GHOSTHUNTERS at a Cheltenham pub caught a glimpse of some strange goings-on during a late-night stakeout.
Regulars of the St George's Vaults pub stayed after hours to see if they could find stronger spirits than whiskey at the haunted pub.
Landlord Del Barnes is convinced of ghostly going-ons after seeing figures appearing, glasses shattering for no reason and capturing mysterious round objects, known as orbs, flying around the bar on CCTV. Some seven drinkers, some of whom believed while others who did not, stayed up until 5am on Saturday in the darkened building to catch a glimpse of something spooky.
Mr Barnes, 52, who has been in charge of the St Georges Place pub for five years, has set up cameras around the pub.
Some of the ghost-hunters headed to his upstairs flat to view the footage from the CCTV.
Landlord Del Barnes
He said: "Even some of the people that did not believe saw them and it was the subject of much debate, I think some people were convinced.
"Two of the girls were downstairs in the bar and the orbs were flying around them. They didn't hear or see anything, but it was amazing to watch."
Pub-goer Penny Quinn is a believer in ghosts and was hoping to hear or see something.
She said: "The orbs were going all over across the room flying across different angles. I don't know what was causing it, but it was not there earlier when the pub was busy.
"I don't really know much about orbs. I do believe in these types of things, but I am realistic."
Little has changed - as from this 1930`s shot
Del believes the vaults under the pub, which date back to the early 18th century, were once used to hold prisoners who were destined for the gallows.
Following an article in the Echo about the strange going-ons in the pub, Mr Barnes was sent a jokeletter from a Fester N Rott.
It stated: "I have been living peacefully in the cellar for 100 years and apart from you and many landlords before you cluttering barrels of exceedingly weak beer, it has been a relatively quiet life.
"Interfering with things you have little knowledge of can be extremely dangerous and more terrifying than your VAT bill."
Source:ThisIsGloucestershire
Spooked pub-goers claim to have pictured the spirit they say has been haunting their local ale-house for years.
Regulars at the Apsley House in Southsea, Hants, say a generous ghoul, believed to be the ghost of a former barman, keeps topping up their drinks.
And at a recent retirement party for one of the staff, Paul Morgan finally photographed the mysterious phantom.
Father-of-four Paul, 47, who was snapping friend Gerry Goodwin, said: 'I was taking lots of photos with my iPhone because it was a fancy dress-themed party.
Alleged ghost ringed (click to enlarge)
'I took a few of a group of friends and it was once I looked at them a while later I noticed something strange in the background.
'I took two shots in a matter of seconds. You can't see anything strange in the first, then a face appears in the next.
'It is very weird. I showed my kids and they couldn't believe it. There was no one near at the time.'
Married Mr Morgan, a regular for the popular pub's darts side, said none of the regulars have been put off going in for a drink after seeing the spooky snap.
Plumbing engineer Paul added: 'The ghost is famous round here now and the pub wouldn't be the same without him.'
Landlord Paul Wicks added they had nicknamed their ghostly regular Reedy - after actor and legendary drinker Oliver Reed. He has worked at the 1960s pub, formerly a Victorian girls' school, for 13 years.
A close up of the ghost
Mr Wicks, 51, said: 'People say they have seen the ghost at the bar and that they feel things - cold spots things like that. I am a sceptic but can't see any rhyme or reason for what is in that photo.'
Source: DailyMail
But this isn`t the whole saga reported. Way back in September 2009 another landlord wanted the ghost exorcised. Clearly it never happened. Here is the initial report from `The Telegraph` newspaper. Link: TheTelegraph
The 60 year-old landlady, who runs the pub with husband Patrick, claims spirits are costing her a fortune after the beer-loving ghost continues to give away free beer.
She said the poltergeist, nicknamed 'Reedy' after legendary actor and drinker Oliver Reed, has been haunting her pub, the Apsley House in Southsea, Hants, after she took over the lease a decade ago.
But since the start of the year, it appears the generous ghoul mysteriously been filling regulars' glasses.
So frustrated at the ghost's actions, she plans to purge the pub of the spirit by holding a séance.
Mrs McCormack has already spoken to a number of experts in the spirit world about removing her awkward regular.
"I know it sounds very strange, but people's pints keep getting topped up," she said.
"They pop to the toilet or put their pint down for a second or two, and when they turn around there is an extra inch of beer."
She said the spectre's sympathetic re-fills are hitting her in the pocket.
"My regulars love it but it is costing me because people are drinking less," she said.
"We are getting more people through the door but it seems to be people expecting a cheap, never-ending pint.
"It is all a bit strange and it is driving me round the bend a bit. It makes stock take an absolute nightmare."
The Apsley was formally a Victorian girls school before being used by boozy city councillors as their offices and was only turned into a pub in the 1960s.
Regular John Sanders, 27, said: "I will certainly miss old Reedy because he always keeps me topped up.
"It is a novelty but if the pub is going to lose money then perhaps he'll have to move to a different one.
"You were always guaranteed a hangover when you drank in the Apsley - and you'd always have money left in your pocket for a kebab on the way home."
The Enfield Poltergeist was a period of poltergeist activity in England between August 1977 and September 1978, with an added outburst in August 1980.
The said activity occurred at Enfield in North London, in a council house on Green Street rented to Peggy Hodgson, a single parent with four children. During this time furniture is said to have moved by itself, knockings on the walls were heard, and children's toys were said to have been thrown around and to have been too hot to touch when picked up. A police officer signed an affidavit to affirm that she saw a chair move. Reports of the activity attracted various visitors including mediums and members of the press. One photographer reported being hit on the forehead with a Lego brick. After visiting the house, George Fallows, a senior reporter for the Daily Mirror, suggested that the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) be called in to investigate.
The incidents were duly investigated by Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair, both members of SPR, who were convinced by the evidence which they encountered during their thirteen month investigation. They reported witnessing various phenomena, including moving furniture, flying marbles, cold breezes, shallow pools of water appearing on the floor, and fires which spontaneously ignited and extinguished themselves.
Hodgson Family
The family in the Enfield case consisted of a mother, two daughters, and two sons; Margaret aged 12, a younger sister Janet aged 11, Johnny aged 10 and Billy aged 7. Billy had a speech impediment. Johnny featured only marginally in the inexplicable events, at least 26 of which the investigators considered could not be accounted for by fraud. These included movement of small and large objects, interference with bedclothes, pools of water on the floor, apparitions, physical assaults, graffiti, equipment malfunction and failure, spontaneous combustion, disappearance and reappearance of objects, and apparent levitations.
Among other alleged phenomena they witnessed was Janet speaking using her false vocal folds for hours on end (which is believed to be medically impossible), while she was apparently possessed by another entity. When speaking with the false cords Janet said she was "Bill" who had died in the house of a brain haemorrhage. The "Bill" persona habitually made jokes and exhibited a very nasty temper, swearing at Maurice, once calling him "A fucking old sod." A man contacted Grosse, claiming to be Bill's son. Recordings were made of these occurrences. After the BBC went to the house the recording crew found the metal inside of the recording machines bent, and recordings erased.
Here is a compilation of an interview with the poltergeist "Bill" through Janet.
Even now after 30 odd years, the voice of Bill from a child is quite compelling..
Further investigations by Anita Gregory and John Beloff, also from the SPR, were less positive. They spent a few days with the family and came to the conclusion that the children had faked the poltergeist activity after they found them bending spoons themselves. One of the children (Janet) admitted to Gregory that they had fabricated some of the occurrences. This admission was repeated on the ITV News (12 June 1980) when she stated: "Oh yeah, once or twice [we faked phenomena], just to see if Mr Grosse and Mr Playfair would catch us. And they always did."
After writing a feature on supernatural activity for Loaded magazine, journalist Will Storr included a retrospective investigation of the events and conflicting personalities involved in the Enfield case in his book Will Storr Versus the Supernatural. The book comes to no positive conclusions regarding the truth of the haunting but throws considerable light on the personalities involved, particularly those of Maurice Grosse and Anita Gregory.
A reconstruction of the poltergeist interview
Article originally published in Ghost Tales blog - now transferred.
Sitting like a beacon in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, between San Francisco and Oakland, California, is Alcatraz Island. Though most prominently known for the years it served as a maximum security prison, the "Rock’s” history stretches far beyond those infamous days, and its legends and stories continue to find their way into American lore, complete with a number of ghosts who are said to remain upon the island.
In 1848, after the end of the Mexican-American War, California, along with the island, came under the control of the United States. It wasn’t long before the U.S. Army realized the strategic position of the island as a defensive position for the San Francisco Bay and began the work of building a fortress atop the sandstone outcropping in 1853. Construction began with a temporary wharf, shops, barracks and offices. Incorporating the ruggedness of the land into the defense plan, the labourers blasted the rock and laid brick and stone to create steep walls around the island. By 1854, the lighthouse was completed and eleven cannons were mounted.
The first deaths of the island occurred in 1857, when the crew was excavating a roadway between the wharf and the guardhouse. Suddenly, a 7,000 cubic-yard landslide buried several of the laborers and two men were killed.
A few years later, a military fort was erected on the island and in 1859, Alcatraz saw its first prisoners, a contingent of court-martialled military convicts. Then in 1861, Alcatraz started to receive Confederate prisoners, thanks to its natural isolation created by the surrounding waters. Until the end of the Civil War, the number of prisoners here numbered from 15 to 50. They consisted of soldiers, Confederate privateers, and southern sympathizers. They were confined in the dark basement of the guardhouse and conditions were fairly grim. The men slept side-by-side, head to toe, lying on the stone floor of the basement. There was no running water, no heat and no latrines. Disease and infestations of lice spread from man to man and not surprisingly, overcrowding was a serious problem. They were often bound by six-foot chains attached to iron balls, fed bread and water and confined in "sweatboxes" as punishment.
In the 1870’s and 1880’s, rebellious Indian chiefs and tribal leaders were incarcerated on Alcatraz. They shared quarters with the worst of the military prisoners. The island became a shipping point for incorrigible deserters, thieves, rapists and repeated escapees.
In 1911, Alcatraz was officially named the United States Disciplinary Barracks, an official Army Prison which included both U.S. Army prisoners as well as later interned German seamen who became prisoners during WW1.
In 1933, the prison facility was formally turned over to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. During 1934, Alcatraz became an escape proof, maximum security prison, where only the most hardened convicts were brought.
The first residents of the newly created Alcatraz received numbers 1-32, with Frank Bolt having the distinction of being Federal Prisoner #1 while serving a five-year sentence for Sodomy. He was followed by Charles Copp (Robbery and attempted Assault); Leon Gregory (Robbery, Assault and AWOL); Joseph Harrison (Sodomy); Forrest Henry (Robbery and Assault); Clyde Hicks (Sodomy); Ralph Hills (Robbery and Assault); Albert Hoke (Robbery); Alan Hood (Sodomy); and Frederick Holme (Sodomy and False Enlistment) to round out the first ten inmates. Al Capone was the first celebrity on the first train to Alcatraz, arriving in August 1934. He was given number 85.
Guards armed with machine guns, insured there were no escapes. Many convicts found Alcatraz the end of their career in crime, as well as the end of their lives.
For 29 years, the fog enshrouded island, with its damp, cold winds and isolation, made Alcatraz one of America's safest prisons.
There were a number of escape attempts from Alcatraz, but the bloodiest occurred on May 2, 1946 involving, Bernard Coy, Joseph Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Clarence Carnes, Marvin Hubbard, and Miran Thompson. It cost the lives of three inmates and two guards, with 17 guards and one prisoner wounded. The trial afterward, resulted in the execution of two more convicts who took part in the aborted escape.
Attorney General Robert Kennedy officially closed the doors of Alcatraz on March 21, 1963. From 1963 to 1969, the prison was unoccupied. Today, it is maintained by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Haunted History
The most haunted area of Alcatraz is the ‘D’ cell block, or solitary, as it was often called. To most of those who go there, a feeling of sudden intensity pervades the cells and corridor. Some rangers refuse to go there alone. It is intensely sold in certain cells, far colder than normal -especially in cell 14-D. This cell is often so cold, that wearing a jacket barely helps -even the surrounding area is twenty degrees warmer. It is no wonder the area is called ‘the Hole’.
Ghostly ecto captured by a visitor.
The haunting activities of the hole cell began in the 1940s, when a prisoner locked in the cell through the night made screaming claims that something was trying to kill him – what could it be that was trying to kill him? His screaming claimed the monster to be dark with glowing eyes. The strange part is, there were guards that viewed this man in the line-up with the other inmate’s only moments before he was strangled to death in the cell. Another interesting aspect to this haunting is the next day, after the man had been pronounced dead and removed from the roll calls, there had been one extra prisoner that had not been accounted for – could this be our mysterious ghostly killer with the glowing eyes?
Shadow ghost captured on staircase
Crying, moaning and other sounds of hardship have been heard through cell blocks A, C and D throughout the time that the prison has been open. There are apparently countless spirits stuck in Alcatraz which have been documented hundreds of times through the use of paranormal investigations and visits to the island from renowned psychics and paranormal investigators.
Originally published in Haunted Earth Ghost Tales - now transferred.
Paranormal expert Mike Coutts is hoping to track down the spirit of an old doctor he saw in a bedsit he rented in Wylde Green, Birmingham, 45 years ago.
The 69-year-old writer, who now lives in London, said the ghost appeared before him in the converted attic after a strange chill filled the air.
“I suddenly awoke at 2am one night after living there for two weeks. In the centre of the room, I saw an old man with a walking stick,” he said.
“He began to walk slowly round the armchair. He was about 80 years old, very smartly dressed in a grey three-piece suit with a winged shirt collar and silk, striped tie.
“He was wearing black shoes, partially covered by spats. I feared that if he headed towards my bed I might die of fright. So I dashed for the light switch at the side of the door. The ghost disappeared.”
Mike said he took some time to rationalise the situation.
“Could it have been my imagination?” he said. “Across the half-open window was a white lace curtain quivering in the night breeze.
“Outside there was a fluorescent street lamp – a perfect setting for tricks of mind. But why an old man in such detail? I told the landlord. He said that the house was earlier owned by a retired doctor who had hanged himself in the attic after his wife had died.
“From time to time, a tap-tap-tapping could be heard on the uncarpeted steps leading to the attic, like the sound of a walking stick.”
Mike has just finished writing a book on paranormal experiences and believes the Wylde Green ghost story could form a fitting epilogue.
He said: “The geography of the area has changed a lot over so many years. And I only lived there a short time, so it is difficult to locate the property.
“Meeting the ghost again or meeting the people in the house will make the perfect epilogue for my book.
“I am nearly certain the house is on the right-hand side going down Highbridge Road. The other possibility is in Green Lanes, again on the right-hand side, going down from Birmingham Road.”
Mike has spent 18 years in Australia and the South Pacific islands since living in Birmingham and can remember a lot of other details about the property he is seeking.
“It was owned by a young Irish couple with two young children,” he said. “Besides the bed, the only other furniture in the room was a wooden table and two wooden chairs and a large armchair in the centre and kitchen facilities.”
Source: SundayMercury
IS this a picture of a message from beyond? That’s the question from terrified Rotherham woman Angela Casswell, who fears she is being haunted by a poltergeist.
Angela, of Doncaster Road, East Dene, and her mum, Dot, who lives opposite, both say they have seen all kinds of spooky phenomena in Angela’s house.
They ghostly messages written on frosted up window glass.
One said “You dead soon” and that was followed by the message in the picture, which says “2 weeks left.”
Other activity includes ghostly sightings and footsteps, loud banging noises and lights flashing on and off.
Now desperate Angela (43) has called Swinton-based “psychical investigator” Iain Lawrence, who runs a company called Hauntastic Events, to try to get to the bottom of the spooky goings-on.
A television crew from the American show Fact or Faked, Paranormal Files were in east Iceland this week, allegedly to search for the infamous river worm monster Lagarfljótsormurinn, which may have been caught on video in February.
The video, shot by local Hjörtur Kjerúlf showing a phenomenon some argued was the legendary worm, garnered worldwide attention when posted on the website of national broadcaster RÚV and covered on icelandreview.com.
According to ruv.is, the crew’s actions were cloaked in a veil of secrecy and the show’s representatives wouldn’t confirm that the monster video was the reason for their stay.
On Fact or Faked, Paranormal Files, which is aired on the television channel Syfy, a group of specialists either tries to prove or refute the existence of various supernatural beings.
The footage shot in the Fljótsdalur region where Lagarfljót, the monster’s reputed residence, is located, will be shown in the final episode of the program’s next series.
Even though the program makers wouldn’t comment much on their trip to east Iceland, they did state that it had been “successful”.
Scientists are baffled after an amateur Kentucky paleontologist discovered a 150-pound mystery beast nicknamed the 'Godzillus' fossil.
Scientists can't seem to figure out if the 450-million-year old fossil is an animal, vegetable or mineral.
"We are looking for people who might have an idea of what it is," Ben Dattilo, an assistant professor of geology at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, told the Dayton Daily News.
The 'Godzillus' fossil is elliptical shape and measures 3.5-foot wide by 6.5-foot long. It is considered to be the largest specimen discovered in Cincinnati.
"This is the ultimate cold case," Fine told the Associated Press. "Like Godzilla, it's a primordial beast that found its way to the modern era."
Ron Fine, who found the specimen, has been collecting fossils since he was 4. Now 43, he said he spotted the fossil nearly a year ago in Northern Kentucky, an area once covered by a sea with primitive shellfish, but no fish. It took him 12 trips to the dig site to remove the entire specimen.
"Most fossils around here are small, the size of your thumbnail or your thumb," he said. "This thing's huge."
"I knew right away that I had found an unusual fossil. Imagine a saguaro cactus with flattened branches and horizontal stripes in place of the usual vertical stripes. That's the best description I can give," he said according to the Daily Mail.
"This fossil just kept going, and going, and going," he said, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
Scientists gathered for a Geological Society of America's annual meeting to debate theories on what the fossil could possibly be.
Due to its multiple lobes and texture, scientists believe it could either be some form of algae, a sea anemone, or an inorganic structure, reported the Dayton Daily News. Small animal fossils attached to the specimen may be a clue to finally identifying what 'Godzillus' may actually be.
"It's definitely a new discovery," David L. Meyer, a geologist at the University of Cincinnati, told Discovery News. "And we're sure it's biological. We just don't know yet exactly what it is."
Fine, a member of the Dry Dredgers, an association of amateur paleontologists at the University of Cincinnati, thinks it is a sea anemone, a water dwelling predatory animal that resembles a flower.
"My personal theory is that it stood upright, with branches reaching out in all directions similar to a shrub," Fine said. "If I am right, then the upper-most branch would have towered nine feet high."
Scientists can't study the 'Gozillus' specimen until more fossils like it are found.
"Until we know where to fit it in, we don't really know what to do with it," said Dattilo.
STEVE Thoroughgood is convinced he has seen a ghost.
The 27-year-old Wodonga man with an interest in the paranormal spent part of Anzac Day in the Beechworth Chinese cemetery in the pursuit of orbs — spheres of energy created by the spirits of deceased people.
Mr Thoroughgood got more than he bargained for when he checked his camera later in the day.
The outline of a man standing in the front of bushland is clearly evident in his prized snap.
“I didn’t see it but I saw it in the photo,” he said.
Steve Thorogood - with picture and Iphone
“He stands out like custard. There is no special effects or photoshopping.
“We were just taking some snaps and seeing if any orbs popped up.
“Sure enough there was a very clear image of a man standing next to the bush. You can clearly see his arms and legs.”
Mr Thoroughgood said his previous experience with orbs was at the Beechworth Ghost Tours but his latest effort trumped them.
Orbs are usually picked up in photos or videos.
My thoughts: The imagery of the figure is weak but still visible. But with the credibility of Iphone pictures under question through the plethora of `ghost app`s` which can be superimposed over the original image, you have to accept this image with a degree of hesitation over it`s authenticity.
Irish bar Si Greene’s Pub will be featured on the Biography Channel’s show “My Ghost Story” presenting footage shot the night of a paranormal investigation. The segment will feature a question and answer session with the Paranormal 911 Investigations team and interviews with co-owner Jerry Maple and DoItIndy host “Big” Ben Risinger.
Unexplained things have been known to happen at the bar including two whiskey bottles exploding at 2 a.m. while no one was in the building. Local events show DoItIndy and bar owner Jerry Maple called Paranormal 911 Investigations to ask for help in finding out what happened. An investigation happened and because of the overwhelming evidence of paranormal activity, the show “My Ghost Story” decided to feature the story on the Biography Channel.
Si Greene’s Pub 5109 East 10 th St. Indianapolis, IN 46219
Saturday, April 28 at 8 p.m. with “My Ghost Story” airing at 9 p.m.
Visitors to the Philadelphia Museum of Art are hopeful to catch a glimpse of more than just their favorite artworks, as a ghostly presence has been spotted in recent weeks roaming the Medieval and Renaissance art section located on the second floor of the museum. Witnesses report seeing a glowing, yellow silhouette of a man fade in and out of visibility in front of various paintings.
Last month witnesses saw an unexplained swarm of butterflies sporadically appear in the museum and cluster around the 1467 altarpiece painting, “Saint Thomas Receiving the Virgin’s Belt,” by Florentine artist Neri di Bicci. The painting is displayed in the same section where the glowing silhouette has been spotted. The butterfly phenomenon had a calming effect on those who experienced it. Museum security guard, Lavern Williams, 56, reported that on the days she saw the butterflies she was “overcome with bliss, being able to go home and rest with a great sense of peace.”
Inside Church of the Gesù in Rome - check the mist on the right
Similar sightings of the glowing figure, albeit with a more menacing tone, were reported back in February at the Church of the Gesù in Rome, Italy, the very same day that abnormal, heavy snowfall surprised the city.
Anna Vaccaro, 44, while praying in the church, had a close encounter with the glowing being and was able to look into its eyes. “He had the most beautiful, blue eyes, like an angel, but filled with so much pain, sadness, hate, and revenge. I was overwhelmed with love and terror; I was paralyzed for those few seconds. This happened over a month ago and I haven’t been to church since!”
While repairing leaks in the church, Samuele Bernini, 24, witnessed the figure violently removing things out of a storage closet and then proceeded to reach for him. “It grabbed my head and I couldn’t move,” Samuele explained, “and I heard a man’s angry voice in my mind say he was looking for his unfinished painting. Then it disappeared.”
Other strange happenings were reported such as art students inexplicably having their drawings ripped in half when sketching in the church and roses growing from the concrete outside the church’s entrance.
Could the spirit of this “Bernardo” be the phenomena experienced in the church in Rome and the museum in Philadelphia?
In 2004, 17-year-old Melissa Galka, a senior at Granby Memorial High School, died after the car she was driving hit a tree in town.
Within days of her death, her father said, she begin communicating with her family.
"She started doing things like ringing the doorbell, changing TV channels, turning lights on and off," Gary Galka said Monday. "Then one time she came into my room and I felt her sit on the edge of the bed."
Now Galka has a thriving trade in paranormal detection devices, launched as a result of those eery events.
Galka, an electrical engineer who owns a firm that distributes test instruments, began developing hand-held devices that purportedly can detect unusual vibrations in a room, temperature variations — "hot and cold spots" — and other effects associated with the paranormal. Galka also created a voice recorder, the "spirit box," that he says can record responses from any "spirits" that might be present.
He said he has sold thousands of the devices, which range in price from $79 to $350. "I've created over 30 different products for paranormal research. No one was making products for these people," Galka said.
This past weekend the family was featured on "Ghost Adventures," a Travel Channel TV program that explores paranormal phenomena. Through one of the devices, a voice is heard on the show saying, "Hi Daddy, I love you."
Gary Galka
The Galkas insist Melissa's presence around them is absolutely real, and that Gary Galka's instruments show it. When she was sitting on the bed, he said, "I felt her lay her head on my chest."
Galka's wife, Cindy, and his two daughters, Jennifer and Heather, have also experienced similar phenomena, either seeing Melissa or hearing her voice.
"I've never seen Melissa," said Galka, "but my younger daughter Heather has seen her three times."
The crew of "Ghost Adventures" used several of Galka's devices in the show, including the Mel-Meter and the SB7 Spirit Box. They also use the devices in other episodes.
"With his devices, he's captured voices of her. His family, even people that aren't related to him, have seen her at the house," Zak Bagans, the show's host, said on the Travel channel's website. "Gary is a very, very talented electrical engineer and he's helped companies, massive companies, in that aspect in order to do things better."
The paranormal devices are sold through Galka's company, D.A.S. Distribution Inc. in East Granby, which has six employees and makes the equipment in-house. The company sells sound meters, humidity and temperature meters and lasers to medical and aerospace companies. The paranormal devices are a small portion of the business. Galka did not give exact figures.
Galka, 57, was raised Catholic, and said he believes in God and the afterlife, although he said he does not attend church. He donates one-third of the profits from the sale of paranormal devices to bereavement groups, including The Cove Center for Grieving Children in Wallingford and Mary's Place, A Center For Grieving Children in Windsor, both of which help children deal with the death of a brother or sister.
Galka's most recent invention is a device that he says can detect shadows in the dark.
According to the D.A.S. website, http://www.pro-measure.com, the Mel meters, which can pick up electromagnetic field activity, are specifically designed for paranormal investigators.
As for skeptics, Galka says he hopes that his family's experiences and the devices he has created will help people who don't believe in the afterlife to "take a better position."
"I feel compelled to help other bereaved parents … to show these parents that they can live beyond the grief and be comforted knowing their child is in a good place — to show them they can have hope."
Melissa Galka was a member of the school's gymnastics team and was preparing to study interior design and business management when she got to college. Students at Granby Memorial High School erected a permanent memorial on the school's campus after her death.
In 2004, 17-year-old Melissa Galka, a senior at Granby Memorial High School, died after the car she was driving hit a tree in town.
Within days of her death, her father said, she begin communicating with her family.
"She started doing things like ringing the doorbell, changing TV channels, turning lights on and off," Gary Galka said Monday. "Then one time she came into my room and I felt her sit on the edge of the bed."
Now Galka has a thriving trade in paranormal detection devices, launched as a result of those eery events.
Galka, an electrical engineer who owns a firm that distributes test instruments, began developing hand-held devices that purportedly can detect unusual vibrations in a room, temperature variations — "hot and cold spots" — and other effects associated with the paranormal. Galka also created a voice recorder, the "spirit box," that he says can record responses from any "spirits" that might be present.
He said he has sold thousands of the devices, which range in price from $79 to $350. "I've created over 30 different products for paranormal research. No one was making products for these people," Galka said.
This past weekend the family was featured on "Ghost Adventures," a Travel Channel TV program that explores paranormal phenomena. Through one of the devices, a voice is heard on the show saying, "Hi Daddy, I love you."
The Galkas insist Melissa's presence around them is absolutely real, and that Gary Galka's instruments show it. When she was sitting on the bed, he said, "I felt her lay her head on my chest."
Galka's wife, Cindy, and his two daughters, Jennifer and Heather, have also experienced similar phenomena, either seeing Melissa or hearing her voice.
"I've never seen Melissa," said Galka, "but my younger daughter Heather has seen her three times."
The crew of "Ghost Adventures" used several of Galka's devices in the show, including the Mel-Meter and the SB7 Spirit Box. They also use the devices in other episides.
"With his devices, he's captured voices of her. His family, even people that aren't related to him, have seen her at the house," Zak Bagans, the show's host, said on the Travel channel's website. "Gary is a very, very talented electrical engineer and he's helped companies, massive companies, in that aspect in order to do things better."
The paranormal devices are sold through Galka's company, D.A.S. Distribution Inc. in East Granby, which has six employees and makes the equipment in-house. The company sells sound meters, humidity and temperature meters and lasers to medical and aerospace companies. The paranormal devices are a small portion of the business. Galka did not give exact figures.
Galka, 57, was raised Catholic, and said he believes in God and the afterlife, although he said he does not attend church. He donates one-third of the profits from the sale of paranormal devices to bereavement groups, including The Cove Center for Grieving Children in Wallingford and Mary's Place, A Center For Grieving Children in Windsor, both of which help children deal with the death of a brother or sister.
Galka's most recent invention is a device that he says can detect shadows in the dark.
According to the D.A.S. website, http://www.pro-measure.com, the Mel meters, which can pick up electromagnetic field activity, are specifically designed for paranormal investigators.
As for skeptics, Galka says he hopes that his family's experiences and the devices he has created will help people who don't believe in the afterlife to "take a better position."
"I feel compelled to help other bereaved parents … to show these parents that they can live beyond the grief and be comforted knowing their child is in a good place — to show them they can have hope."
Melissa Galka was a member of the school's gymnastics team and was preparing to study interior design and business management when she got to college. Students at Granby Memorial High School erected a permanent memorial on the school's campus after her death.
Source: Courant.com
My view: I can admire this family`s devotion to their lost daughter, and the tragedy of emotion they must have suffered.
But the devices he is promoting - like all electronic aids to the paranormal are an unproven theory. There does not exist any evidence to show that these devices are a guaranteed means of contacting spirit. Also these devices rotate heavily around E.M.F`s (Electro Magenetic Field) being an indicator of paranormal activity. Science has disproven that notion.
And yes, I`ve received messages from buyer`s of these devices who will swear to god that they work because they got a response to a question, or spirit spoke to them. But I stand by my viewpoint. I have tested some devices including ghost boxes, and when activity has occurred these devices haven`t, and of course vice-versa.
However, it does not stop the flood of these devices on the `paranormal market`, and amateurs are kitting themselves out with these devices as `scientific test equipment`. They are clearly not, and in any investigation I have performed I have relied on my own `spirit sensors` to sense this energy, and any e.v.p is recorded to cam. If spirit was so keen on contacting you, they would regardless of how many devices and ghost boxes you own.
I would advise any potential purchaser to seriously evaluate the real effectiveness of these devices, and not rely on comments from paranormal sites, TV shows and re-seller`s because there are no empirical statements from anyone that show beyond any reasonable doubt that these devices are proven to connect with spiritual anomalies. Just like me, only opinions.
Eastbury Manor was built in the 1570s by a wealthy merchant Clement Sisley.
According to a local legend, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was first conceived at Eastbury.
The house fell into increasing dilapidation from the late 18th century. The Great Tower Staircase was demolished by 1814. Wooden flooring and original fireplaces were removed in the 1830s. By the late 19th century only the west wing of the house was habitable. In 1918 the house was bought by the National Trust and was restored.
Eastbury Manor House is now managed by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham but is a part of the National Trust. The House was given Grade I listed status in 1954. In recent years the house has benefitted from a major restoration programme.
Today, what was once an isolated manor house surrounded and protected by Essex marshland is now ill-fittingly sat in the middle of a mid 20th century housing estate surrounded by industry and commerce. A far cry from the days when Catholics met in secret to celebrate their faith without fear of persecution.
Ghostly History:
According to legend, the premises are haunted by a young girl often seen walking around in period clothing but only ever seen by women.
The house undoubtedly is haunted by many more spirits which are seen as light flashes and similar anomalous activity.
Eastbury Manor is sometimes open for `haunted evenings`, and a some years ago Haunted Earth attended and shot this very interesting clip of energy matter shooting across a ground floor room.
Also shot was a public seance which attracted a great deal of weird activity from above the table.
Mirrors have always held a certain fascination and there is probably no other object that has more superstitions attached to it than mirrors.
Ancient Chinese believed that mirrors frighten away evil spirits who get scared when they see themselves; and if the mirror was broken the protection was lost.
There's an ancient superstition that says all mirrors in a house where someone has died must be covered. This prevents the soul from getting trapped in the mirror. And anyone else who's admired his or her reflection in the mirror risks loosing his or her soul, because the ghost of the dead person will take it!
Can you see the ghostly image in the mirror?
Located in the basement of our Warehouse building that was a mortuary from 1916-1936 we have an old mirror that is turned to catch the reflection of the coffin and the black widow who over looks the coffin. As far as we know the old mirror was not purchased in a little pawn shop reminiscent of something out of the Twilight Zone, however, this old mirror on many occasions has been able to reflect back the images of friends and loved ones from our customers who have passed on.
The photo shows that mirror with an image that we have not been able to figure out. It appears to have a beard, turban and maybe a pipe but it is something that we have not seen before. This photo was taken by photographer George Sipl using an infrared camera. George is a professional who scrutinized the photo, but, he was at a loss to describe what the image was or how it could have shown up on his photo.
A ghostly man to the right mirror scrutinises the young girl
And whilst talking of mirrors, this photograph was forwarded to me a few years ago by an American photographer.
The picture shows to the left a young girl posing for a photograph whilst in the mirror to the right you can clearly see a tall thin Chinese gentleman.
There were no others present - other than the photographer and the subject.
This was taken inside a restored Tea Warehouse on the island of Taiwan.
Whatever the spirit was, he appeared quite intently interested in the girl.
An American explorer is hoping to find dog-sized tarantulas, man-eating fish, and a living dinosaur.
Stephen McCullah, a young zoology enthusiast based in Beaumont, Texas, is raising money for a multi-month expedition to the far-off parts of the Republic of Congo.
Mr McCullah hopes to head to Africa in order to find and capture a living sauropod, or water-dwelling dinosaur similar to the myth-like Mokèlé-mbèmbé.
The legendary Mokèlé-mbèmbé
The legend of the so-called Mokèlé-mbèmbé is a long one, which alleges that the animal has a long neck like an elephant's trunk, that is a brown-gray color, and has some uncertain similarities to a rhinoceros.
The creature, which is often likened to the Loch Ness monster, has been the prize of adventure seekers who have travelled to Lake Tele in the Congo repeatedly over the past two centuries but none have ever produced any true evidence of its existence.
Mr McCullah hopes to break that pattern.
Having studied biology at Missouri State University and having been passionate about zoology since his teens, the adventurer has grand plans for the trip.
'Our hope is to discover a wide variety of new species along the way. The Congo Basin is a region of Central Africa larger than the state of Florida,' he writes on the Kickstarter page for the project.
All told, he is hoping to crowd source $26,700 to fund the project within the next 18 days and, to date, he has raised under half that amount.
The trip, which will be dubbed The Newmac Expedition, is planned to 'be a preliminary three month (or as long as our health allows) four man venture'.
Undeterred by failed attempts that date back as far as 1776 and as recently as 2011, he writes: 'We'll launch on June 26th and we anticipate discovering hundreds of new insect, plant, and fish species during the course of our research and work in the area.'
'There is also the legitimate hope of discovering many reptile and mammalian species as well.'
In addition to potentially capturing the Mokèlé-mbèmbé once they find it- with the help of a tranquillizer gun according to Life's Little Mysteries- the group will also be filming a documentary about their search.
On Halloween 1992, years before The Blair Witch Project, the BBC aired Ghostwatch, which claimed to be a live on-air investigation of a real haunted house. In actuality, the movie was fiction, but it had a real, lasting effect: some children were diagnosed with PTSD after watching the film.
"The program you are about to watch is a unique live investigation of the supernatural," announces the host at the beginning of Ghostwatch. "It contains material which some viewers might find disturbing." And disturbed they were. After Ghostwatch aired, the BBC was flooded with calls from panicked viewers who thought the program was real, and the news media criticized the BBC for its disturbing choice of programming.
But, according to a paper published in the British Medical Journal, for some children, Ghostwatch was more than just scary; it was genuinely traumatic. The paper was written by two doctors from Coventry who claimed to have treated two children for post-traumatic stress disorder that was caused by watching Ghostwatch:
Case 1
This boy had been frightened by Ghostwatch and had refused to watch the ending. He subsequently expressed fear of ghosts, witches, and the dark, constantly talking about them and seeking reassurance. He suffered panic attacks, refused to go upstairs alone, and slept with the bedroom light on. He had nightmares and daytime flashbacks and banged his head to remove thoughts of ghosts. He became increasingly clingy and was reluctant to go to school or to allow his mother to go out without him.
If you think it's ridiculous that kids who watched something scary on TV were diagnosed with PTSD, you're not alone. While plenty of other physicians reported similar cases of Ghostwatch-born trauma, these cases led to a larger discussion about the way the DSM-IV defines certain ailments. Currently, DSM definition of PTSD allows the diagnosis in people who have been "confronted with" traumatic events, which could include a television program. A proposed revision for the DSM-5 would explicitly exclude "exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless this exposure is work related." Either way, when the man on the television set says that viewers might find the events on television disturbing, it's probably time to usher the little ones out of the room.
Even if you're not familiar with the film, you may recall it from the Doctor Who episode "Army of Ghosts." In the Whoniverse, Ghostwatch is, naturally, a factual television program.
The Black Horse at West Boldon, has a “Sad Cavalier”
SPIRITS of a ghostly kind – rather than alcoholic ones – are on tap at some South Tyneside pubs.
Indeed, according to new book Ghost Taverns of the North East, co-written by the Gazette’s expert on the supernatural Mike Hallowell, some watering holes in the borough are home to at least one supernatural resident.
The Black Horse at West Boldon, has a “Sad Cavalier” which has been spotted by staff at the former coaching inn.
Described as wearing the tall boots, leggings and wide-brimmed hat typical of the 17th century, the “swarthy” man simply vanishes into thin air when asked if he needs any help.
“The landlord admitted the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when he saw him,” according to Ghostly Taverns authors Darren Ritson and Michael Hallowell.
“Not wanting to alarm his staff, he kept his strange experience to himself. It is at this point the story begins to take on a distinctly credible air.”
Within weeks of the first sighting, two other staff members also reported spotting the Cavalier sitting on a stool at the bar. Again, he disappeared in a matter of seconds.
“As you can imagine, the two women in question were somewhat relieved to find out they were not the only ones to have clapped eyes upon this spectral visitor,” record the authors.
The sound of a ghostly child has also been heard in a bedroom above the pub, while the spirit of a Victorian girl aged about nine has been seen in the gent’s toilet.
“Unlike some spectres, her identity may not be so difficult to establish,” said Darren and Michael, who are paranormal investigators.
“In the 19th century, a school stood adjacent to The Black Horse.
“The young girl in question allegedly toppled over the playground wall in a freak accident and died instantly.”
Several other pubs around the Boldons are also said to be haunted, including the Black Bull, at East Boldon, where numerous peculiar incidents have been reported.
Gaming machine alarms have gone off late at night, gas taps attached to beer pumps turn themselves on and off and bottles behind the bar “rattle violently” on occasion.
The ghostly figure of a toddler has also been seen sitting at the bottom of the cellar steps, while several landlords have reported sightings of “fleeting whisps” floating around them.
Of course, South Shields’s Marsden Grotto is believed by some to be the most haunted pub in Britain.
Among the ghosts said to make their home in the old tavern include the original owner, Blaster Jack, two smugglers, a black-and-white cat, the daughter of another owner and a poltergeist who haunts the toilets.
In Whitburn, local legend has it that the ghost of a former pub cleaning lady may haunt the Grey Horse.
Occasional creaking and knocking noises have been credited to “Mrs T doing her cleaning rounds”.
Secret tunnels, rather than staircases, can still be found at a former coaching inn at Cleadon – where a new pub was built on the site of a much older tavern during Victorian times.
At least one tunnel runs beneath The Britannia – now known as The Toby Carvery – believed to have been built as an escape route for Catholics during the time of Oliver Cromwell.
“The tunnel leads from the inn to an extremely old house across the road,” states the book.
Other tunnels are said to stretch as far as West Boldon, Hylton Castle and Marsden Bay.”
One of the ghosts thought to haunt the pub is a Catholic soldier, injured while fighting for the Royalists.
The spirit of a Cavalier has also been spotted, enjoying a drink at the bar.
Other tales include a phantom coach and horses, as well as a yarn involving a one-legged sailor who supposedly died on the premises in the 1800s.
“The source of this sailor tale is a bit unreliable, but there is no doubt that one or two real ghosts do indeed walk the floors of this old inn,” said Darren and Michael.
The Jolly Sailor in Whitburn’s East Street - Haunted
The Jolly Sailor in Whitburn’s East Street has been welcoming drinkers since the 18th century – as well as a handful of ghosts.
“There are cracking yarns attached to this former coaching inn which would do justice to any book of ghost stories,” said Darren and Michael.
One tale involves a landlady in the 1990s who, after running out of Southern Comfort, volunteered to fetch another bottle from the upstairs bar for a customer.
She whispered ‘Southern Comfort, Southern Comfort’ as she walked. Suddenly, without warning, a bottle of Southern Comfort leaped from the shelf into her arms,” states the book.
In the 1980s, a ghost was blamed for jinxing the then-landlords – bringing a run of bad luck which included accidents, injuries and a devastating fire.
A cleaner employed in 1998 claimed a batch of glasses she had just cleaned were stowed away neatly behind the bar when she nipped to the toilet – despite no one else being there.
Just a few years ago, a team of painters and decorators reported a door clashing loudly in the breeze as they were working at the pub. When checked, the door was locked shut.
Other peculiar tales include rumours of a tunnel from the pub to the Marsden Grotto, as well as a resident ghost known as the Green Lady.
“If the Green Lady is responsible for paranormal activity at the Jolly Sailor, then she is doing it as anonymously as possible,” states the book. “Ghosts can be shy, too, one supposes.”
* Ghost Taverns of the North East, by Darren W Ritson and Michael J Hallowell, is published by Amberley Publishing at £12.99.
Here is a very weird and very interesting photograph submitted by Will Jacques.
The picture centres around an investigation carried out by Will and his paranormal group at a private house in Blackshear, Georgia, USA.
The occupants of the house a family consisting of a man and woman,with their adult son, and his two children, moved out because of the activity.
The children had previously reported seeing `monsters`, and during the actual investigation the son was scratched at a seance, a penny struck a girl, and the medium was pulled back violently by unseen hands.
The below photograph was taken in the living area with an Olympus 9000 without flash and shows to the left an ectoplasmic image of a figure that to me looks like it is wearing a shimmering full length dress and `posing` before the camera.
I have to say that this is an impressive image and no doubt is core to activity in the home.
Will can be contacted on Facebook by clicking his name = Will Jacques
Ghostly figure of a woman? - Copyright: Will Jacques
If you have any great photographs of ghostly figures etc, which were taken by you or your group, please contact me at Facebook. We would love to share and give you full accreditation.
After nearly four decades of keeping mum about a close encounter with a UFO over Pensacola, a retired Marine Corps pilot is telling his story in a newly released book.
On the night of Feb. 6, 1975, then Marine Reserve Squadron Capt. Larry Jividen was piloting a T-39D Sabreliner combat trainer and utility aircraft with a crew of five aboard.
The two-hour flight, which began around sunset, took off and landed at Pensacola Naval Air Station. As the Sabreliner was returning from the training mission,
Jividen said noticed the aircraft was being paced by a circular red light.
He radioed in to Pensacola Approach Control to ask what the traffic was, but they didn’t see anything on the radar besides the Sabreliner.
Jividen said that he and the five others all saw, from a distance, a round solid object in the sky at about their 1-o’clock position.
He said the UFO didn’t act like any kind of military or civilian craft.
“On the radio, every time the guy would push the mic button, you’d hear people in the background chattering about it,” Jividen said. “They were very concerned and excited that they couldn’t see it on their radar, and they wanted to know what we were seeing.”
Intrigued, Jividen decided to turn toward the UFO to see what it would do.
“Suddenly the red light jumped to the left, which would be the 11-o’clock position on the nose,” he said.
After making sure the red light wasn’t a lighthouse, Jividen said he wanted to find out if the UFO was solid.
Flying underneath it, he said the UFO was surrounded by stars, and flying over it, the UFO cast a silhouette against the Gulf of Mexico.
“After about five minutes, it sped out to the west over the horizon,” Jividen said.
After landing, he said he filed a report on the incident. “And we never got any further feedback on the event,” he said.
But after reading John Alexander’s first edition of “UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies and Realities,” Jividen felt compelled to share his story with the author, who is known for researching UFO sightings involving credible government and military witnesses.
“He was the one individual I thought would be credible to tell the story to,” Jividen said.
After being featured in Alexander’s new edition, which was released March 28, and a recent Huffington Post story, Jividen is in the national UFO spotlight.
Jividen lived in the Pensacola-area from 1969 to 1976 while he was a flight instructor for the Marine Corps aboard Pensacola Naval Air Station.
He was a Marine Corps pilot for nine years.
During the Vietnam War, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “heroism and extraordinary achievement” for piloting a helicopter extracting a Marine reconnaissance team that was under heavy fire.
He said he’s lost touch with all of the crew members from the flight in 1975, but he’s hoping he might reach some who might have retired in Pensacola and might want to share information.
Jividen, 67, retired in 2002 as a United Airlines pilot and lives in Henderson, Nev.
And after all these years, does he still believe he saw a UFO piloted by extraterrestials?
“It was probably a visitor from somewhere that is observing us,” he said. “Whether it’s something inter-dimensional, from an alternate universe, an atmospheric phenomenon… there are several possibilities.”
An eerie warning by a Seven Kings pub ghost was ignored by a man who just 12 days later drowned on the Titanic.
The Cauliflower Hotel, High Road, hosted a leaving party for
seven-year-old Eva Hart and her family a week before they were due to
set sail on the ill-fated vessel.
It was on the night of April 2,
1912, that the ghost of Kathy, an eight-year-old orphan who was
drowned in a sluice near the hotel in the late 1890s, made an
appearance, according to a new book.
Haunted English Pubs by
Donald Stuart claims her ghost appeared in the dining room wringing
wet and waving frantically to builder Ben Hart, 47 Evas father. He
later told his family: "It seemed like a very bad omen."
Hart Family - Father ignored ghostly warning
Eva and her mother survived the sinking but Ben died along with 1,513 others after the Titanic hit an iceberg.
The
Ilford Graphic reported five days after the ship sank that: "On April
2, Mr and Mrs Ben Hart were present at The Cauliflower in their
honour prior to their departure for Canada. They were the recipients of a
beautiful illuminated address."
The article added: "We see from
the papers that Mrs Esther Hart and Miss Eva Hart are among the
saved, but there is no mention made of Mr Hart, and we fear the
worst."
Mr Stuart uncovered the chilling story while he was
researching his latest book, which contains more than 170 "haunted"
English pubs.
He said: "I have travelled 8,000 miles gathering
information on supernatural goings-on in pubs. The British Library,
old magazines, local history and previous works has helped me to
accumulate a lot of ghost stories that were 10 years in the making."
Employees at the Cauliflower, now a pub, which was first opened in
1900, told the Recorder they had heard rumours of the story before but
had never witnessed any paranormal activity.
Source: London24
