"...the rejuvenation and evolution revolving around the paranormal. Until now, the paranormal has been understated, thought of as negative, and unrepresented...
We are taking the word paranormal to a whole new level. More categories, articles, interviews, and videos are on the way to help reshape the world’s view of the paranormal community."
If you have any interest in the paranormal, the unexplained, superstitions, history, world issues, and/or debating any of the above, check it out!
Of all the 11 people who took my poll, no one believes in Bigfoot!
Let’s explore some possible reasons why...
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization cites thousands of reports of possible sightings or “vocalizations” of Sasquatch, Bigfoot, or in simpler terms, a “large, hairy, humanlike creature.”
Hmm, that sounds like it could be my friend’s dad, some guy I once saw at the bus stop, or a Star Wars character.
Maybe it’s not so much that people don’t believe in Bigfoot, but that it’s not that crazy of an idea. Big deal? There’s so many species of animal out there that the elusive Bigfoot could just be another one, or something in the early stages of human evolution – which would be pretty cool.
Plus, anyone can just put on a Chewbacca costume and walk around in the woods.
A picture of 4 UFOs flying over London, published yesterday in the UK’s Telegraph, has already gotten a lot of people (meaning bloggers) talking about the photo’s authenticity.
Derek Burdon, who took the photo from the roof top of Orion House in Covent Garden, said he didn’t even notice the shapes while he was taking it. It was only after, when he was looking through his camera, that he saw them. For the skeptics, Burdon was sure to make that clear:
"I have not tampered with it and you would not be able to fake it. It was taken on my mobile and I guess I am just lucky to have it. These shapes were not visible to the naked eye so it's not as if I was looking for them."
What quite a few people – but especially UFO believers – are saying is that the “UFOs” in this photo are just reflections of the room lights against the window.
I don’t really know what to think about this one. I believe in UFOs, but I also believe in Photoshop and other possible explanations. Still, I can’t picture someone doctoring a UFO photo and giving it to a newspaper with their name unless they actually believed it was real. People do it though. Damn you photo pranksters!
But, oddly enough, London is a hotspot for UFO sightings anyway. According to the BBC, the number of reported UFO sightings in 2008 had almost doubled since the year before.
Another UFO photo (new word: UFOtograph?), this one from a year ago and published in The Sun – and referred to in my post, “There’s No Such Thing as a UFO” – is so clear that it looks like a movie still or something.
I don’t know if that makes the photo less believable or the movies more accurate.
Also known as wheat graffiti, crop circles have so far defied explanation.
Since they first appeared in England 30ish years ago, hundreds of new formations pop up around the world every year...and they're getting bigger and more complex.
But some are definitely human-made.
I have to admit, they can sometimes be hard to decipher from the "real" ones (yes, I got fooled a few times), but not these crop circles -if that's what you call them. Nope. These ones are just funny.
Whether or not you believe they’re evidence of UFOs landing on Earth, geological phenomenon, or just the antics of some sneaky artists (that can somehow make concentric circles and perfect angles while on the ground without taking enough time for someone to notice, and who, for some reason, don't want any credit for making them), crop circles have to be one of the coolest things ever.
There are so many amazing images out there, so I chose 10 that just stood out to me.
Also, notice that in some there are dark specks in the middle of the circles. I think those specks are people...just to give an idea of how big these things are.
Naturally an article called, “UFOs Do Not Exist” caught my attention, especially when it’s in UFO Digest. But being a big believer in extra-terrestrial intelligence myself, it seems UFO’s really don’t exist. Of course! I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before.
What thousands of people report as UFOs are actually “IFOs” (Identified Flying Objects) or “IPFOs” (Intelligently Piloted Flying Objects). If they aren’t part of some sort of military project, or the creation of pranksters with lots of money and serious engineering capabilities, then we should know exactly what they are, right? What we should be doing is questioning what’s inside.
So I guess when skeptics disregard the claims of “IFO” witnesses, what they’re really unsure of is the existence of UIPIFOs (Unidentified Intelligent Pilots of Identified Flying Objects).
That was a mouthful. Maybe I’ll just stick to using “UFO.” Plus, I think I’d get more strange looks if I said, “I saw a UIPIFO,” should it ever happen.
"Local fields of this type have been medically proven to cause responses in the temporal lobes of the human brain. These result in the observer sustaining his or her own vivid, but mainly incorrect, description of what is experienced.”
One question: why would people hallucinate UFOs?
(Image: Daily Mail. Also check out this crazy-awesome UFO image from The Sun)
The Paraplex, a former funeral home located on the famous Canal Street, is fully-loaded with 4 ghosts and 40 thermal and infrared cameras, which parapsychologist Dr. Larry Montz will use to “prove these things exist.”
In the mean time, visitors can participate in “fear experiments,” private séances, and psychometry tests to see if and how psychic they are. (If they are psychic shouldn’t they already know?)
The Paraplex is also part museum, featuring the Freddy Kruger glove, the Honey Island Swamp Monster footprint, a vampire hunting kit, and dolls from vampire-writer Anne Rice’s collection. How appropriate.
But if all the lab is using to catch ghosts is cameras, how would this “proof” be better than that already found on Ghost Hunters or Paranormal State (assuming, of course, that those investigators aren’t just actors with a sweet team of Photoshop pros)?
I wonder if “scientifically” proving every haunting and ghost story as true – knowing the unknown – would make the whole idea of paranormality more scary, less intriguing, or make any difference at all.
On the other hand, say if Montz and his team actually catch these ghosts on camera, maybe the “paranormal” would no longer exist.
If the existence of ghosts, UFOs, and psychic abilities is proven, thus becoming scientific fact, wouldn't that render the paranormal...well, normal?
I recently came across two articles that caught my attention. Why, you may ask? Both mentioned the words “scientists” and “ghosts” in the same headline. But, before you get too excited, they didn’t say, “Scientists Prove Ghosts Exist.”
One article from Cold Spot: Paranormal Research and Investigation Unit, and the other from UK’s Glasgow Daily Record, suggest that when people see ghosts they aren’t actually seeing anything – although for two different reasons.
The Glasgow Daily Record reported that coffee drinkers (ie. those who drink more than SEVEN cups of instant coffee a day) are more likely to hallucinate and hear non-existent voices.
On the other hand, the Cold Spot article disclosed a study conducted by University College London, which suggests that when people see ghosts they’re simply “filling in the blanks” with their imagination.
I don’t doubt that either explanation is possible, but I don’t know anyone who drinks seven cups of coffee a day. And it just doesn’t seem logical that more than one person could experience the same phenomena at different times if they were using their own imagination. Plus, as I mentioned in my last post, there’s more to any experience than just what is seen.
If ghosts are a figment of the imagination, or the result of caffeine overdose, how have ghost stories and the belief in their existence lasted for centuries even without concrete, scientific proof? Even before coffee and scary movies existed?
The only answer I can think of is that ghosts do exist. After all, there’s no proof that they don’t.
For most people, seeing is believing. But if you ask me, it’s hard to be “rational” about odd banging coming from empty rooms, scratching sounds on the bedroom window, inexplicably moved furniture, or that feeling of someone standing behind you even when there’s no one else in sight.
To be honest, I’ve never actually seen a ghost. I’ve been to so-called truly haunted places – Centre Island’s lighthouse, Fort Erie’s fort, Fort Erie’s Doll Museum – and nothing, nada, zilch.
By “nothing, nada, zilch,” what I really mean is I didn't see anything. I do remember feeling really creeped out, but in all fairness, it could have just been the dolls. (C’mon, you have to admit dolls are scary!)
The point is, if you’re planning to do your own ghost-hunt, there are a few things you can bring besides your eyeballs:
1) A flashlight – Assuming you go at night, you’ll want to see where you’re going
2) A compass – Often when a compass is acting wonky, it means there are certain electromagnetic impulses interfering with it; these impulses are sometimes attributed to ghostly activity.
3) A camera – Images of floating orbs and even silhouettes can be captured by a camera even though you may not see them with your own eyes. Plus, it’s nice to have some form of proof if you actually do see something a little odd.
4) Extra batteries – According to pretty much every ghost-hunting show out there, ghosts gain energy from electricity. Don’t be surprised if your batteries die faster than usual.
5) A friend – Possibly the most important tool, they’ll help keep you calm and provide another witness should something happen…
Unfortunately, it’s always possible that the ghost footage you see on paranormal investigation shows and the internet is fake. This video is one of the better ones I’ve found. Fake or not, it sure gave me a scare.
Have I ever been to a cemetery at night? Once. Would I ever go alone? Hmm...probably not.
Whether you’re a skeptic or a firm believer in the spirit world, a clichéd cemetery is just one place where you can test its existence – and your own bravery.
From the hours of Creepy Canada, Rescue Mediums, Most Haunted, and all those other ghost-hunting shows I’ve watched (with the lights on of course), I’ve come up with a top 10 list of potentially haunted places - or at least where creepy stuff tends to happen.
Visit The Shadowlands if you want to search the most haunted places in Canada. But keep in mind, it may involve a lot of scrolling down to find the city you're looking for.
"...the rejuvenation and evolution revolving around the paranormal. Until now, the paranormal has been understated, thought of as negative, and unrepresented...
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