."

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 - Jodphur Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

The witness writes......

"When I was 11 years old we bought this home. My Mom and I didn't like it from the very beginning, however money was not grown on trees and my Dad got a very good deal on the house. The people that had owned it before us apparently were moving to the US, they had a blue baby (whatever that is so my Mom told me) they sold in a rush and sold very cheap.

The house was creepy to say the least, the walls were all painted awful colors, the kitchen was really bright blood red, the living room and dining room were painted a dark, dark green with stencils of something all over the place.

The first thing that scared me to death was at night before I was asleep I would hear someone or something walking down the hall to the bedroom area. Mom and Dad also heard these noises or footsteps, and many a night my Dad would get up with a baseball bat and check.

He never saw anyone. I had a pet cat she would always sleep in my bed, Mom and Dad had gone to bed, this one night, I went to bed 15 minutes later. I had a habit of always reaching my hand around the corner and turning on my light first before I went into my bedroom. I had my hand just about on the light switch, when there was this very loud crash , my pet cat came running out of the room hair standing up.

I screamed, Mom and Dad came out of their room to see what was going on. It sounded like my whole bed had collapsed. We searched the room and then the rest of the house and found absolutely nothing. My cat didn't go back into my room for 2 weeks after that.

We heard these footsteps for years, my Dad worked midnights so he didn't get to hear them as much as Mom and I did. I used to have nightmares on a weekly basis. Out of 7 nights I would wake up screaming at least 5. I never ever to this very day remember why I was screaming.

We always had the feeling that someone was watching us. It was very creepy. I remember waking up one night feeling I was being choked, as in gagging choked, there were hands around my neck, however when I woke up enough to know what was happening the hands around my throat were mine!

We would all (Mom & Dad & myself) watch TV at night, the living room and the dining were really just one big room. The dining room had a Duncan Fife table and 4 chairs, and a little china cabinet. The living room was quite simple couch against the wall 2 chairs (one matching the couch, one a lazy boy and the TV in the corner).

The dining room chairs were always placed under the table never moved only if we had dinner in there. This one night we were watching TV I don't remember what we were watching, anyway when the show was over and Dad said we should go to bed, we turned off the TV and what do you think, 2 of the dining room chairs were out of place actually right behind the one lazy boy chair and the one chair that matched the couch. They were in such a position as if we had more people there with us and they were also watching the same TV show as we were.

I started to shake, Mom just stood there looking dumbfounded and of course Dad said Mom should keep the chairs where they belonged. I know my Dad he was terrified and just said that so Mom and I wouldn't freak out. Mom said nothing, I said nothing we went to bed. Dad left all the lights on in the whole house that night and I didn't sleep a wink and I'm sure they didn't either.

Leaving lights on in the whole house at night at that time never happened, we were just scrapping by and there where household rules and one of them was to turn off the lights in a room you were not in. So I know my Dad was scarred and he did not scare too easily.

I got married in 1968 and my new husband and I had no money only a baby. Mom and Dad allowed us to rent the basement apartment. They said we could stay there for free but we paid the same rent as the other tenants did.

Several strange things happened when we lived in the apartment. The first I remember was our dog (she slept under our bed) would growl and bark at least twice a week. It was kind of scary because when she did this we would turn on the lights, get up and check but never saw anything.

The next thing that happened was I got up one night go to the bathroom, nothing weird about that but when I went to go into the bathroom there was this very bright ball of light and it scared me very much. I just screamed, we checked found nothing.

We eventually bought a budgie in a very nice cage. We always covered up the cage at night so he could sleep. All was well for a time, then after we had the bird for 6 months or so at night it would screech as if it was in pain. Got up checked, nothing.

We always kept a clothes pin on the cage door because the bird figured out how to open it, however the bird got out the clothes pin would be on the floor. This was during the day. The clothes pin was on the outside of the cage how did he open it?

We very often heard someone or somethin