The Paranormal Blog

Every year, 'round New Years, on the PSICAN Message Board, we open up for ANY and ALL predictions for the New Year to come!

Be you psychic or not, we welcome any or all predictions on anything from "Most Likely to Win The Super Bowl" to "Political Advancements in The Middle East", it's fair game on all fronts! (PROVIDED it's not too preachy and not trying to simply espouse a philosophical or political wish... we want HONEST prognostications!)

I, for example, am about as psychic as the average table lamp and as such, have a fantastic track record of never really achieving much in the way of success with my predictions, but it's fun to try...

To give it your own go, surf to this link (click here) and read/post away!  You'll also find links to previous years for a good giggle at how awful most of us are with these things.

Oh, you will need to be a member of the message board (it's a freebie) which, if you're not, surf to THIS link (click here), read through the rules and agree (you must be 13 years of age or older,) and once in, the VIP code is 1967
(We're sorry to make everyone leap through hoops to join the board, but we want it to be secure and spammers WERE a real problem... not so much anymore!)

Anyway, before sharing (here) my predictions, (I don't know if Sue will share hers when she's done,) allow me to state here the caveat we have on the thread that should be read by a certain segment of our readers... sorry for the phrasing and touch of sarcasm, but we've had some real wanna-be loony sceptics mock this as they THINK it's supposed to be 100% legit for everyone and that we ALL claim psychical abilities...

PLEASE NOTE: To the ignorant "would-be-sceptics" that tend to pop by and either post about these things or message me... These are for "fun"... no one here, unless stated, considers themselves a soothsayer, absolute prognosticator, or time traveller... to the best of my knowledge. The track records of these things over the years have NOT been great and that, in itself, is data. If you HONESTLY believe we're doing this because we feel we're professional psychics or otherwise "advertising" our amazing skills, please kindly remove you head from your butts and READ MORE about this site, the board, and the people involved! Thank you in advance!

My last caveat before heading through my predictions is these are PREDICTIONS... not wishes, not dreams, not what I "want" to have happen, but what I "feel" might happen...

SO, without further adieu, here's MY 2013 predictions! (I expect the same low score as always...)

WORLD NEWS

Italy defaults (or comes dangerously close to it) on it's debts sending the Eurozone into bad waters.

I expect President Obama will do well... good words... SOME good actions... but overall, still be a disappointment.

I ACTUALLY expect the ridiculous right-wing/Tea Party rhetoric to ratchet down over the next twelve months.

America (which just 'dodged' the fiscal cliff,) will continue to 'dodge' the fiscal cliff... always by a hair's breadth... allowing austerity measures to go ahead slowly without panicking the American public.

After the tragic incidences of 2012, there will be NEW gun control legislation in America... that will be meaningless really... and sadly, there will at least one more tragic (more than seven at a time) incident... I'm seeing (sadly) two.

The NRA ceases to be relevant and has to re-invent itself without the nut-jobs currently running the joint... and become WAY more moderate while fighting to preserve more NORMAL gun rights.

Gene therapy continues to astound with almost all "common" forms of cancer either beaten or becoming chronic, but not fatal, illnesses... this will actually be bigger news THIS year for some breakouts than previous years.

Horrible disasters in Asia... Japan and mainland China being hit several times by several serious natural disasters.

The Syrian crisis ends with a whimper, not a bang, as the current regime side-steps out of the way. Russia will not be amused.

TECH NEWS: Apple shares plummet by year's end. Microsoft remains neutral. RIM improves. Google soars. Tablets DO NOT take dominance over desktops... and never will. Windows 8 SP1 will start to be the gold standard.

Riots in Spain... bad ones.

Britain goes on... SSDD... the way it has lately.

Russia rattles it's sabre in one hand, signs trade agreements with the other.

India becomes an even bigger power-house economy with a huge middle class burgeoning like mad... equality between sexes takes centre stage and because of the recent tragedy, SOME progress is made with women's rights... but they have a long way to go.

North Korean continues to be a bit of a weird, scary joke... who rattles sabres only to have the blades fall off while trying to look REALLY scary. China is still in "command" of making sure they don't become super-boobs.

I actually believe there WILL be progress in Palestine and as such, Canada (amongst others) will look like chumps.

Islamic terrorism takes a back seat to simply bizarro lone-nutter terrorism... this is already happening, but will increase dramatically.

There will be a "space fall" of some sort... Something will enter Earth's atmosphere and cause a ruckus, not an alien spaceship though, sorry...

There will be a small but notable atomic accident shining the world's light on the dangers of nuclear plants... the danger will be overplayed in the media and freak people out unnecessarily worldwide when it will really only be a direct threat to the people near the affected plant.

Some fashion trend will actually become world news... because it'll be an uncomfortable global trend (where it can be)... I'm thinking something like men's dresses or nano-bikinis... something rather... un-Victorian, if that makes sense.

America sees an increase of bad weather... which climate change will be blamed for (justifiably)... but again, it will be overplayed in the media... and although it's a factor, the scope will be blown out of proportion and those of us who have ALWAYS believed in global warming will have to gently walk friends back from the paranoid abyss... and point out that "Green House Gasses" are something to worry about and do something about, but aren't stalking you in your bed tonight.

GM crops will be scary... although sadly, SOME will be beneficial, the other 35 - 50% of the ones created for pure profits will be bad... very bad... and start to become an international worry.

Princess Elizabeth Diana Windsor.

Prince Harry settles down with someone kinda... and is a tonne of fun and really goes the mile to become a "fan favourite" of even non-monarchists... but as that's a good thing and people like it, someone will force a stop to it quickly.

Speaking of Royals, more bad stuff for the Grimaldis.... that will make the news.

CANADIAN NEWS

I expect, politically, SSDD... Federal Libs seeing Marc Garneau and Justin Trudeau duking it out... whoever wins will still be more-or-less irrelevant until 2014... but it'll be a sideshow.

I expect the current government to positively GLOW about Canada's economy when compared to the rest of the world... and they're right...

...but Stephen Harper starts to lose support after one too many "off shore companies" buy into Canadian markets... with some of his more xenophobic ground base calling for a White Rose Party of Canada... or a return to the "traditional" conservative views... which, for the record, aren't REALLY the traditional Tory views and actions in Canada, but these folks look to the American Republican Party for cues, so they'll assume that Conservatives have always been a "Canadian Business for Canadians" party... which isn't really the case, but hush!

I expect Prime Minister Harper to do good things, this year... I actually do!

...with native rights, the Tories will do better, but in fairness, this is ONLY because of the global shaming of Harper over Chief Theresa Spence.

In my home province, buh-bye Dalton, hello Mr. Kennedy... but DON'T crown Premier Hudak yet... at best, I see a minority PC house with the Dippers as the Loyal Opposition.

Rob Ford will still be mayor of Toronto...

...until Olivia Chow walks away with it.

Quebec through The Maritimes is about to get even MORE horrid weather... deadly weather... sorry... especially come Spring and Summer.

...and I do expect a MILD hurricane to come up the Mississippi and into the Great Lakes this year... and everyone here will shout "HURRICANE HAZEL!" in memory of the big storm in the 1950's... it won't be that bad... or even close.

The Prairies will face worse flooding than ever.

Those pipeline issues? Well... they'll still be there... unresolved.

BC will be booming economically as the "preferred port province" for natural resources... way moreso than now... and Vancouver will take over from (currently) Calgary and (formerly) Toronto) and (even more formerly) Montreal as the big trade and business city... If you hated the high rents and hipsterism, you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet!

I believe this year will be the opening salvos to show that the territories (our North) will become a VERY important place globally within the next two decades. SOMETHING (not necessarily oil or mining) will make them start to shine... and it will be noticed.

Quebec does not even come CLOSE to considering a new referendum.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Reality-ish teevee will NEVER DIE!!!! Well, save the paranormal stuff... with the crypto-field being the only growth(?) sector... and Honey Boo-Boo like programs... but it will start to now NOTICEABLY be scaled back in production...

...to be filled with short-season and/or one-off documentaries made for prime-time television... which, for the most part, will be as atrocious as the current fare.

Dexter doesn't end.

Doctor Who... nah, this is the FIFTIETH anniversary year... too easy to predict SOME things here... but my guess is Moffat will manage to screw it up somehow.

MMA becomes the new pro-wrestling "for real"... taking more time slots in "normal" television and getting a more kayfabe rub with the athletes being needed to be more camera friendly... "better on the stick".

The fall sched for the big networks focuses on comedy... and fail.

Star Trek = THE Big Blockbuster next year.

...and with The Hobbit and Trek, BBC's Sherlock becomes a weird oddity for most... and Sherlock (Cumberbatch) and Dr. Watson (Freeman) become major stars on both sides of the pond without being horribly type-cast.

Joss Whedon is going to surprise us huge.

(Gimmes) Lincoln and Django Unchained go big and long at the Oscars... with Amour being the upstart most people didn't see coming.

Brittany Spears gets positive attention.

Lady Gaga coasts.

Psy has peaked. (Surprise!)

Psy rip-offs (not "Gangnam Style" tributes, but 'new songs' mimicking K-Pop,) will be plentiful... and far, far worse.

Downton Abbey, Sons of Anarchy, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Breaking Bad will STILL be the shows everyone talks about... with my beloved Doctor Who being relatively side-lined until September and even then, only talk as it's the official anniversary... although they could end THIS season with an awesome cliff-hanger... but it'll still be September before SERIOUS buzz happens.

Fox News still, inexplicably, dominates the other news channels in the USA...

...Sun TV does not here in Canada... despite probably desperately TRYING to ratchet up controversy with some Anne Coulter-like BS in Canada... showing that the management mistakes Canadian Conservatives for US Republicans... and they aren't.

More bad news for CBC with more cuts...

TVO (public television Ontario) threatens to cease to exists save on the web.

Sex tapes cease to be anything noteworthy.

Speaking of which, Kardashian has a son... and no one cares save Kanye... seriously, just Kanye. This kid will need a LOT of psychological assistance in later life.

Carly Rae Jepsen will not make it to the same spotlight she held earlier in 2012... she's singing, "Your name's Psy, and I don't know you. But you unseated me, so really eff you!"

The Stones tour rolls on... with little press... save their FINAL (Ha!) show.

Rush becomes the big (general public) nostalgia act with new stuff...

The RIAA and MPAA start to attempt to come after Canadians... and fail... and in the states, they bring more lawsuits against grandmothers and the homeless for "illegal copyright violations"... further alienating the general population and artists.

Speaking of which, the producers of "The Game of Thrones" along with HBO actually (publicly) entertain providing FREE and LEGAL downloads (low-ish quality, slightly edited to make DVD and subscription sales worthy, but decent for general viewing,) of the program with ad sales worked in with them... trying to find a profitable way to embrace the modern file-sharing ways of the world... and the other networks, production companies, and the MPAA (and assorted unions) will kill the idea dead... and the show will STILL be the #1 pirated and illegally downloaded program out there... the industry WILL NEVER learn.

PARANORMAL NEWS

Expect a major scandal... not with us! It will involve fund raising (surprise!) and some other issues... Oddly enough, those involved will STILL have a loyal following... smaller than before, but it will be there.

There will be another scandal, but it will be the equivalent of a MacDonald's marketing employee "confessing" that the burgers used in ads and promotional materials AREN'T the same as the ones you get in their restaurants in terms of appearance. The mainstream (not really... think TMZ style,) media will care and go, "OMG! OMG! OMG!" and those of us here will go, "You're kidding, right? You DIDN'T see this coming?"

The only new development towards evidence in ghosts will be more conformation of the possibility of psi-related phenomena.

Sadly, psychical abilities (especially remote viewing) despite positive new things will remain stunted.

CSI/CFI (formerly CSICOP) ratchet up the idiotic rhetoric against all things paranormal thanks to the newfound loathing of evangelical atheism by the general public (let's not even mention the more recent issues with claims of misogyny and worse within the higher-ranks of that fold)... JREF does not follow suit, but stays their course. Ben Radford (amongst others) becomes the "Great Satan" to many in the world of paranormal phenomena... and finally gets his "stardumb" amongst ghost hunters and would-be demonologists...

Ufology continues a steady incline in information and data because more evidence of life off our rock in space comes to the fore... making people more interested. By 2015, Ufology will have transplanted cryptozoology (the current cause celebre amongst the general public) in terms of the population's consciousness... which transplanted ghosts in the early 2ks... which transplanted psychical stuff in the mid-1990's... which transplanted Ufology in the 1980's...

...and if you see a trend, no kidding.

Demonology starts to become less relevant as people begin actually learning.

Reality-ish ghost shows falter BADLY!

...which leads to an even bigger upswing in crap paranormal "online - not terrestrial" radio.

Granted, because of this, ACTUAL parapsychology and legitimate study in ghostly phenomena (amongst other topics) does well... better than it has in years with new voices and old trustworthy souls bringing new thoughts, ideas, and perhaps even evidence of a flavour to the table.

A Canadian college or university FINALLY entertains the idea of offering a major in either parapsychology or the study of the paranormal in some fashion that does NOT label it "pseudoscience" and does not put a CFI/CSI chump in charge of it.

If you thought the recent (as of this writing) "demonologist" who wanted to do a public (and press-covered) investigation of the school in Connecticut where the mass shooting happened is bad, wait for it... it will get worse... and not just from him. This COULD be considered a "gimme" as a well-known paracelebity/former reality-ish television star did say, the day of or the day after, that "evil" and "demons" were responsible for the tragedy... I'm hoping he meant figuratively, but I'm certain it was not seen that way by some... as shown... and as such, fresh tragedies will draw the fame-seeking cretins from the woodwork with gusto... they will be a loud and horrible minority, but think a generic Baptist compared to The Westboro Baptists.

Ghost photos from apps become more popular and passed off as "legit".

MOAR BAD GHOST TESTS AND GIZMOS! This will cause contention still, but the snake-oil salesmen will be out in bigger force.

MOAR BAD CRYPTO SWAG! I fully expect an upswing in bad/dumb Bigfoot and the like swag... as in, "Now Available In SEARS!" kinda upswing.

MOAR good Ufology books... I honestly don't know what's in the works, but I have this nagging sense that a really tremendous and well-received (pretty universally) book will come out in 2013 on UFOs.

Big "ghost hunting"/"crypto-hunting"/"alien-hunting" groups are done for the most part... You'll see more one-and-two member teams promoting on Facebook than anything else... so expect a few more groups of old to fold in on themselves... (Not us nor any of the big established groups...)

DEAD POOL

One of the former Charlie's Angels from the 1970's... obviously not Farah.
Don Rickles
Bud Cort
Prince Philip
Dick Cheney
Fidel Castro (I think this will be the year...)
Gary Burghoff
Hugo Chavez (the cancer will win... but not in itself...)
Paul McCartney
Jerry Lewis
MC Hammer
Dirk Benedict
Dick Van Dyke
Mary Tyler Moore
Gavin MacLeod
Billy Corgan (Yeah, year two... but...)
Gabriel García Márquez
Dave Chappelle

...and sadly, either Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda (sadly, I think it's this year), or Steve Landesberg.

THAT'S all from me this year...

REMEMBER: These are just 'predictions', not desires, not dreams, not hopes, and not wishes... it's what I "feel" might happen.

This said, there is a chance that Sue will share her predictions here, but then again, it might be wiser to pop by the message board thread and see (hopefully) everyone's that participates! (Click Here)

Why do people break into condemned and empty buildings looking for ghosts? We know that statistically ghosts are just as likely to be found at a busy shopping mall, or a brand new condo as they are an older building. Do people really think surviving consciousness (if that is possible) waits to speak into their ghost boxes or EMF detectors in abandoned buildings? What is that based on? Not actual research, so we can only assume its based on entertainment.

Usually you find this amongst people who are cos-playing their fave para-reality tv show. And it does not help when said para-entertainers do nothing to discourage their fandom from these practices.

And much like the para-reality tv shows no one who has ever trespassed into a condemned building has ever produced a single shred of credible evidence that points to the existence of ghosts.

If someone breaks the law and gets caught trespassing they damage the reputation of our study as a whole. Therefore if you care about advancing this study in a positive light you would not risk personal safety by entering a building that may not be structurally sound or may contain environmental hazards such as asbestos in a attempt at trying to prove that ghosts exist. No dust mask sold in the hardware store or amount of bubble wrap will protect you from that or various other toxins that could make you sick while being somewhere you are not supposed to be.

If you are thrill seeking then call it what it is, maybe join a good urban exploration group that will teach you how to be safe and use common sense, but do not pretend you are working towards advancing the study of ghosts, because what you are really doing is potentially damaging it while putting yourself at possible risk. Buildings are not abandoned because people fled from ghosts, they are usually abandoned or empty because they are condemned. No dust mask will protect you from potentially falling through a floor nor asbestos exposure, not to mention numerous other potential environmental and structural risks.

They say there is a time and place for everything. In my opinion there is never a time to break into a building claiming you are doing it for research purposes, what you _are_ doing is damaging the reputation of the study and potentially risking your own safety.

A little over a decade ago (YIKES!) I was discussing ghostly things with someone who I would consider a well-placed person within the organised sceptical (or American - skeptical,) community, in which, of course, they were trying to convince me of the folly of even the consideration of things paranormal, and I was trying to make a case that these experiences, at the very least, required attention and examination. I invoked one super-high "authority" in the sceptical community that I had also exchanged thoughts with (in this case, he was head of a large "non-believer" group that, on more than the odd occasion, bordered on rude bullies to anyone who half-entertained the notions of odd stuff,) who had quietly told me that he felt that about 3% of things considered paranormal defied rational explanation, despite a public bravado and loud assertions of it all being the realm of the "woo", so I figured I couldn't be completely wrong.

It was at this point that we ran into the usual "non-believer" situation... which is this...

"It's ALL nonsense... except..."

Now, everyone (BAR NONE) should be allowed to entertain a thought or notion and even a faith provided that this notion/thought/philosophy, if accepted, is not forced on someone else in any way, shape, or form... so when a self-proclaimed sceptic tells me they think it's ALL NONSENSE... except for something that happened to them... or a trusted friend... or a family member... it's not unusual, and as you can see from this article, I don't feel the need to "out" them as potential "believers".

Perish the thought.

What this fellow discussed, in this case, was his own experience... which I will not go into detail about and isn't (and never will be) published by me (I promised him,) but I can say it would fall under almost classic "poltergeist" activity... things moving on their own volition... followed by an extreme environmental change.

I explained that the latter probably was little more than his own body reacting reflexively (fight-or-flight) to the stimulus of seeing something that ran counter to his personal belief/philosophy/faith... muscles tightening, blood rushing towards where it's most needed, skin tightening, breathing increasing, etc., etc...

He KIND of accepted this, but explained that he didn't feel this was likely as he was in command of all faculties. (Needless to say, there was some discussion over abilities to consciously control one's fears and reactions to them... but that's for another day...)

...but then he said something I caught him on... and he did acquiesce when the gentle hypocrisy of the statement was pointed out, but none-the-less...

"I don't believe in this stuff," he said, "...but I know what I saw!"

That line has stuck with me... and came tumbling back into the fore-front of my memory while I was writing the article on Matt Galloway's statement on the CBC this past Halloween...

No matter how you translate it, it comes out as, "I don't know about what YOU saw, all you witnesses and whatnot.. but I know what I saw!"

...which isn't, in my eyes, all that negative.

No, I don't mean as in, "Look! A guy who says he's a sceptic says he saw stuff!" kind of way, because this fellow, as would I in his place, did not say he "saw a ghost", he said he "saw things moving around on their own"... and recognised the differences between these two statements and as such, is not an admission of sudden "belief" in things, just an observation.

The part that interested me was the fact that he didn't know what he saw...

...he was COMFORTABLE with believing what he'd seen.

He was assured, without question, that he had seen things that shouldn't be moving on their own volition, moving seemingly on their own volition, and being slightly "with it" (and not too put out,) he did a quick examination of the details after the fact and did not come up with a good (key word: "good") rational explanation.

He looked into everything from street noises to local seismic activity to the construction of the building it happened in... and didn't find a good solid answer.

Oh, he admitted he'd found "answers", but not the one that he felt was the PERFECT answer...

Man, did I know how he felt. 

This was, effectively, my story too... but the difference SEEMED to be that although he accepted (and therefore was "comfortable" with) what he saw, when it SEEMED to defy normal explanation, he turned away from it and moved on to continue in the direction he was rolling in.

I have had experiences... the first ones having the effect similar to his, but instead of turning away, I turned towards them... and looked into them... and as I explained to him, in doing this looking into things, I ran into more experiences that now require (in my own mind if no one else's) to continue looking... potentially for multiple answers.

I should note, I don't think I'm psychic or sensitive at all, but as an analogy, if you walk into the woods often enough, you'll bump into the odd bear... not all the time, but probably more than once... and if you're looking into ghosts and hauntings, at some point, potentially very far in the future, you will run headlong into something that seemingly defies explanation... and like the woods, the more you go and the different areas you look into, the more likely you'll have an experience.

Do I know what I've experienced? No.

Did he? No.

Do I know what I've seen or experienced in terms of the paranormal? No, I don't. Any answer I care to give you is, at best, speculation until I can prove a hypothesis as to what these experiences were perfectly... and I'm trying and constantly thinking on it.

Did my friend know what he experienced? Not really, but for him it was just something he couldn't follow up on... or at least, didn't want to.  This fellow, by the way, has never called anyone a "woo" or mocked anyone to my knowledge, but has written some decent papers and does not believe in 97% of what he hears... and is genuinely concerned when he thinks people might get into trouble for being overly credulous (from fraudulent psychics and the like,) and does speak out against that sort of thing still.

...but he still doesn't know WHAT he saw...

...he seems only to be comfortable with what he saw in terms of "it happened" and that's all.

I'm not at all comfortable... and I'm not okay with it...

...but not in a "negative" way or out of fear or the like.

I just want to know more and look into what I (and others) have experienced.

...and that's even if his colleagues call me an idiot, a woo, or assume I'm some sort of borderline fraud...

...it even applies if I'm only looking at three things out of one-hundred... that 3%... because that's worth it to me.

It's not often that one can actually cite Star Trek (The Original Series) when discussing ghostly apparitions, but I'm about to do just that.

For my sceptical (or American spelt, skeptical) friends and readers... this article is probably not for you as it assumes a number of things...

First that 'ghosts', by popular definition, exist.

Second is that people 'see' them.

Third, and this is the biggy, is that they are an external thing... something in the environment that could feasibly be seen by anyone who happened along... potentially even photographed.

To my 'believer' friends, this is self evident, but I like to cover my own bases.

Moving on...

I've discussed, at length, a couple of things about apparitions and what they *should* be made of (see this post - click here - on the blog and this one - click here - as well,) which is some sort of atomic structure. If we assume that an apparition can be seen and potentially photographed, light must "play off" it... quite frankly, there is no other option. It must break, bend, absorb, reflect, and/or refract light waves/particles/bands or else, nope, it can't be photographed... or seen unless it's all in the witnesses' head.

This argument (all in the head) loses steam when an apparition is seen by multiple witnesses at the same time.  Although there is a case for "mass hallucination", it's a very weak case, and even using that model, the chances of all these people seeing the "same" thing at the "same" time when it's a mental construct is beyond unlikely.  I could also, of course, toss in something far more prevalent which is apparitions seen by multiple witnesses (as potentially "uncorrupted" by hearing previous reports as therefore unlikely to be pre-disposed to "seeing" what they expect to see,) seeing the same apparition at differing times in the same (or nearby) locations that cannot be explained through normal methods. These sightings do question some hypothesis as to how apparitions are seen and why.

So, for this article, we have to go with the idea that, indeed, it's not "all in their heads"...

...which leaves us with the question, just what are apparitions made of... and why do they seem to be able to appear and disappear so rapidly?

The first part of that question is *the* mystery, so to work towards a potential resolution, let's look at the last part.

Here is an important thought for you to consider...

Despite the popular media conceptualizations, the number of people who have seen an apparition "pass through" a solid thing is actually quite small, but allow me to qualify this.

I went through a number of our "true ghost story" books1 (not all as we currently have far too many to try this with at home,) and through our own database of reported sightings.  I eliminated everything that wasn't a reported apparition... so no poltergeists, prophetic or "message bearing" dreams, weird feelings or the like, and no odd sounds, smells, or touches. I only looked at people who reported to see something or someone.

When the person spotted what they assumed was an apparition, the first things is almost all of them did not "tweak" to the notion the person (or thing) they saw was out of the ordinary, and would carry on whatever they were doing.  Only after (even a split-second) of realising that the person (or thing) should not "be" (either "be" there or "be" dressed like 'that' or "be" something that gives them away as not being 'normal', hence potentially 'paranormal',) they look up or around or back and... vanished.

This is potentially where the semi-myth* of the ghostly apparition "going through" a wall or door comes into play, so it seems. Since the 'ghost' vanished, our minds go, with good reason, to the idea that "it" must have gone somewhere... so it HAD to pass "right through that wall" or "right through that door without opening it!"

* - I can't call it a complete myth because I did find three or four witness reports that saw someone or something pass "into" a door or wall, but no witness on the other side to suggest these apparitions truly passed through the doors or walls or simply "merged"(?) with them.

Of course, this doesn't at all *have* to be the case, but it makes the most logical and classical sense to most people. Things must go somewhere, I mean, they don't just disappear, right?

I'm certain more than a few of you thought about instances where gases can be visible and then disappear as they are affected by the air (think steam of breath vapour on a cold day,) but remember, those gases don't disappear and they do take up the same volume of space... so, working with that notion, is that true for apparitions?  Could this be the origins of strange feelings, atmospheres, and "energies"?

I can't say for sure, but it is food for thought...

...but...

We do have, in our books, two cases where people didn't "look away" and may have seen an apparition "vanish"... one is a very good example as it was two witnesses involved.  Both cases involve something I now call the Losira Model. (This is where Star Trek TOS comes into play, but I'll explain later...)

In the one case, the witness saw the "person" literally flattened... become thinner until they were a line or ribbon which turned and became so thin, they vanished.

The other case was one person saw (and almost bumped into) the apparition, apologised to it (they assumed it was a real person,) and this drew the attention of someone else who only saw what they described as a thin scarf or ribbon blow behind the witness then vanishing into the wind.

So, two cases in our hands... one from Ontario, Canada, the other from London, England, where the apparition quite literally seems to have lost dimension (width?) and then vanished when it/they became "too thin" to see...

Wanna know what that might look like?  Enter actress Lee Merriwether!

In the original series, Star Trek, there is an episode named, (strangely enough for this article at this site,) "That Which Survives".  Ms. Merriwether plays a robot/projection named Losira that is defending it's home world by keying itself to any particular intruder. The projection/robot would appear saying it was "for" whomever... and if it touched them, they died... but if it touched someone else, nothing happened.

Believe it or not, this is important to this model I'm giving because when the robot was thwarted completely (usually by other people blocking it's way,) it would vanish by, you guessed it, losing it's width completely until it was a line which vanished on the screen.  Here's a link to this episode on YouTube, but you can skip ahead to roughly the 2:24 second mark to see Losira, the robot/projection's vanish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhbDJPKk6v4

Hence, the Losira Model of vanishing.

(Sci-fi geeks in this field are now rejoicing.)

So, the Losira Model has the apparition literally losing one of it's dimensions until it's invisible... or seemingly so... but then, again, if the apparition had mass (which is must if it's breaking or effecting light to be seen,) then were does that go?

Has the sci-fi model of going off to "another dimension" been seen by at least two people "in real life"?

Again, that is BEYOND speculation... edging towards wild and crazy guess territory at break-neck speed.

...but then again, I would warn anyone that two instances doth not a great hypothetical model make... but perhaps there's other witnesses to the Losira Model in action?  Maybe this will spread the word and others will look into this?

Well, that's the hope...

I suppose there's not much left at the moment for me to do...

...save perhaps look into other things and find a Vader Model or a Dalek Model or a similar model invoking pop-culture like this... and make the other folks of sci-fi-fandom happy.

That giggle out of the way, The Losira Model is apt... and worth thinking about for others, I hope.

1 - Quick List and explanation... in reverse order:

The books were chosen rather randomly as they were, quite honestly, the closest ones to my desk at the time... the PSICAN files were on my computer... our database of reports.  The books in question are listed below.

Haunted Toronto - John Robert Colombo, Haunted Houses - Edrick Thay, Ontario Ghost Stories and Ontario Ghost Stories v.II by Barbara Smith, Ghost Stories of Sasketchewan - Jo-Anne Christensen, Some Canadian Ghosts - Sheila Hervey, Haunted Royal Homes - Joan Forman, True Experiences with Ghosts - Martin Ebon, Ghosts of the Air - Martin Caidin, Ghosts - Brian Inglis

I admit that I bypassed Haunted Battlefields by Dan Afar which was closer than a couple of these books as it was RELATIVELY unlikely, in that book, to contain an indoor apparition that might walk "through" anything.

What makes you you?

I know, sounds like a deeply philosophical question, but I'm looking at the bear essentials as to why you speak the way you do, why you walk the way you walk, why you go where you go, why you behave the way you do... all that sort of stuff.

Although there's no doubt that a certain amount of this is basically nothing more than reflex and instinct, but I wonder...

How many reading this would doubt the idea that your experience... your memories... those elements dictate a lot of what and who you are.

Sadly, thanks to brain injury studies including various forms of traumas, strokes, and necessary surgeries*, we do know without question that your memories are stored neatly in your grey matter.  

Basically, if we kill or remove a part of your brain, usually in or around the hippocampus or frontal lobe, you might quite literally lose years of your life... you just won't remember them. You could "forget" how to speak or how to tie your shoes... or you might forget your spouse, your children, your parents... but retain everything else provided the physical damage/removal isn't too extensive.

This is one of the reasons I've rarely argued with people that refer to the human brain as a "computer"... though I would argue that it's really just some parts of a computer... the CPU (Central Processing Unit or the main thing that looks after all the basic functions and has the primary language and decoding sets,) and the RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory or the stuff that's hard-coded into the computer,) and the fixed storage... the "hard disk"... and that's the memory like our "brain" memory... the bit that stores our experiences, education, and those elements of what we've retained by experience.

If I go to your hard disk, and delete your work files, and then literally "scratch" that bit of the hard disk, those files are gone...

...which is the same as that brain injury or surgery we're looking at... a bit of the hard disk literally removed.

It's a safe bet, then, that if I can kill part of your brain and eliminate experiences and memories... that effective personal "data" stored there... you would have to assume, correctly and logically, that all experiences and memories would be wiped with the death of the whole brain.

...and isn't brain death... well... our ultimate definition of bodily death?

Now, let's look at the DPH or "Dead Person Hypothesis"... that ghosts are the spirits of the dead... and that they "know" where they are, or at least are somewhat cognisant of their environment in the slightest way...

...where is that "data" stored?

At the terminus of all brain activity... when the brain literally begins to degenerate, break down, and putrefy... what mechanism, if any, ports the person's (who would be "the ghost") memories to their new... um... location?

What structures would hold that sort of memory in apparently the ether, after all, we have a good grasp on what structure holds a memory now... at least, which structure holds it and where it's located... butwhat holds it into a "ghost"... especially if we accept the concept that this entity we're discussing now is a spirit of a dead person?

DON'T GET ME WRONG HERE... Sue and I are most certainly not like those mouth-breathers that says things similar to, "If ghosts are the souls of the dead, and they're seen clothed, not naked, does this mean the clothes have a soul!?! SEE! I win! Ghosts can't be real! Hahahaha!"

...because the conclusion reached above, that this "proves" that ghosts cannot be, is not proper... the better answer to this is another question... "Why do people see ghosts as clothed and not naked?"

Far from dismissing the notion, it opens up a new question, because indeed, people say they experience ghosts, and I hardly think we're all a bunch of liars, so why are they dressed? (Here in this blog post, this is a rhetorical question... You can ponder it if you'd like, but if you *know* why, unless you have absolute empirical evidence to demonstrate it as absolutely accurate, it's speculation and a good guess... maybe a faith... but the question may still remain... "Why are ghosts wearing clothes if the clothes lack a soul?")

So, I now ask you this...

If a ghost is the spirit of a dearly departed person, (The DPH,) how does it know where the house it haunts is?  If it goes up or down some stairs, how does it know the stairs are there? If it opens or closes doors, how does it know the door is there?

In those cases where it's a "known loved one" showing up with a message, how is that message being stored and played back/delivered to the right (or even close to right) person?

...and I could go on and on...

If the quite literal structure that we do know holds our memories and experiences is "gone"... how does a ghost remember?

I honestly have no answer for this... it's simply food for thought... and perhaps, something to spur some conversation.

* - See National Stroke Association's "Recovery After Stroke: Thinking and Cognition", "Memory loss after stroke" by Alberto Maud, MD for American Academy of Neurology, "Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide" by Dr. Glen Johnson, "Evaluation of Memory Dysfunction Following Experimental Brain Injury Using the Morris Water Maze"  published in the Journal of Neurotrauma and authored by Douglas H. Smith, Koichi Okiyama, Mark J. Thomas, Brian Claussen, and Tracey K. McIntosh as a few quick find selections to show this fact, though many many more exist...

Addenda: 22:20 EST - The idea that the "memory" of a ghost isn't "live" or potentially sentient may hold some water as well... and go a long way to explaining those ghosts that seem to be ignoring the 'present' environments and working only in the past... like those who go through walls that were once doors... or up stairs that don't exist anymore... there are cases that seem to show this happens, but it's not every case... still, figured I should chuck this in here.

Also, via Facebook, Maria and Sue are both tossing about the idea of memories being stored "out of body"... literally, an off-site backup. It would need to be a "backup" of the originals (in your brain) as we do know memories can be removed with the killing or removal of certain areas of the brain. This concept led to a discussion that any person could potentially "run into" those memories, trigger them, and have a 'past life' experience... which may not be an experience as such, but a collision with ethereal backup memories of someone else... this, in turn, could trigger a psi incidence (where the memory, through a living person's hitherto unknown psychical potential) literally "plays out" the memory... thus either giving them the psychical vision of a ghost, or even potentially, again with psi, having the 'ghost' manifest itself outside the experient's own body... literally playing it back like a psychic projector for other witnesses to see.

All food for thought!