Sue Darroch and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog

The photograph shown in Figure 1 was taken by me in St. James United Church in Montreal while attempting to capture psychic images. The occasion was a weekend psychic UFO conference in 1977.

Figure 2 shows the panel discussion and there are some faces you may recognize. First seated on the left is the late Professor J. Allan Hynek the renowned and respected UFO investigator and founder of the Center for UFO Studies http://www.cufos.org/. Sitting next to him is Dr. Bernard Grad of the McGill University School of Medicine (now retired). Dr Grad carried out some very important and scientifically rigorous (but little recognized in conventional scientific circles) research on the effect of healing through psychic means. http://www.ultramind.ws/laying_on_of_hands.htm Dr Grad also did a significant amount of work with Wilhelm Reich, experimenting with the Orgone Energy Accumulator http://skepdic.com/orgone.html. Sitting on Dr Grad’s left is Farther Stephen Barham a well-known instructor of the Silva Mind Control technique and is the speaker shown in Figure 1.

My wife and I felt that the venue may generate an elevated level of psychic energy and perhaps provide an opportunity to record something on film. We weren’t disappointed but what did we capture?
Following the conference we developed the film and were fascinated to see the strange dendrite like effects (Figure 1 being a typical example) appearing on 12 of the 36 frames. Careful examination of the negatives showed these effects to be part of the recorded image and not any form of mechanical damage or printing artefacts.

My wife and I are both keen photographers and have never seen anything like this before or since on any of our pictures. Had we captured a physic event? We showed the pictures to a professional photographer who immediately said “Oh that’s just sparking”. When the weather is cold the indoor humidity can be very low. If the film is rewound too fast under these conditions, an electrostatic charge can build up on the films surface and eventually cause air ionization across the surface of the negative. The resulting airglow exposes the film in a characteristic random tree-like discharge pattern. Well - the conference was in winter and it was cold so this seems like a very good explanation. Further examination of the negatives showed that the spikes did not respect the exposed frame edges but often crossed frame boundaries. This is of course consistent with the discharge explanation.

We published the photograph in Figure 1 in the journal MetaScience Quarterly, Vol.1, No.2 1980. In the following publication MSQ, Vol.1, No.3 another “sparking photograph” appeared submitted by a Professor Harold Sternbach. It was taken in 1958 in Antarctica by one of the Professor’s students who claimed that the spikes in the photo typically appear on pictures taken there. Again this fits the conventional explanation - so was it spirits or electrons? I vote electrons but nevertheless it seems strange that this phenomenon is not more commonly seen especially in Canada (or is it)? The student’s sparking photograph is the only other example I have seen of this effect. Perhaps a psychic venue is required to put some “electricity” in the air.

This story serves to emphasize that the interpretation of photographic evidence is not straightforward. It is necessary to explore all mundane explanations and consult experts before jumping to extraordinary conclusions. Extraordinary conclusions require extraordinary evidence. If this effect is ever legitimately captured on a digital camera then perhaps some deeper thinking is in order.

Our deepest thanks go out to John Miller for sharing his photos with us.

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!

Pinnacle Playhouse - Belleville, Ontario

Since 1969 the Belleville Theatre Guild has operated out of the former D.L. Storey Centre in Belleville. Since the building has become the Pinnacle Playhouse, there have been many reports of supernatural occurrences within the walls.

The members of the Guild have nicknamed their spirit "Ophelia" after Hamlet's love interest in the famed Shakespeare's play. There have been many reports of hearing "Ophelia" talking within the walls of the theatre, as well as staff and guests seeing green eyes within the air vents. Voices and lights have been seen and heard from the backstage area when no one was there. A lady in black is often seen in the control booth, and there are also sightings of people sitting in the seats of the playhouse who just disappear. In the female washroom - people have been terrified hearing a disembodied male laugh who people theorize is a dead janitor who used to work within the building.

Did all the renovations that occurred on the property converting the old D.L. Storey Centre to a playhouse wake the dead, or is this the result of creative minds working late hours in an old, dark, historic building. We would love to find out! Please contact our local investigator at brendag AT ontarioghosts.org

This is a very odd news item, although I have heard of this type of thing happening before. Here is a snippet from the news report:

ATHENS, Greece - A 9-year-old girl who went to the hospital in central Greece suffering from stomach pains was found to be carrying her embryonic twin, doctors said Thursday.

Doctors at Larissa General Hospital examined the girl and surgically removed a growth they later discovered was an embryo about six centimeters (more than two inches) long.

"They could see on the right side that her belly was swollen, but they couldn't suspect that this tumor would hide an embryo," hospital director Iakovos Brouskelis said.

Full MSNBC Article Here

My heart does go out to this poor child, and her family. Can you imagine how they must feel! Hopefully she will recuperate without too much trauma either physically or mentally.

This comes hot on the heels of the Vatican declaring it is ok to believe in aliens! I blogged about that just yesterday.

"Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,'...why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be a part of creation."

Getting back to the UFO reports that have been released in the UK here is a snippet from the BBC:

Secret files on UFO sightings have been made available for the first time by the Ministry of Defence.

The documents, which can be downloaded from the National Archives website, cover the period from 1978 to 1987.

They include accounts of strange lights in the sky and unexplained objects being spotted by the public, armed forces and police officers.

One man explained in great detail his "physical and psychic contact" with green aliens since he was a child.

The writer said that one of them, called Algar, was killed in 1981 by another race of beings as he was about to make contact with the UK government.

The letter's author said he visited their bases in the Wirral and Cheshire, while his wife reported seeing a UFO shot down over Wallasey on Merseyside.

The eight released files are part of almost 200 files set to be made available over the next four years.

These documents will be available to download for free for the first month.

Full BBC Article Here

Well at least they will be free for a time. In the USA investigators, and UFO researchers have in some cases had to spend thousands of dollars for documents under the FOIA and still been handed mostly blackened out documents, led on wild goose chases between government agencies etc. And almost all of these folks have had to do it with their own funds.

Thanks to Andy for sending the BBC article our way.

You know you really do not need to be a part of the uber computer savvy Slashdot crowd to be able to to build your own computer, although that would be ultra cool in a geeky sort of way. Nope, all you really need is a good diy PC kit, and some basic home tools like a screwdriver, brainy specs would make you look better, but they too are in the not needed department unless you really do need them.

Easy As My PC offers basic PC kits, business computer kits, and gaming diy kits. They come with very simple (in English) instructions, and lots of illustrations to really simplify things. They also offer support, and you can check them out via their site or give them a call +18883279020

It's worth checking out, and can save you big $$$$$ bux by doing it yourself.

Over the years I have received the following crazy email, and attached photo at least 100 + times.

Here is the story that goes with it:

READ BEFORE OPENING THE PHOTO... The young man in this photo went to a place called Sundarbans with his friends and he asked his friends to take his photo on this spot. While his friend took the photo, he screamed and fainted, 2 days later he died in hospital. The doctors said he died from a heart attack. When the photos where developed, in the last photo there was a woman standing next to the young man, even though his friends said there was no one with him when the photo was taken. Many people know of this rumor and the last photo is the result of the blessings of technology. Still, the
photo is very mysterious and I am sure that when you see it you will feel the same a s m e.. Here is the photo! A Naval Officer sent it to 13 people and he was promoted within 13 days. A businessperson was sent this, he erased it, and with in 13 days he lost everything. A laborer received this and sent it to 13 people and within days he was promoted and all his problems were solved. So send this to 13 people and good things will come your way.

I have deleted this message without forwarding it on again at least 100 plus times in the hopes this crazy looking female ghost will appear or whatever, and then I could capture her and put her in a jar ...to no avail....

Whaaaa.... oh and no bad fortune attributed to this either....

Remember if it looks or sounds to good to be true (which this one really doesn't) it probably is......

The story is completely bogus.

It seems here in the West we cannot escape the need to borrow money at some point in our lives, usually more than once. This could be for big life altering purchases like a new home, or for a car, or in the case of a hobby like ours for new equipment etc. I am currently debt-free, but I can see that changing in the very near future.

Today I had the opportunity to have a look at an online personal loan service. The company specialises in all loan types no matter what the credit history of the applicant, including High Risk Personal Loans without having to put up any collateral. The site is well designed, and easy to use with lots of useful information for potential borrowers. If this sounds like something you could benefit from than please do check them out by clicking on the link I have added in for you.

Be sure to read through their FAQs , which are quite detailed, and then check out their hassle-free application, which only takes a few minutes to complete.

This shot just looks eerie! If a ghost ship or sea monster came into view it may just fit right in

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

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

I was reading an interesting article out of the U.K. in regards to the use of trigger objects. In this case jewellery, both men's and womens gold watches were used in order to determine anomalous movement.

It was rather intriguing, and unfortunately I had a minor PC crash, and lost the exact link. If I find it I will post it here as the article goes way past the usually silliness you see online, and I was quite impressed.

Vintage 1980's. The town of Deep river, located on the Ottawa River, was established as the residence community for the personnel employed by Atomic Energy of Canada at nearby Chalk River. Over the years reports of UFO activity over both the town of Deep River and the village of Chalk River with its nuclear reactors have been plentiful. "Bright sphere shaped lights have been travelling at phenomenal speeds through the trees and at least fifteen people have witnessed and recounted these bizarre occurrences. Sounds like science fiction ? Apparently all of the fifteen witnesses have seen more than they're willing to say, but all steadfastly refuse to return to the sea." So mysteriously wrote an Ottawa Valley resident Heather Pettipas in "Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind" in Downstream: A Deep River and Area Literary/Art review (1983) compiled by P.A. Carver.

The date of this possible encounter was recorded as March 18 2000 and the time as 11:06 am. The location is Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The 36-year old witness had been suffering from headaches and nausea and was out for a walk in a field when he saw flashing lights and everything turned dark.

He briefly remembered seeing a "humanoid" with an oval shaped head, black eyes, and a very light coloured skin tone. I have read many reports of similar creatures with very white, glistening skin, almost as if a skin whitening technique was employed. Perhaps as camouflage.

He later woke up and found strange scars but they disappeared soon. No other information is available.

Source: UFO Abduction Raw Data Page, UFO Watch

Very cool write-up in the Associated Press regarding the Vatican, and the official view on alienish beliefs or by extension a belief in UFOs I suppose. Here is a snippet:

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God.
The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, says that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

In an interview published Tuesday by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes says that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures.

The interview was headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother." Funes said that ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom.

Thanks to Exopolitics for the heads-up on this one

This page was written in 1998, when the biggest movie event was "Titanic". The Royal Ontario Museum was founded on April 14th, 1912 -- the day the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic.

Two ghosts inhabit different parts of the museum. One is the original director of the ROM, Charles Trick Currelly, whose apparition has been seen wearing a nightshirt and wandering the East Asiatic collections. Staff have reported strange occurrences in this gallery and some have seen the ghost themselves. The other ghost is that of a little girl dubbed Celeste, whose sad little spectre would sit in the McLaughlin Planetarium watching the shows. As Colombo points out in his book, Haunted Toronto, since the planetarium has been closed one wonders what's happened with little Celeste.

Update: The following was sent in by a co-op student who worked in the ROM...

After the school term ended, I stayed on to help out as a volunteer as I had a semester and summer to kill before university.

Many of the people I worked with kind of wondered about the stories but others who had worked there for years said it was all balderdash.

I should say that I believe in ghosts and always have, so I did think it was possible that something was going on.

The area I worked in consisted of classrooms, offices and a staff room. In the particular hall near these rooms, one often saw "something" out of the corner of your eye... a shape which seemed to be crossing the hall into one of the offices. The doors were all locked and only certain full time staff had keys, anybody else buzzed to gain admittance and that the main door was in full view of and close to the office. No people had buzzed and no doors had been unlocked so the shapes disconcerted people.

One day during the March Break when there were no classes scheduled, I was working on the computer laptop at the back of a large room. I was alone except there was one other employee.

The computer was against the wall, so my back was to the larger part of the room, and the hallway. The other person was in another smaller office and we were alone in the department. As I typed I was concentrating as I wanted to finish before we left for lunch.

I heard soft footsteps behind me, and then a hand landed on my left shoulder. I didn't even look up, I just kept typing and said "Okay, I'm nearly done. Be there in two shakes."

The hand patted my shoulder twice and lifted.

I signed off of the computer and then went to the office where my friend was to find them coming out the door saying, "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

When I asked what they had meant, my friend said that they'd heard my voice in the other office but as they weren't terribly close to me, they had missed what I said. I asked if they had come in and laid their hand on my shoulder and got only a confused look and asked how could they as they was in the other office and I wasn't in there.

There was nobody else in the department, indeed, on the floor and the elevator wasn't working that day, so if anybody had come down to the basement we would have heard the heavy fire doors and certainly nobody buzzed or used keys to enter.

After that encounter another person said they'd actually walked into a figure in the doorway of one of the offices. There wasn't a change in temperature of feeling of the place when I had my experience, but as the entire area is always cold and faintly menacing but we all got used to it.

Let's start with an example... Imagine there are two cancer societies... both trying to cure this awful disease. They are in competition in some ways (for funding and the best help they can have working for them,) but share a mutual goal of ending this horrid condition that takes so many lives.

One of these two groups suddenly releases a "Eureka!" news item... They have found a cure for many types of cancer... and when not only the other group, but when doctors, scientists, and even universities ask for their findings and papers... they say, Sorry, we won't be giving those out.

Now, the more cynical of you may say, Well, they probably want to keep the cure to themselves to make more money and avoid people copying their efforts and making money from their work. and you might be right... but not really. You see, like anything else, the drug company can patent their treatment and hold on to it for some time before it can be "generically" available... so why hide research?

Also, real science (findings, papers, etc.) needs peer review (the findings reproduced and acknowledged as correct) to make things official... meaning that the "Found-A-Cure" group, for not releasing the information, would be considered invalid scientifically and would never get acceptance for their treatment from the medical community... No acceptance, no treatments, no money.

...and although money is important, don't we all wish that scientific knowledge that could improve lives and/or answer questions be available without charge? (To be honest, most is...)

...but we're not talking money being the main issue here... nope, it's "proclamations" made without allowing peers to review the findings... which smacks of the words "cover-up".

In the case I'm about to bring to light, I do believe you will agree that it is a "cover-up"... because better bad science for good entertainment than anything else...

I've eluded to them in the past... but I've never named names.

TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) are the stars of the Sci-Fi Network's show, "Ghosthunters"... and many years ago (Y2K+1 to be precise,) they requested that "we" (Torontoghosts) join their group.

At the time, we said No Thank You! nicely and offered a link back to their site... the reason? We were (and still are,) fighting to get Canadian Registered Charity status... and being "affiliated" with another group (especially in The United States) was not a good way to do this.

This response got us a comment that basically "threatened" us that our group would whither and die without being a part of this "enormous" group of sites and investigators... we still said "no thanks".

Since then, members and even the hierarchy of the TAPS group appeared to have had a seemingly general "loathing" for our work... granted, as one example, I'm sure it didn't help when the two main fellows (on the T.V. show,) started using "Doctor" in front of their names (just before the show started airing) and we asked what they're doctorate was in and where it was obtained... they didn't answer... and dropped the credits from their name after a short time.

To be honest, more than a few items about investigation and the study in general that we wrote about... many TAPS members had fairly large issues with... Most of these seem to have now been adopted and re-broadcasted as their own items...

I won't lie to you... I do believe that TAPS started bad, got worse in the middle, and have improved only after they signed their TV deal... but even then, I have not seen them give any credit for anything other than themselves... Harry Price, The Society for Psychical Research, The Rhine Institute, Peter Underwood, Troy Taylor, Loyd Auerbach... never existed... just TAPS.

...but we (in the GHRS) agreed here initially... it was fine... at least they HAD tried to understand and adopt better methods in doing things.

Recently however, it's come to light that should anyone request raw footage or even hard notes from the investigations by TAPS on their TV show... no answer is given.

Their "evidence" is not available for scrutiny... there can be no peer-review.

Now, before I get a poison letter from fans or even the group itself, I know I'm one who's often said things about a lack of peers in this study, surely you can look and realise that universities, students, and even... oh, I dunno... people who you've "borrowed" recent doctrines from without true credit might be considered "peers"?

...or are they NOT a scientific group?

They claim to be... but are they?

While reading several sources, I think it's apparent that they may be a more "fictionalised/reality" program... more soap-opera driven than investigative. Their "catch phrases" show that they are selling the "fear" of the paranormal above all else... no better than the host of shows and acts that did the old "camera up the nose while running and screaming" schtick.

I don't hate TAPS... I never did (despite some rather objectionable e-mails from their crew way back when...) and I don't even wish them any ill with their program and their fans...

What I do wish is that they'd call a spade a spade... and admit, it's a "work".

We felt that "The Committee for Scientific Claims of the Paranormal" should remove "Scientific" and "Investigation" as, on more than several occasions, the infamous remote-debunkers/auto-debunkers employed neither science nor investigations to claim things were fraudulent... and oddly enough, CSICOP did change it's name recently to The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (which we would still argue that "Skeptical" means to doubt, not deny... and therefore is not apt...)

Now, I look at TAPS and their television program... and the unanswered calls for data... and the one case of probable attempted hoaxing (the ghost in tennis shoes aka: The Cloaked Figure at Pennsylvania Eastern State Penitentiary) makes me wish that TAPS, since I do believe we (mostly Sue,) played a part in them dropping the "Doctor" titles from their names, would consider doing the following...

#1: Either release the raw footage... or remove the concept that they are a "scientific organisation" from their website and everything else... also, admit that the footage is "not available for scrutiny" so people know it should not be completely trusted.

#2: Admit that there is obviously some if not all of the content from their show which is "produced"... like I said, a work.

I hope these fellows remember that they've paid for their homes on the backs of our study... and therefore on our reputations indirectly as well.

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!

Old Theatre Yonge St South of Bloor

Many years ago, my husband and I went to see a movie in downtown Toronto. It was in an old house. It was quite dark in there before the movie started. The lights were old, and had been converted to electric. We were sitting there waiting for the movie to start when this woman just appeared! She was hovering horizontally above the floor. I noted that she was wearing a white gown. It scared me so much that I looked away and when I turned around and looked again she was gone. I didn't tell my husband at the time because I was afraid that he would think I was crazy. I think the movie was Dr.Zhivago. I told my mother about it and she said it might have been my grandmother because she always wore long nightgowns.I don't think so because my grandmother was still alive at the time this had occurred.

We thank our reader for this report...

If this story sounds familiar, you have information you can add or if you have had similar experiences please do contact us at submissions AT torontoghosts.org

When it comes to sleep I prefer a very dark room for optimal rest. Window Blinds are therefore a must in my own bedroom, and I find those that provide maximum protection from the light the very best. SelectBlinds offers a huge selection to Canadian shoppers directly online. You might have heard of them as suppliers of window treatments on Extreme Makeover Home Edition or read about them via the Toronto Star amongst other media sources.

They offer the best blind in my opinion for maximum light protection with their light filter Roman Shades which are functional, but still look really good.

I find the darker the room, the more enhanced dreams become as well, and find that lucid dreaming is far easier to achieve.

One of the topics we have discussed at length over at the PSICAN paranormal message forums are dreams, in particular prophetic dreams.

Personally I do believe I have had a handful of dreams over the past 40 + years that may in fact have been prophetic. None of these were what I would consider earth shattering, but enough for me to consider the possibility.

In our discussions the topic came up of prophetic dreams that indicate a possible crime. What to do? What would you do if you had a dream that you felt was related to a past, present, or future crime? Would you go to the police?

My gut reaction to that last question was yes, absolutely! However, upon deeper reflection the answer is not an easy one at all. What if the dream provided only very vague details, or no known location? What if, the police felt you were some sort of crackpot, and dismissed what you had to say anyway? If they did listen to you, and you were wrong would you have wasted their time, possibly even harming their investigation?

A lot of questions, and unfortunately not a single cut and dry answer.

What are your thoughts?

Since we began revamping the PSICAN main site, as well as the ParaResearchers.org site I have also been looking at further ways to help promote both of them. We have listed the blogs on several directories, but have relied pretty much on the search engines for the websites.

I really do not want to spend extra cash on listings as we are not-for-profit, and seeking charitable status, so I have been looking at ones like Dirmania.org. It is a free, quality directory, that offers different categories that could suit a niche hobby, business site such as ours. The sites must be in English according to submission guidelines so I will need to find out if a bilingual site English/French such as P.R.Q. would be acceptable. Surfing around the site this morning I found it to be well designed, and easy for users to navigate around.

If you dear readers have any suggestions in regards to web promotion (websites, and not blogs) please do let me know via the comments or drop me an email.

The video clip above is of a huge group of actors that all stop moving and remain frozen at the exact same time in grand central station in new york. It really looks cool!

I came across this because we actually received a report from a lady in British Columbia, Canada who had witnessed a very similar event at the same time frame around the Surrey place mall.

Apparently something similar occurred here in T.O outside the Eaton Centre.

Thanks to reader Craig for this tip.

Yesterday was my every two year check up with the eye doctor, and I found out that I will need to go back to see her in August. There is nothing terribly wrong, but apparently the pressure reading (where they hit your eyeball with air) on my left eye was all over the map with readings of 16 (normal) 28, and then 25 .... who knows...eh! I did tell her I blinked quite a bit while it was being done.

One of my issues with my eyes is that they often become dry, and irritated. I use artificial tears, and unfortunately have had to avoid contacts in the past. I have been reading some good things in regards to acuvue oasys, my sister who also has very dry eyes that get sore easily uses these. You can pick these up online through 1-800-GET-LENS, which is handy, and can save a ton of bux.

I think I might try these contacts out as I just got a new prescription yesterday (only slightly changed) and they guarantee to be exact to the doctors instructions.

When I first came across this photo......

....I thought surely these are creatures from the Dr. Who universe..lol!

Actually these eye-popping "creatures" are street performers that are taking part in a parade in down town Tokyo, Japan. Thanks to the BBC.

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

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

The BBC is reporting on a very interesting medical case. Apparently a hobby shop owner who sliced off a finger in a freak accident involving a model airplane propeller has regrown the finger with the help of a powder made from a pig's bladder.

The BBC provides an in-depth look at this medical miracle. Here is a snippet:

In every town in every part of this sprawling country you can find a faceless sprawling strip mall in which to do the shopping.

Rarely though would you expect to find a medical miracle working behind the counter of the mall's hobby shop.

That however is what Lee Spievak considers himself to be.

"I put my finger in," Mr Spievak says, pointing towards the propeller of a model aeroplane, "and that's when I sliced my finger off."

Full BBC Article Here

The BBC site also include a video clip. Very cool!

What are your thoughts? Medical miracle, do you think this will be routine in the future?

People from the beginning of recorded history, through various cultures have adorned themselves with tattoos, and body jewelry for beauty, for uniqueness, as a badge of honour etc. Despite what you may think, these practices are quite ancient, and not at all new.

What is new of course is the ability to sit at home or at work, and conveniently shop for wholesale body jewelry online.

Can you believe this gorgeous Titanium ring with dragon design is only $3.85! I'm not kidding! The is of a ring that is manufactured by Acha Co. Since they are the makers of these different jewlery pieces you can really save huge bux with them!

They are definitely worth checking out, particularly if you are thinking of setting up your own small business. They do accept PayPal, and offer live chat as part of their customer services.

Over the weekend I shared some vintage UFO reports from the Ottawa Valley, Canada area with you. These were sent to me by a fellow researcher. Today I will share a few more from you that are originally taken from newspaper clippings:

An equally bizarre apparition jumped across valley skies the following spring. Driving from Chalk River, James Turcotte and his family saw a fireball streak across the car's windshield. It had a green light and discharged a multitude of colours before fading away. He suspected it was a military aircraft, as they were nearing Camp Petawawa.

On the outskirts of Pembroke, Orville Wasmund's wife noticed the object from her kitchen window. She thought it was silver, and promptly alerted her neighbour, John Murack, who described it as a "big ball of light." On Chamberlain Street, Shirley Corrigan saw this spectre, which was shooting particles and emitting a greenish glow. It abruptly disappeared somewhere over the Ottawa River. Scientists observing the same object from Ohio determined it was probably a meteor travelling at an orbit 80 miles above the earth.

Were meteors the answer to all these sightings? Possibly. But then how to explain away what Leo Chaput saw? One night in May, 1969, the 54-year-old mill worker was sitting in his summer kitchen when he saw a white light soaring above the Wabush Line. The "machine," as he called it, landed in the field behind his Chapeau farm house. Chaput investigated the next morning and found three crop circles burned into the grass. The rings were 27 feet in diameter. The needles on a nearby pine tree appeared singed off and there was no indication of carbon deposits. Chaput professed he got a good look at the UFO.

"I was standing near the field and watched this bright object travelling below the tree-line," he explained to a horde of skeptical reporters. "The front of it had two large red eyes. I watched it for about 10 minutes, then it disappeared."

The most serious close encounter occurred weeks later in Petawawa Village. In the early morning hours of July 13, a woman ran into the Arrow Taxi stand with an incredible story. She was in a hysterical state but calmed down long enough to recount what she saw to the on-duty cabbie, John Chesson. She had been driving down Black Bay Road when a huge light swooped down from out of nowhere. It hovered over the car for a couple of minutes, lighting up the roadway. What terrified her was the UFO then followed her for a few miles before bolting from the scene. Chesson stepped out to see for himself. In the far distance, he caught a glimpse of what he described as a "bright star" sailing through the sky.

Meanwhile, panicked phone callers flooded the police switchboard. Others had seen the entity. Provincial constables Jack Mackay and Grant Chaplin were dispatched to investigate. Entering the village, the officers suddenly stopped their squad car. There in the sky was the UFO, moving slowly in a south-easterly direction. The officers were soon joined by a small crowd of 12 other disbelieving motorists who had pulled over to watch the anomaly. Mackay figured the object was cylindrical in shape, hovering some 1,500 feet above the ground. What puzzled Mackay was it had no solid body or form. From the main gate of the base, three military policemen also watched the object in amazement. The UFO moved in a slow, continuous orbit for another 40 minutes before it disappeared west of Pembroke.

While the Petawawa incident garnered national media attention, this incredible night was all but forgotten a week later. Every person on the planet with a television set was watching American astronaut Neil Armstrong step onto the surface of the moon.

Chilling .... particularly the Petawawa Village incident. To be honest I am not sure what my reaction would be to such an event, but i can say that I too would have been terrified under those circumstances.

I recently had the opportunity to check out an online resource for Criminal Attorneys in Los Angeles | DUI Defense Lawyers in Southern California. After checking out the site I would be confident in recommending it to someone in need of this type of service, and level of expertise. We have always said that knowledge is power, and this site should be a first stop online for those who may be facing charges of this nature. The site is well designed, and easy to use. Contact information is provided for 24/7 use, and they are rated amongst the top 5% of USA law firms.

Any Canadian interested in a dynamic assessment of where the planet stands in its current fragile plight must view the video of Mr. Hellyer’s keynote address at the Washington DC X-Conference on Saturday April 19, 2008.

Mr. Hellyer’s speech is a finely orchestrated narrative about how and why we are being lied to about an Extraterrestrial presence and what we need to do about it.

Each of you who choose to listen to this historic speech will be convinced that an immediate investigation must be launched into what military and non-elected government personnel have been hiding from us for over 60 years and how our duly elected representatives have be kept out of the loop; in Canada, in the United States and beyond our borders internationally.

Not only is the truth being withheld, democracy itself has been abrogated by an invisible elite determined to control everything from access to proper and just health care, economic autonomy, to the price of oil and who on the planet becomes educated.

Exopolitics Toronto and its Director Michael J. Bird who was in attendance at this historic event urges all who are in receipt of this message to view Mr. Hellyer’s speech and decide whether or not action is required to allow for an open dialogue about the presence of Extraterrestrials and… the TRUTH.

Exopolitics Toronto is of the belief that no one can take a position on this delicate issue off-handedly unless they are informed and aware of the issues involved. Exopolitics Toronto remains accessible to any journalist, broadcaster or politician who wishes to discretely inquire, in total confidence, about the larger complexities of this matter.

The decision is yours.

Mr. Hellyer’s speech may be viewed here

The text of the speech is here

I am curious to find out how many of you have seen or plan to see the movie 21 with actor Kevin Spacey? The movie is based on the book Bringing Down the House which I did read, but you know what they say about books, and movies, and I was just wondering if it was worth checking it out. Let me know what you think.

For those unfamiliar with both the book, and/or film it is about a group of students from the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT for short that figured out a card counting scam that beat the odds in the Las Vegas Casinos. I put the word scam in italics because I'm not really sure what they did should be considered a scam.

The film is making the rounds, and an online backgammon site has decided to see if their own system can be beaten by the ultimate brain test in the spirit of this movie.

The site is BackgammonMasters.com, and they have long been known as a very popular online resource for backgammon games for newbies, as well as
backgammon for money, and high stakes. They are also very popular for their 21 Blackjack game, which is going to be put to the test by incorporating a new, and innovative basic Blackjack strategy calculator. All Blackjack enthusiasts are being encouraged to test the system, and BackgammonMasters is offering "tell-a-friend" bonuses.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out!

The Loch Ness Monster

This past week marked the anniversary of modern Nessie mania. From the this day in history website we learn that although accounts of an aquatic beast living in Scotland's Loch Ness date back 1,500 years, the modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news on May 2, 1933. The newspaper Inverness Courier related an account of a local couple who claimed to have seen "an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface." The story of the "monster" (a moniker chosen by the Courier editor) became a media phenomenon, with London newspapers sending correspondents to Scotland and a circus offering a 20,000 pound sterling reward for capture of the beast.

Read the full article here, and watch the vid clip above. Thanks to Robin for the tip.

What are your thoughts on the Loch Ness Monster? Real, a hoax, something else? Would you go on a Nessie "hunt?"

Enjoy!

Hilton Head rentals, and vacation properties are sought after as a wonderful vacation spot by the masses, but there is plenty to be offered at this pretty holiday destination to the paranormal enthusiast as well.

It was with much interest that I first read about the Hilton Head Specter in the book Ghosts from the Coast, by Nancy Roberts.

While there are several haunts, the most famous perhaps is the story of the ghost of a young girl named Caroline Fripp who reportedly haunts the Hilton Head Rear Range Lighthouse, where she died.

If you know of any other good sources for Hilton Head ghosts or are yourself planning a vacation there with a mind to checking out the associated haunts please do let us know what you find!

Happy Hauntings!

I was recently sent some vintage UFO news clippings from a fellow researcher. These are concentrated in the Ottawa Valley, and I thought I would share a couple of snippets with you. Enjoy!

"Could it have been a "foo fighter" that streaked over Pembroke late one evening in November, 1944? J.
P. Sammon, the night watchman at the shook mills, was startled by the two balls of light dancing in the sky above him. He said the balls were travelling at a terrific speed and appeared to converge at one point. This was followed by three violent flashes of lightning. Sammon thought he'd seen an aircraft breaking up. Only this thing didn't crash.

In the 1950s, a similar sighting was made by Fred Gates. Driving to work in Deep River with two fellow employees, the Pembroke man was momentarily blinded by a blazing light dropping suddenly out of the sky. Gates lost control of his car and drove off the highway near Brindle Crossing. The unidentified flying object grazed the tree tops before disintegrating in a burst of smoke (an event of Roswellian proportions considering its proximity to Camp Petawawa). The Dominion Observatory in Ottawa deduced it was a large meteor that had struck the Petawawa ranges.

It was an unusual cloud, and not a meteor, that was seen by Jane Chaput on the night of Nov. 3, 1965. Her 11-year-old daughter frantically ran into their Normandy Avenue home screaming she'd been followed home by a "dancing light." It was around 8 p.m., so Jane went outside to investigate. She looked up to see the shimmering egg-shaped white cloud. She couldn't believe her eyes. The object drifted slowly over the Petawawa PMQs before disappearing. The cloud had also been observed by countless witnesses in Arnprior.

"At first I thought it was someone playing with a flashlight," she told reporters. "It was quite high and quite plain. It moved over a wide area near our home."

These types of vintage sightings intrigue me far more than the potentially hoaxed videos we see cropping up all over the internet these days.