[Fwd: Intern'l Ghost Hunters' Newsletter, August 26, 2001] Very Long

[patrick]

ghos...@ghostweb.com wrote:
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> Mission Statement:
> The Ghostweb is the official Web Site of the International
> Ghost Hunters Society. The IGHS membership is FREE. The Society is
> dedicated to the research, documentation, education and investigation
> of ghostly phenomena recorded through digital, film and video
> photography. The IGHS invites new members to join Dave & Sharon in
> this effort.
>
> Travel with Dave & Sharon:
> Join Dave & Sharon as they explore America's Most Haunted
> Sites as they travel in their RV across the highways of America. They
> are currently in the Wyoming. If you are sending a photo, be sure to
> keep it less than 500K because of limited access to the Internet.
>
> Email us at MagicDi...@aol.com or ghos...@ghostweb.com
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> IGHS Newsletter August 26, 2001:
>
> Dr. Dave's Notes
> Radio Interviews
> Beyond Folklore
> Moscow Area Paranormal Investigation Society
> Favorite Haunts Travel Magazine
> IGHS ID Badge for Investigations
> Ghostweb Password Membership
> Home Study Course Part 1 and Part 2
> MiniTemp MT-4 Thermal Scanner
> Granny
> House Sitting
>
> Dr. Dave's Notes
> A few days ago, I was interviewed on WMUZ, the largest
> Christian Radio Network claiming over six million listeners. The
> afternoon show wanted to focus on ghosts and demons and they wanted
> to explore this topic from our prospective. I had already told the
> host who had called to arrange the interview that I did not believe
> in demons. He responded and asked me if I believed in God and I said
> yes. He said he wanted my side of the ghost/demon phenomena. He said
> the actual live interview would be on his show and would last about
> four to six minutes. After I hung up, he would continue with is
> listeners, discussing my views. What he seemed to say was that
> after I was off the air, he would go ahead and bash my viewpoints and
> condemn me for not accepting their Biblical viewpoints. Back to that
> old black and white thing again, no grey areas allowed. We get
> bashed anyway for our viewpoints, so I figured if they bashed me for
> what I said, somebody is going to wonder and find out for themselves
> what is really true.
> The next day I was called by the station producer and told I
> would be on in just a few minutes. She express her thanks for being
> on the show and sharing our viewpoints. She said they had been
> getting a lot of requested for such a show.
> My time came and I went live on radio, my voice allegedly
> being heard by six million Christian listeners. They started out by
> asking the basic questions, like what are ghosts? I explained about
> orbs of light, ectoplasmic vapor and vortices. The station went to a
> break and the station producer came onto the line and said she was
> getting calls in by listeners wanting to know more about the orbs of
> light as they were seeing them in their homes.
> Back on the air and the host asked about orbs. I explained
> that they were souls or spirits of the dead. The host attempted to
> pigeon hole my responses as souls who are in limbo. I responded that
> some were, but many were here because they elected to be here. Some
> were only visiting loved ones and were not bound to this earth plane.
> I discussed why some were anchored here with unresolved emotional
> issues.
> He asked me how I thought God was involved with the dead. I
> responded that I thought God was the God of the living and of the
> dead. Those dead still had issues to work out and that it was wrong
> to force them to depart by exorcism because it interfered with their
> resolution, the same as it would interfere with us to force us from
> our homes or loved ones. I suggested that God would not abandoned the
> dead simply because they were dead. This went over like a lead
> balloon. I could see six million Christians shaking their heads and
> saying a prayer to save my soul. Too bad they are not aware of the
> Language of Prayer and perhaps that is why their prayers fall short
> of being answered.
> Then the host directed our conversation to demons and evil. I
> conveyed to him that I had never encountered demons in all of my
> investigations, but I have encountered ghosts with attitudes. He
> attempted to corner me into admitting that there was a possibility
> that demons exist, even if it was a very small possibility. I knew if
> I said yes, he would later brag that I had admitted there could be
> demons. So, at this point after suggesting that what most people call
> demons were simply ghosts with attitudes, I suggested that the living
> were more evil in nature than the spirits I have encountered so far.
> He kept pressing me to suggest that demons were real, but I kept
> saying that I see no evidence that demons exist. I said science has
> found no evidence that this Biblical concept is valid. He said
> anciently, science confirmed demons. I said yes, but back then
> science was controlled by the Church and you agreed or lost your head!
> At this point the interview turned more slanted and biased.
> Instead of just asking for my views, he attempted to convert me to
> his belief by hammering home the possibility that if ghosts existed
> than demons must exist also. After all, no one knows for sure. I
> responded that I did know ghosts existed, but I had no evidence that
> demons existed. I have seen ghosts, I have recorded their voices, I
> have captured them on video, but I had never seen, heard or recorded
> demons. By this point the host was becoming very frustrated with the
> interview. I had an ace up my sleeve and I played it now.
> I asked him if he thought demons were out to corrupt all
> Christians? He said yes that demons were after the souls of
> Christians. I asked him if he felt that demons would not waste time
> on those who were not Christians? He said yes, since they were
> already damned. I then asked him why so many people from around the
> world had reported the same phenomena as what Christians call demons,
> but they were not Christians. We have members in non-Christian
> cultures around the world that report the same phenomena and in these
> cases, it is ghosts with attitude problems. If this same type of
> haunting is happening to non-Christians, how can he suggest that they
> are demons when they happen to a Christian? He had already said that
> demons would not trouble non-Christians as they were already lost!
> He got upset with me and said he was not going to debate this
> theological issue, which he already said he would not do when we
> talked the previous day. He said instead of getting upset, he was
> simply going to terminate the interview. I said thank you for having
> me on. The interview that was to last four to six minutes lasted
> thirty-five minutes. I hung up and a few minutes later, the station
> producer called and thanked me for the interview.
> I never said anything negative about the Christian religion,
> but I could not endorse their concept of demons. I said Science has
> never validated the concept of demons. The fact that the station was
> receiving an unprecedented number of calls from listeners about orbs
> they have seen in their homes suggested that perhaps the host was a
> little out of touch with what is happening today. The orbs of light
> are not demonic or evil. I believe in evil, but in the evil that men
> do. I do not accept a supernatural phenomena that targets only
> Christians. I think if the history of demons is studied, it will show
> that the devil did not exist in the early Church, but was developed
> from two separate statements made nine hundred years apart and when
> combined created the devil we have today. I know that more prayers
> will now be said for my soul, but perhaps we should examine our
> beliefs and be sure it is based in facts and not myths.
>
> Radio Interviews:
> This past week has been busy for us. I did a thirty minute
> interview with the Polish TV station that had conducted an
> investigation into Poltergeist activity that they had been called to
> document. They wanted my views on why their camera crew failed to
> detect any ghostly anomalies while the family who lived there had
> experienced something.
> The day before the Polish interview, I was interviewed by a
> Japanese Radio Network that broadcast to some twenty Japanese radio
> stations. I would like to include a part of the response I got from
> the host of the Japanese radio station. It is most interesting
> because it is so true.
> " I really felt your positive vibe. Indeed, my partner, Tia,
> was rejecting the notions of those paranormal activities. She
> believed that all those activities were hoax and those were made up
> for trying to scare people. Actually, we had an argument about her
> judgmental attitude before the interview.
> I told her not to judge because she didn't even know you. She
> was upset
> because she tried to defend her belief system. But during the
> interview, you
> said that nonjudgmental attitude was the key for your organization
> and web
> site's success. That word struck us very hard, and opened up her
> mind. It
> was as if you had known what we were talking about. It's the vibe that
> interconnects us, and you picked it up. Thanks for the great
> experience. Now
> she has changed her attitude."
>
> Beyond Folklore:
> Over the years Dave and I have met many people as we have
> held workshops and conferences across the country. Some of the folks
> we meet, we see often yet others have left the IGHS to strike out on
> their own, going different directions. There are others that we have
> come to know as dear friends.
> The past four years we have held the annual Gettysburg
> Conference on the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We have
> met so many special people who live in Gettysburg or in surrounding
> areas of the once, war torn town. Being an annual event, we look
> forward to seeing special people every year and sharing time with
> them investigating the actively haunted fields of the bloody three
> day battle.
> The second year of our Gettysburg Conference, we met a
> gentleman who was a tour guide for the Candlelight Walking Tours for
> many years. He was an avid historian having extensive knowledge of
> the battlefields and the town proper.
> This man has become a personal friend and his name is Harry
> Borger. Harry has been an active part of the IGHS Gettysburg
> Conference every year, with the exception of the 2001 Conference. At
> the 2000 Conference, Harry and his group planned and conducted the
> early bird investigations to include complete information hand-outs
> for all who attended the event. Everyone who participated found it
> to be a very enjoyable and informative time.
> Tragedy struck the Borger family right after the Gettysburg
> 2000 Conference, when Harry's parents were involved in a horrible car
> accident that suddenly and unexpectedly took the life of his Father
> and seriously injured Harry's Mother. Harry Borger never asked us
> for anything, but in the family's time of loss and grief, we were
> able to alert the IGHS Membership to the tragedy, and ask for the
> prayers of people all around the world to help Harry and his family
> get through such a trying time.
> Losing someone we love to death is always a difficult time.
> Losing someone, such as a child or parent to a sudden, unexpected
> death, goes beyond words. It is a heart breaking time in life when
> our grief goes deep and we wonder why things happen as they do. At
> times like this we come face-to-face with our own mortality and
> realize how quickly a life can be taken from us. But beyond the gut-
> wrenching pain of loss, we've learned that it helps, if even just a
> little, to know there are others outside of our immediate struggle,
> who love, care and support us.
> Harry Borger had learned a lot about death and the ghosts
> that still walk the once dirt roads in and around Gettysburg. He
> knows the stories of the soldiers who continue to fight the battles
> there on the battlefields. He knows the lessons that come with pain
> of loss, which comes only from experience. Harry has taken his
> knowledge of the historic three day battle and the ghosts that remain
> anchored on the battlefields and his understanding of death to offer
> a marvelous workshop, Beyond Folklore, to folks visiting Gettysburg.
> It is a workshop geared for the beginner who wants to learn far more
> than just the superficial aspects of the battle. Harry has a passion
> for the history of Gettysburg and combined with the compassion
> learned from his own experience, we feel Beyond Folklore, is a
> Workshop that is offered to the public who want to learn about the
> ghosts of Gettysburg, the right way. The following are quotes from
> Harry regarding his Beyond Folklore Workshop.
> " I think it is most vital to lay the groundwork. We've got
> to do this. To send someone out, or take them, just to take
> pictures, is in my opinion, a mistake. Doing it right is what the
> workshop is all about," says Harry. " I see way too many folks
> trying way too hard in this work." Yet, if people are trained in the
> right ways, they don't see faces in every image, they learn to
> evaluate their pictures in more realistic ways and know that most of
> what they capture on film, won't relate to human features. We tend
> to want that human configuration and try too hard to see that within
> the pictures we take. But most of the time, that's not what we
> capture on film.
> In March 1998, the International Ghost Hunters Society came
> to Gettysburg for their (first) annual convention. I am a ghost
> guide/story teller with the Ghost of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking
> Tours. . . over 500 tours and the most senior ghost guide in
> Gettysburg. I knew they would want to go on ghost tours as a part of
> the conference activities. I told my friend Mark Nesbitt, owner of
> the Ghost of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours, that I wanted to
> work with part of the group. Well, I ended up attending the entire
> conference in 1998. What are Ghost Hunters? What is a ghost
> convention? Some weird stuff right? I didn't find that. There were
> a very nice group of reasonable of people with a scientific
> orientation. No, they weren't "ghost busters."
> Far from it. They were a group of people dedicated to the
> scientific documentation of ghostly activity--what better place than
> Gettysburg! They used digital cameras, film cameras, remote thermal
> scanners, electromagnetic field detectors, night vision scopes,
> digital infrared night vision camcorders, and an assortment of other
> equipment. Wow!
> By the time the weekend was over, I saw the evidence and was
> learning to do it myself. I was also confused, wondering what I had
> just experienced. The conference was a life experience and I've come
> to consider Dave and Sharon with the IGHS personal friends. They've
> been very supportive to me. Soon after the conference, I purchased a
> digital camera, and began my own journey to document the energy of
> Gettysburg. We're going beyond folklore. The journey continues.
> By Spring 1998, I realized that I am a Ghost Guide, I am a
> storyteller, and, importantly, I am a teacher. So, I started my
> Beyond Folklore Workshops to teach others. It takes me a full three
> hour workshop, or longer, to develop a beginning understanding.
> Harry then describes his Beyond Folklore workshops.
>
> 1. Learn ghost theory
> 2. Hear examples of recent ghost occurrences in Gettysburg
> 3. Learn ways of interacting with the ghost world
> 4. Learn of ghosts as energy
> 5. See the modern equipment used in an investigation
> 6. Enjoy some never-before-heard ghost stories
> 7. Be able to experience an evening of spirit energy photography
> after dark
> 8. See many examples of ghost photography on display--full size
> color photographs
> 9. Learn specific protocols to follow when photographing spirit
> energy
> 10. Learn current photographic research protocols
> 11. Develop some healthy perspectives and an appropriate
> understanding of this phenomenon
> For more information write: hbo...@cvn.net.
> This workshop is not affiliated with the Ghost of Gettysburg
> Candlelight Walking Tours or with the International Ghost Hunters
> Society. .
> Should you be planning to visit the Gettysburg National Park,
> or are just wanting to find a place where you can learn more about
> ghost photography and the spirits that remain on this plane of
> existence, we highly recommend the Beyond Folklore Workshop. It is
> sure to be an experience you won't forget. Thank you Harry, for all
> the continued good work you are doing in and around Gettysburg.
> .
> Moscow Area Paranormal Investigation Society
> IGHS member, Lt. Col. James L. Choron, Chief Executive
> Officer, Moscow Area Paranormal Investigation Society (Moscow,
> Russia) (komm...@mtu-net.ru) sent us a copy of their pamphlet that
> his organization gives to new investigators. He has given permission
> for some of his material to be shared in this newsletter. This is the
> second part of his guide for new members that covers Preparation:
> The first thing that you should do, regardless of what type
> of location you are investigating is to determine, to the best of
> your ability, if it does, in fact, have a spirit present. Many
> hauntings are "residual" in nature, and are just replays of some
> event. For some reason, the energy of a happening stays in the
> location, and replays the event over and over like a loop tape. This
> is easy to determine, since in the case of a residual haunting, there
> is no interaction with the entities present. It's exactly like
> watching a movie.
> If there is an active haunting, a spirit present, then you
> need determine exactly why he/she is there. Was there some event
> that "trapped" them? Are they tied to the place for some reason?
> Could it be that they simply do not realize that they are dead? Do
> they resist being dead, and for this reason remain? Are they trying
> to fulfill some "mission" or carry out some "objective"? Do they feel
> that something in their life was "unfinished"?
> In doing this, you should look into the history of the
> property, house, cemetery and person (if possible... obituary
> notices, former property owners, older people who might remember,
> local "legends" or other stories... any source of information might
> prove useful, don't neglect any). Police and Fire Department records
> are also a good source, depending on what else you find... was it a
> case of violent death?)
> Remember that an investigation is more than just getting a
> good "ghost picture" or a good video or audio tape. It is a
> combination of many things, all leading to the documentation of a
> spirit presence, but, more than that, it should include an effort to
> get into contact with the spirit, and help him/her cross over into
> the next plain, where they really belong.
> In any case, once you've done your homework, and know a
> little about the site, and hopefully the haunting, you are ready for
> the next step.
> Go to the location in daylight. Take a note pad and camera
> with you, and document the site as it appears in a "normal"
> atmosphere. This does two things. First of all, it acquaints you with
> the site, and makes getting around and navigating in darkness
> somewhat easier. Secondly, it gives you a "control" and something by
> which to judge results and something with which to compare. Try, as
> much as possible, to anticipate where you will work in the actual
> investigation, and duplicate it, a "dry run" for lack of a better
> term. It is also possible that you will get some results in the
> daytime, as well. We certainly have.
> International and Russian Federation Copyright 2001,
> by "Angels of the Battlefield" , A non-profit organization devoted to
> the Recovery and Identification of Soldiers Missing in Action and
> the Investigation of the Paranormal based in Moscow, The Rueeian
> Federation
>
> Favorite Haunts Travel Magazine:
> Favorite Haunts is a travel magazine with an eerie twist -
> each of its destinations is haunted! In our October issue we will
> visit the Isle of Mull, Chicago, the ghosts of Gettysburg and
> Hollywood, and the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon, Virginia.
> Subscribe today. $19.95 for one year. Also: ghost videos for sale. Go
> to http://www.favoritehaunts.com/.
>
> IGHS ID Badges for Investigations:
> We have received many requests for some kind of
> Identification Badge to wear while conducting field investigations.
> We have designed an ID Badge that is laminated and has a metal clip
> that snaps onto your shirt or other piece of clothing. It says that
> you are a Registered Ghost Hunter/Paranormal Investigator in good
> standing with the International Ghost Hunters Society and it has our
> signatures and web address. The cost for this attractive ID Badge is
> $11 and includes shipping by first class mail. The ID Badge can be
> ordered by going to http://www.ghostweb.com/id_badge.html.
>
> Ghostweb Password Membership:
> The Ghostweb Password Membership is for those folks who would
> like to view the entire 7,800 plus ghost photos found in the Ghost
> Archives and the ghostly video footage, including the ghost children
> shadows at the old Shaniko School.
> Ghostweb.com is limited to the amount of a bandwidth used
> during the month. This could be compared to a full gas tank. Each
> time a photograph is viewed is like driving the automobile, gas is
> consumed and after so many miles, the gas tank is empty. On the web
> site, the empty gas tank is when the bandwidth limit has been
> reached. This is the reason that we charge a fee of $12 to cover the
> hosting and bandwidth usage cost of the two sub-domains that host our
> ghost photo galleries containing more than 7,800 photographs.
> The upside to restrictive membership is that I have post my
> video footage because we have reduced the bandwidth usage to these
> sub-domains by charging a membership fee. The membership also
> includes access to additional EVP and a free Ghost Screen Saver that
> can be downloaded. New ghost video segments are being added all the
> time so you will see it within hours of the filming.
> Enrollment can be done at http://www.ghostweb.com/pass.html.
> A Buy It Paypal button makes it easier to register and speeds up the
> turn around time to obtain your Password and Userid from us. I will
> assign and send out the Userid and Password each time I check my
> email.
>
> Home Study Course, Part 1 and Part 2:
> Darrel L. Trout of DTrou...@home.com writes, "Just wanted
> to let you know that I am working my way through the study course and
> think that it is a great educational course. I am learning so much
> more of the world of ghosts and life after death. It is so nice to be
> able to learn from folks like yourselves that are professionals.
> There are so much mis-information out there about what are ghosts and
> spirits that everyone that is interested in the spirit world should
> take your course. Just wanted to let you all know and thanks again
> for being here for people like me."
> Brenda Marble of BMa...@aol.com writes, "I just finished
> taking your ghost-hunter course and want to compliment you on a very
> good program. I've been active in ghost-hunting for a year now, I
> was very impressed with the amount of information that I received in
> taking your course."
> We have been offering the Home Study Course since 1998. The
> Home Study Course will expand the understanding of ghosts, or as we
> say, the spirits of the dead and of life after death. Death is not
> the end, but the beginning. Learn from the International Ghost
> Hunters Society, a pioneer in ghost research and learn how ghosts
> provide a spiritual message to the living. We want to show that death
> is not to be feared but to be observed as a passage of rite into a
> new and wonderful adventure.
> Scared of ghosts? Is your home haunted? Hearing muffled
> voices? Should you get rid of a ghost? Are you seeing ghosts and
> feel like you are going crazy? Consider the Home Study Course if you
> would like to know more about the Spirits of the Dead or why
> paranormal events are happening to you.
> Perhaps you have poltergeist activity in your home or know of
> someone whose home is haunted and you want answers. Hundreds have
> taken the course and developed a much deeper understanding of the
> Spirit Realm. We now offer a two-part program for learning more. The
> first is for the Certified Ghost Hunter and the second part is for
> Certified Paranormal Investigator. Read more about this
> Certification Program at http://www.ghostweb.com/mainhsc.html.
>
> MiniTemp MT-4 Thermal Scanner:
> The MT-4 is a really cool tool for locating floating orbs and
> ectoplasm, especially those that favor the ceilings and hard to find
> recesses. This is one of those tools that is simply a delight to use.
> A lighted digital display shows the temperature where the red laser
> dot is at. Immediate changes show presence of cold spots, a tell
> tail sign of the presence of a ghost. We have more fun with the MT-4
> than our EMF meters. Besides, our BooBoo goes crazy chasing the red
> dot on the floor! These hand-held units sell for $139 and the
> carrying pouch is $13. Shipping is $10 for inside the USA. $15 to
> Canada. Payment can be by Money Order, Paypal or by calling us for
> credit card orders. Send your payment to the Mail Forwarding Address
> for us in Pensacola, FL. Be sure to send your email address so I can
> send the instructions for detecting ghostly anomalies. We are the
> only ones to provide instructions for using the MT-4 for paranormal
> investigations. More info can be found at
> http://www.ghostweb.com/detector.html.
>
> Granny by kdcj...@cox-internet.com:
> In June of 98 after being laded-off from an Oilfield job in
> Louisiana, the wife & I decided to move closer to our girls. So we
> moved to North Alabama. We rented an old farm house from some folks
> who got the place after their Mom passed away. They had remodeled the
> kitchen & had done some painting.
> We lived there for five months. No matter how high we turned
> the heat the place was always cold. We barely got moved in and it
> started. It was always in the kitchen. The kitchen cabinets would be
> opened. Every door. The ones up on the wall, and the lower ones
> mounted on the floor. You knew it was happening because our
> poodle "Cinnamon" would always go to the dinning room, look towards
> the kitchen and bark. She would never go into the kitchen.
> Shortly after she would start barking you would hear the back
> door (out of the kitchen) slam and then the screen door would slam
> right behind it. I would go into the kitchen and find all cabinet
> doors open and both back doors locked.
> Just for the heck of it I put small finishing nails over
> three of the doors and bent them down over said doors. Sure enough
> the next morning all doors were open...even the ones I nailed. If we
> were in bed @ 2 AM and Cinnamon would start growling I could get up
> and go into the kitchen and find the doors open.
> One night after getting up and closing cabinet doors about
> three times, I looked around the room @ nothing and stated
> aloud "Granny would you please stop for the night so we and the dog
> can get some rest!" Nothing happened for the rest of the night. Go
> figure?
> We started calling the ghost/spirit Cranny Compton after the
> lady who had lived and died there. She never harmed us or our dog.
> She was just a slight pain for us and the dog. I also had computer
> problems there that I think she had something to do with....but
> that's another story. We just assumed she didn't like the changes her
> kids made to her kitchen.
>
> The House Sitting (Email address withheld by request.)
> Some friends of mine were going out of town, and they asked
> another friend and me if we could keep an eye on their house and
> watch their dogs for them while they were away. And we said sure. The
> house was an old one story house, and many of the rooms were half way
> torn up for renovation. I had been to the house before, and I always
> had a feeling of something not being quite right with the place.
> Although I couldn't put my finger on what it was.
> We had been there for two nights, and the other person
> staying with me had gone to a party for the night, so it was just me.
> I had put the dogs in the back yard for the night, because it was
> nice and warm out. I brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, turned out
> all the lights and laid down. I was really very tired, but for some
> reason, no matter how much I tossed and turned I couldn't fall to
> sleep. So I turned over on my right side, and took to watching the
> blinking red light on the fire alarm above the kitchen entry way down
> the hall leading to the bedroom I was in. I thought maybe if I
> counted the number of flashes (kind of like counting sheep) maybe it
> would help me drift off.
> Suddenly I noticed that the room was very cold and dead
> quiet. And usually I could hear the tick tock of the wall clock
> across the room. But there was nothing. Feeling kind of uneasy about
> this I was going to turn to my left and turn on the light on the
> night stand to see what was up. And right as I propped myself up on
> an elbow, something ca